Board 8 > Gauntlet Crew Ranks Animated TV Show Movies

(+) Yeah! (+)

Except Lego Batman was a huge step up and thus the pinnacle of what Legomation could be
---

6. DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

JONA: 3
Red: 3
Scarlet: 4
Karo: 5
Snake: 6
Stifled: 8
Genny: 10
Inviso: 14
Charon: 18
Johnbobb: 20

Total Score: 91

JONA: This movie is basically just a long episode of the show with better animation but I'm perfectly fine with that since the show was full of adventure, which I kinda wish the recent show had more of. It's a lot of fun as a sorta proto-Aladdin.

Red: I don't think a movie pushes my nostalgia buttons harder on this list than DuckTales. This movie was Aladdin before there was Aladdin(Same premise, Genie gets found in old place, villain attempts to kill heroes and obtain genie, eventually fails, genie gets freedom). Honestly, DuckTales was always pretty awesome and this kind of took the show and threw it in movie form. It works in most ways. The genie can be annoying and it probably drags itself out a little too long, but it definitely floods my brain with pleasant nostalgia.

Karo: This adaptation of the Disney Afternoon cornerstone starts out as sort of a kids' Indiana Jones adventure where Scrooge and company are raiding ancient ruins looking for a lost treasure. This quest ultimately leaves them empty-handed save for an old lamp they take home with them, and well you can kind of guess what comes next.
It is here that the movie begins to falter, as the duck genie they summon from the lamp is an incredibly annoying character who thinks he is way more funny than he actually is, and every scene featuring him is excruciating.
Often the dialogue is quite humorous, particularly anything involving Scrooge or Launchpad. However the movie focuses way too much on the duck kids, which in this incarnation of the series at least, are pretty damn boring.
It is a safe bit of duck adventure that doesnt really add anything new to the series, but will still be enjoyable to those who like the characters.

Scarlet: You have to wonder why Karo thought a list featuring a sprinkling of marginally decent films against the unstoppable tidal flood of atrocious schlock was worthy of the time of Gauntlet Crew. Especially when you find yourself almost excited to watch the fairly pedestrian DuckTales film. Featuring above-average characters and a plot that almost has actual stakes, Lost Lamp is one of those films worth watching if youre stuck on an international plane flight for 23 hours. Its perfectly serviceable albeit nothing particularly exciting.
Rating: 52/100

Snake: Harmless fun, like the original series. As an Indiana Jones riff, its funny at times. Its like an extended episode, and unlike other offenders on this list, DuckTales the Movie feels justified in doing that here. Some of the animation is really good too, step-above the show at least. And now I will forever have the DuckTales theme stuck in my head as I write the rest of these.
---

Stifled: Copying a movie and adding absolutely nothing to the equation is an awful thing to do. But copying a movie and adding a group of strong, entertaining personalities into the mix? Gold! DuckTales the Movie is quite simply Aladdin with ducks. Some of the Gauntlet crew might actually puke seeing that description, but it works so well! Jafar and Iago are conveniently combined into a warlock that can turn himself into a bird. The street thief Jafar hired to go into the cave at the beginning survived this time and became a goofy but likeable sidekick. And the genieis not Robin Williams. But you cant win em all right? Despite being a tad obnoxious, the genies dynamic with the cast is actually really good. Naturally hes a good match for the kids. Scrooge appropriately uses him to get even richer. But the kicker of all is how Murlock found a way to cheat the system and get infinite wishes. I dunno about you guys, but I love that aspect of Murlocks character. It skyrockets him from necessary villain addition to actual legit threat. Bravo.

Traviss Opinion: Travis loves camels. He thought Murlock was an eagle. He also got excited about the plane and the pyramid slide. I asked if he wanted to cuddle with me and watch the movie. He said no. But a minute later, he decided to anyway.

Genny: Anyone that's ever played SMDC with me knows I've never cared for Scrooge McDuck, and until the reboot the same could be applied toward his nephews and toward Webby, who I actively hated. This movie reminds me why. Scrooge is irredeemably greedy and it's played for laughs. Webby is a naive idiot and it's played as cute. And the Ooey gang are all interchangeable and don't really stand out from each other. DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp is saved almost entirely by its antagonist, but then I've always had a soft spot for shapeshifters. Merlock and his powers and weaknesses were pretty compelling and kept the stakes interesting. There were a few things I didn't understand, like how he'd send Dijon to do something he could have easily accomplished with his magic, but then the movie would be over in about ten minutes if he did so it's forgivable. The movie ends in the most predictable way imaginable, but that too is forgivable because this is a kid's movie and it's still pretty good.
As an aside, is it ever explained why all the inhabitants of this universe are either ducks, dogs, or rats? Always wondered this.

Inviso: Way to go, DuckTales. By pretty blatantly cribbing from a superior animated film, you managed to be not completely terrible and rank the highest of the films from 1990 or earlier. Granted, its still not great, and I fucking cannot stand the childrenWebby in particular. But still, its a fun enough plot that starts out as a grand adventure in search of a magic lamp, turns into a romp where the genie just wants to be a real boy, and winds up with a bad guy getting his comeuppance when he bites off a bit more than he can chew. Like I said, Aladdin does this better, but its hard to go broke swinging for the cheap seats, as they say (I HOPE thats the right saying, at least), so I guess this was decent.

