Beloved animated movies are beloved for many different reasons. Sometimes its nostalgia, gorgeous animation, or the fact that it is based on an already beloved book or other media franchise. The point is that movies sometimes have dumb plots but are still loved for its many other qualities.
In the animation department, there is a lot to love. Animated movies tend to be more family-friendly and hold messages that we find comforting and familiar. Through animation, a lot is possible such as re-telling Shakespeare's Hamlet through lion characters or having Loony Tunes team up with Michael Jordan on the basketball court.
With so much possibility, the plot of these movies can get convoluted or even just plain dumb if the audience thinks about it too hard.
Space Jam (1996)
Space Jam is a bizarre miracle. The premise is one that many would expect to fail, as it appears to pander to fans of Michael Jordan and the Loony Tunes without regard for much else. However, it won a number of awards and did well at the box office.
Even big fans of the movie admit the plot is dumb though. An alien theme park owner wants to kidnap the Loony Tunes for a new attraction. The Loony Tunes challenge them to a basketball game to determine their freedom and recruit Michael Jordan to help them. The movie also filled in the time until the big game gets going with a lot of dumb side-plots such as Bugs and Daffy sneaking into Michael's house to get shorts that he forgot (even though he gets a uniform later).
Frozen 2 (2019)
Frozen and its sequel were major hits for family audiences. They inspired imagination to the point that children could often be seen pretending to be Elsa and Anna on a playground. The visuals (particularly the snow and ice) were revolutionary. The songs are well-known, and the characters are beloved.
However, the plot for Frozen 2 fell far in terms of quality. The best word to describe the first half of the movie's plot is "convoluted." Their journey feels forced on top of a mess of subplots of Elsa hearing voices, Ardendelle having an earthquake, and discovering the past of their parents. The plot relies on a ton of backstory, and most of that backstory was not even present in the original movie.
James And The Giant Peach (1996)
This (mostly) claymation movie is based on a book, so the movie is not completely at fault for having a dumb plot. In fact, the dumb plot is part of what many people love about this movie. It is just so buck wild.
An orphan boy breaks away from his abusive aunts by tunneling into a giant enchanted peach. He meets talking insects of his size as well, and they roll away and try to get to New York City. The movie is all like one strange dream. His parents were killed by a rhino, but that rhino appears again as a storm cloud. Why is the end goal, New York City? None of these plot elements are ever explained.
The Rescuers (1977)
This animated Disney movie is quite imaginative, with the plot centers on New York City mice taking on the roles of members of a Rescue Aid Society. They shadow the United Nations and save abduction victims around the world. Charming and cute? Yes. Dumb? Very much yes. Humans really fall short on their jobs, as it is up to these mice to rescue a little girl from a wicked treasure huntress.
The movie is based on two books, Miss Bianca and The Rescuers, so the wild plot is not utterly at the fault of Disney.
The Little Prince (2015)
The Little Prince is one of the most beloved children's books of all. It has a ton of heart and can bring tears to the eyes of both adults and children. It teaches lessons about what is truly important in life without ever getting preachy. It is beautiful in its honesty and poetic subtlety.
That is where the plot of the movie version falls quite short. Instead of being a complete adaptation to the book, the movie comes across more like self-indulgent fan-fiction. It takes the lessons of the book and blows them out of proportion, to the extent that the movie feels preachy rather than mysterious and deep.
Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)
Pokémon is a major franchise in video games, television, and on the big screen. While there are many movies, none are quite as beloved as the first title with its introduction of Mew and Mewtwo.
There are interesting and well-thought-out elements such as cloning and a Pokémon that deems humans to be evil. However, the plot gets really dumb when it comes to conflict. The issue can be summed up with the quote, "Pokémon are not meant to fight, not like this." In a series where Pokémon battles are entertainment and a way of life, that line and the conflict it critiques really was tone-deaf.
The Lion King 2 (1998)
Like Frozen, The Lion King is a huge Disney title. While its original movie followed the story of Hamlet through a kingdom of lions, the sequel decided to follow the story of Romeo and Juliet. In trying to keep up with the theme of Shakespeare, the sequel's plot got really dumb fast.
Simba, the protagonist of the original film, becomes a bit of a bad guy in this movie and his motivations never make sense. His character is forced to change under what the Shakespearean plot demands.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Ferngully is about fairies living in the Australian rainforest. A logging company comes to cut down trees and the protagonist, Crysta, accidentally shrinks down one of the humans to fairy-size. He learns about why the rainforest should not be cut down and they defeat a supernatural enemy that feeds off of pollution.
This movie, like many others, strives for an environmental message. However, the plot of the supernatural enemy is where the message falls flat. It pushes the most damage to the rainforest on a monster rather than humans themselves. The human, Zak, serves as an audience surrogate and also has a pointless romantic subplot with Crysta.
Anastasia (1997)
Loosely based on the legend of Russian princess Anastasia, this movie took some major liberties. While liberties are okay, especially for a children's film, it made a villain that looked as though he belonged in a different movie. The villain, an evil wizard named Rasputin, behaves and looks like he is from a different story. Also, he uses magic in a world that can do without it.
Rasputin's plot and the plot of Anastasia's identity feel like two different films, but the movie tries to merge them into one.
Wreck-It-Ralph: Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018)
This sequel to Wreck-it-Ralph falls into the same category as Space Jam through its propaganda. Instead of Michael Jordan and Loony Tunes though, the movie is full of apps and other Disney content.
It can be quite easy to forget about the plot, which is just to find a replacement part for Vanellope's game. That is because the plot is buried in gags of familiar Internet content.