Ranking Aardman Animated Films

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Aardman Animations is a British animated studio that is one of the strongest animated studios working today. Their films, stop-motion for the most part, are such a pleasant mix of sophistication, humor and an inherent charm and heart. Almost all of their films are not only good, but great. Of the six features that they produced, even those that are at the bottom of the list are at least solid. So without further ado, here is my ranking of all Aardman films from their weakest to the finest.

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7. Early Man

Early Man definitely is an amusing prehistoric flick with pretty good humor, some fun characters and reliably terrific animation and style, but it’s admittedly very slight in terms of storytelling and the emphasis on football is overwhelming. But it is particularly rushed in terms of pacing and running time leading to what is easily the weakest Aardman film. Not bad, but definitely deserving of the last spot on this list.

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6. Flushed Away

Flushed Away disappointed me on so many levels. The characters are not that great, the action is overwhelming and the film is just way too forgettable which is its biggest problem. But even though it does have all of those problems and it is on the bottom of this list, it is still not a bad movie. It is frankly pretty solid and it benefits from a great setting well utilized here, some good humor thrown in the mix and a great adventurous tone to it. I just wish that it was more entertaining and more memorable.

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5. The Pirates! Band of Misfits

This 2012 Aardman outing is such a flawed, yet incredibly charming and pleasing product. Yes, the action is once again overwhelming even to the point of exhaustion and it kind of loses its steam near the end, but it benefits from some absolutely gorgeous animation that is beautiful to watch and so detailed. Its characters are also endearing, the plot is very engaging and it has some of the best humor from the studio. But it is most of all such a solid adventure flick that is so charming to watch and it is a lot of fun to see a dodo bird, Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria all in one picture.

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4. Arthur Christmas

Now, this is the movie that frustrated me. It made me angry because it could have been a classic had it not focused on such excruciatingly fast pace and too much action. But it remains such a good work with some wonderful and incredibly well developed characters, a really good storyline with some surprisingly sophisticated themes and such a beautiful animation, CGI this time around. I loved how smart this movie is, but most of all I loved Arthur Christmas‘ inherent heart and charm and I just wish that it was not as action oriented as it is otherwise brilliant.

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3. Chicken Run

This collaboration between Aardman and DreamWorks Animation is such an expectedly sophisticated, wonderfully humorous movie. Its characters are memorable and well developed and its plot is wonderfully simplistic, but it is the animation that is great and the absolutely fantastic humor that takes it to the next level. It is the kind of family flick that both adults and children can enjoy for all of those reasons.

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2. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

This is the only feature film of the iconic title duo and it is certainly great. It mixed genres of horror and comedy wonderfully with a great horror parody and many big laughs. But the flick has such an evident charm to it, the relationship between the duo is so wonderful to behold, the animation is terrific and the storyline is very satisfying that The Curse of the Were-Rabbit easily takes the second spot on this list.

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1. Shaun the Sheep Movie

This is it, my number one. While many would argue that the previous movie is the best Aardman film, I disagree. I find Shaun the Sheep Movie, their latest output, to be easily the finest film that they’ve made thus far. This is the only film which isn’t a collaboration with either DreamWorks or Sony and it benefits from a return to its roots with less action and more character-driven, emotional approach. I absolutely adored its animation, I found its silent approach to be wonderful, the humor is simply great and some scenes are so heartwarming and just wonderful to witness. It is Aardman’s simplest, yet most rewarding experience and it is in my opinion their best.

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