Top Ten Tuesday - DreamWorks

So last week I talked about one man. But today I decided to focus on one animation house - DreamWorks.

Now as a devoted Disney fan I have seen plenty of bad blood in relation to DreamWorks. Just like Bluth hitting the road when he felt things were stale DreamWorks was founded by a former Disney employee. However, if you really look into Jeffrey Katzenberg, I think you'll find him more than slightly justified in his anger. He took the studio from The Black Cauldron (definite low point) to The Lion King (definite high point) and his reward? *zip* He formed an animation company with the help of Steven Spielberg and David Geffen and began releasing films. Even though one of their head men brought some of Disney's greatest successes to screen, these films were usually nothing like a Disney movie. They were edgier and they relied more on humor (and had many more instances of adult humor) than sentiment; in their few traditionally animated offerings they were more angular, the people more realistic, and the color palate muted; in their computer animation... well they were similar to Disney's style but somehow more rubbery (?) I don't know, it just looks like things get coated with wax every once in a while. Again, the biggest difference is that DreamWorks relies on the humor while Disney relies on the sentiment. 

So without further ado... My Top Ten DreamWorks Animated Films

10. The Road to El Dorado (2000)

This film is like a classic road trip film: our heroes get into comic mischief, hit the highway Atlantic, reach a destination, learn something, and set out for the next adventure. I like the traditional animation in this film, it was something different from my usual Disney fair. Plus it is genuinely funny, sometimes you just need a comedy. 

9. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

A great sequel with an interesting set-up. The star development in this film is the relationship between Po and and his father. This sequel brings more action than its predecessor by virtue of not having to introduce us to the characters. But there is a major, major flaw... for some reason we only get a few minutes of Shifu throughout the film. Lame.

8. Megamind (2010)

This film. It's very funny and very nearly a spoof film. In fact it does spoof many things throughout but as a whole I suspect it is either a tribute or send-up. It is ridiculously quotable, has a catchy soundtrack, and fun character designs that break through the waxiness of early CGI.

7. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

This film was a reminder that perhaps our children's films have been lacking in a heavy dose of trauma for the better part of a decade. Actually it didn't start that cruise ship but it certainly was a port of call along the journey. Really though I'm just here for the dragons.

6. Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Some people have The Nightmare Before Christmas as their ambiguous holiday movie. I have this. Christmastime? We have Santa! Easter? One giant rabbit coming up! Halloween? Bogey Man on order! See? But really the awesome message here is about the power of belief. Love it.

5. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

France's poster was better than ours could ever hope to be...

A sort of funky hybrid between traditional animation and computer animation. But I love that you've got moral shades of grey going on and an ending that you sort of don't see coming. I'm not a big horse girl, but this film was highly enjoyable for me.

4. Kung Fu Panda (2008)

WORST. ADVERTISING. EVER. I hate Shrek. HATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATE it. So when this movie was advertised as basically being Panda Shrek I ignored it. It was out more than a year before I saw it. And it kind of restored my hope that DreamWorks could be an engaging company. Plus it has one of the most enduring characters of all time in it... no, not Po. Shifu!

3. The Croods (2013)

If Kung Fu Panda had the worst advertising ever then this movie has the - WORST. TITLE. EVER. Guys, why would I watch a crude children's film? *ahemcoughshrekgaspcough* Really? But one night on Netflix I gave it a shot and... fell absolutely in love. They certainly have an engaging family dynamic in this film and the climax is freakin' perfect.

2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Kung Fu Panda brought me hope for this company, but Dragons cemented it. Everything since then has at least merited 'worth a look' with several being genuinely good films. Plus how can you not love a story with Vikings and Dragons? Especially one laced with nerdy outcast, coming of age, and overcoming differences?

If you've ever owned a cat you basically had a flightless dragon.

1. The Prince of Egypt (1998)

It's basically impossible for the number one slot to be filled by anything other than this gorgeous film. It is among the most beautifully animated films from any production company. It is a lovely and faithful retelling of the Bible story. It is incredibly epic in scope. And the music is outstanding. This film is not just one of my favorite animated films, but one  of my favorite films of any kind. Every note is played perfectly.

So there you have it! My Top Ten Favorite DreamWorks Anima....

Well, you see... I find it hard to remove the filter when a movie is brand new. So I didn't rate Home even though I really love it. I know it'll be in the top ten, heck probably the top five! So really you guys, say goodbye to El Dorado.

My First Five for Friday!

So this is my attempt to reorient the blog back towards teaching. Not to say it won't include some of my kookier offerings but I'd like to get back to my roots. This is called Five for Friday and hosted by Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Well, I've been out of school for a while now... in fact I'd probably be ready to go back soon! Haha, but still more to accomplish. I went on a real vacation once again - this time my mom and I went camping in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. It got a little chilly at nights but we had lots of blankets! We took a few amazing hikes (and one hike to the edge of exhaustion - seriously think about Uncle Tom's Trail before you start!). The road trip was also pretty good - even though from where we start the Bighorns stand directly in between, there were a few turns where the road simply looked like it ended and all that was beyond was the sky!

Back in Rapid City I've been cleaning my South Dakota bedroom. Which somehow gets messy even though I only live here three months of the year! (I'm uber disorganized, that's how.) I spent one whole day just organizing the bookshelves (still not complete), here are the better three. At least I still get to remove one cooler worth of books to mail to Alaska, that'll help with the space issue.

I've been getting quite a few books for the classroom. I've got a new sequence for next year (again!) but should be almost ready - I need to preview some of the read-alouds like these candidates for our study on presidents and Native American peoples. I'm pretty excited about The Silent Stranger because it had an advisory board of eight people, most of whom were actually affliated with the Nez Perce tribe and two of which are actually tribal elders! I hope the author used this situation to the fullest, I'm being very careful in trying to get interesting and authentic Native American literature for children. It doesn't seem as bad as it used to with literally every tribe having characteristics of Plains Nations (especially Sioux). I once found a text where the illustrations showed the Iroquois in tipis. *Sigh*

I've been having lots of fun with my record player! Bought it in December, but since it lives in SD with my parents I didn't get to use it until just recently. I've also discovered that with the re-advent of vinyl you can't find as many in thrift stores as you used to... ah well, I've been listening to my mom's old stuff plus picking up choice selections on Ebay.

Last but not least - some shameless promoting! Okay, a teeny bit ashamed since I'm new to this Linky party and am not sure if this is kosher. But I'm going for it (since I also don't know how many people actually read these). I've got my second project up on Donors Choose! And this one is going to be tough because a) it costs more, b) its not from around here, and c) it isn't for fun things. I really need some better furniture in my class (a shelf should not be able to sway at 45 degree angles) and since I'm new to Donors Choose I only had two points, so instead of breaking my furniture needs into chunks I had to put them all together. I do know that more donors equals more exposure though! So if any of you with projects make a small donation (I hear you can give a dollar), I'll give a donation to your project (or future projects!) in return. Thanks everyone!!!

http://www.donorschoose.org/K.Strand