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 2007, the year Prince performed the greatest Super Bowl halftime show of all time, LCD Soundsystem set fire to the dance floor with the second studio album “Sound of Silver,” and the Spice Girls launched a record-breaking comeback after the group’s decade-long absence from the music scene.
Looking back, there are any number of wild pop culture milestones to mark the year Cara Cunningham told everyone to “Leave Britney alone.” Still, today, we’re setting our sights on the greatest animated films of 2007, 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.
5) Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
While the original series and The End of Evangelion will always be my go-to for introducing potential fans to this time-honored, ever-evolving anime, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is a rare remake that adds new gears and wires to a classic build. In the reimagined film, the fate of the world becomes threatened by seemingly monstrous entities known as Angels. NERV is an organization set up to counter this threat, and it is up to young pilots, Shinji and Rei, to protect Earth. However, NERV hides a dark secret as the nature of the Evas is shrouded in mystery, masking an astonishing connection to the pilots that changes everything.
You Are (Not) Alone reimagines the first six episodes of the Evangelion saga. At first, the goal was to recreate the series using existing assets from the original release, with roughly 150 new cuts. However, after complications with the original art arose, the team began building the film from scratch. Soon, You Are (Not) Alone introduced new scenes, story elements, enhanced effects, and refined character models for a brand-new Evangelion experience.
While not every fan celebrates the changes made to the original, You Are (Not) Alone is an alternate take on an anime classic that shines with ambition, imagination, and fresh coats of paint on an aging property. Evangelion purists might recommend skipping this entry in favor of the original series or one of the other reimaginings, but as a part of the franchise’s evolution, You Are (Not) Alone is a thrilling example of giving creators space to turn the toy box over and take a different approach to playtime.
4) 5 Centimeters Per Second
After highlighting the beauty and genius of Makoto Shinkai’s 2004 drama The Place Promised in Our Early Days, the Japanese filmmaker and novelist returns to the charts for his 2007 masterpiece 5 Centimeters Per Second. Forgoing fantasy and science fiction elements from his past work, Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters film is a triptych romance set in our real world. Told in three interconnected segments, Shinkai’s psychological drama focuses on Takaki, who recounts his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and, finally, adult obligations and responsibilities converge to test the delicate petals of love.
Presented with a deliberately slow, dreamy pace, 5 Centimeters Per Second is a tale of longing, human connection, and the romantic notion that time and space hold no sway over the enduring effects of true love. Shinkai’s film shines with astoundingly gorgeous animation, his habit of making reflective surfaces shimmer ever-present, blinding audiences with the world’s natural beauty that we often take for granted. While romance in film typically ends predictably, 5 Centimeters Per Second takes the story in an alternate direction, emphasizing that love is sometimes more precious and unpredictable than we can ever hope to dream.
3) Wolf Children
Returning to our animation lists with a one-two punch is The Girl Who Leapt Through Time filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda with Wolf Children, an endearing and tear-jerking animation about loss, parenting, and the willingness to let loved ones pass through your embrace like a rush of falling water. After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, Hana must find ways to raise their werewolf son and daughter while keeping their trait hidden from society.
Keeping the family’s secret takes a toll on Hana as she struggles to hide her children’s true nature from prying eyes, service workers, nosy neighbors, and authority figures who question her penchant for avoidance and her laundry list of excuses. Wolf Children is a touching film for parents of all kinds, though it’s especially potent for those with little hellraisers. Hosoda’s story delves into the stresses, poisoned thoughts, and joys of parenthood, telling a tale that speaks to the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones from prying eyes and malicious intent. Wolf Children is one of Hosoda’s most relatable films, as many of us know what it’s like to bare our teeth in the face of adversity and judgment over raising rambunctious children.
2) Ratatouille
After creating what some call the greatest superhero movie ever made with 2004’s The Incredibles, Brad Bird served audiences his next Pixar classic on a silver platter with Ratatouille. Delectable from the main course to the final crumb, Ratatouille tells the inspiring story of Linguini, a kitchen worker in a Paris restaurant who makes a name for himself by preparing mouth-watering dishes with the help of Remy, a rat who can puppeteer Linguini with a tug on the aspiring chef’s shaggy hair.
Ratatouille is a finger-licking good tale of unlikely friendship, big dreams, and ways that being clever can help you achieve the seemingly impossible. While Linguini and Remy’s scheme is deceptive, it carves a mutually beneficial path toward victory and notoriety as the duo rises through the ranks of a profession peppered with ruthless competition, backstabbers, and spotlight stealers. Pixar brings Paris to life in ways that are fanciful and authentic while treating audiences to a heartwarming dish of true friendship, hilarious hijinks, and food that will make you want to run to the nearest restaurant serving Italian and French cuisine as soon as the credits roll.
1) Persepolis
Based on the autobiographical, multi-award-winning graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is a powerful animated adaptation telling the coming-of-age story of a young girl during the Islamic Revolution. Presented using a combination of color and black-and-white, Persepolis is an impactful tale of resistance, radicalization, and rehabilitation in an unjust world suffering under the crushing weight of old beliefs, political turmoil, and a desire to break free of the chains that bind us.
Marjane, with her insatiable lust for knowledge, explores her world through acts of rebellion, the rabble-rousing grooves of heavy metal, and a complicated relationship with her god that’s just as perplexed by the world as she is. Throughout the film, Marjane attempts to navigate a broken society on her own terms while pondering her familial trauma with a mind that’s both open and resistant to old ways. Persepolis is a beautiful, meticulous depiction of the human spirit, with Marjane’s journey inspiring those who want to carve their own path in a world that’s terrified to move beyond the confines that keep it rooted in past mistakes and traditional ideologies.
There you have it, folks. What do you think about our Top 5 Animated Films of 2007 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 2007 are! Until next time. Cheers!
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed