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I have a lot of beloved moments in animation (in fact, I have an entire folder devoted to some of my earlier fan-illustrated pieces of some of my favorite animated scenes). So many that (as is the case with so many other list memes that I’ve made), it’s hard to single out only a few. For some of my favorite animated films, from Lion King and Hunchback to just about ANY film by Hayo Miyazaki or Pixar, the entirely of their films could constitute for one of my favorite moments in animation. But I want to avoid being predictable. So, like with just about any process of ruling choices in or out, I decided to go with the ones resonated the most with me, combined with scenes that were of historical significance in the history of animation!

Meme by: www.deviantart.com/yodajax10

Since I don’t have a whole lot else to say, nor much time to say it, ON WITH THE LIST!

10. Let it Go (Frozen-2013)-I don’t care how much people will potentially rave and talk smack about this scene/song in my comments section. This scene is still BEAUTIFUL and POWERFUL!!! Being free to flex one’s powers to the max without fear or restraint, the wonderful feeling that said powers are NOT a curse but rather a gift, and being so confident that you’re living wonderfully for only the moment. This is a different feeling from the classic ‘Happily Ever After’ feeling, this song provides a different context of happiness: that life has screwed you over, but you’re standing tall-perhaps even better than before. (And don’t even try to tell me that this song is sending a message to children that they can just flip the rest of the world off and just flaunt their pride to the rest of the world in spite of everything, because the movie explicitly states that that’s not what to do!)

Now, I do still agree that, as good as this movie makes me always manages to make me feel by the end, it’s overrated and overhyped to this day. Whatever you have to say about the rest of the movie, this is scene will never stop being GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL!

(Side Note: I have, on my playlist, a song that was added to the musical called “Monster”, where Elsa seriously considers the possibility that she might need to die to put an end to the eternal winter!…That’s a bit of a surprising added level of darkness!)

9. Moses encounters God (Prince of Egypt 1998) I’ve sung praises of this movie to no end, and I’m not about to stop. The movie is one of a kind, and animated films with its kind of guts to come into fruition, are few and far between. The scene is moving with a combination of some absolutely SOOTHING music and visuals. There are a lot of scenes in this movie that match the wonder of this scene, but for the sake of choosing one, this was the one I decided to go with!

8. Tom and Jerry-Sleeping Beauty Waltz (Mice Follies 1954) Just for the sake of variety, I decided to refer back to some of the other early classics. Although I don’t watch Tom and Jerry nowadays as much as I used to, I can’t deny their influence on me and my appreciation for animation. Just selecting a memorable short at random, I decided to go with this short is where Jerry and Little Nibbles (before he became Tuffy* ) wet the floor of the house down and freeze it over, turn the house into an ice skating rink, and start a whole chain of ice-skating/chase antics with Tom, accompanied to the Sleeping Beauty waltz (before Disney trademarked it/made it known throughout households).

(Just for the record, I would also have gone with the short Johann Mouse of the same year.)

7. Ending (The Little Match Girl, 1999)-What’s this?! Disney adapted a classic story by Hans Christian Andersen and managed to keep the original sad ending intact?! That’s quite an accomplishment, and it still manages to be uplifting. I think a big part of how Disney managed to succeed in this instance was keeping the story as a short film; The Little Mermaid and Frozen take a lot of liberties with the original stories, and if the reception of Don Bluth’s Thumbelina has any indication, Hans Christian Anderson stories don’t generally translate to feature-films by nature. If you’re not moved by the end of this short, you need to see a therapist. If you wanted a version of the story with a happy ending, Robot Chicken did that in their own classic macabre way.

6. The Pungur Bàn Song (Secret of Kells-2010)-In addition to having some of the most beautiful/atmospheric animation I’ve ever seen, this movie also features one of the most soothing, comforting tunes I’ve ever heard. If I had kids, I’d have no problem playing this to them as a lullaby. The images of the cat being transformed into a spirit mist, complement it perfectly-which it should, given the transilition of the Gaelic-Irish lyrics incorporated in the song.

