The Future is Here

I am a big fan of animated films. Here is my list of some of the best animated films with a futuristic feel. Many, if not most, are in the Japanese anime style.

10. The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987) - Okay, both television shows were cheesy. But, I still liked them. And this movie allowed both a futuristic and a prehistoric feel.

In this movie, Elroy invents a time machine and they end up going to the past instead of the future. They meet up with the Flintstones and they quickly become friends. Then, the Flinstones are sent to the future and the Jetsons are stuck in the past. There are the typical hijinx and the Jetsons manage to return to the future and eventually send the Flintstones back to their time, ending with a "Yabba Dabba Doo." It was nostalgic and futuristic all in one. And, because it reminds me of what I watched when I was a kid, it made it onto my list.

9. Ghost in the Shell (1995) - Ghost in the Shell was one of the first anime movies I saw. It was a very interesting introduction to the genre. And, it was very visually engrossing.

In this movie, the main hero is trying to defeat a hacker or "puppet master" who gets into people's brains. What makes this possible is that people are hardly human anymore having had most of their organs replaced. The data is people's brain is available for downloading and therefore, able to be hacked. The themes visited in this movie are quite intriguing.

8. Project A-Ko (1986) - This is the second anime on my list, but this one takes aim at the anime genre. It is definitely having fun with its usual themes.

A-ko is the main protagonist, a very strong and fast girl who just wants to get to school on time and not get in trouble. B-ko and C-ko are her antagonists, trying to destroy her but always failing. B-ko strikes a deal with A-ko when C-ko needs to be rescued. Of course, she reneges on their deal and the battling ensues, with much collateral damage. At the end of the movie we see that Superman and Wonder Woman are A-ko's parents, explaining the reason for her strength and speed. This cute film is very funny and will bring a smile to anyone who watches it.

7. The Transformers: The Movie (1986) - This is not the live action film, but an animated film based on the series of the same name.

In the movie, the Decepticons have taken over Cybertron from the autobots. After the two enemy groups have to work together to beat Unicron (an artificial planet) the autobots are able to regroup and suddenly outnumber the Decepticons, allowing them to reclaim their precious homeworld once again. They are definitely "more than meets the eye..."

6. Tron (1982) - Okay, this may be a little bit of a cheat. It's not technically an animated film but it does use extensive computer graphics and animation, so I am including it.

Kevin Flynn is a brilliant programmer who invents many video games. He is shut out of the system by another programmer named Ed Dillinger who takes credit. Flynn ends up working at a video arcade where his own games are featured. However, he attempts to get proof that Dillinger stole his work.

On his attempts to hack into the system the mainframe (called MCP for master control program) attacks him. The movie shows, Flynn, Tron (a security program another employee was working on) and Ram (another program) attempt to defeat the MCP and allow Flynn to get the credit he deserves.

5. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - Almost half of the movies on this list come from the Anime genre. Very little personifies the futuristic feel as these wonderful gems do.

Nausicaa, a princess in a post apocalyptic world is the main character in this movie, which is based on a manga of the same name. Although a skilled fighter, she desires peace and has enormous empathy for others. It's a wonderful story as she goes through her adventures and strives to bring peace to her land.

4. Metropolis (2001) - This anime was based on the 1949 Manga. Most people who I speak with are unfamiliar with this film. It is also loosely based on the silent German film of the same name.

The movie takes place is Metropolis, a futuristic city state where robots and humans mostly co-exist, but it's not an easy alliance. The robots are definitely segregated and even destroyed when moving away from their assigned area. And, the humans, poor and hungry blame the robots for the high rate of unemployment. The themes are hard hitting and this movie was very interesting but noted for its violent and destructive visuals.

3. Wizards (1977) - This movie was by Ralph Bakshi with his unique animation style. The movie is in a post-apocalyptic world, and the main story concerns the battle between two wizards. These wizards are brothers but both use different tactics to confront the other: one representing the lost art of technology (the evil Blackwolf) and the other using the art of magic (the good hearted Avatar).

Blackwolf uses technology to spread fear, allowing him to terrorize the good people of the land and incite his people to more and more violence. Yet, the surprise at the end shows that technology in itself is not evil, but how it is used. Bakshi outdid himself with this movie, putting some very serious important themes into an animated fantasy film.

2. Wall-E (2008) - Who doesn't like cute, sweet robots. This film introduced us to Wall-E, who is left to clean up the earth far in the future. The apparent plan was for the earth to be cleaned and the humans to be returned. This plan failed and many years later we have the only robot left.

He falls in love with another robot named Eve. And, true love wins out. At the end of the movie we see humans and robots working together to clean the Earth. This was a wonderful movie, loved by kids and adults alike.

1. Astro Boy (2009) - Astro Boy is a futuristic animated film about a lonely robot. It reaches straight into our hearts, because who among us has never felt out of the loop, or that we didn't fit in.

When a brilliant scientist loses his son in a horrible accident, he creates a robot who looks exactly like his son. But, when he shows abilities that are not human, his "father" rebuffs him and he leaves and becomes part of some other "outsiders." In his many adventures Astro Boy uses his super abilities to become a super hero. He meets up with the scientist again and is accepted by all. It can't help but bring a smile to your face. Sometimes, it's just nice to see the good guy get what he wants and deserves.