Every year without fail, Hollywood and other foreign markets bring unforgettable cinematic experiences to the masses, feeding our senses with creativity, imagination, and in rare instances, the impossible. In many cases, we’re spoiled when it comes to live-action offerings, but what about animation? Today, we’re looking back on 2006, the year Microsoft revealed its failed iPod rival, Zune, Tool unleashed their labyrinthine album 10,000 Days, and the Disney Channel introduced the world to Zac Efron in the first of several High School Musical films.
Looking back, there are any number of wild pop culture milestones to mark the year Gerard Way invited disaffected teens to march in the Black Parade, but today, we’re setting our sights on the greatest animated films of 2006, with a Top 5 list that’s sure to make you feel nostalgic and appreciative of the leaps we’ve made in the cinematic art form since then.
While 2005 was an iffy year for animation, 2006 debuted so many bangers that we’re including a special mention for DreamWorks and Aardman Animation‘s slapstick buddy comedy Flushed Away, starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Andy Serkis, and more. In the film, a coddled pet rat named Roddy discovers the underground city of Ratropolis after getting flushed down a toilet by an unwanted houseguest looking to take his place. Desperate to return home, Roddy enlists the aid of Rita Malone, a scavenger who works the drains of a makeshift boat, the Jammy Dodger. When Roddy finds out that Rita has problems of her own, thanks to a ruby she’s hidden from the rat-hating crime boss Toad, the duo must work together to escape being frozen in liquid nitrogen while also returning Roddy to his rightful place above the rabble.
Flushed Away represents a rare collaboration between two studios to create one exciting, funny, and imaginative animated adventure. The action never stops as Roddy and Rita make their escape through an underground recreation of London while being chased by ne’er-do-wells and green-eyed enemies desperate to send the duo to the bottom of the sewers. Flushed Away gives animation lovers a front-row seat atop a porcelain throne for a class war that’s fast-paced, entertaining, and a fantastic example of what can happen when two studios work together to create genuine movie magic.
And now, it’s time for the official list!
Before Studio 4°C delivered bangers like Takashi Nakamura’s Harmony, Ayumu Wantanabe’s Children of the Sea, or produced the 2011 romantasy puzzle game Catherine, it unleashed the visually splendiferous anime Tekkonkinkreet. Directed by Michael Arias, Tekkonkinkreet revolves around two boys, Black and White, who defend Treasure Town from three yakuza enforcers working for Snake, a corporate overlord looking to demolish the slumtastic metropolis and turn it into a theme park.
Featuring distinct character designs by Naoko Sugita, Tekkonkinkreet is something to behold. Sugita’s angular, wonky characters warp around Arias’s dynamic camera work, creating an animation flow that’s equal parts smooth and stylish. The story tugs on themes of pride for one’s neighborhood (regardless of how rundown it is), loyalty to friends and family, and defending what you believe in, regardless of size or social standing. It’s a story about holding onto your humanity, no matter how hard life tries to beat you down. Exploring Treasure Town is a blast. There’s always something new to see on repeat viewings, and the drama between Black and White is compelling and emotional. The movie holds up surprisingly well, especially as parts of the world continue to struggle with the concepts of equality and progress.
While not the most memorable or narratively rich of Pixar’s early releases, Cars has grown in popularity and likability since its 2006 release. The film stars the voice of Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie racecar in desperate need of an attitude adjustment who, after getting stranded in the rundown town of Radiator Springs, learns that winning isn’t everything in life, thanks to a fleet of new friends.
It’s rare, but now and then, Pixar films become more than popcorn-munchers for families. In the case of Cars, some argue that the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic future in which humanity is extinct. The theory suggests that cars became autonomous and developed sentient personalities based on their last human driver. It’s a wild supposition, but it helps elevate the film, giving animation enthusiasts a reason to rewatch it in search of proof. Beyond the Reddit rabbit hole that is Pixar’s Cars, Pixar’s seventh feature-length film is a delightful story about tempering expectations, never judging a book by its cover, and learning from the past, lest you keep failing by repeating mistakes. Think what you will, but Cars kicked off an unstoppable franchise that resonated with young viewers for generations, and there’s plenty to respect about its enduring appeal and ability to never run out of gas.
Back in the ’80s, animated films with genuine horror elements were commonplace, with movies like The Secret of Nimh and The Last Unicorn among them. Then, as the world changed, so did what Hollywood deemed suitable for children. However, in 2006, Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment executive-produced Monster House, a CGI-animated horror-comedy about three teens who discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, terrifying monster.
Smartly written, Monster House provides audiences with genuine frights for a coming-of-age comedy that feels like a haunted house version of The ‘Burbs. Starring the voices of Steve Buscemi, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Kevin James, Sam Lerner, Mitchel Musso, and Spencer Locke, Monster House might not be a looker by today’s standards. Still, it gets the job done by establishing a spooky atmosphere, all-too-familiar teen curiosity, and frights for the little ones. The house itself is also something to behold, as who hasn’t been weary of a rundown residence at some point in their youth?
Before passing away from pancreatic cancer in 2010, Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers director Satoshi Kon gifted us his final feature film, Paprika, in 2006. Considered by many to be Kon’s trippiest movie, Paprika centers on an unknown “dream terrorist” and Dr. Atsuko Chiba, the inventor of the DC Mini. This device allows its users to see people’s dreams. When Dr. Chiba learns of the theft of three DC Mini prototypes, she assumes her dream alter ego, Paprika, and investigates a tangled web of conspiracy and murder.
Satoshi Kon’s Paprika is a fascinating psychological thriller that redraws the line between dreams and reality. There’s nothing quite like mixing a delicious beverage, eating a few gummies, and getting lost in this psychedelic and forever-shifting animated marvel. It’s a total package anime with a killer soundtrack, mind-bending visuals, mysterious characters, and the kind of high-concept storytelling that inspires late-night campfire chats. You know the ones.
Before giving us the gift of 2009’s Summer Wars, Mamoru Hosoda literally took audiences back in time for the twisty psychological drama The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The film centers on a high school girl named Makoto who gains the ability to travel through time. Her journey begins with a few innocent rewinds: one to help ace her test, another to arrive on time, and another to survive a near-fatal accident. She becomes the master of her own destiny, able to rewrite her own history. But what about the butterfly effect? What if every time Makoto changes something, she alters lives around her? How many leaps does she have left to fix what’s broken?
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a time-travel epic with a romantic core and thought-provoking story elements. Among the many heady movies mentioned on this list, Hosoda’s first feature after helping to bring Samurai Champloo to audiences is the kind of anime that stays with you. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t fantasized about traveling back in time, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time takes that concept to great heights, delivering a movie that’s as gorgeous and heartening as it is grand and entrancing.
There you have it, folks. What do you think about our Top 5 Animated Films of 2006 list? Are your favorite films represented here? Are there any grievous omissions? Leave us a comment and let us know what your Top 5 Animated Films of 2006 are! Until next time. Cheers!