March 4, 2003: The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), the international association of the leading Internet-based cinema journalists, is celebrating the glory of animation with its new list honoring its choices of the Top 100 Animated Features of All Time. At the top of the list, according a vote of the 138 reviewers of the OFCS, is the 1995 production Toy Story.

Following Toy Story in the Top 10 sector of the Animated Features list is Fantasia (1940), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Toy Story 2 (1999), The Iron Giant (1999), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) and Spirited Away (2002).

With a reminder list of more than 350 feature films to choose from (the list did not include animated short films), spanning the years from the 1926 silent film The Adventures of Prince Achmed to last November's release Treasure Planet, the society invited its accredited writers to consider some of the finest films of this celebrated genre. "Looking at the list compiled by our writers, it's evident what an impact the advances and varieties of animation had on people in the last 15 years," says Erik Childress, editor of eFilmCritic.com and a member of the OFCS Governing Committee. "While films such as Snow White and Fantasia may have been the blueprint for animation, the recent films of Pixar, Mayazaki and Trey Parker & Matt Stone have reconfigured how we view animated films and have expanded their artistic, emotional and satiric potential to new heights."

Founded in 1997, the Online Film Critics Society has been the key force in establishing Internet-based film journalism. The OFCS membership consists of writers from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand and Africa, with journalists representing many of the most important online news sites including Salon, Slate, TV Guide Online, Premiere.com, the Apollo Guide, FilmCritic.com, IndieWire and the Internet Movie Database.

The Society's web site, which has been hosted since January 2001 by the highly influential film resource Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com), provides the most comprehensive online listing of reviews and original interviews with the leading artists in today's cinema, plus links to the most important motion picture-related web sites. The annual OFCS Awards, announced after the new year, are widely regarded as a prime barometer in determining which individuals and films are top contenders for the Academy Award nominations.

The OFCS Governing Committee consists of Chicago-based Erik Childress of eFilmCritic.com, New York-based Phil Hall of Film Threat, and Liverpool's Ian Waldron-Mantgani of The UK Critic. The Governing Committee is the OFCS liaison with the film industry and the Net community.

For more information, visit the Online Film Critics Society at www.ofcs.org.

The Online Film Critics Society's Top 100 Animated Features of all Time
1 Toy Story (1995) 
2 Fantasia (1940) 
3 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 
4 Toy Story 2 (1999) 
5 Iron Giant, The (1999) 
6 Beauty and the Beast (1991) 
7 Nightmare Before Christmas, The (1993) 
8 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 
9 South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) 
10 Spirited Away (2002) 
11 Pinocchio (1940) 
12 Lion King, The (1994) 
13 Chicken Run (2000) 
14 Bambi (1942) 
15 Shrek (2001) 
16 Princess Mononoke (1999) 
17 Monsters Inc. (2001) 
18 Yellow Submarine (1968)
19 Aladdin (1992) 
20 Akira (1989) 
21 Bug's Life, A (1998) 
22 Little Mermaid, The (1989) 
23 Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 
24 Dumbo (1941) 
25 Waking Life (2001) 
26 Sleeping Beauty (1959) 
27 Jungle Book, The (1967) 
28 101 Dalmatians (1961) 
29 Ice Age (2002) 
30 My Neighbor Totoro (1993) 
31 Watership Down (1978) 
32 Charlotte's Web (1973) 
33 Lady and the Tramp (1955) 
34 Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, The (1979) 
35 Secret of NIMH, The (1982) 
36 Peter Pan (1953) 
37 Cinderella (1950) 
38 Ghost in the Shell (1996) 
39 Alice in Wonderland (1951) 
40 Prince of Egypt, The (1998) 
41 Antz (1998) 
42 Animal Farm (1955) 
43 Lilo & Stitch (2002) 
44 Alice (1988) 
45 Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (1996) 
46 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) 
47 Beavis & Butthead Do America (1996) 
48 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) 
49 Mulan (1998) 
50 Fantastic Planet (1973) 
51 Fritz the Cat (1972) 
52 Gulliver's Travels (1939) 
53 Heavy Metal (1981) 
54 Metropolis (2002) 
55 Robin Hood (1973) 
56 Tarzan (1999) 
57 Emperor's New Groove, The (2000) 
58 Adventures of Prince Achmed, The (1926) 
59 Asterix et Cleopatre (1968) 
60 Fantasia 2000 (2000) 
61 Transformers: The Movie (1986) 
62 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) 
63 James and the Giant Peach (1996) 
64 Snoopy Come Home (1972) 
65 American Tail, An (1986) 
66 Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The (1977) 
67 Song of the South (1946) 
68 Boy Named Charlie Brown, A (1969) 
69 When the Wind Blows (1988) 
70 Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The (1949) 
71 Brave Little Toaster, The (1988) 
72 Mad Monster Party (1969) 
73 Fox and the Hound, The (1981) 
74 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) 
75 Anastasia (1997) 
76 Rescuers, The (1977) 
77 Plague Dogs, The (1983) 
78 Phantom Tollbooth, The (1970) 
79 Land Before Time, The (1988) 
80 Emperor's Nightingale, The (1951) 
81 Arabian Knight (aka The Thief and the Cobbler) (1995)
82 Titan A.E. (2000) 
83 Perfect Blue (1999) 
84 Ninja Scroll (1995)
85 Great Mouse Detective, The (1986) 
86 Powerpuff Girls Movie, The (2002) 
87 Aristocats, The (1970) 
88 Gay Purr-ee (1962) 
89 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) 
90 Lord of the Rings, The (1978) 
91 Three Caballeros, The (1945) 
92 Allegro Non Troppo (1977) 
93 Hercules (1997) 
94 Bebe's Kids (1992) 
95 Treasure Planet (2002) 
96 Last Unicorn, The (1982) 
97 Streetfight (a/k/a Coonskin) (1975)
98  Adventures of Mark Twain, The (1986) 
99 Fire and Ice (1983) 
100 Black Cauldron, The (1985)