Charon: Honestly, not as good as I remembered. I hadn't seen most of these before, but this was one I had watched several years ago for another project. This felt like it slogged along until finally the time had run out on it. Is it bad? Not really. But it doesn't do anything worthwhile or interest any new concept to the show that it didn't already have. Merlock was lame and so was the inevitable "free the genie with your final wish" that's done in almost every genie movie. Though this predates Aladdin's release, this genie does nothing to make you care about it even if the film attempts to get you to. It's just not there.
---

Johnbobb: Did you like Aladdin and want more of that, but not as good and with more ducks? Because thats pretty much what you get here. Its not bad (aside from some pretty dated Middle Eastern stereotypes) but its not something thats exactly gonna hold up amongst the great Disney pantheon. Christopher Lloyd voice work always puts a nice touch on anything, at least, and Im willing to chalk this up as a kid movie thats at least not unpleasant to sit through.
---

Outlier:

Karo: 191
Genny: 160
Red: 157
Stifled: 156
Johnbobb: 143
Inviso: 136
Snake: 124
Scarlet: 120
Charon: 112
JONA: 100
---

I don't know how I went 25 write-ups without realizing Scarlet's write-up gimmick o_O
---

Good show and excellent top 5.

Next could be anything (but South Park).

Guess for #5: My Little Pony The Movie

Because I know at least one of us tanked it. Second thought would be The Powerpuff Girls Movie
---

My Little Brony: The Convention next plz.

I am pretty surprised to realize the Aladdin movie came out after Ducktales, considering the mountain of similarities. The more you know!
---

You know. I kind of want to see a "repeated" word count out of Scarlet's write-ups.
---

5. My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)

Karo: 1
Inviso: 1
Red: 1
Genny: 2
Charon: 3
JONA: 9
Snake: 11
Johnbobb: 13
Scarlet: 20
Stifled: 29

Total Score: 90

Karo: The theatrical incarnation of the phenomenal 'Friendship is Magic' TV series, the story sees our group of six little cute horsies sent on an epic journey to find help to save their home from an invading army. Opposing the little ponies is a dark, brooding, broken-horned unicorn who could pass as the mascot for Hot Topic, and a hilarious goat/yeti thing whose scenes were all too few in number.
For some reason they didnt just blow the invaders to dust with the Elements of Harmony or have the omnipotent cosmic aspect that Fluttershy is besties with snap his fingers and turn them all into rutabagas, but I digress.
First off, the good. Minus some really embarrassing CGI background elements, the movie looks amazing and really highlights the recent advancements in 2D animation software. Most of the songs are very memorable, and if they are not quite up to disney quality they are still one of the better attempts by a non-disney entity at creating an animated musical.
Now the bad things, the greatest of which is pretty much everything charming and wonderful about the TV show is tossed in the garbage bin in favor of making a movie that tries far too hard to be 'dark' and 'cool' and paradoxically feels aimed at a young male demographic.
For example, in one scene Fluttershy sweetly befriends one of the enemy soldiers, only for everyone to to chide her for messing around when she should be kicking some more ass. They then proceed to all break into the castle and heartlessly burn some of the same soldiers to death with dragonfire. How's that for the magic of friendship.
Indeed, friendship seems to be in short supply in this movie adaptation, the six 'mane' characters barely interact with each other, and when they do it feels very contemptuous. Though it may be true that they make friends with Tempest, it doesnt feel earned, such a sadistic selfish character as her suddenly becoming noble feels very tacked on and arbitrary. On the other hand, the eccentric, childlike Storm King is apparently not worthy of friendship (or breathing) and Twilight just lets him fall to a gruesome death.
The TV show made a name for itself by how different it was from most of the cartoons of the previous decade, cute and colorful and unabashedly for girls without being insipid or patronizing. The tragedy here is not that the movie failed to translate these virtues to the big screen, but rather that they didnt even try in the slightest and instead just smashed it into the mold of a male-centric action/adventure film.
It is still the best in the project (but not by much), and it begrudgingly gets the top spot. But alas, the lost potential.

Inviso: Yeah, sorry, obvious choice for my number one, I know. But hey, I ranked Zootopia in 4th for the last project, so dont judge me! I just love this whole franchise and find it fun and lively and enjoyable in all forms (less so the Equestria Girls universe, but hell, that aint that bad either.) Im not gonna deny that there are some major flaws with this film (seriously, how do you deny all friendship and relying on othersyet cant see that the Storm King is OBVIOUSLY gonna betray you, Tempest?) but I can overlook those. This is a film with the introduction of some fun new character, you get to see OP Twilight pushed to her limits (and losing herself in the process), and it just works out brilliantly. Also, using Spike as a flamethrower meant that they finally found a use for the worst character in the series, yay!
---

Red: This is actually one of the longer movies on this list but actually one of the few that probably could have benefitted from being a tad longer. The ponies go out, meet a bunch of people, befriend them relatively quickly, and then they all meet up and beat up all the evil dudes. Capper gets some development, but the pirates turn pretty quickly to song and the hippogriffs have more than enough reason to just say screw everybody(Though it is definitely in their best interest not to). Also the Storm King totally wins if he just spends 2 seconds or whatever it takes to give the evil pony her horn. Also no movie on this list is what I would call great and my top 3 are probably interchangeable depending on my mood for the day.

Genny: Surprise! Except it's not because most if not all of you know I love Friendship is Magic! I was legitimately worried when a MLP feature-length film was announced because I thought they were going to go the way of Equestria Girls and dumb down everything, but boy was I wrong. I ended up seeing this movie in theaters twice because I enjoyed it so much. The soundtrack was admittedly hit or miss, but I count twice as many hits as misses so I consider that a complete success.
The animation is stunningly on-point. It's an upgrade to even the highest definition standards of the show. The characters are a tad problematic, which is why I couldn't rank this the highest on my list. I don't have any issues with the new additions, though maybe Princess Skystar is a little grating. My only major issue is that Twilight acts completely out of character right at the climax of the story. I get that it's to add tension, but given she's the princess of freaking friendship I knew the conflict would be immediately resolved, and thus it felt like a misguided effort to pad for time. It was kind of weird all her friends except Spike kind of abandoned her too. Whatever, this movie was still tons of fun but I wish there was more Fluttershy and less Pinky Pie (I wish the same thing for the show).

Charon: It's amazing to me that you can have two films from one series be so different. What a difference time makes I guess. With a clearly higher budget, proper casting and actual care put into the script, this film shows what you can really do even for a medium I care nothing about. This was my very first (well, second, as we watched the first movie first) with the world of Ponys. Despite my reservations, this movie was pretty good. There's a compelling villain, good action sequences and proper pacing. Thankfully no smooze to be seen.

JONA: Man, the other princesses are jobbers. It's a fun movie with some good songs; Open Up Your Eyes is actually pretty great. I thought the mane cast who weren't Twilight Sparkle didn't get to really do much in the movie. Doesn't help that the movie throws even more characters at you. At least, they had the climax involve everyone they met, which is something I've always liked. It's alright.

Snake: Its a very cinematic experience and the songs are fun. Im glad I knew the characters beforehand because the movie doesnt really do a good job of explaining anything and expects you to be a fan already. I thought Emily Blunts Tempest Shadow was a great villain and I liked her change of heart even if its a little typical. I had more fun with the movie then the show to be honest! And its leagues better than the 86 one.

Johnbobb: This was less unpleasant than I went into it expecting it to be. I mean, having no interest in the subject matter and clearly not being part of the intended audience definitely holds it back. Its not bad for what it is, though. The animation is bright and crisp, some of the jokes land, and most surprisingly, even some of the songs are decent (Emily Blunts Open Up Your Eyes was particularly good).
---

Scarlet: You dont have to wonder at all why Karo is including My Little Pony on this list. You dont have to wonder at all. For me, there is nothing more worthless to me than Skittles-fueled musical drivel leading effectively nowhere. The evolution of MLP is surface-dazzling nothingness over the last couple decades, and watching the same, bland, basic bitch moral being spouted in every animated film for the last 5 years has really driven the point home to me: I'm a grown-up, and I need more than this.
Rating: 18/100

Stifled: Ok. Lets get the good out of the way. Its technically well animated. Its technically well voiced. And uhhhno thats it.
Fuck this movie.
The ponies are boring. The villains are boring. The environments are boring. The songs are boring. The fight scenes are boring. The plot is boring. Everything is boring.
I havent watched the show, but I thought AT LEAST having someone who worked on Powerpuff Girls would equate to something similarly good. Hell, the original creator is MARRIED to Craig Freaking McCracken! But he clearly offered her no creative juices, so to speak.
The only thing keeping this gem from the bottom of the barrel is that it is at least a highly polished turd. The turd I ranked below this one has absolutely no polish.

Traviss Opinion: Travis correctly ignored this pony movie. I would have loved to join him.
---

Outlier: (now with moar metavoting than ever!)

Karo: 195
Stifled: 180
Genny: 163
Red: 161
Johnbobb: 151
Inviso: 140
Scarlet: 135
Snake: 130
Charon: 114
JONA: 104
---

I assumed at least Karo was going to rank it #1, but 3 #1s and 5 top 3s?

sheesh

didn't realize so many gauntleteers were pony fans
---

guessing Powerpuff Girls next

Simpsons/South Park/Goofy seem like a believable top 3
---

Johnbobb posted...

I assumed at least Karo was going to rank it #1, but 3 #1s and 5 top 3s?

sheesh

didn't realize so many gauntleteers were pony fans

They're not. It's a better made film than almost everything on this list. Voice, music, animation, etc.

Of course, I say in my writeup that these two films were my extent of pony universe animation.
---

don't get me wrong, I admit it's better than I expected it to be. I can definitely see liking the movie, or at least liking it more than a lot of the list

but this many people considering it the best still feels odd
---

4. The Powerpuff Girls Movie

Snake: 3
Johnbobb: 3
JONA: 4
Genny: 5
Inviso: 7
Red: 8
Stifled: 9
Scarlet: 11
Charon: 12
Karo: 13

Total Score: 75

Snake: A great superhero origin story, one of the few movies on this list that feels justified to be a full-length animated feature. Theres plenty of humorous moments and I enjoy the quality of animtion, especially the backgrounds. Elements of satire and cynicm elevate the script, all boiling down to a jolly good time that doesnt ever overstay its welcome.

Johnbobb: There were a lot of shows I remembered loving as a kid that ultimately didnt hold up once I was an adult. The Powerpuff Girls is one of the only ones that I actually had MORE appreciation for as an adult. I went back to rewatch some of the show on Netflix a few years back with my girlfriend (who had been a diehard fan as a kid) and was startled by how objectively good the show is. Colorful animation, lovable characters and damn good writing. That definitely extends to The Powerpuff Girls Movie, which immediately gives you reason to cherish the protagonists by showing them to you through the perspective of the professor. Its a short, silly, and fun movie that ultimately serves as an extension of an excellent show.

JONA: A sorta-origin story is not exactly what I'd want from a Powerpuff Girls movie but it's well done here. Love all the violence in the climax. I will say that tag scene goes on for too long considering how short the movie is.

Genny: Here's another series that I loved as a kid, but unlike most of these theatrical versions, this one has aged very well. In fact I'd argue that much of the humor of the show can be appreciated more as an adult than as a kid, where the jokes might fly over your head. Anyway, the movie is more family friendly than the show, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of humor. Whether it's the Mayor going on about his questionable love of pickles or the scene where the other simians turn against Mojo Jojo and start making their own names for themselves this movie is good for at least a few laughs.
It's got charm as well. This is the only movie on this list of 30 that actually made me feel something, in that scene where the Powerpuff Girls are camping out on an asteroid. Did I cry? Hell no, but I legitimately felt sorrow for the characters and that's more than anything else in this list could do.

Inviso: Sorry Scarlet, but as far as a superhero origin movie goes, this wasnt that bad. I mean, it was pretty standard fare for the Powerpuff Girls, but like, you get the characters created. You have them live with their powers, only for them to OVERUSE their powers to the point of destruction. Then you get the standard with great power comes great responsibility thing. But theres a LITTLE twist with these unsure, young superheroes getting taken advantage of by a budding supervillain, who manipulates them into doing his dirty work. This only further alienates them from the town, leading to them abandoning Earth entirely. But then, the love of their father brings them back to save the day. Its pretty standard, like I saidbut its interesting enough for everything to work and create an enjoyable enough movie.

Red: One of the relatively more recent movies on the list and I think it benefits from a shorter runtime(A lot of these TV to movies shows feel like they end up as too many single episode strung together). This one keeps to a simple origin story about why its a bad idea to create superpowered girls, leave them completely unsupervised and in the hands of a secretly evil monkey exploiting them for the sake of world domination. Honestly, unlike a lot of movies on this list, it has a plot, it sticks to it, it brings it to a satisfying conclusion and it gets out. Its not spectacular, its not particularly special, but at the very least it can call itself a movie.
---

Stifled: Quite simply, taking the series main villain and adding more backstory to connect him with the main heroes is absolutely brilliant. Its the prequel I didnt know I wanted until I got it. Add some great fight scenes and some heartwarming parent/child moments between the professor and the girls, and you have a top notch movie.

Traviss Opinion: Travis sat in his Mickey Mouse chair and watched intently. The bright colors when the girls flew really enthralled him.

Scarlet: You have to wonder why Karo thought a list of films that attempted to stretch 22-minute-or-less episodes into 80-90 minute films like the definition of Vaas Montenegro in Far Cry 3 (over and over, expecting different results) was worthy of the time of Gauntlet Crew. Especially when you find yourself checking your watch during every. Single. Film. None moreso than the Powerpuff Girls Movie, a bloated, distended episode warped and manipulated into what is theoretically a feature length film. In reality, all of the manic energy of the original show becomes pedestrian and boring. There is no bigger sin in movie making than to have a boring movie. And here, on this list, for virtually every entrant, you are forced to live through The Day the Earth Stood Still repeatedly. What works in one medium does not work in another. And apparently this lesson has been lost on nearly 30 distinct groups of producers, directors, actors, writers and executives.
Rating: 26/100

Charon: Good, but not great. This is a nice origin story movie but I felt it suffered by dragging certain elements on too long. The initial destruction of the city in the game of tag felt like it lasted 2 or 3 minutes too long and it took away time from the interesting relationship Mojo Jojo has with the girls and the professor. As much as I like him as a villain, he could have been done so much more with given his own backstory. His motivations were good though, and his scheme pretty sound in using the PPGs to his advantage by preying on their emotions. And who can forget Pappy Whappy! Give those 2-3 minutes to him doing things instead of that city destruction scene and this goes up at least a few spots.

Karo: This movie is an origin story that is basically a feature length adaptation of the TV show's opening sequence, an idea which is as about as good as it sounds.
So our heroes are a trio of 5-year-old girls who were created by Professor Utonium in his lab, which I'm sure violates all sorts of laws of scientific ethics and not to mention is just creepy in general. Anyway an accident gives them superpowers, and they then precede to lay ruin to the entire city while playing tag and for some reason people are upset by this.
They then unwittingly help a villain with his plans to take over Townville, and a bunch of pointlessness and a lot of monkeys later the girls kick a whole lot of ass to make things right. Despite the fact that this completely destroys the city yet again, and that everything was their fault in the first place, the trio is for some reason hailed as heroes.
Powerpuff Girls was probably more suited for film adaptation than most kids cartoons of its era, and though it doesnt really try to move beyond the base concept of 'aww look little girls are beating the shit out of everyone how cute' it is still watchable and that's something at least.
---

PrinceKaro posted...

Inviso: Sorry Scarlet, but as far as a superhero origin movie goes, this wasnt that bad.

When someone doesn't understand you at all.
---

PrinceKaro posted...

Snake: 3
Johnbobb: 3

^5
---

Outlier:

Karo: 206
Stifled: 185
Red: 165
Genny: 164
Johnbobb: 152
Inviso: 143
Scarlet: 142
Snake: 131
Charon: 122
JONA: 104
---

Wow, the double ranking!

Kold Predix:

3. A Goofy Movie
2. The Simpsons Movie
1. Southpark Bigger, Longer, Uncut

Wow who could guess such a crazy thing?
---

I'm not big on any of the top 3.

Rooting for Simpsons Movie of whats left. Nothing great but it's decent.

Haven't seen it but feel like I'd probably be on the Pony squad here despite not identifying as a Pony fan exactly. The few episodes I've watched due to being prodded by my friend weren't bad so if it's up to par with 4 random episodes from the series that could very well be enough. Though that's not actually an easy bar to reach. Feel most series in this list don't.
---

3. The Simpsons Movie

Genny: 1
Johnbobb: 4
Red: 4
Stifled: 5
Charon: 5
Snake: 7
Scarlet: 7
Karo: 9
Inviso: 10
JONA: 19

Total Score: 71

Genny: This is the final movie charon and I watched for the ranking and I'm glad we saved it for last because to me it was the best. I have personally never cared for the Simpsons, not the family, and not the show. I thought the occasional couch gag I would watch on YouTube was pretty entertaining, but something turned me against it long ago. But man this movie had me reevaluating that decision. I found myself laughing, sympathizing with characters I thought I disliked, and moreso than any other movie on this list I found myself entertained the whole time. My whole world view has been rocked.

Johnbobb: Fun fact: I saw this in theaters on my 14th birthday. And like every other 14-year-old in 2007 I was super into Green Day, so their cameo was (and still is, really) one of the most memorable moments in the movie. Thats saying quite a bit, because there are tons of memorable moments, which I think is largely what they were going for, and you know what? It works. If for whatever reason I find myself thinking I want to watch a movie based on a TV show Im not gonna go for what I think will have the absolute most compelling plot, or Ill be disappointed. Ill think I want to see Flanders make that awesome hot chocolate or I want to see President Schwarzenegger and happily recall a time when that was the most ridiculous thing we could imagine. Where was I? Oh, good movie.

Red: The Simpsons Movie came out a few years after I dropped the show, but hits mostly familiar territory and does a few good things(Getting the voice of the dude that was Hank Scorpio to be the villain was an obvious but excellent decision). When the Simpsons draws on its fairly large cast to cause interesting interactions, its good. When it takes the Simpsons off to Alaska to make Homer have an epiphany that was already painfully obvious...its bad. As someone that used to watch the show pretty regularly for a good chunk of my life, I had always found the movie to be decent. Maybe not quite movie quality(It definitely feels like 3ish episodes strung together), but at the very least not too bad.

Stifled: I admit I was surprised at how high I placed this one. I watched it roughly ten years ago and it didnt leave a strong impression. Going into this list, I predicted maybe 15 or 16 at best. But upon rewatching it with Travis, I came to appreciate it. The jokes were actually quite good. The scope of the problem was surprisingly large, consider Homer regularly destroys the town in the show. The only thing I was put off by was Barts dick. Maybe Im just getting weird since I have a kid now, but that crap is gross and unnecessary, cartoon character or not. Gokus kid shlong pops out a lot in Dragon Ball too and Im not a fan of that either. On the opposite side of that coin, however, the bountiful penis joke was solid gold so I guess it was worth it. The Disney sex animal joke was great. Ralph was on fire whenever he was on the screen. The Green Day and Tom Hanks cameos were pretty great. Even Lisa entertained me and I usually find her annoying. That Bart punch was crazy!

Traviss Opinion: Travis opted to tune The Simpsons out completely and watch a show called Toms Car Wash on Mommys tablet. Admittedly I really like Tom, but still! Not cool dude!
---

Charon: Never been a fan much of this show, but maybe I was always wrong about it. This was a ton of fun with tons of goofy gags and hilarious references that I could get. There are various subplots added in to the overall story and they all fit in pretty nicely without feeling empty or overshadowed. I definitely wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. It's similar to other films on this list like ATHF for example, but unlike that one, this one doesn't just toss a bunch of funny things together and hope it all works out in the end. This movie actually fits together very well and tells a story from beginning to end that's easy, and fun, to follow.

Snake: This is the only movie on the list I went to see in theaters, and I still like it as much as I did back then. Which is to say its funny and has a good story but still lacks what made the earliest seasons of The Simpsons so incredible and inventive. The dome set-up seems like a strange parody of Stephen Kings Under the Dome but the novel came latter which is somehow even weirder.

Scarlet: I have never found The Simpsons cute or funny.
Rating: 37/100

Karo: The Simpsons are some of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world, and they are the stars of Fox's animation block because they are more grounded in reality than say, for example, Family Guy.
Thus, in the movie, we get an idiotic plot where Arnold Schwarzenegger is President of the United States and the town of Springfield is quarantined under a huge glass dome for extremely contrived reasons. Way to go, guys.
The town soon discovers that Homer dumping pig shit in a lake is partially to blame for the situation, and so they form a lynch mob of homicidal maniacs and try to outright murder our heroes. We're getting so far removed from the TV series at this point that it might as well be a treehouse of horror segment.
The dire situation leads to the family needing to flee Springfield, something they are able to do because they are literally the only people in the whole city that realize you can just dig under the fucking dome. Homer and Marge then have marital problems and the villains get even more ridiculous and attempt the genocide of the whole town.
With the PG-13 rating one might think they'd use the opportunity to give a true adult edge to the humor they couldnt do in the show, but alas all we get is Marge swearing, Homer giving people the finger, and Bart showing off his penis. Sigh.
All that aside, the main issue here is simply that this was a movie that needed to have been made over 10 years earlier, when the show was still in its prime. Instead, it becomes simply what the modern seasons of the TV series have become: a highly polished, commercialized rendition of the antics of our favorite yellow-skinned family that is still somewhat funny, but lacking any sort of charm or real warmth.

Inviso: I enjoy the Simpsons as a whole, Id say, but its one of those shows that didnt necessarily translate well to a 90-minute movie. Granted, its always a problem Ive had with the Simpsons, but the show cant carry a plot all that well. The events at the start of the episode rarely lead to the big event that makes up the main plot. Look at the movie: Homer & Bart are working on the house, they start daring each other stuff, Homer dares Bart to skateboard nude to Krusty Burger, Homer picks up a pig at Krusty Burger, said pig creates a silo full of pig shit, Homer dumps said silo in the lake, oversaturating it with pollution, the EPA puts a dome around the town to contain the pollution. Thats confusing as hell, but it also has subplots about Homer letting Marge down as a husband, letting Bart down as a father, Lisa falling in love with an Irish environmental activist. Its just a lot going on all at once and while the movie is still fun (its The Simpsons, after all), its a little too discombobulated for me to rank TOO high.

