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Everyone watched movies growing up, and most of those movies were probably kid-centric cartoons. In the late 90s and early 2000s, plenty of animated movies hit theaters, but many were direct-to-video fare, meaning they didn't receive the same recognition as those with big releases. Many went entirely unnoticed unless the local library or Blockbuster had them.
Of course, if the viewer was born in the past 15 years, all of these movies might seem brand new. Although wonderful animated films get released nowadays, they still don't get much recognition – even if they are solid movies.
10 The Pebble And The Penguin Is An Unrecognized Triumph
The Pebble and the Penguin is about a shy penguin named Hubie who wishes to present a pebble to Marina. Giving someone a pebble is like a marriage proposal for penguins. But right when Hubie gets the guts to do it, he gets knocked off the ice by Drake, who also likes Marina. Hubie ends up being picked up by a ship and meets Rocko. Together they escape and return to Antarctica, where the evil Drake is waiting.
The Pebble and the Penguin stars Martin Short, Jim Belushi, and Tim Curry. Curry plays the villain of the story, so there's really no way the movie could be bad. It features some great music as well, including Drake's (the penguin, not the rapper) "Don't Make Me Laugh."
9 The Princess And The Goblin Is Just As Good As A Disney Movie
The Princess and the Goblin is a Hungarian film adaptation of a tale from 1872, written by George MacDonald. It tells the story of Princess Irene, who teams up with her cat and a poor miner boy named Curdie to rescue the king and save the kingdom from goblins and their pets. The Goblins live underground and plan to rule over the kingdom on land.
It features music, a fearless princess, a kitten named Turnip, an outrageous group of goblins, magic, and a cute little love story.
8 Candyland: The Great Lollipop Adventure Flew Way Under The Radar
On paper, a movie based on a board game doesn't sound like a great idea, but Candyland: The Great Lollipop Adventure is genuinely a lot of fun to watch. It uses a classic "big bad" trope, meaning that the villain's plans are what drives the story. In this case, it's Lord Licorice, who's given the incredibly catchy "Licorice Land" song.
On the other side of the spectrum is Jib, a gingerbread boy who is excited to go to the annual Sweet Celebration where Princess Lolly will use the magic scepter. Lord Licorice likes this idea too, so he steals the scepter in order to make all the candy in Candyland into licorice. Jib teams up with Mr. Mint, Princess Lolly, and Jolly to get the scepter back and save Candyland from becoming drab and icky.
7 Thumbelina Still Does Not Get The Credit It Deserves
Thumbelina is about a girl no bigger than her mother's thumb, who longs for a companion. One day, a fairy named Prince Cornelius arrives at her window, and the two promptly fall in love. Before Thumbelina can run away with him, however, she is kidnapped – three times. The film is narrated by Jacquimo, a determined swallow who is a hopeless romantic. He helps Thumbelina on her journey, as well.
This movie has some of the best animated film songs, and features a cast comprised of Jodi Benson (Ariel; The Little Mermaid), Carol Channing, Barbara Cook, Gilbert Gottfried, and Charo.
6 Valiant Is Historical Fiction Told By Pigeons
This movie is about pigeons in 1944, the height of WWII. Valiant, a small wood pigeon, wants to be a hero, so he flies to London to enlist in the Royal Homing Pigeon Service. Their job is to carry encoded messages about enemy movements across the English Channel. The only problem is the Falcon Brigade that patrols the area, led by General Von Talon. Valiant meets friends on his journey who tag along on his trip to form Squad F.
This movie is star-studded, featuring Ewan McGregor as Valiant, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Laurie, John Hurt, John Cleese, and, of course, Tim Curry as the villain.
5 Dinotopia: Quest For The Ruby Sunstone Is Another Great Dinosaur Movie
Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone is based on the book series Dinotopia by James Gurney and others. It tells the story of Kex, a shipwrecked orphan, who finds himself in Dinotopia, where humans and dinosaurs live harmoniously. He finds friends in 26, Spazz, and other dinosaurs who team up to save the island from the evil Ogthar who has stolen the titular ruby sunstone.
The film stars Alyssa Milano as 26, a yellow dinosaur best known for being a main character in the popular Dinotopia miniseries. It also features Wayne Knight, Kathy Griffin, Malcolm McDowell, Jamie Kennedy, and Tara Strong.
4 Babes In Toyland Brings Nursery Rhymes To Life
There are three different movies with the title Babes in Toyland, but this is the least well-known version, even though it's a solidly entertaining film. It was supposed to be released in theaters in 1996, but All Dogs Go To Heaven 2's box-office failure for MGM delayed its release until 1997 when it went straight-to-video. Toyland might not have the strongest animation, but it has meaningful songs and memorable characters. Oh, and it's a Christmas movie.
Babes in Toyland takes classic nursery rhyme characters and has them team up to save Christmas. The newcomers, Jack and Jill, must help Humpty Dumpty, Tom Piper, and Mary (of "Little Lamb" fame) to stop the evil Barnaby Crookedman from canceling the holiday. Barnaby doesn't believe in toys and wishes to buy the factory from Mary to shut it down. There are also goblins, and a fun villain song, "The Worst is Yet to Come."
3 The Last Unicorn Is An Underrated Classic
Based on the 1968 book by Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn tells the story of a unicorn who discovers that she is the last of her kind. On her quest to discover what happened to the others, she meets many enemies, including King Haggard and his Red Bull. To protect herself from these adversaries, the magician Schmendrick casts a spell to turn her into a human: Lady Amalthea. She can't stay human forever, but will true love allow her to stay?
The Last Unicorn is an absolute classic that everyone should see; it's rated G, after all. It stars Mia Farrow as the Unicorn, as well as Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin, Christopher Lee, and Jeff Bridges. It also features incredible music by the band America.
2 Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular Is A Perfect Halloween Movie For Children
Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular and its sequel are based on the award-winning children's books by Jill Thompson. It's about Hannah-Marie and her first time trick-or-treating. Unfortunately for her, she has to go with her bully of a cousin, Jimmy. After being scared to tears by Jimmy, Hannah Marie meets Scary Godmother, who takes her back to her house and throws her the best Halloween party of all time. Not only does she get to meet real monsters, but they help her make a plan to get back at Jimmy.
Scary Godmother has quite the cast of characters. There's Mr. Skully Pettibone (a skeleton), Harry (a werewolf), Bug-A-Boo (anmonster), and a family of vampires: Count Maxwell, Ruby, and Orson. This movie proves that monsters don't have to be scary; plus it features a lot of dancing.
1 Kubo And The Two Strings Is A Stop Motion Masterpiece
The film takes place in a small village in Japan where Kubo, a one-eyed musical origami master, lives with his sick mother. His father, Hanzo, was a Samurai who was defeated while protecting the family. When a vengeful spirit arrives and rehashes a chaotic vendetta, Kubo must find the enchanted suit of armor once worn by his father.
Along for the ride, Kubo has his magical shamisen (the instrument), Sariatu (his mother reincarnated as a monkey), and Beetle (a beetle with a bow and arrow...and amnesia). This incredible movie is enhanced by an incredible cast. It stars Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, and George Takei.