5. Marahute Flight Scene (The Rescuers Down Under 1990) This scene ranks alongside the flight scenes between Hiccup and Toothless from their respective franchise, as spectacles of cinema. However, the reason this one made my list is because it marked a departure in the technical department for Disney’s animation studio-when they would do all their drawings digitally and scan them into the computer, and it makes the scenes look all the more authentic!

But what really makes this scene is how it’s such an appropriate way to open up and set the tone for the rest of this adventure. It’s a great way to introduce the simple-sweet story of the original Rescuers to an even grander scale that is all the more suitable for the concept of two mice off on an adventure to save the day-and the marriage of Bernard and Bianca is a lovely bow on this great package of a film as well.

(Fun Fact: There was a third installment of The Rescuers in the making, set to be released for 1996, but unfortunately, it got scrapped due to the passing of dear Eva Gabor.)

4. Bill Lives on Forever (It’s Such a Beautiful Day 2010) This being a film that tells itself with an unconventional narrative, it is composed of three separate films with different themes, all told through a series of events that seemingly don’t tie into each other. And then, by the end, it’s revealed that the point-of-view character, Bill, is undergoing a series of medical treatments that indicate that he might potentially be on his deathbed-and that the medication is forcing him to relive several events from his past. Thus, the film focuses on random snippets of his current life (as well as his past lives) in simple stick-figure form, before it all comes together coherently at the end. And in the end, there’s a narration that indicates Bill is an infinite being who will undergo incarnation after incarnation as long as the universe still exists.

It really helps to alleviate the fear of death as well. By suggesting that life is a continuum and suggesting things be viewed episodically, even the most minute details in life we might soon forget are completely lose sight of the next minute, it really helps you appreciate life’s moments a lot more. The movie takes its time, brings you on a journey, gives you some ideas that might make you feel worry or anxiety, and treats them as just another part of life to contend with as much as the joyous AND the relaxed, sure parts of life. What matters is only the moment, is what it comes down to, for me.

3. Snow White’s Happily Ever After (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves-1937) ‘Yes, the one that started it all.’ I never doubted that I thought that good-ol’-fashioned ‘Golden Age’ Disney has aged well, but rewatching them, I was still a bit surprised at how they made me feel. Snow White might not have the most developed story; at heart, the story is pretty basic and is essentially surrounded with the light-hearted touches that trademark it as a ‘House of Mouse’ property. But even as an adult, the movie is a pleasant journey for me the whole way and harkens me back to my childhood and what having a *blockbuster animated feature for the first time really meant (even if there are parts I find a bit saccharine, sorry if that comes off at all harsh).

The ending is the part that had the best impact for me though, and I think for so many people too, which is what made Snow White so successful and timeless. I think more than just being a run-of-the-mill ‘happily ever after’, the ending is symbolic of transformation; like Snow White coming to life from her sleeping death and riding off with her prince, it is symbolic of animation coming out after several years of being limited to theatrical shorts, and shedding a new light on the world of cinema. It’s a feeling that I think all of us have felt, at some point or another, when we’ve achieved our dreams and are shining our brightest!

2. Finale (Samurai Jack 2017)-I still stand by this ending is pretty perfect. I didn’t even have much of a problem with Ashi as most other people seemed to. I didn’t think that giving Jack a live interest was especially necessary, but the most rewarding aspect of having her, to me, is the episode where she came to his defense to save him from killing himself, by reminding him of the COUNTLESS good deeds that saved and brought hope to several others, including herself in her reformation from a slave to Aku. And having them all arrive to Jack’s aide as gratitude for the finale is a very appropriate service to the fans! And Ashi having the strengths to break the control she was held against and use Aku’s powers for good instead of their intended evil allows all the themes to play out to their proper conclusion.

However, everything playing out to its conclusion also means having Ashi disappear with Aku. But the bittersweet note that Tartakovsky gave to close us out, with Jack encountering a symbolic lady bug that reminds him of what he taught Ashi, was very much appropriate and inspiring. (So PLEASE Genndy! Leave this series right where it is, and don’t try to change what played out solidly already!)

