2. The Incredibles (2004) VS Megamind (2010)
At this point you have probably got to start feeling sorry for Dreamworks. Despite initially entering into this list with the delusion that Dreamworks has been getting better and better and Pixar have been getting worse and worse... it seems like perhaps both movie studios films have been suffering in recent years. Megamind isn't even a slightly bad film however, and though it wasn't as revolutionary as The Incredibles was, it was still one of the better animated films in the last ten years. That said, it certainly isn't even close to Dreamworks greatest, and Shrek set the bar at a level that Dreamworks has struggled to reach ever since. Both films take the superhero genre and decide to twist them somewhat. Megamind shows a villain who becomes a hero, and the film is completely from the villains point of view (a story that is actually very common now within animated features) whereas The Incredibles is from the point of view of aging superheroes having to come out of retirement and hiding although they had gotten so used to living pretty mundane existences. Though The Incredibles storyline isn't actually as unique as you think it is (the whole idea of coming out of retirement for one last job is somewhat of a staple within action adventure films) it had never been used this way before with superheroes, and the superhero genre is a genre which has always been in desperate need of being shaken up just a little. Both films have great voice casts however Megamind certainly edges out The Incredibles in this respect (Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt). That said, Dreamworks has always been known to use big named stars to attract people away from Pixar and to their own films, and it is actually a strength of Pixar's that they are able to cast much less well known actors and people will still flock to see them regardless. Disney never used to hire stars to voice cast their characters and they were once, and still to an extent are the animation giants. Also, as much as a love love love Tina Fey... Holly Hunter is one of my favorite all time dramatic/comedic actresses so hearing her voice in The Incredibles immediately sealed the deal with me. Megamind was obviously an attempt by Pixar to appeal to a similar audience and almost directly compete (though released years apart) with The Incredibles. Despite having the benefit of being able to study its competition for 6 years, Dreamworks couldn't make a superhero film even half as memorable as Pixar's the Incredible is. I think I can already tell who is going to win this battle.