Best animated movies

Any list of the 10 best animated films of all time faces one problem: It's bound to be five Disney films, four Pixar films and maybe one from Japan. I'm going to change things up, just a bit, with a list of 10 personal favorites, which includes a couple of wild-card choices and rankings that may not sit well with serious animation buffs. I'm omitting obvious masterpieces like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" in favor of movies that pushed an envelope or tried to color outside the lines, though there are some popular classics that I couldn't avoid -- they just did everything too well. Read on to see if your personal favorite made the grade. -- RAFER GUZMAN

10. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999). The paper cut-out technique only looks simple -- it's actually computer-generated -- and somehow it's the perfect vehicle for the R-rated poop jokes, political humor and outrageous musical numbers that have become the trademarks of "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Take any live-action raunch-fest from the last decade, and this cartoon will probably beat it.

9. Heavy Traffic (1973). Ralph Bakshi's follow-up to "Fritz the Cat" is a semi-autobiographical story about a young cartoonist (oddly named Michael Corleone) living in a violent, racist, rotting New York City. Despite its X rating and surreal visuals -- a bullet exiting a skull takes a flood of memories with it -- the film became a critical and commercial success. The controversial Bakshi is a pioneer very few chose to follow, which makes "Heavy Traffic" a singular piece of work.

8. Heavy Metal (1981). This anthology of short episodes, each with its own visual style, was named after the sci-fi comics magazine (and produced by its publisher). Set to an eclectic rock soundtrack (Sammy Hagar, Devo, Steely Dan), it's an adolescent fantasy filled with fast cars, tough guys, zombies and, most memorably, a bodacious warrior-maiden straddling a giant eagle-creature. Not what you'd call intellectual, but a great-looking slice of comic-book pulp brought to vibrant life.

7. Spirited Away (2001). Animation connoisseurs might say that this Oscar-winner from Japan's Studio Ghibli belongs at No. 1. It's certainly hard to beat the gorgeous imagery -- graceful paper planes, ever-moving water and strange beings that range from whimsical to grotesque. The oddball storyline, in which a little girl is trapped in a bathhouse visited by spirit-creatures, may fly over some American heads, and the running time seems a bit overlong. But for proof that Japanese anime can do more than "Speed Racer" and "Gigantor," look no further.

6. The Secret of NIMH (1982). Director Don Bluth left Disney to produce the classical-style work he felt the studio had abandoned, and his first feature was this fluid, lush-looking fantasy-adventure about brilliant lab rats from NIMH, the National Institute of Mental Health. Possibly too scary for very young viewers, but the film's epic feel and evocative visuals are remarkable. For one moment, Bluth out-Disneyed Disney.

5. The Incredibles (2004). The now-familiar Pixar formula still feels fresh in this smart, sparkly comedy-adventure about a family of superheroes reluctantly living a normal, suburban life. For writer-director Brad Bird, it was a tour-de-force -- sharp, funny, heartfelt and also great-looking, with visuals that cleverly combined 1940s nostalgia and mid-oughts modernism. Kudos to voice-actor Craig T. Nelson for lending Mr. Incredible the weariness and nobility of every over-worked father on the planet.

4. Yellow Submarine (1968). Even after all these years, The Beatles' quintessential slice of psychedelia is a terrific trip, swirling with gorgeous colors and leavened by Liverpudlian humor (even though actors provided the Fab Four's voices). Younger minds will be blown by heady concepts like the Sea of Holes and the Nowhere Man, and of course the soundtrack -- including the original song "All Together Now" and George Martin's lovely instrumentals -- is unstoppable.

3. Wall-E (2008). The tale of a grungy little robot who falls for a curvaceously streamlined model is arguably Pixar's most artful film. Adults may appreciate the pathos, poignance and social satire (global warming, corporate culture, the obesity epidemic) more than children, and the movie's wordless, 40-minute opening sequence -- a throwback to the silent era -- is a thrill for cineastes. The movie hasn't become what you'd call beloved -- you don't see many "Wall-E" lunchboxes -- but it set a phenomenally high bar for sophistication and complexity in animated films.

2. Toy Story (1995). A whole movie done with computer animation? And they said it couldn't be done. Pixar's groundbreaking "Toy Story" has some visual rough spots that would never pass muster today, but it glows and crackles with life thanks to its wonderful voice cast (Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as toy frenemies Woody and Buzz Lightyear), a warm-and-fuzzy score by Randy Newman and an absolutely irresistible story about friendship, sacrifice and the magic of childhood. Few movies, animated or otherwise, remain so rewarding after the second, third or 50th viewing.

1. Beauty and the Beast (1991). Disney's version of the familiar fairy tale has it all: comedy, thrills, adventure, Oscar-winning music and, at its center, a romance that's almost embarrassingly powerful considering that this is a cartoon. (Paige O'Hara and Robbie Benson are perfect as the voices of Belle and her Beast.) Hand-drawn but heightened by then-emerging computer technology -- remember that swirling ballroom scene? -- the film charms and dazzles. As an all-ages crowd-pleaser and an all-round piece of work, this is the one.