Sometimes, our animated friends have the best insight! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most innovative or progressive stories in feature length animation.
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00:00 "It means you can do whatever you put your mind to, Dory."
00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the most innovative or progressive stories in feature-length animation.
00:11 Special technical achievements will be saved for another day.
00:14 "I'm right here, at your door. I want in, I want more, what's a danger?"
00:20 Number 10. The Secret of Nym
00:23 Based on the novel Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nym, this Don Bluth feature offered a darker alternative to Disney's whimsical fairy tale output.
00:33 "My son Timothy is so sick."
00:35 "Timmy? The one with the spider bite? Well, just give him some pips, just a welcome to..."
00:40 "No! No, he's sick with a fever."
00:44 It begins with the movie's mouse protagonist, now called Mrs. Brisby, seeking medicine for her sickly child.
00:51 And it doesn't let up from there. A farmer and his cat threaten her family's way of life.
00:56 And her quest to seek guidance from the prophet Nicodemus uncovers a sinister truth about her late husband's past.
01:03 "To satisfy some scientific curiosity. Often at night, I would hear them crying out in anguish."
01:13 Whilst some critics worried that the film's themes and characters might be too complex for child audiences,
01:19 many others praised its uniquely mature premise.
01:23 The film was Bluth's directorial debut and set the precedent for a family-friendly filmography that refused to talk down to its audience.
01:30 "But why do I have to know you're gonna be with me?"
01:33 "I'll be with you, even if you can't see me."
01:39 Number 9. Cats Don't Dance
01:42 Nineteen years before Zootopia presented its animal-based allegory for racism, Cats Don't Dance waltzed onto screens across America.
01:51 Unlike its successor, its scope was a bit more narrow, focusing specifically on the inequality seen in 1930s Hollywood.
01:59 "This town has rules. Around here, cats say meow."
02:02 "Oh, but that's so old hat. I'm sure no one would mind if I jazzed this up a bit."
02:07 "Alright, learn it the hard way."
02:09 Whereas human girl Darla Dimple was frequently cast as a leading lady,
02:14 the cats, hippos, turtles, and goats were all stereotyped into roles based on stereotypes about their respective species.
02:21 "You're Choo-Choo. You're Ducky."
02:24 "I hate animals! Especially that one!"
02:30 We'd be remiss not to mention that introducing human characters into such an allegory comes with its own set of problems,
02:37 but the message was still clear. No one should be discounted solely because of the way they look.
02:42 "They cursed you, humiliated you, even slammed the door in your face. But they still haven't made you forget. Have they?"
02:51 In addition to its message of acceptance, it also featured a pretty pitch-perfect satirization of old Hollywood.
02:58 Number 8. Big Hero 6
03:01 "Tadashi, no!"
03:07 "Callahan's in there. Someone has to help."
03:10 Death is far from a new concept in animation. Disney in particular is known for its memorably heart-wrenching scenes of parental loss.
03:19 Nonetheless, few family films have dealt with grief quite as well as Big Hero 6.
03:24 When Hido's brother Tadashi dies in a fire, the protagonist is understandably heartbroken and angry.
03:31 Suspecting the fire to have been arson, he seeks revenge, even attempting to kill the masked man he believes is responsible.
03:39 "He went in there to save you!"
03:40 "That was his mistake!"
03:42 "Baymax, destroy."
03:49 But vengeance is unfulfilling. Hido realizes that his connections with family and friends and the remembrance of those lost are the true keys to healing.
03:58 A diverse cast of characters adds to the film's significance, allowing kids across the nation to see themselves in its important story.
04:06 "Is this what Abigail would have wanted?"
04:08 "Abigail is gone!"
04:11 "This won't change anything. Trust me."
04:14 Number 7. Mulan
04:16 By the late 90s, anime had taken the Western world by storm.
04:20 But when it comes to American-made productions, Asian characters were still noticeably absent.
04:26 Mulan didn't change this, but its impact for those in the film's target demographic was undeniable.
04:32 "Mulan's strength of rage and fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon."
04:43 Young Chinese girls finally had a Disney heroine they could see themselves in, and she could be seen in theaters across the nation.
04:51 The film's Asian protagonists were even voiced by Asian actors, a seemingly common-sense practice that studios still manage to miss the mark on to this day.
05:00 "Creative people giving us general directions, and these are the things that help make the animated work or the final results in the movies that you get to see."
05:10 Unintentionally, the film also held significance for many trans and gender non-conforming youth who saw themselves in Mulan's reflection.
05:18 "Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though I've tried."
05:28 Number 6. Bella Donna of Sadness
05:31 Experimental animation was on the rise in the 1970s, with directors like René Lallou and Ralph Bakshi pushing the limits of what the medium could be.
05:41 "Max, I'm okay. I'm okay, Max. Just a scratch. Look, I'm alright. Max."
05:45 "Oh, oh, damn."
05:48 One of the most interesting films of the period was Eiichi Yamamoto's Bella Donna of Sadness.
05:54 After being known for his work on Kimba the White Lion, the filmmaker shocked audiences with this psychedelic depiction of violence and sexuality.
06:02 "I thought there was nothing more to laugh about."
06:05 "I understand, Janna. I was always by your side."
06:11 Whether it's a feminist masterpiece or a poorly aged exploitation piece is up for debate, but regardless of where you stand, there's no denying that Bella Donna of Sadness is unlike anything that came before or after it.
06:24 Sure, from an artistic standpoint, its animation may be limited, but it's hard to care when each frame is this beautifully crafted.
06:32 "Honey."
06:35 "Janna."
06:37 "See you later."
06:38 Number 5. Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron
06:42 "I remember the first time I saw a rattler curled up in my path."
06:47 "Induct this animal, Sergeant."
