From Flushed Away and Hunchback to Titan A.E.
and Sky High - the family movies that don’t get the love they deserve…
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
Thus, if you cant tell already, this is quite a personal list.
My criteria for underappreciated here is mainly that these are movies I rarely hear discussed.
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25.
I constantly scour the listings to try and find lower profile films that I may have missed.
Which is why I ended up watchingGet Santaon a warm March Sunday morning.
And what a pity, too.
Its from Christopher Smith, a director more known for horror movies such asSeveranceandCreep.
Directed by Peter Hewitt (Bill & Teds Bogus Journey!)
this is based on the books of Mary Norton.
The cast is impressivefor a start.
Most of all, though, Hewitts film is really good fun.
Co-director Kelly Asbury would go on to make the funGnomeo & Juliet(The Statham as a garden gnome!
Its worth it just for the opening scene too…
22.
Hopefully, its disc release will give it the wider audience it deserves.
In An Adventure With ScientistsfollowedArthur Christmasinto cinemas by a few months, and didnt quite get the same hold.
A real pity too, because its a wonderful, witty, hand-crafted piece of work.
The studio released the film under a different title in the US The Pirates!
Band Of Misfits which didnt help give the impression it knew quite what it had.
I remain gratified that at least one adaptation made it through the system, though.
Horton Hears A Who!
What a delight the movie is, too.
It builds up rarely!
to an excellent third act, too.
Horton Hears A Who!is by distance better than the likes ofThe Lorax.
Naturally, it wasThe Loraxthat made a lot more money…
19.
Titan A.E., though, remains a very entertaining sci-fi adventure, from directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.
Set over 1000 years in the future, with the A.E.
Definitely worth checking out, this one.
This one is well worth rediscovering.
They live different lives on different sides of the ocean, until movie fate inevitably intervenes.
Right next to the similarly strongFreaky Friday.
Mousehunt
Ah, cracking little film this.
What they dont expect is the resistance coming from one of its smallest occupants.
Christopher Walken, also, is terrific.
This one never had quite the same impact, but thats a real pity.
Stop motion is a perfect platform in which to realise this (Dahl stories lend themselves well to this.
Few directors have ever got Dahl quite as well.
Steven Spielberg, withThe BFG, will do well to match this.
But for me, the current Disney hot streaks roots lie inMeet The Robinsons.
And thus he decides to try and track down his real mother.
Its also criminally overlooked.
And maybe a few things in there to love, too.
All this noise somewhat overshadowedFlushed Away, and I to this day find that a real shame.
Its not the last time I shall be making that point in this countdown either…
11.
Paper Planes
What a delight of a movie this one is.
And the gauntlet is duly thrown.
Seek it out, and then c’mon do.
All behindGeorge Of The Jungle, including title star Brendon Fraser, absolutely got this memo.
That George, a man raised by apes with a big wink to Tarzan, keeps flying into trees.
Actually, theres a bit more to it than that, not least superbly wry voiceover narration.
Avoid the sequel, of course.
A crappy Disney straight to DVD effort, and not to be encouraged.
The Emperors New Groove
Few Disney films have done such dramatic about turns in production asThe Emperors New Groove.
The end result though remains a really tremendously fun movie.
Not quiet guffaws, either.
Sky High
We explored the brilliantSky Highin more detail,here.
You really do have a treat ahead of you.
Peabody & Shermanfollowed, similarly struggling to catch box office gold.
Plus: the score is flat-out gorgeous.
The basic premise is of a seven-year old who finds a big bag of money lying around.
What should he do?
Does he return it or spend it?
But a release date shift forAntzmeant the excellentThe Prince Of Egyptwould be second out of the traps.
It understands that it needs darkness too, with one or two quite haunting sequences.
Hopefully thatll change on both counts soon.
We really do loveBilla lot.
We think you will too.
Not the best choice as it happens, as their house ends up in space.
Favreau keeps his effects mainly practical, and also gets terrific, believable performances from his leads.
Id suggest, personally, skippingJumanjientirely and heading straight forZathuraif youve not had the pleasure of either.
The latter is comfortably the better film, and also a rollicking good family adventure.
TheHellfiresong remains astounding, for many reasons.
We looked at more detail atThe Hunchback Of Notre Dame,here.
It is the underrated treat of Disneys very fruitful 1990s.
The Iron Giant
Oh, where do you start?
Im deliberately keeping it vague, asThe Iron Giantis just best worth discovering as freshly as possible.
Everything just works, as simple as that sounds.
hey seek it out, and hey spread the word.
Superman…
Our more detailed look atThe Iron Giantishere.