As a side note, I do love watching fan-made videos that interpret the ending differently.

1. Finale/Ave Maria (Fantasia-1940)-Yes, I do realize that a lot of my favorite moments in animation (or just in cinema in general) involve images of heavenly rays of light appearing in the audience’s presence, after coming out of a scene of utter darkness. Because, what better feeling is there to end a story on? What better feeling is there in life?

I stand by that Fantasia is (and probably always will be) Disney’s finest! And this final scene is a testament to why. I stand by that the Night on Bald Mountain is the darkest scene is Disney history, as it’s all about arousing and glorifying all the evil in the world-and the Chernabog encapsulates EVERYTHING that we love/hate/love-to-hate all the other classic Disney villains! But the visual that follows, from the light creeping over the horizon sends him and his demonic minions slinking back into their realm of darkness, to the saints and apostles marching to the heavenly sunrise, the two scenes compliment each other just as beautiful as Deams Taylor says it is in the overture! Also, the multi-plane camera work that builds up this scene (combined with the animation of the saints marching with their torches) is so painstakingly MASTERFUL-so much so that Spielberg said that it was one of his biggest influences.

Some critics at the time said that the ‘Ave Maria’ ending was a cop-out from an otherwise dark ending. And to that I have to say, “No. Just no.” (Of course, Walt himself went on record to say that the masses compared later films unfavorably to Snow White.) What I love most about this ending is one thing that separates it from conventional happy endings-it doesn’t focus on characters smiling and birds chirping to make the audience walk away smiling. It just lets the scene speak for itself, and play out with calm, slow-moving visual music and visuals to accompany it! It’s the best kind of way to give the feeling of hope, which I’d argue is more valuable to human nature than a simple good fix of happiness.

I was both horrified AND in awe and wonder when I watched this part of the movie as a kid, and it still always gives me that very same glorious, sensational experience!

Description

I have a lot of beloved moments in animation (in fact, I have an entire folder devoted to some of my earlier fan-illustrated pieces of some of my favorite animated scenes). So many that (as is the case with so many other list memes that I’ve made), it’s hard to single out only a few. For some of my favorite animated films, from Lion King and Hunchback to just about ANY film by Hayo Miyazaki or Pixar, the entirely of their films could constitute for one of my favorite moments in animation. But I want to avoid being predictable. So, like with just about any process of ruling choices in or out, I decided to go with the ones resonated the most with me, combined with scenes that were of historical significance in the history of animation!

Meme by: www.deviantart.com/yodajax10

Since I don’t have a whole lot else to say, nor much time to say it, ON WITH THE LIST!

10. Let it Go (Frozen-2013)-I don’t care how much people will potentially rave and talk smack about this scene/song in my comments section. This scene is still BEAUTIFUL and POWERFUL!!! Being free to flex one’s powers to the max without fear or restraint, the wonderful feeling that said powers are NOT a curse but rather a gift, and being so confident that you’re living wonderfully for only the moment. This is a different feeling from the classic ‘Happily Ever After’ feeling, this song provides a different context of happiness: that life has screwed you over, but you’re standing tall-perhaps even better than before. (And don’t even try to tell me that this song is sending a message to children that they can just flip the rest of the world off and just flaunt their pride to the rest of the world in spite of everything, because the movie explicitly states that that’s not what to do!)

Now, I do still agree that, as good as this movie makes me always manages to make me feel by the end, it’s overrated and overhyped to this day. Whatever you have to say about the rest of the movie, this is scene will never stop being GLORIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL!

(Side Note: I have, on my playlist, a song that was added to the musical called “Monster”, where Elsa seriously considers the possibility that she might need to die to put an end to the eternal winter!…That’s a bit of a surprising added level of darkness!)

