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  • - [Strider] Howdy!

  • When it come to animated movies

  • that at least claim to be based off a book,

  • we can sometimes get a movie

  • that brings a new life to the original book,

  • bringing the book's original message

  • out to a brand-new audience.

  • But sadly,

  • we also get plenty of miserable, cash-grabbing,

  • watered-down garbage piles

  • that desecrate the original author's writing.

  • And honestly,

  • we've got an interesting chunk of both this time.

  • So let's check out

  • the Top 5 Best & Worst Book Book-based Animated Movies.

  • And of course,

  • if you do have a differing opinion on these movies,

  • that's great!

  • It's just my silly personal opinion,

  • and I'd love to hear what you like or dislike about these movies

  • in the comments below.

  • Also, I'm excluding Disney,

  • as many of their animated movies are...

  • loosely based on books.

  • Anyway, onto the countdown.

  • For the fifth-worst...

  • "The Lorax".

  • (Bar-ba-loots chanting)

  • - [Once-ler] Haha, that's great!

  • - [Strider] Well... (sighs)

  • let's start with what is probably

  • the most bright and shiny Dr. Seuss remake

  • with no inherent soul whatsoever within.

  • Every question,

  • every silent thinking moment

  • the viewer was given in the original book

  • and the original movie

  • is filled out with fairy floss,

  • oversimplistic, pusillanimous pap.

  • The city of Whoville is made of rubber,

  • which is an excellent representation

  • of how this movie feels.

  • Like it's rubber and artificial.

  • Instead of a thought-provoking tale

  • on the impact we have on our world around us...

  • - Wow.

  • What does that even mean?

  • - [Strider] ...we have your typical

  • cutesy tale about a boy named Ted

  • trying to win a kiss

  • from a girl named Audrey.

  • Who also HAPPENS to be an environmentalist.

  • Voiced by...

  • Taylor Swift?

  • - Did your ball land in my backyard AGAIN?

  • - [Strider] Jeebus,

  • how do the world's most powerful public figures

  • keep ending up with such bland film roles?

  • Are we going to get Obama voicing

  • Generic Cat #2 next?

  • Though that actually sounds pretty awesome, I'd...

  • probably go see that.

  • Anyway, Ted is off to bring her

  • a real tree from the Once-ler.

  • I don't suppose he could

  • genuinely care about not seeing the world turn into

  • a flaming dumpster pile?

  • No?

  • Fine.

  • - [Old Once-ler] Do you want a tree?

  • - Yes! Yes...

  • - So now, with the Once-ler,

  • we've got dancing bears,

  • painfully floundery and meaningless

  • song and dance sequences.

  • Like, seriously.

  • Why do we need a long guitar song from the Once-ler

  • about Truffula Trees?

  • - ♪ These Truffula Trees

  • are just what I need

  • - [Strider] Even Danny DeVito,

  • who plays the Lorax,

  • couldn't quite bring the charm to the movie for me.

  • And I like to hear him in a reserved role.

  • Though the movie probably is better off with him than without him.

  • And what do we get in the end?

  • A completely happy, oversimplified ending

  • that completely misses the point

  • of the original "Lorax" story.

  • In fact, they even gave us

  • a big corporate bad guy

  • to tribe against and hate.

  • (sarcastically) No, no,

  • we can't have the viewers

  • question their own way of life

  • and what they take for granted!

  • No! Because our shareholders say

  • that might deter future viewers!

  • It might make them uncomfortable!

  • The message of the original "Lorax"

  • is that there IS NO BAD GUY!

  • We all play a part.

  • And that we alone can make a change in ourselves

  • and perhaps slightly better the world for tomorrow.

  • But nahhhhh!

  • Bring in the big bad corporation guy

  • to stupid down the plot.

  • - ♪ Let it die, let it die,

  • let it shrivel up and--

  • C'mon, who's with me, huh?

  • - The original Once-ler

  • isn't just an unrelatable supervillain.

  • He's a reflection of ourselves.

  • He's potentially you,

  • and he's most certainly potentially me!

  • There's not a lot wrong with this movie on a technical level.

  • I mean, the CG will probably lure you in.

