is one of (at least compared to its massive hits). Directed by —who also helmed —It follows a culinary-obsessed rat named Remy () as he befriends a human named Alfredo Linguini () to become a great chef and restore the prestige of the restaurant of Remy's deceased idol, Auguste Gusteau (). Along the way, they contend with Gusteau's greedy successor, Skinner (), a notoriously picky food critic named Anton Ego (), and the prejudices that exist between humans and rats.

Those who have seen the film love it for Remy and Linguini's friendship, its delicious-looking food, and its powerful themes regarding overcoming preconceptions and that great talent can often come from the most unlikely of places. .

Flint Lockwood () is a brilliant but ostracized inventor from Swallow Falls, an island town that sustains itself entirely on sardines. To help the town, Flint invents a device that can turn water into food, which launches into the stratosphere and creates food-themed weather patterns. This makes Flint the most loved man in town, now renamed Chewandswallow, and brings a new tourism business.

is one of the . Beneath the film's bright colors and silly humor, the story centers around Flint's attempts to reconnect with his technophobic and emotionally distant father, Tim (). The two men obviously love one another, but their contrasting personalities make it hard for them to support each other, though as seen during the climax, Tim is willing to try.

Tiana () is a hard-working woman in 1920s New Orleans who desperately wants to open her own restaurant to the point that she is willing to wish on a star. She then meets a talking frog who claims to be Prince Naveen (), cursed by a voodoo witch doctor named Dr. Facilier (). She tries to kiss him to break the spell, but this turns her into a frog as well before the two are lost in the bayou.

is an underrated gem from perhaps , and . . While it's important to never lose sight of your dreams, it's also important to focus on what you have in your immediate life and not to become so focused that you miss out on life's joys.

() is depressed and overwhelmed by her job at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which involves speaking to the family members of those who died in the September 11 attacks. Desperately in need of something else to focus on, she decides to start a blog where she works her way through the famous cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."Meanwhile, the film cuts to another story, following one of the book's authors, (), and how she discovered her love for French cooking.

in one's life. Both women discover a new side of themselves through cooking, and by sharing their experiences, they inspire others to do the same. That said, Julia's sections far outweigh Julie's in terms of investment, thanks in no small part to .

Carl Casper () is a chef who is unhappy working at a restaurant that restricts his creativity. While serving food critic Ramsey Michel (), Carl is told at the last minute to go with a safe option, leading to an unfavorable review. After accidentally making a public tweet calling out Ramsey, Carl decides to quit his job and operate a food truck with his family.

. Carl's relationship with his son, Percy (), and his ex-wife, Inez (), is the emotional crux. While operating the food truck, he strengthens their bonds while re-discovering his passion for cooking, which has led to . The film also shows the importance of social media and how one review or public outburst can make or break someone's career.

After being excluded by the other characters of Fix-It Felix, Jr. from a party celebrating the game's 30th anniversary, Wreck-It Ralph () decides to prove that he is not a villain by winning a medal. He does this by sneaking into the violent first-person shooter Hero's Duty, but accidentally launches himself and one of the game's enemies, called Cy-Bugs, into the racing game Sugar Rush, where he loses his medal. To get it back, Ralph teams up with a glitch named Vanellope von Schweet) to help her win the next race, while the Cy-Bug begins breeding an army that could threaten all games in the arcade.

. Ralph feels under-appreciated due to being a villain and longs for a better life, but he's not able to find it by winning his medal. Instead, he needs to accept that even if he was made to be a villain, that doesn't make him a bad person.

When the fallen snow leopard kung fu master, Tai Lung (), is prophesied to escape from his prison, Master Oogway () decides it is time to select who will become the Dragon Warrior. To everyone's shock, Oogway chooses Po (), a kung fu enthusiastic panda with no training. Oogway's friend and former pupil, Master Shi Fu (), tries to get Po to quit with harsh training, but Po sticks around, and Oogway encourages Shi Fu to have faith.

. Po's journey isn't just to save the valley, but also to accept that he has greater qualities than he thinks. Everyone is trying to shape Po into what they believe the Dragon Warrior should be, but the truth is that his unique qualities as a person, such as his kindness and his unbreakable spirit, are what makes him worthy of the title.

Hiccup () is a young Viking whose community is at war with dragons who repeatedly raid their livestock. Though Hiccup has a brilliant mind for inventions, his small size means he is overlooked by his father, Chief Stoick the Vast (), who spends more time trying to locate the dragon's nest. One of Hiccup's inventions does manage to shoot down a deadly Night Fury, but when Hiccup decides to spare his life, he learns more from the dragon, whom he calls Toothless (), than any Viking could have imagined.

kickstarted one of . The main one is overcoming preconceptions, which take different forms in the human and dragon stories. While Hiccup's bond with Toothless highlights the power of cooperation over division and highlights that there's often more to people than what is seen on the surface, his relationship with his father is about proving that there are multiple ways to be strong.

Emmet () is a perfectly average citizen of Bricksburg who stumbles upon a red object called the Piece of Resistance. This marks him as The Special, a hero destined to save the Lego universe from the evil Lord Business (), who intends to freeze everyone with a superweapon called the Kragle. To place the Piece of Resistance on the Kragle, Emmet teams up with Wildside () and Vitruvius (), two Master Builders who can build things from Lego bricks using their creativity.

. Not only does the CGI perfectly mimic the look and feel of Lego bricks, but the film encourages others to explore their creativity and see what they can create. Emmet's journey and personality fit the movie's beautiful deconstruction of the Chosen One narrative: everyone has it in them to do great things, so long as they believe themselves capable.

Italian brothers Primo () and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) struggle to maintain an authentic Italian restaurant in 1950s New Jersey, mainly because Primo refuses to Americanize his food like their rival, Pascal (Sir Ian Holm). Primo wants to return to Italy to join their uncle's restaurant, while Secondo still sees potential in America. To save their restaurant, the brothers gamble on an extravagant dinner featuring renowned jazz singer Louis Prima, hoping that the publicity will attract more customers.

Big Night combines beautiful depictions of food with a heartfelt story about conformity, pride, and family bonds. It shows the struggles of maintaining artistic integrity versus making compromises for profit without saying one choice is better than the other, as both options come with their own hurdles. It's also a solid look at the experience of many people immigrating to new countries and how they struggle with assimilating while maintaining their cultural identity.

In 1957, a giant robot (Vin Diesel) crashes into Maine and begins devouring metal. It is found by Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), a young boy who loves science-fiction and superhero stories, who befriends the giant and tries to teach him right from wrong. Unfortunately, the giant's arrival attracts government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald), who fears that it is a deadly weapon.

The Iron Giant was Bird's first film, and though a financial failure on release, it has since been re-evaluated as one of the best animated films of the 20th century. Bird nailed the theme of forging your own path through the giant's journey of self-discovery, which leads to a heartbreaking ending as the giant chooses to be a hero, not a weapon. The film also makes sure to establish that there's no real villain: everyone has an understandable reason for acting the way they do, which makes the themes even more poignant.

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