9. Moses encounters God (Prince of Egypt 1998) I’ve sung praises of this movie to no end, and I’m not about to stop. The movie is one of a kind, and animated films with its kind of guts to come into fruition, are few and far between. The scene is moving with a combination of some absolutely SOOTHING music and visuals. There are a lot of scenes in this movie that match the wonder of this scene, but for the sake of choosing one, this was the one I decided to go with!

8. Tom and Jerry-Sleeping Beauty Waltz (Mice Follies 1954) Just for the sake of variety, I decided to refer back to some of the other early classics. Although I don’t watch Tom and Jerry nowadays as much as I used to, I can’t deny their influence on me and my appreciation for animation. Just selecting a memorable short at random, I decided to go with this short is where Jerry and Little Nibbles (before he became Tuffy* ) wet the floor of the house down and freeze it over, turn the house into an ice skating rink, and start a whole chain of ice-skating/chase antics with Tom, accompanied to the Sleeping Beauty waltz (before Disney trademarked it/made it known throughout households).

(Just for the record, I would also have gone with the short Johann Mouse of the same year.)

7. Ending (The Little Match Girl, 1999)-What’s this?! Disney adapted a classic story by Hans Christian Andersen and managed to keep the original sad ending intact?! That’s quite an accomplishment, and it still manages to be uplifting. I think a big part of how Disney managed to succeed in this instance was keeping the story as a short film; The Little Mermaid and Frozen take a lot of liberties with the original stories, and if the reception of Don Bluth’s Thumbelina has any indication, Hans Christian Anderson stories don’t generally translate to feature-films by nature. If you’re not moved by the end of this short, you need to see a therapist. If you wanted a version of the story with a happy ending, Robot Chicken did that in their own classic macabre way.

6. The Pungur Bàn Song (Secret of Kells-2010)-In addition to having some of the most beautiful/atmospheric animation I’ve ever seen, this movie also features one of the most soothing, comforting tunes I’ve ever heard. If I had kids, I’d have no problem playing this to them as a lullaby. The images of the cat being transformed into a spirit mist, complement it perfectly-which it should, given the transilition of the Gaelic-Irish lyrics incorporated in the song.

5. Marahute Flight Scene (The Rescuers Down Under 1990) This scene ranks alongside the flight scenes between Hiccup and Toothless from their respective franchise, as spectacles of cinema. However, the reason this one made my list is because it marked a departure in the technical department for Disney’s animation studio-when they would do all their drawings digitally and scan them into the computer, and it makes the scenes look all the more authentic!

But what really makes this scene is how it’s such an appropriate way to open up and set the tone for the rest of this adventure. It’s a great way to introduce the simple-sweet story of the original Rescuers to an even grander scale that is all the more suitable for the concept of two mice off on an adventure to save the day-and the marriage of Bernard and Bianca is a lovely bow on this great package of a film as well.

(Fun Fact: There was a third installment of The Rescuers in the making, set to be released for 1996, but unfortunately, it got scrapped due to the passing of dear Eva Gabor.)

4. Bill Lives on Forever (It’s Such a Beautiful Day 2010) This being a film that tells itself with an unconventional narrative, it is composed of three separate films with different themes, all told through a series of events that seemingly don’t tie into each other. And then, by the end, it’s revealed that the point-of-view character, Bill, is undergoing a series of medical treatments that indicate that he might potentially be on his deathbed-and that the medication is forcing him to relive several events from his past. Thus, the film focuses on random snippets of his current life (as well as his past lives) in simple stick-figure form, before it all comes together coherently at the end. And in the end, there’s a narration that indicates Bill is an infinite being who will undergo incarnation after incarnation as long as the universe still exists.

It really helps to alleviate the fear of death as well. By suggesting that life is a continuum and suggesting things be viewed episodically, even the most minute details in life we might soon forget are completely lose sight of the next minute, it really helps you appreciate life’s moments a lot more. The movie takes its time, brings you on a journey, gives you some ideas that might make you feel worry or anxiety, and treats them as just another part of life to contend with as much as the joyous AND the relaxed, sure parts of life. What matters is only the moment, is what it comes down to, for me.