  • But there's nothing behind that CG

  • but an ugly defilement of the original message

  • in a time where that message

  • is more important than ever.

  • And the fifth-best book-based animated movie is...

  • "Horton Hears a Who".

  • Ahh, now THIS is more like it.

  • In terms of Dr. Seuss remakes,

  • I consider this the best of all.

  • I mean, look at the design of these characters.

  • This is about the best CG depiction of Dr. Seuss

  • I've ever seen.

  • Unlike "The Lorax",

  • the characters are vibrant and different

  • while not being too obtrusively garish.

  • The colors aren't so overly-saturated

  • I feel blinded every time I look at the screen.

  • I like the small details,

  • like how the Mayor tiptoes across the floor,

  • or the pleasant design of their eyes.

  • There's a real gentleness and grace to this animation style.

  • Jim Carrey plays Horton,

  • and, like Danny DeVito,

  • I actually enjoyed hearing him in a more reserved role.

  • - No... please, no!

  • Ohh... this isn't fair!

  • - You wouldn't think a giant grinning elephant

  • would be a relatively reserved role,

  • but Jim Carrey makes it work.

  • What I like about this "Horton" movie

  • is it actually keeps the original Dr. Seuss message intact.

  • The story still encourages kids

  • to acknowledge the potential insignificance

  • of our own existences

  • without being too confronting.

  • This is illustrated great

  • through the tiny, tiny city

  • that Horton is holding.

  • And it does this message

  • while still keeping it very lighthearted.

  • And Seuss's original message of facing skepticism

  • is also kept intact.

  • And when every Who in Whoville

  • has to speak up

  • in order to save their tiny world,

  • it's just as memorable in the movie

  • as it was in the book.

  • (whooshing fanfare)

  • - [Crowd] We're here!

  • - For the... two people who don't know,

  • Horton's a pachyderm that finds a tiny microscopic world

  • on top of a clover.

  • And it's up to Horton and all the citizens of Whoville

  • to save their society from extinction.

  • Unlike the "Lorax" remake,

  • there aren't excessive pop culture riffs here.

  • But there's still a sense of

  • modern realization to it.

  • It also keeps that sense of rhyme-rhythm

  • from the original Dr. Seuss book.

  • - Hello?

  • - [Narrator] And by noon,

  • poor Horton, more dead than alive,

  • had picked, searched, and piled up

  • 9,005.

  • - But most importantly,

  • it doesn't water down the message

  • Dr. Seuss tried to convey to the reader.

  • I mean, it's a 90-minute Dr. Seuss book,

  • so there's gonna be a bit of movement

  • purely for the sake of

  • entertaining kids and filling time,

  • but to me, it's a drastic improvement

  • over "Lorax" and "Grinch".

  • "Horton Hears a Who" is creative in design

  • and faithful in spirit.

  • Blue Sky Studios are to be commended for this adaptation.

  • And for the fourth-worst...

  • "The Grinch". The 2018 version.

  • (sighs) Don't get me wrong,

  • this is perfectly well-animated and serviceable on the surface,

  • but JEEBUS it's a whole lotta' nothin'!

  • If you do like this one,

  • I get it.

  • There's nothing offensive about it.

  • But that's just the thing,

  • there's nothing offensive about it!

  • This Grinch is so weak and inoffensive

  • that I barely remember anything about him.

  • I guess if you want a child-friendly version

  • of an already children's book character,

  • maybe "The Grinch" is appropriate?

  • Well, this is the most demure, tame Grinch

  • you will ever lay eyes upon.

  • Unlike the books or movies from the past,

  • he's no longer a diabolical monster,

  • he's the ultimate example

  • of watering down a character

  • to be as inoffensive as possible

  • to the largest possible audience.

  • Because...

  • I guess that's what the shareholders wanted.

  • In fact,

  • he rarely even ever looks angry.

  • A lot of the time,

  • he just looks outright bored.

  • The Grinch himself looks like he's in a

  • permanent state of boredom,

  • unable to even summon the energy to be angry.

  • It ALMOST made me miss the Jim Carrey Grinch.

  • At least he gave an interesting

  • if cringeworthy performance.

  • At least it was memorable.

  • I still remember that tablecloth scene.

