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• Cartoons aren't just for kids anymore

In the wake of the release of Kung Fu Panda, I figure it a good idea to recommend other cartoons -- a top ten list for adults like us, of course. I thoroughly guarantee that each one of these movies will entertain and captivate you, or your money back (note: if you actually don’t enjoy these movies, you don’t deserve your money back…consider my offer void, you heartless jerk). For the sake of me assuming you’ve already seen them, I’ve omitted Pixar movies from this list, although I highly recommend all of them (except Cars). Anywho, here’s the list

10) South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Vulgar, obscene, violent and hilarious. What more could you ever ask from a cartoon? Matt Stone and Trey Parker have a knack for expressing the most endearing of morals and philosophies in the most over-the-top and ridiculous ways. South Park might be the greatest social commentary of our generation and it only gets funnier when they tell their stories through song. I did mention this movie was a musical, right?

09) Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit - Do you remember Wallace & Gromit from elementary school art class? I do. Those crazy clay-mation Brits are delightfully hilarious in their own clean, but English way. I suppose British humor is not for everyone, but I’d hate to be them. Their first full length feature was actually quite funny through out and Nick Park (the creator W & G) is working on a new short for them (titled A Matter Of Loaf And Death), which is being released in the fall.

08) Metropolis - I must confess I accidentally ordered this movie on Netflix while attempting to rent Fritz Lang’s Metropolis a few years back. However, I was overwhelmingly surprised by what I saw. The animation is pristine and the story, which is loosely based off of Lang’s Metropolis, is great.

07) Grave Of The Fireflies - 3 words: see this movie. This depressing war drama chronicles the struggles of a young boy and his little sister in their fight to survive during World War II following the death of their mother.

06) The Iron Giant - Loveable, mesmerizing and fun for the whole family. The Iron Giant is a beautifully animated film from the 90s without the “made for kids only” baggage that would soon follow in the post-Pixar era. Featuring the voices of Jen Aniston, Harry Connick Jr. and an unlikely Vin Diesel, this tale about a boy and a robot he finds from outer space is about as endearing as E.T.

05) Princess Mononoke - Princess Mononoke is one of many great animated films by prolific anime legend Hayao Miyazaki. This tale of man versus nature takes a whole new turn in a Lord Of The Rings-like epic battle between the forces of earth. Featuring a knockout of characters including Billy Bob Thorton and X-Files hottie Gillian Anderson, I guarantee this films story and style will keep you on the edge of your couch. Fans of shows like Inuyasha will clearly see much influence from this film.

04) The Triplets Of Belleville - This quasi-silent French art house film got snubbed a few years back when The Motorcycle Diaries won best original song. Benoit Charest’s jazzy score and quirky but lighthearted sound bring this tale about a kidnapped tour de France cyclist and his grandma’s quest to find him to life. I particularly love the main theme to this movie. Take a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8nYAoZkdSI

03) Shrek - Do I even need to say anything about this movie? As someone who loves loose references to and parodies of pop culture (not in the manner that Family Guy does them, mind you), I was overwhelmed with hilarity when I first saw this film many years back. Jesus, am I old.

02) Spirited Away - Another Miyazaki masterpiece, Spirited Away is my favorite anime to date. It’s less “mature” than Princess Mononoke in terms of it’s target audience, but infinitely more mature in terms of its material. A curious girl wanders into another dimension of ghosts, monsters and demons and must find her way back home in the strange land with the help of a group of equally strange characters. It won the Oscar for best animated film in 2002 and it could have easily have been nominated for best picture if the Academy wasn’t so hung up on rewarding live features.

01) The Nightmare Before Christmas - This movie has it all: originality, style, comedy. Above all, it’s a visual masterpiece. Burton’s grim story of a man trying to find his place in the world fits so perfectly in the era from which it came, when America was still finding its place in the new world and recovering from the post-Vietnam era (something symbolically marked by the release of Forest Gump in 1995) -- now of course, I am looking entirely too far into the “cultural significance” of the movie, while overlooking it’s obvious cultural impact as one of the greatest cult films of all time. The Nightmare Before Christmas is to Goth kids what The Rocky Horror Picture is to those people who dress up for film screenings. If you have not already seen this movie, do yourself a huge favor and rent it. If you have seen it, go rent it anyways.