JONA: Homer's at his worst in this movie and while there are some funny bits, it just pales in comparison to what the show used to be like.
---

Outlier:

Karo: 212
Stifled: 187
Red: 166
Genny: 166
Johnbobb: 153
Inviso: 150
Scarlet: 146
Snake: 135
Charon: 125
JONA: 120
---

That scarlet write up was disappointing.
---

You know something mildly funny? Based on this ranking it seems like gauntlet crew as a whole tends to be harder on movies based on shows we actually liked at one point (see: ATHF, Recess or any Nickelodeon film), and go much softer on ones based on shows we were lukewarm or cold on, such as the Simpsons here. I feel like that alone influenced the rankings more than anything else other than general indifference to the list itself.
---

Underleveled posted...

That scarlet write up was disappointing.

It's not if you've seen the West Wing.
---

I took scarlets writeup as a line Bart was writing on the chalkboard.
---

StifledSilence posted...

I took scarlets writeup as a line Bart was writing on the chalkboard.

That actually inspired my write-up.
---

scarletspeed7 posted...

Underleveled posted...

That scarlet write up was disappointing.

It's not if you've seen the West Wing.

StifledSilence posted...

I took scarlets writeup as a line Bart was writing on the chalkboard.

Yeah but I mean you were clearly going for a theme with these write ups and this one kinda randomly broke the mold.
---

I thought it was a reference to the second halloween special. "At first they were cute and funny, but now they are annoying."

but that would probably be too random/obscure a thing to say for someone who didn't care much about the show.
---

Underleveled posted...

Yeah but I mean you were clearly going for a theme with these write ups and this one kinda randomly broke the mold.

You have to break from the mold at least once in order to emphasize a point one time on a list. The break from convention highlights the sheer importance and relevance of my point.
---

GenesisSaga posted...

You know something mildly funny? Based on this ranking it seems like gauntlet crew as a whole tends to be harder on movies based on shows we actually liked at one point (see: ATHF, Recess or any Nickelodeon film), and go much softer on ones based on shows we were lukewarm or cold on, such as the Simpsons here. I feel like that alone influenced the rankings more than anything else other than general indifference to the list itself.

This is possible, as I definitely felt the same way about certain shows. The only one I can say I accurately placed high because I felt the movie did the show justice was Thornberrys.
---

The Simpsons Movie was both refreshing and a reminder of why I had stopped watching the show all at the same time.
---

Simpsons Movie is good as per the standards set by new Simpsons episodes. But it is clearly playing by the rulebook set by new Simpsons episodes, so yeah that reaction makes a lot of sense to me.
---

Simpsons Movie is easily one of the best things they've done in the post-classic era. That does not mean it's a particularly good movie, just that the standards are fairly low.
---

2. A Goofy Movie

Stifled: 1
JONA: 1
Charon: 2
Genny: 3
Snake: 5
Johnbobb: 7
Red: 7
Karo: 8
Scarlet: 8
Inviso: 11

Total Score: 53

Stifled: Figuring out what to actually put at #1 was a little tough. A small chunk of these movies have been a real staple of not only my childhood, but also my adult life. And quite the fact, the top 4 are almost virtually tied in my book. But the deciding factor for me was how completely melted my heart was while watching this with Travis. Ive watched a lot of my favorite movies with him, but this one had that true father/son bonding moment connection type thing that was much stronger than the others. Perhaps it was the subject matter of Goofy and Max getting over their differences. Perhaps it was the fact that Travis enjoyed it as much as I did. Perhaps this movie is just magical and easily one of the best things Disney has ever made. Regardless, the four way tie was shattered when I put this movie on the screen for quite possibly the 20th time (I lost count a long time ago).

Traviss Opinion: Travis was excited to see Goofy. He pulled out his Goofy and Pete toys to play with during the movie. Goofy appeared to be beating up Pete after they danced and stomped around. He repeated the line from Goof to Goof to Goof and laughed. He LOVED the music, especially Eye 2 Eye. He was dancing and pulled out a John Cena you cant see me move and a moonwalk. He had an absolute blast and I loved every minute.

JONA: I hardly think of this movie as being based on Goof Troop because the only real shared things are the characters, with 2 of them being nothing like they were in the show. This movie's all about the relationship between Max and Goofy and it works really well. You get to see their similarities and differences and how they clash. I do like how both go to extreme measures because of their difficulties in communication and wanting to impress others (Max doing that whole school show and making up that Powerline story to impress Roxanne, Goofy planning an entire trip just to feel closer to his son, Goofy changing his parenting style just to impress Pete.)
While Roxanne is kind of a shallow love interest, the few interactions she has with Max are actually pretty darn cute and make it easy to want to root for Max. The songs are great and the animation's nice. It's just a really nice movie and it's easy to see why the movie is still kinda loved to this day.

Charon: Goof Troop is what makes Goofy the best of the classic 3. Whereas Mickey is very generic and vanilla and Donald has just one emotion, Goofy gets to be a complete character thanks to his popular show. I enjoyed the road trip adventure here and the chemistry between Goofy and his son. There are some honestly touching moments here too I think; especially when Goofy responds to Max's declaration that he was growing up and not his little boy anymore. It's hard not to like Goofy in my opinion; his demeanor and behavior is so innocent and earnest, I find it hard to believe anyone could get that mad at him. Outside of positive characterization, the music here also stands head and shoulders above most everything on this list and being very memorable.