  • (footsteps)

  • (cloth slipping, metal clattering)

  • (metal clattering)

  • Don't get me wrong.

  • Benedict Cumberbatch, a.k.a...

  • - Doctor Strange.

  • - Oh, you're using the made-up name.

  • - [Strider] ...reads his Grinch lines fine,

  • and I find it entertaining to listen to him.

  • But that's because he's Benedict Cumberbatch.

  • - [Grinch] Let me guess.

  • Small child, December 20th, rapidly searching for

  • a "really important" lost letter.

  • Maybe your list of demands to Santa?

  • - [Strider] This Grinch doesn't

  • shut himself away from humanity,

  • becoming more bitter and twisted

  • from his isolation.

  • Nope!

  • He just strolls around town

  • like anybody else.

  • But oh no!

  • He causes minor inconveniences!

  • This is not a fearsome mountain-dweller

  • who could turn on you at any second.

  • It's a slightly crotchety neighbor

  • who probably just needs a friend to chat with

  • down at the pokeys.

  • Oh no, he slightly poked that snowman too hard.

  • Oh, woe is me.

  • To me,

  • this is just an hour of inoffensive Grinch padding

  • with very talented actors

  • with nothing to work with.

  • I mean, look at this.

  • - [Chorus] ♪ You got termites in your smile

  • - [Strider] Oh no,

  • we can't actually have termites in his smile.

  • That might be three seconds

  • of mild discomfort for the under seven.

  • In fact,

  • the original Grinch was so evil

  • that he had to have a surgical resizing of his heart

  • in order to even feel

  • a shred of empathy for the Whovians.

  • This Grinch just feels like

  • a guy who missed his morning coffee.

  • Honestly, if you can go back half a century,

  • you can get a far more memorable Grinch movie

  • made by Chuck Jones,

  • the creator of "Looney Tunes"

  • with an actually nasty Grinch

  • with an actual turnaround.

  • To me, Illumination's "Grinch"

  • may be high-budget and gentle enough,

  • but there's nothing memorable about it.

  • It certainly won't offend you,

  • but for a Dr. Seuss adaption,

  • this is a tragically inoffensive sea of bland.

  • And for the fourth-best...

  • "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".

  • (triumphant music) - It really works!

  • (Flint laughing)

  • - Although I always enjoy

  • watching this movie,

  • am I the only one who ever wondered

  • how this town never came down

  • with excessive diabetes?

  • I mean, the main story

  • is that Clint [Flint] the scientist

  • is able to solve the town's problems

  • by raining food from the sky,

  • including metric tons

  • of ice cream, donuts, and,

  • well...

  • - A pizza

  • stuffed inside a turkey,

  • the whole thing deep-fried

  • and dipped in chocolate!

  • - ...but maybe I'm just over-analyzing the movie.

  • I get that the story probably wouldn't have been as interesting

  • if Clint [Flint] had made well-balanced meals

  • with a side of vegetables

  • raining from the sky.

  • Like, whoo!

  • Salad's raining from the sky today!

  • Whoop-dee-doo!

  • Anyway,

  • this is the kind of creative movie

  • I could purely appreciate

  • from an animation standpoint.

  • The colors, the sounds,

  • the atmosphere of "Cloudy Meatballs"

  • just jumps out at the viewer.

  • And apart from the mayor,

  • I can't think of any character

  • in this movie I didn't enjoy.

  • Flint and his dad both have a nice dynamic.

  • Sam's a charming protagonist alongside Flint.

  • She's not just your typical news reporter.

  • And even minor characters

  • like Police Officer Earl

  • are very memorable.

  • - [Flint] Mm-hmm... - [Earl] This contact lens represent you.

  • - [Flint] Alright... - [Earl] And my eye

  • represents my eye.

  • - [Flint] Okay... - [Earl] I got MY EYE

  • on YOU.

  • - [Strider] The movie's also got

  • a bit of a political edge

  • and a sense of anarchy to it,

  • particularly when things start to go haywire.

  • There's some good messages about greed,

  • not trying to please everyone,

  • and acknowledging failure.

  • My main nitpick with "Cloudy Meatballs" is,

  • the narrative of the characters

  • is pretty predictable.