06:49 "This one didn't look like a rattler, but I was still thinking, 'snake.'"
06:54 From Peter Pan to Pocahontas, the depiction of Native Americans in children's animation has been historically problematic.
07:02 Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron took a step in the right direction. In contrast to the many other Western-inspired films before it, Spirit cast the U.S. Army as the villains and Native Americans as its secondary protagonists.
07:15 "I'm never gonna ride you, am I? And no one ever should."
07:21 The main characters are, of course, horses, but their arc only adds to the film's anti-colonial themes.
07:27 When Spirit is caught by soldiers, for example, his forced assimilation can be seen as an allegory for the experience of indigenous children.
07:36 This progressive narrative seems to have played a role in its middling critical response at the time of release, with Rotten Tomatoes' consensus for the movie calling it too politically correct.
07:46 "Sometimes a horse has gotta do what a horse has gotta do. And this was one of those times."
07:54 The 1990s were a volatile time for the environment. The U.N. warned of potential rising global temperatures, and the oil spills were some of the most disastrous to date.
08:07 It was this climate that inspired Fern Gully, an environmental fairy tale.
08:12 "Slime beneath me, moon. Slime up above. Ooh, you'll love my toxic love."
08:28 The film tackled deforestation and pollution in a way that was simultaneously fun and easy to understand for its young audience.
08:35 It was even animated on recycled paper. "A global creative network that brought Fern Gully to life through the painstaking hand-drawn step-by-step process of classic animation."
08:48 Pixar would release WALL-E 16 years later, garnering praise for both its hopeful conservationist ending and harrowing depiction of an abandoned Earth.
08:57 Although Fern Gully would never see the same level of critical praise as its successor, there's no question that it was ahead of the curve on teaching children the importance of going green.
09:07 "Now hexes can never harm Fern Gully again." "But humans still could. That's why I have to go back."
09:17 For their third feature, Cartoon Saloon traveled back to 2001, depicting Afghanistan in the early days of America's War on Terror.
09:28 "The ground became weak under our feet. Always uncertain. First came a coup d'état, then an invasion, then a civil war."
09:38 Released in a world still marred by rampant Islamophobia, The Breadwinner's portrayal of Afghans was appropriately complex.
09:46 Although it does occasionally employ well-worn stereotypes, the film makes sure to show that not every man living under the Taliban's patriarchal rule is violent or cruel.
09:57 "Well, she should cover herself properly." "Maybe you should stop looking at her." "What did you say to me?" "I said, stop looking at her."
10:04 The film also features Afghan women who are far more than their oppression, including its protagonist, who dresses as a boy to become her family's breadwinner.
10:13 War is not kid-friendly by nature, so it's no surprise that The Breadwinner received a PG-13 rating in America, but it offers a nice middle ground between the graphic reality and more sanitized portrayals.
10:25 "We are a land whose people are its greatest treasure. We are at the edges of empires that war with each other."
10:37 "I find the world very confusing and chaotic, because my mind is very literal and logical."
10:48 Don't let its cartoony claymation characters fool you. This is an animated film better suited for adults, but its nuanced and sympathetic portrayal of sensitive topics makes it worth a watch for anyone mature enough to handle its subject matter.
11:02 "She adored the noblets, because everyone was brown, lived in a teapot, and had oodles of friends."
11:11 Starring Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary and Max focuses on two unlikely friends who bond over their struggles with self-image and their love of a show called The Noblets.
11:22 During the film, Max is diagnosed with autism, and though his traits can be somewhat stereotypical, he is afforded more nuance and agency than many autistic characters of the modern day.
11:33 He expresses understandable anger when Mary writes about him without his consent, and insists that he does not need to be cured.
11:40 "My emotions, in the order they feel most intense, hurt, confuzzledness, betrayal, discomfort, distress, and wheeziness."
11:52 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:57 Lilo & Stitch
11:58 Underneath its alien exterior, Lilo & Stitch shined a light on real human issues.
12:04 "You don't know what you're doing! She needs me!"
12:07 "Is this what she needs?"
12:10 "It seems clear to me that you need her a lot more than she needs you."
12:14 One Stormy Night
12:15 Intentionally or not, Gabou and Mei's star-crossed love story resonated with gay viewers.
12:21 "You're the one who should be happy, you know? You're dating a goat like me."
12:27 "That's why we're best friends, right?"
12:31 "That's right, we're best friends."
12:35 Kubo and the Two Strings
12:38 A compassionate tale that teaches kids about a Japanese tradition.
12:42 "Do you see those lamps and altars? We use those to speak to the loved ones that left us behind. We listen to their tales."
12:52 The Black Cauldron
12:53 One of Disney's darkest animated features.
12:56 "Then instruct her to show me the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron."
13:06 The Little Mermaid
13:08 Ariel had a rebellious streak that set her apart from her predecessors.
13:12 "I just don't see things the way he does. I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad."
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13:36 Shrek
13:39 "Layers! Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers? You get it, we both have layers."
13:48 Like an onion, or an ogre, Shrek has layers.
13:52 In recent years, the film has become the frequent subject of memes, but that has never discounted its real impact on the film industry.
14:00 There's a reason it won the very first Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2002 and got added to the United States' National Film Registry in 2020.
14:10 "People take one look at me and go, 'Ahh, help! Run! A big, stupid, ugly ogre!' They judge me before they even know me."
14:21 At a time when Disney reigned supreme, Shrek proved references and occasionally risque humor entertained adults without ever slighting its younger audience.
14:31 And its memorable soundtrack certainly didn't hurt its legacy either.
14:35 "And I saw her face. Now I'm a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind."
14:46 Did we miss any animated movies you thought were ahead of their time? Let us know in the comments!
14:51 "Everywhere, it's what you make."
14:54 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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