3. Snow White’s Happily Ever After (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves-1937) ‘Yes, the one that started it all.’ I never doubted that I thought that good-ol’-fashioned ‘Golden Age’ Disney has aged well, but rewatching them, I was still a bit surprised at how they made me feel. Snow White might not have the most developed story; at heart, the story is pretty basic and is essentially surrounded with the light-hearted touches that trademark it as a ‘House of Mouse’ property. But even as an adult, the movie is a pleasant journey for me the whole way and harkens me back to my childhood and what having a *blockbuster animated feature for the first time really meant (even if there are parts I find a bit saccharine, sorry if that comes off at all harsh).

The ending is the part that had the best impact for me though, and I think for so many people too, which is what made Snow White so successful and timeless. I think more than just being a run-of-the-mill ‘happily ever after’, the ending is symbolic of transformation; like Snow White coming to life from her sleeping death and riding off with her prince, it is symbolic of animation coming out after several years of being limited to theatrical shorts, and shedding a new light on the world of cinema. It’s a feeling that I think all of us have felt, at some point or another, when we’ve achieved our dreams and are shining our brightest!

2. Finale (Samurai Jack 2017)-I still stand by this ending is pretty perfect. I didn’t even have much of a problem with Ashi as most other people seemed to. I didn’t think that giving Jack a live interest was especially necessary, but the most rewarding aspect of having her, to me, is the episode where she came to his defense to save him from killing himself, by reminding him of the COUNTLESS good deeds that saved and brought hope to several others, including herself in her reformation from a slave to Aku. And having them all arrive to Jack’s aide as gratitude for the finale is a very appropriate service to the fans! And Ashi having the strengths to break the control she was held against and use Aku’s powers for good instead of their intended evil allows all the themes to play out to their proper conclusion.

However, everything playing out to its conclusion also means having Ashi disappear with Aku. But the bittersweet note that Tartakovsky gave to close us out, with Jack encountering a symbolic lady bug that reminds him of what he taught Ashi, was very much appropriate and inspiring. (So PLEASE Genndy! Leave this series right where it is, and don’t try to change what played out solidly already!)

As a side note, I do love watching fan-made videos that interpret the ending differently.

1. Finale/Ave Maria (Fantasia-1940)-Yes, I do realize that a lot of my favorite moments in animation (or just in cinema in general) involve images of heavenly rays of light appearing in the audience’s presence, after coming out of a scene of utter darkness. Because, what better feeling is there to end a story on? What better feeling is there in life?

I stand by that Fantasia is (and probably always will be) Disney’s finest! And this final scene is a testament to why. I stand by that the Night on Bald Mountain is the darkest scene is Disney history, as it’s all about arousing and glorifying all the evil in the world-and the Chernabog encapsulates EVERYTHING that we love/hate/love-to-hate all the other classic Disney villains! But the visual that follows, from the light creeping over the horizon sends him and his demonic minions slinking back into their realm of darkness, to the saints and apostles marching to the heavenly sunrise, the two scenes compliment each other just as beautiful as Deams Taylor says it is in the overture! Also, the multi-plane camera work that builds up this scene (combined with the animation of the saints marching with their torches) is so painstakingly MASTERFUL-so much so that Spielberg said that it was one of his biggest influences.

Some critics at the time said that the ‘Ave Maria’ ending was a cop-out from an otherwise dark ending. And to that I have to say, “No. Just no.” (Of course, Walt himself went on record to say that the masses compared later films unfavorably to Snow White.) What I love most about this ending is one thing that separates it from conventional happy endings-it doesn’t focus on characters smiling and birds chirping to make the audience walk away smiling. It just lets the scene speak for itself, and play out with calm, slow-moving visual music and visuals to accompany it! It’s the best kind of way to give the feeling of hope, which I’d argue is more valuable to human nature than a simple good fix of happiness.

I was both horrified AND in awe and wonder when I watched this part of the movie as a kid, and it still always gives me that very same glorious, sensational experience!