5 Great Hollywood Movie Cast Ensembles

Every film buff’s dream is to see their favorite director and actors team up to produce some of the greatest on-screen moments. Here are some of the Hollywood movies with the best ensemble casts for the movie buffs out there! (I'm leaving out my favorite dragon movies because, well, change and stuff! :D)

Image Source -  https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/3906743418

The Dark Knight

Let’s answer a few quick questions before choosing Dark Knight as one of the movies with one of the best ensemble casts in Hollywood. Which is the character that lingers with you for years after watching the movie? Is it Joker or Batman? Most would agree it’s the ruthless, maniacal Joker who fills you up with abhorrence. Close on Joker’s heel is Harvey Dent who co-led the gritty crime thriller. An Oscar is proof enough of late Heath Ledger’s unparalleled show of talent and it’s widely known now that Joker is counted among one of the most terrifying, psychopathic villains in recent times.

Madagascar

Even though it’s an animated flick, the Madagascar characters and their antics made it the pioneer of ensemble casts in Hollywood animated movies. Imagine this – Ben Stiller (Alex), Chris Rock (Marty), David Schwimmer (Melman), Tom McGrath (Skipper), and Andy Richter (Mort) lending their unique voices to the Madagascar characters and bringing about their personalities in impeccable style.

Ocean’s Eleven

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has always been known for his star-studded flicks. Ocean’s Eleven is perhaps his most critically and commercially successful ensemble cast till date. Though Hollywood has had its share of ensemble-cast disasters like Southland Tales and New Year’s Eve, Ocean’s Eleven spells otherwise.  George Clooney’s and Brad Pitt’s real-life friendship transformed into perfect screen chemistry with Matt Damon sneaking in with a bombastic comeback! But, as they say, no story is complete with an equally charismatic villain. Andy Garcia’s Terry Benedict was the icing on the cake and Ocean’s Eleven is one of the most widely loved ensemble cast movies in Hollywood.

American Hustle

Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence – doesn’t it already sound like the most perfect cast on the earth! David O. Russell’s fondness for big names like Christian Bale made him team up with the star again in this suave mafia movie. Along with intentionally outlandish style statements, strong acting performances made American Hustle a great movie. Bale and Adams served as dual protagonists while Cooper’s Richie DiMaso lent the movie some of its funnier moments.

Finding Nemo

This is another animated movie that ranks high when we talk about the best ensemble casts in Hollywood. The touching story of a father (a timid clownfish) setting out for his son who has been captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney definitely needed deep, expressive voices to support the animated characters. Albert Brooks beautifully expressing Marlin’s emotions, Ellen DeGeneres supporting Dory’s congeniality, Alexander Gould bringing forth Nemo’s helplessness, and Willem Dafoe portraying the Tank Gang member’s leadership skills are what make the movie and its cast a special one!

It rains happiness when your favorite casts come together! Which are your favorite movies with an ensemble cast?

Real Life Locations in Animated Movies

Like How to Train your Dragon, many of the movies and games draw inspiration from real locations that are then painted vividly with stunning graphics that lend them a magical fairytale quality. 

Here are some of the countries and cultures that have been portrayed in movies and games.

Madagascar

Madagascar as the name suggests is a movie set in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean with tropical forests and lemurs, but the story starts in Central Park and the streets of New York. In the Madagascar game, kids can actually choose locations like the Times Square and Venice while playing. In the movie sequels, the characters explore the world beyond Madagascar – Africa, Europe and Asia.

Up

In the movie Up, we follow Carl in his search for a giant bird to Paradise Falls, which is modeled on the Angel Falls in Canaima National Park, Venezuela. Kids can enjoy the beautiful tepui or table-top mountain found in South America in this movie.

“My Spirit of Adventure” by Peter Lee is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Rio

The movie Rio begins in the exotic jungles of South America. As the movie progresses, kids travel along with the macaw Blu to Minnesota and later to Rio de Janeiro where Blu explores the city from the magnificent Christ the Redeemer statue to the Carnaval de Rio de Janeiro where he gets to see the parades and samba dancers. In Rio, the city throbs to vibrant Brazilian music.

“RIO - THE MOVIE” by Thomás is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The Lion King

The Lion King showed the African savannah and wildlife in its full glory. The wildlife in Africa includes lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, meerkats and more. We also learn about the circle of life.

Ratatouille

Paris has time and again been glorified in movies and its charm was not lost on the makers of animated movies. The city’s food culture is depicted in the movie Ratatouille as the movie revolves around Remy, the rat, who is aspiring to become a chef. This wasn’t the first animated movie which was set in Paris. We also saw the city in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In Beauty and the Beast, we see the other side of France; the setting was inspired by Alsace.

“Ratatouille: Remy admiring Paris” by Fernando Galeano is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Kung Fu Panda

We get a taste of the Orient in Kung Fu Panda which is set in ancient China. Kung Fu is a Chinese martial arts form. The palaces we see follow the traditional architecture prevalent in ancient China. The movie highlights the spectacular landscapes and there is plenty of noodle soup to go around!

Brave

Vast stretches of sky and land, and aloof castles welcome us to Scotland in Brave. The movie stays authentic as it portrays the Scottish Highlands and the culture – from bagpipes, kilts and Tartan plaids to the Scottish accents.

“Brave Movie” by Michelle O'Connell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Big Hero 6

The soon to be released Big Hero 6 promises to be as exciting as its animated predecessors. It is based in the fictional city of San Fransokyo and the architectural elements depicted in Aunt Cass’s Café are straight off Frisco’s streets.

So the next time you are trying to teach your kids about geography and their attention is wandering, just find the right game or movie to pique their interest!