Genny: This movie doesn't rate this high on pure nostalgia even though I did essentially grow up with it. No, the songs are legit. I love 3 of them enough to sing along with them, and the characters are interesting and share exciting dynamics with each other. The whole father-and-son road trip bonding thing isn't a new concept at all, but A Goofy Movie manages to tell its story in a way that makes you sympathize with both characters and I find both Max and Goofy incredibly endearing by the end. The animation is also quite good, even by today's standards. What else can I say? This movie is great.
---

Snake: Pretty solid road movie, plenty of laughs to be had! I dont particularly like Goofy as a character but he was pretty decent here, getting some good moments with his son. Some of the more emotional moments tend to be eye-rollers but it doesnt detract too much from my overall enjoyment. Its a surprisingly well-done portrait of adolescence all together.

Johnbobb: There are quite a few cliches here. A lot of cliches, actually. However, it is pretty commendable how the father/son relationship is handled throughout the movie. I identified pretty close with Max while watching this as a teen, but as an adult he seems like a little shit (though I can still sympathize with his desire to form his own identity and impress his crush). He seems to legitimately grow as a character, as does Goofy, which is more than I can say for most TV show movies. Add in some really solid songs (including Eye for Eye, which is as good as most Disney canon songs) and you have a really fun movie.

Red: First off, and this bothered a younger me probably more than it even bothers current me, I have always been weirded out by the fact that this movie borrows the Goof Troop universe but drops half the cast from existence(the rest of Pete's family, mostly). The movie is pretty on the nose, teenagers are jerks, parents dont understand them, and they make a pretty terrible mix. Also Max tries to run a big lie to its conclusion and for whatever reason never really gets his just desserts.

Karo: This film is a spinoff of the Goof Troop TV show and follows Goofy as he takes a musical roadtrip across the country with his petulant teenage son. The story aims to make Goofy more than just the comic relief character he is generally known for, an idea that yields mixed results.
So basically his kid Max has a date with a cute girl that he unfortunately finds out is the same day as Goofy's impromptu vacation. Max gets dragged along and behaves like a whiny ungrateful prick the entire way, and though this was probably meant to be funny it reaches a point that it becomes absolutely horrific to watch someone who is just trying to be a loving father constantly getting a dump taken upon him by his twit of a son.
Forgetting to set the parking brake on the car results in the two of them growing closer together, and they decide to go to LA and dance on stage with some ridiculous music star to impress Max's girl. Unfortunately, as touching as this ending might seem, it shakes down to Max basically getting everything he wanted as a direct result of acting like a spoiled asshole for most of the trip, which is a pretty great moral for young children.

Scarlet: You have to wonder why Karo thought a list of disturbingly horrendous children behaving their level worst across the board would be worthy of the time of Gauntlet Crew. Especially when you find yourself observing the behavior of one Max Goof, a bratty, self-centered fool who never gives a moments consideration to anyone else in the entirety of reality. Couple that with such cringeworthy moments as The Leaning Tower of Cheeza, and in the words of Carl Weathers, Youve got yourself a stew. A stew of off-brand Disney mixed with off-brand Michael Jackson songs.
Rating: 35/100
---

Inviso: Im gonna bitch about SEVERAL things in this write-up, yet unless the SIXTEEN movies that came out AFTER this one ALL manage to impress me, somehow A Goofy Movie is going to wind up in my top half against all odds. I dont know why Im able to tolerate this film. It has PAINFUL awkwardness that makes me pause the movie for several minutes before I can resume play. It manages to make me dislike a father figure in a Disney movie, because Goofy is THE WORST. And ultimately, the conclusion is rushed and unexplained and sloppy. Yetit just feels unique to me. Maybe its the fact that the rest of the list up until this point feels like a lazy attempt to cash in on a property, while A Goofy Movie doesnt feel like you need to watch the show to understand it. Maybe the occasional hot doggirl (not just Roxanne, aroooooooooooo) is enough for me. Or maybe its the fact that the movie is SUPPOSED to evoke those feelings (for the most part.) Its SUPPOSED to be emblematic of the father/son disconnect that occurs in the teenage years. I dunno. I just managed to not hate it, and thats a positive.
---

yessss

sorry didn't mean to cut off the writeups being posted

though tbh I thought I ranked AGM a little higher for some reason
---

1. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

Snake: 1
Johnbobb: 1
Scarlet: 1
Charon: 1
Inviso: 2
JONA: 2
Red: 2
Karo: 3
Stifled: 4
Genny: 4

Total Score: 21

Snake: Pretty much stands heads-and-shoulders above every other movie on this list. A phenomonal takedown of musicals, PC culture, politics, and everything in between. The musical numbers, besides a few duds maybe, are hilarious and catchy. Its near impossible trying to get Uncle Fucker out of your head after watching this. My favorite part is probably Cartmans anti-cursing chip. Better animation then a majority of this list, and this is South Park were talking about. Its message remains relevant today, making South Park a timeless, and more importantly, hilarious movie for the ages.

Johnbobb: To date, still my favorite portrayal of Satan in any media (though Care Bears 2 comes close). He's hilarious and gets what is by far the best song in the movie (sorry Brian Boitano). The message about hypocritical censorship is hilariously blunt, and the songs are surprisingly memorable, given how short and goofy they all are. Every significant character gets their moment, but none feel particularly dragged out (though the Clitoris subplot is a little forced and not particularly enjoyable). It's just a really, really funny movie.