  • I've definitely seen Flint's

  • "scientist who wants to be popular" stereotype before,

  • and I've never found it all that fascinating.

  • We know the town's going to accept him.

  • he's gonna find someone that likes him,

  • he's gonna reconcile with his dad,

  • yadda yadda ya.

  • But as I said,

  • that's not what the movie's about.

  • "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"

  • is about telling a sweet, silly,

  • simple story.

  • A story about

  • food falling from the sky,

  • and a guy reconciling with his dad,

  • and about falling in love with a nice lady.

  • And for the third-worst...

  • "The Ant Bully".

  • I think if Dreamworks and Pixar

  • taught us anything,

  • is that it's very difficult

  • to make ants look cute, sympathetic,

  • or even likable.

  • I mean,

  • many kids discover the power of fire

  • and a magnifying glass through them.

  • Unless you are Pixar,

  • and literally have hundreds of millions of dollars

  • to drop on your movie,

  • chances are,

  • the insects are gonna look ugly.

  • Well, to start with,

  • most of the dialog

  • is really BAD.

  • - "Please wipe my little bottom for me!"

  • "Wipe me, oh oh oh please!

  • "wipe me! Wah wah wah wah wah!"

  • - Gimme that stupid contract.

  • - [Strider] I mean,

  • I guess its toilet humor

  • is a passable diversion for kids,

  • but I never connected with any of the characters,

  • or the message for that matter.

  • I didn't like the main character, Lucas, at all.

  • - Just stop it, Mom.

  • I don't have any problems

  • except for you treating me like a baby.

  • (gasping)

  • He plays far more the typical "Milo" brat

  • from "Mars Needs Moms"

  • than someone that's actually relatable.

  • And most of the other characters

  • aren't a lot better.

  • The bully's just your typical

  • "bully because he's a bully",

  • which is so played-out at this point.

  • - Well, what are you gonna' do about it, huh?

  • Nothin'.

  • Because I'm big.

  • And you're small.

  • - [Strider] The story's basically that

  • Lucas is terrorizing an ant colony

  • because he's being bullied at school.

  • But the ant leader uses a magic potion

  • so he can make Lucas small

  • and teach him a lesson.

  • But then he and the ants

  • get their revenge on the bully,

  • Because... I guess revenge is an interesting life lesson?

  • It feels like it kinda nullifies

  • the whole "respect everything" message

  • they were hammering home in the premise.

  • That being said,

  • the movie has some pluses.

  • There's some nice voice actors in here

  • like Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.

  • But even their pleasant, familiar tones

  • just couldn't quite save

  • the mediocre dialog for me.

  • "Ant Bully" isn't insultingly bad,

  • but it did really remind me,

  • we definitely don't need any more ant movies.

  • And for the third-best book-based animated movie...

  • "The Secret of NIMH".

  • Aha!

  • An excuse to talk about a Don Bluth movie,

  • the master renegade

  • of the great Disney exodus.

  • You bet I'll take it!

  • I get a real kick

  • out of the "lone creature's odyssey" plot.

  • It's part of why I love

  • the games "Abe's Oddysee" and "Abe's Exoddus",

  • particularly when the worlds

  • are ruthless and unpredictable as, well...

  • our own world.

  • And since Mrs. Frisby is such

  • a strong, admirable leading character,

  • I found myself immersed in her journey

  • as well as collaborating with her fellow creatures

  • and saving her son.

  • - Please, Sir.

  • I'll do anything to save Timmy.

  • - There's not just an exodus,

  • it's a grander story

  • of animals gaining sentience

  • through human experimentation.

  • What happens when they gain knowledge,

  • a sense of morality,

  • and begin to establish a society.

  • There's an underlying question

  • of science versus nature

  • versus the unknown in this movie,

  • creating something truly beautiful

  • and engaging.

  • I've yet to see a premise

  • quite like Mrs. Frisby's story.

  • She's a widow out to save her son.

  • That's it.

  • Bluth's animation style has its way of

  • capturing the mysterious,

  • the fantastic, and the fearsome so well.

  • (splashing)

  • (whooshing)

  • Over 30 years later,

  • "The Secret of NIMH" still feels powerful to me,

  • and it's definitely one of Don Bluth's masterpiece movies.

