8. Footrot Flats, A Dogs Tale (1986)
Now to be honest I am not sure the status of this animated classic in its home country of New Zealand but the fact is that this once beloved and rather innovative cartoon has been completely forgotten elsewhere is truly sacrilege, especially in this day and age of adult animation. As this could be considered a precursor to modern day cartoons like one of Seth McFarlane's creations and yes, even the Simpsons. Set in the very same lands some may know as Middle Earth (albeit an animated version), it follows the misadventures of Wallace Footrot and his beloved canine, simply know as Dog. Based on the comic strip characters of the same name written by cartoonist Murray Ball, it showcases the familiar adult themed comedy we have all come to know and love nowadays with programs such as "Family Guy" The thing is, this was released in 1986, a full year before even the Simpsons made their iconic debut on the Tracey Ullman show as a series of shorts. This Dogs Tale was truly ahead of its time in every way and is even more relevant a film nowadays then it ever has been. Unfortunately it has been long forgotten, lost amongst the current sea of Pixar style features and crude, mindless cartoons out only to shock rather than to entertain. Not only a must see for anyone who may not have heard of it and are fans of the current medium, but for those who may have saw it a long time ago back in the day and are no longer familiar with this tale of a man and his dog (not to mention Horse, his unusually over sized cat).. Footrot Flats should be revisited by all and given the credibility it deserves as the genre defining animation it was.