She Likes to Watch

What qualifies as an animation classic these days? 

If you’ve ever doubted it, here’s proof of the impending apocalypse:

In less than a week, “G-Force” has grossed $35.9 million at the domestic box office.

“G-Force,” which opened July 24, follows an elite squad of super-spy gerbils who work for the U.S. government. Armed with the latest high-tech equipment, the gerbils are dispatched to dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire (Bill Nighy) from taking over the world.

Despite its 3D gimmicks, cute talking critters and all-star cast (Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz and Nicolas Cage), critics and parents say, the movie is unfocused, unfunny and downright dull.

Yet, in a single weekend, “G-Force” has knocked such family-friendly fare as “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” out of the firmament.

Clearly, it’s a sad state of affairs for American animation.

For every “Up,” it seems, there’s a “G Force.” For every “Finding Nemo,” there’s a “Shark Tale.”

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” netted about $41.7 million when it opened in theaters on July 1.

“Coraline,” a far more inventive and imaginative 3D film, grossed just $16.8 million its opening weekend. (It’s now available on video.)

In an attempt to make sense of current animation trends, I turn to MovieFone.com, which recently released its list of the 20 best big-screen animated characters.

As you might expect, MovieFone’s list focuses solely on Disney and Pixar films. It’s divided evenly between films released before and after the 1970s.

Holding the top two slots are cowboy Woody and astronaut Buzz Lightyear from Pixar’s superb “Toy Story” movies.

Mickey Mouse, who makes a memorable appearance as the Sorceror’s Apprentice in Disney’s “Fantasia,” takes No. 3.

Filling out the top 10 are: Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmations,” Genie from “Aladdin,” Nemo from “Finding Nemo,” Donkey from the “Shrek” films, Thumper from “Bambi,” Dumbo from “Dumbo” and the evil Queen from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” 

These are all memorable characters from, for the most part, excellent films.

But there are some names on this list that leave me scratching my head — such as Scrat, the acorn-obsessed prehistoric squirrel from the “Ice Age” movies or one-eyed monster Mike Wazowski from “Monsters, Inc.”

Meanwhile, Carl Fredricksen — the cranky-yet-lovable protagonist of “Up” – manages to rank higher than the Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland” and Jessica Rabbit in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

Should a guy who first appeared on screen this May take precedent over characters with proven staying power?

MovieFone’s list omits classic characters such as depressed tyke Charlie Brown, “wascally wabbit” Bugs Bunny and cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry.

It also ignores foreign animated films (“Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” to name just two), as well as American animated characters with a more adult sensibility.

Like it or not, “South Park,” “Beavis and Butt-Head” and “Family Guy” are part of our nation’s animation legacy.

In fact, Britons voted Homer Simpson, the ne’er-do-well dad on “The Simpsons,” the “greatest American” in a BBC online poll. He beat out Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. for the top spot.

Some of the examples cited above may not reach the level of excellence of “Finding Nemo” or “Toy Story.” But they’re evidence that there’s far more to animation than boring blockbusters like “G-Force.”

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Image courtesy of MovieWeb.com.