  • And for the second-worst...

  • "Tom & Jerry in 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'".

  • Yes, number TWO!

  • Believe it or not, it actually does get worse than this.

  • Ahh, finally,

  • a truly abysmal movie production,

  • using only the lousiest

  • and bargain-basement CG

  • to assure they turn a profit,

  • with those unknowing enough

  • to accidentally pick it up.

  • What's weird about this movie

  • is that I get this visceral feeling of dirtiness

  • whenever I watch it.

  • Like, it feels

  • like I'm desecrating something beautiful

  • just by laying witness

  • to this thing's existence.

  • - My chocolate!

  • My poor, sweet, beautiful chocolate!

  • - It's like clicking a surprise egg video out of curiosity;

  • I feel like I'm perpetuating something horrible.

  • This is a movie that exists

  • purely because Warner Bros.

  • owns tons of different intellectual properties,

  • then decided to see what happens

  • if they randomly...

  • smush them together.

  • It's just DUMBFOUNDINGLY bad.

  • - ♪ Simply look around and view it

  • - The kind of movie

  • where you feel surprised

  • if a critic ever gives it anything

  • more than a one out of ten.

  • And, oh JEEBUS, the animation.

  • So many of the weird,

  • plastic CG shots we get here

  • just look wrong.

  • But you know,

  • I was hoping for something truly, intensively repulsive,

  • and "Tom & Jerry / Willy Wonka" delivers.

  • Tom and Jerry aren't even really placed

  • into the "Willy Wonka" universe.

  • They kinda just intercut

  • into the world separately

  • with their own weird, random moments.

  • And Tuffy...

  • Yes, Tuffy is here again.

  • And this time,

  • he wants to be an Oompa Loompa.

  • - I'm Tuffy.

  • I'm an Oompa Loompa.

  • I have a mousetrap and a boot in this factory.

  • One of them will work.

  • I mean, look at this scene.

  • Even Willy Wonka looks like he's bored

  • and just wants to get every scene over with.

  • The plus to this movie?

  • Well, it's kind of entertaining

  • in how revoltingly bad it is?

  • My favorite scene was probably

  • the bizarre song amalgamation

  • given to Slugworth,

  • for some reason combining

  • Veruca's original song

  • with his own evil bad guy premise

  • Even though Slugworth

  • was not originally a villain.

  • "Tom & Jerry / Willy Wonka" is easily

  • among the worst book-based animated movies.

  • - You get NOTHING.

  • You LOSE.

  • Good day, sir.

  • - And for the second-best...

  • The "How To Train Your Dragon" trilogy,

  • based on the book series

  • by Cressida Cowell.

  • (roaring)

  • (snorting)

  • (bellowing)

  • Well, the trilogy's complete,

  • and now we can see that Dreamworks

  • managed the impossible.

  • They managed to make two sequels

  • that were all arguably

  • just as good as the original.

  • Apart from "Toy Story",

  • I really can't think of many other movies

  • that have ever done that.

  • This probably sounds like an airy-fairy term,

  • but I really do think these movies are wondrous.

  • In number one,

  • when Hiccup first

  • soars into the sky with Toothless.

  • In "2",

  • when Toothess is fighting his instincts

  • and trying not to kill Hiccup.

  • In "3",

  • Hiccup discovering the vast hidden world of the dragons.

  • There's a sense of dignity to the "Dragon" series

  • that I simply don't feel to this degree

  • in any other Dreamworks movie.

  • While I do have some pet peeves--

  • I mean, the minor characters can feel very shallow.

  • But the main characters make

  • for an expansive, nuanced world.

  • Hiccup lives in a world

  • where he strives to be a diplomat.

  • Yet, unlike Steven,

  • he can't reason with everyone

  • and sometimes he has to compromise.

  • And I respect that.

  • Hiccup strives to find peace

  • among the people

  • where possible,

  • and that is so much more realistic.

  • And to me,

  • That's what the "Dragon" series

  • is great at doing:

  • painting a vibrant wonderland

  • with still some realism to it.

  • I think it's because of "Dragons"

  • that Dreamworks has a more

  • sophisticated reputation today.