Scarlet: You have to wonder why Karo thought a list of movies for children or those with the minds of children should include one singular entry of raucous offensive material designed to infuriate those with more delicate sensibilities and why it was worthy of the time of Gauntlet Crew. Especially when you find yourself questioning why the satire of this film doesnt land as hard as many of the greatest episodes of South Park itself. Still, there is a bold ambition and a thumb in the nose of the overbearing MPAA of the time. The morality police of the 90s receive rightful jabs, and the flavor of the film doesnt do a disservice to the show in question.
Rating: 67/100

Charon: In what could have just been an excuse to use higher level swear words, the South Park team actually thought of a lot of clever ideas for this film. Yes, the ability to use high grade curse words was definitely a dream lived out, but what makes this movie truly special is the tongue in cheek fact that it's also a musical. Rather than simply do what a few other films do on this list, it didn't go for the feeling of an elongated episode. This feels nothing at all like a South Park episode; you always know you are watching a film, and to me that's the mark of making one of these work. You want it to feel like a movie yet have the basis of your show persist and permeate through it. South Park's social commentary style comes through strong, but as a different medium than what it normally is.

Inviso: This was far and away the best movie Ive watched thus far on this list, if only because South Park is inherently a debaucherous show, so the more random aspects of the movie are easier to accept and tolerate. As much as I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone are kinda assholes in their more modern political beliefs, I appreciate their love of musicals and their desire to subvert traditional musicals with this and Book of Mormon, for example. A lot of the songs in this movie are hilarious (especially the utter randomness of the Brian Boitano song), and I love it. I also love that it stays true to the characters and manages to build the insanity in a way that makes sense within the universe. Its just got a solid plot of a minor event blowing out of proportion in the best of ways.

JONA: Read one of the other writeups to see why people like the winner of this list. I am willing to look foolish if this somehow doesn't win.
---

Red: South Park as a TV show is something I've always found incredibly hit or miss. I've never really watched more than scattered episodes, but they are usually either really funny and entertaining, or dumb and crude to the point you feel like someone with no real sense of humor is wasting your time. This movie plays both sides of that coin but stays mostly in the positive direction. Most of the songs are actually surprisingly somewhat catchy, and even sometimes hilariously so(I've always found Blame Canada to be pretty great). I ranked most of the crude movies pretty low, but South Park manages to be crude but in a way that is honestly way more intelligent than the others. I don't feel like my brain has to be shut off to find the jokes funny, and it actually has somewhat of a plot to it without often trailing off into pure stupidity.

Karo: The South Park kids go to see the new movie of their favorite Canadian cartoon Terrence & Phillip, which for some reason has gone straight from being a juvenile show about repetitive fart jokes into this profanity-laden thing where everyone sings about non-consensual incest.
The parents are not amused at the expanded vocabulary of their children and take the rational and logical step of declaring war on Canada. The boys must find a way to stop the conflict before it causes the gay couple of Satan and Saddam Hussein to escape from hell and bring about the apocalypse. Just your average day in South Park.
This awkward story is augmented by hilariously offensive musical numbers, which are sadly diminished somewhat by the very weak singing voices of the South Park cast.
Unfortunately, about halfway through the story it bogs down into boring stuff about the army show and rescue attempts that seem to just drag on too far long. The music is honestly the only reason to see the movie as opposed to just watching an episode of the TV series, and guess what, all the good songs are in the first half of the film. Other than a few token (and bad) CGI effects there's not even the slightest increase in production quality from the show. Even in a franchise where the animation is 'intentionally bad' there are still things you can do make it seem like you are taking it to the next level.
This is a rare case where the film adaptation was made in the show's prime rather than after acute creative exhaustion had set in, though with an entire half of the movie being kinda crap, it makes one wonder if it might have been better just to make this a two-part TV episode.

Stifled: For my writeup of Sausage Party, I noted how edgy cartoons can work when done correctly and given proper content. That movie did everything wrong, in my opinion, especially not using the foul language in a worthwhile way. But I also noted how South Park absolutely DID do everything correctly. And now everyone can see why. The amount of things this movie accomplishes is staggering. Its a successful parody of Disney movies while delivering content equal or greater than the originals. Its a satire on helicopter parent paranoia ruining kids lives and even as far as the world. And most importantly, its a lesson on the power of words. Words can either be vicious weapons that alter the course of history, or they can be used to fix the world. Something as silly as a v-chip being inserted into a child for the initial purpose of censorship conveyed so much more to the audience.
Beyond all that thoughtful crap, this is just a hilarious and fun movie. The songs are brilliant. The characters are funny as usual. The few new additions to the cast were pretty great, especially The Mole. My only complaint is

Traviss Opinion: I cant let him watch this! OMG are you kidding me? The kid repeats everything these days. If my grandmother heard him walking around the house singing Shut your fucking face, uncle fucker! she might actually drop dead! We dont want that.
---

Genny: South Park is a fun show to turn your brain off to and watch, but imo the episodes that make (fun of) legitimate social commentary are the better episodes to me. Bigger, Longer, Uncut falls into more the mindless entertainment category, but that's okay because what it does, it does better than almost anything else. Some of the songs on the soundtrack are legitimately catchy, and while none of them are objectively good I will totally hum the La Resistance theme for days after I've watched this movie. I don't have a lot to say, as again this is more mindless entertainment, but I did enjoy Kenny's "redemption arc" and happy ending even though I know damn well he's just gonna come back next episode and die again.
---

---

Final Outlier:

Karo: 220
Stifled: 191
Red: 172
Genny: 169
Inviso: 160
Johnbobb: 158
Scarlet: 152
Snake: 138
Charon: 125
JONA: 122
---

Zigzagoon posted...

Yeah this gif is a pretty good metaphor for this ranking topic as a whole.
---

What a shock.

But this is probably a top 25ish movie for me so no complaints at all.
---