As you may have guessed, I'm a huge fan of animation.
That's as true for the classic Warner Bros. "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" shorts as it is the classic Disney fantasies (and later-period "Princess" tales) and the modern-day wizardry of Pixar.
And 2009 was one of the best years for animation in quite some time. Three of the year's animated features really stood out for me. I loved them all so much, in fact, that I can't pick just one of them as my best of the year.
The stop-motion animation and goofy creativity of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" wowed me, the old-school, traditional animation and hummable music of "The Princess and the Frog" warmed my heart, and "Up" was yet another excellent, computer-generated cartoon from the folks at Pixar.
Consequently, these three tied as my favorite movies of the year.
And apparently this sort of thing runs in cycles. In 1999, I picked "The Iron Giant," "Princess Mononoke" and "Toy Story 2" as my favorites of the year.
As for the worst movies of 2009: To be honest, I'd rather not think about them again and would rather concentrate on the films I really enjoyed.
My list of the Best of 2009 Movies:
1, 2 and 3 (tie). "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog" and "Up"
A trio of movies that demonstrate the tremendous variety and quality of animation, as well as real creativity and smarts.
4. "The Hurt Locker"
Kathryn Bigelow's well-acted Iraq war thriller about bomb-disposal units is incredibly tense and unforgettable.
5. "The Cove"
Who knew that a documentary about the slaughter of dolphins in Japan could be more thrilling and moving than its fictional counterparts?
6. "(500) Days of Summer"
A romantic comedy — despite its arguments against such categorization — that dares to question whether love is destined.
7. "Star Trek"
It isn't your father's "Trek," but this cinematic reboot was the most satisfying of this summer's blockbuster action films.
8. "Up in the Air"
A film for these uncertain times, this smart and sexy satire addresses work force reductions and personal ethics without becoming too heavy-handed.
9 and 10 (tie). "Drag Me to Hell" and "Zombieland"
Two films that prove that the horror genre can be both fun and funny if the films are done correctly.
The rest of the best (in alphabetical order): "The Brothers Bloom," "Coraline," "Earth," "An Education," "Food, Inc." "In the Loop," "Ponyo," "Sin Nombre," "Thirst" and "Where the Wild Things Are."
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com
Jeff Vice's best films of 2009:
1, 2 and 3 (tie). "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog" and "Up"
4. "The Hurt Locker"
5. "The Cove"
6. "(500) Days of Summer"
7. "Star Trek"
8. "Up in the Air"
9 and 10 (tie). "Drag Me to Hell" and "Zombieland"
The rest of the best (in alphabetical order): "The Brothers Bloom," "Coraline," "Earth," "An Education," "Food, Inc." "In the Loop," "Ponyo," "Sin Nombre," "Thirst" and "Where the Wild Things Are."