  • (Hiccup grunting, Toothless vocalizing)

  • (Toothless vocalizing)

  • - Okay...

  • Thanks, bud.

  • - I really enjoy the "Dragon" movies

  • and I get immersed in them,

  • but most of all,

  • I respect them.

  • (crowd muttering)

  • - You never cease to amaze me, Bud.

  • And before we get to the number ones,

  • just a couple of quick Honourable and Dishonourable Mentions.

  • For the Honourable Mentions:

  • "Coraline",

  • based on Neil Gaiman's book.

  • Another classic from Henry Selick.

  • Coraline discovers an alternate reality

  • that gives an amazing demonstration

  • of the unsettling nature of the Uncanny Valley

  • that eventually turns into a nightmare

  • she has to escape from

  • with her cunning and wit.

  • But I've already talked about "Coraline"

  • in "The Creepiest Animated Movies".

  • And as the Critic and I already said,

  • it's very creative

  • and a must-watch of Selick's films.

  • "Fantastic Mr. Fox",

  • based on the book by Roald Dahl.

  • I discussed this one in "Best & Worst Claymation Movies",

  • so I decided to leave it off the list.

  • But needless to say,

  • it's one of the most faithful adaptions of a book

  • I've ever seen on film,

  • adding a real layer of nuance to the characters

  • and making it something unique,

  • breathing new personality and depth

  • into the characters

  • with the well-chosen voice acting

  • atmospheric shots.

  • - Why?

  • Why did you lie to me?

  • (gentle music)

  • - Because I'm a wild animal.

  • - [Strider] "Charlotte's Web",

  • based on the 1973 book.

  • Basically,

  • Charlotte the spider works

  • to save the life of her friend Wilbur the pig

  • with some unique, uh...

  • spider art.

  • She does save him,

  • but then dies onscreen

  • in what is still a pretty confronting memory from my childhood.

  • Spiders, well...

  • they don't live as long as pigs.

  • But Charlotte in particular

  • is one of the most graceful,

  • elegant cartoon characters

  • I've ever seen.

  • She also has a very memorable voice.

  • - "Versatile" means

  • I can turn with ease

  • from one thing to another.

  • But I feel...

  • peaceful.

  • Your success today was,

  • to a small degree,

  • my success.

  • - Something that fascinates me about the animation

  • is they actually make Wilbur

  • look middle-aged as the years pass.

  • A middle-aged pig.

  • It's such a funny look,

  • but it works.

  • - This hallowed doorway

  • was once the home of Charlotte.

  • "Howl's Moving Castle".

  • Damn this movie is awesome.

  • Technically, this easily counts

  • as a best to me,

  • but I don't tend to include anime on my lists.

  • Beautiful story,

  • wonderful characters,

  • great English dub.

  • I just love so much about this movie.

  • And Christian Bale makes the best Howl ever.

  • - [Howl] Don't hold it against them.

  • They're actually not all that bad.

  • Where to?

  • I'll be your escort this evening.

  • - [Strider] "Watership Down",

  • based on the book by Richard Adams.

  • Serious, brutal,

  • but powerful.

  • The music score's great.

  • the animation looks exceptional for 1978.

  • The script and the dialog are sophisticated, too.

  • But obviously,

  • as you may have heard,

  • lots of violent imagery

  • and dying rabbits.

  • Not one for the young kids,

  • but it definitely gets my thumbs-up.

  • The "Captain Underpants" movie.

  • There's a whole lot of elements I like

  • about the "Captain Underpants" movie,

  • and this is coming from someone

  • who hasn't seen the original book.

  • The speed of the overblown jokes,

  • the surprisingly-detailed body language,

  • the stylization of the animation,

  • and the general lighthearted,

  • tongue-in-cheek tone.

  • It's actually a very faithful adaption of the books.

  • For a movie that's essentially just

  • a guy running around in his underwear,

  • it's surprisingly...

  • enjoyable and not cringeworthy.

  • The team that worked on this

  • obviously worked very hard to get the tone right.

  • Now, obviously,

  • I'm the wrong demographic for this movie,

  • but I still thought it was okay.

  • - Considering they're

  • completely implausible, juvenile,

  • and filled with the lowest form of wit:

  • potty humor...

  • they're actually pretty funny.

  • - [Strider] And for the two DIShonourable Mentions...

  • "Boss Baby".

  • Nope!

  • Although this one is based on a book,

  • I discussed in "Abysmal Netflix Cartoons"

  • and that's enough for me personally.

  • I'm obviously not

  • the right demographic for this show.

  • This movie's just too awkward and weird

  • for me to even enjoy discussing.

  • "Home".

  • Eugh.

  • Dreamworks just doesn't get more cheesy,

  • inoffensive, and saccharine than this.

  • If you like it,

  • that's great,

  • it just doesn't at all appeal to me.

  • If you're curious of my extended thoughts,

  • I talk about it in "Worst & Best Dreamworks Movies".

  • Anyway, onto the number ones.

  • And without a doubt,

  • the number one worst book-based animated movie is...

  • "Strawinsky and the Mysterious House",

  • based on the German audiobook.

  • Behold.

  • now this...

  • this is supreme garbage incarnate.

  • This isn't even a movie.

  • This is a crime scene.

  • (chorus of wailing)

  • The crime,

  • vandalizing the minds

  • of whatever impressionable child

  • who might have been unfortunate enough

  • to gaze upon it

  • with what is essentially the equivalent

  • to putting the entire legacy of animation

  • through a wood chipper.

  • Even the trailer voice acting is alien!

  • Just completely broken!

  • - You don't know that, not at all!

  • - [Strider] The 3D animation

  • is so lazy.

  • So incredibly unprofessional and terrible.

  • It looks far more like

  • a Lovecraftian existential horror film

  • than it does a children's animated movie.

  • Developed by Hope Animation,

  • but truly,

  • there is no hope for this animation.

  • Or this company.

  • Or this writing.

  • Oh JEEBUS, the writing.

  • - [Books] ♪ Come and read us read us read us read us

  • read us read us read us read us

  • read us read us read us read us...

  • - I am jawdropped

  • at the pure lack of quality

  • in this writing.

  • A bunch of...

  • what I think are animals

  • go into a house and learn

  • the evils of reading.

  • - Oh, how sad.

  • They really should have been more careful with these.

  • They're too deeply immersed in these books.

  • - Yes, you guessed correct.

  • This is a religious movie.

  • And I'm sorry,

  • because if I had known about this at the time,

  • I definitely would have added this

  • to "Worst Religious Animated Movies".

  • I mean,

  • how could I actually manage to buy this

  • from an active company in 2019

  • that claims that books are evil?

  • I had to read to buy this!

  • I had to do research and learn!

  • It just-- ugh...

  • In fact,

  • our horrendously-animated abominations

  • are put under a "dark",

  • "evil" spell by reading.

  • Even the names, guys.

  • The names.

  • "Elbow the rabbit"!

  • What kind of name is that?

  • "Shockingly", all the characters

  • all the characters sound like humdrum robots.

  • - Spooookyyy...

  • And the voice actors sound like

  • they're lamenting their life decisions

  • reading lines for this movie.

  • - They're like frozen.

  • Could you please help them?

  • - [Strider] Every line delivered

  • sounds unfathomably awkward.

  • Like,

  • "Foodfight!" is looking more and more amazing

  • the more we plummet to the depths of this garbage.

  • Just the CONCEPT of this movie is so bad.

  • Reading is bad?

  • Expanding your knowledge of the universe is evil,

  • learning that people might be wrong on some things?

  • You see,

  • according to this movie,

  • reading turns you into a big, sluggish,

  • overweight layabout.

  • Did I show you this thing yet?

  • Because you really need to see it only once

  • to know just how abysmal things have gotten.

  • This large worm monster here became this way

  • because he read a book.

  • - He lost his slender form

  • and became what he is now:

  • big, and fat, and slow.

  • - JEEBUS forbid he might have read TWO books!

  • You could easily add this

  • to my "Worst Animated Movies" as well.

  • It's down there.

  • I can easily call "Strawinsky and the Mysterious House"

  • the worst book-based animated movie.

  • And I personally think

  • the number one best book-based animated movie is...

  • "The Iron Giant".

  • Damn.

  • There's so much I remember about this movie.

  • The scenery, the animation style,

  • specific moments.

  • There's very few kid's movies I can think of

  • that pack the emotional impact

  • that "Iron Giant" has.

  • I first saw this one when I was about nine.

  • Specifically,

  • some of the moments

  • between Hogarth and the Giant

  • just seem timeless to me.

  • You've probably seen the story before in "E.T.".

  • Basically, a boy finds an alien robot

  • and a paranoid government hunts them down.

  • But I would personally take this over "E.T." anyday.

  • What's interesting though,

  • is it isn't the alien Giant teaching the boy.

  • It's the boy teaching the alien Giant.

  • He teaches him basically about empathy,

  • good, evil,

  • and the beauty of existence.

  • And that's still something

  • I can look back on at any age

  • and still find fascinating to witness.

  • - He's not like you.

  • You're a good guy.

  • Like Superman.

  • (metallic echoing) - Superman.

  • - [Strider] There's a genuine emotion and message

  • that never results to saccharine schmultz.

  • There's no cutesy animal sidekicks.

  • No one bursts into song randomly.

  • It's just a story about a boy and his robot.

  • That's it.

  • I even still vividly remember

  • the side characters in this movie.

  • Hogarth's mother and his--

  • I'm gonna guess future stepfather, Dean,

  • are both really enjoyable characters.

  • And there are moments I just

  • drink in the atmosphere of the scene so well,

  • like when Dean, Hogarth, and the Giant

  • are all out in the junkyard together.

  • (cup rattling)

  • - [Dean] So...

  • where'd, uh...

  • where'd he come from?

  • (mechanical creaks)

  • - [Hogarth] He doesn't remember.

  • He's like a...

  • little kid.

  • - Little, yeah...

  • (laughing)

  • - [Strider] Or Hogarth's alarm

  • when the Giant touches the dead creature.

  • It doesn't necessarily

  • try and give us answers.

  • It just shows us

  • what is,

  • and lets us draw our own conclusions.

  • Iron Giant is a beautiful character to me

  • 'cuz he personifies

  • so much of the human struggle.

  • Being a weapon capable of great harm by nature

  • and having to control that nature.

  • Through the Iron Giant,

  • we can see the human condition.

  • The visceral and the intellectual

  • colliding.

  • - I know you feel bad about the deer,

  • but it's not your fault.

  • Things die.

  • It's part of life.

  • It's bad to kill...

  • but it's not bad to die.

  • - [Strider] The film sets

  • the atmosphere of the 50s perfect as well.

  • Although the human drawing style

  • isn't my personal favorite,

  • the scenery is still gorgeous to look at.

  • My problems with the movie?

  • Well, my biggest complaint

  • is probably Kent, the government agent.

  • He can be a really unlikable villain,

  • and by the end he's just annoying.

  • - [Kent] Screw our country!

  • I wanna live!

  • (engine revving)

  • (crashing)

  • - I feel like the character

  • is just a hindrance

  • to the core of the film,

  • which is mostly just Hogarth and the Giant's interactions.

  • I feel like I could just watch these two interact for the whole film

  • and still be relatively satisfied.

  • You don't need a villain that much.

  • There's no pop culture jokes,

  • no flashy animation

  • to try and keep the kids awake,

  • and no annoying song and dance numbers.

  • It's just a boy and his Giant.

  • "The Iron Giant" is a near perfect

  • simple, balanced film,

  • and I can't think of many out there like it.

  • I personally consider it

  • the number one best book-based animated movie.

  • - Aw, come with us.

  • It'll be fun.

  • - [Strider] Well, thanks for checking out

  • some of these book-based animations with me.

  • Looking back,

  • I believe the quality of the successes

  • outweighs the damage of the failures.

  • And even the failures

  • remind us of just how great the original books were.

  • And although big movie budgets can be nice,

  • I don't think even millions of dollars

  • can compare to a movie's earnest message.

  • And if you think I missed any book-based animated movies,

  • feel free to leave them in the comments below.

  • And as always,

  • thanks for watching,

  • and I'll see you next time.

- [Strider] Howdy!

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