Favourite Film Characters and Why

Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman)
Evey is a person who is living in a world that, little by little, is falling apart. Despite this, she has a sense of innocence to her that makes you feel bad whenever crap is thrown at her. Still, there is an essence of strength in her that grows as the film progresses and you are proud of what she has become in the end.



V (Hugo Weaving)
Coupled with the fact that he is brave, suave and quite the romantic, V is also very intelligent. There are certain lines that he says in the film that really make you think long and hard about not just the world but yourself as a person.



Valerie (Imogen Poots & Natasha Wightman)
Though her amount of screen time is small, the impact Valerie leaves on not just on V and Evey, but also the viewers is amazing. Her monologue/biography about her life up until her death is one of the most beautifully tragic scenes put in film. She's fearless, intelligent and proud of who she was even if it got her in deep trouble.

5 (John C. Reilly)
5 is one of the more developed characters in the film. While he is indeed a cautious individual who rarely stands up for himself, he is at the same time fiercely loyal and has one or two moments that show he can be brave. It also helps that he is rather adorable :3



7 (Jennifer Connelly)
It is rather cool to see the only female of the group being a fighter as well as someone who is protective of her kind. 7's stubborn and reckless, but what balances it out is her fearlessness and her ability to adapt.



6 (Crispin Glover)
Arguably the fan favourite, 6 is the character who, whenever he is one screen, you're immediately drawn to him. He has this mysterious and off-the-wall personality that makes you want to get to know him more and also figure out exactly what he rambles on and on about throughout the film.



9 (Elijah Wood)
9 gets quite a bit of hate and I can see why: he pretty much started the whole conflict of the film. What I like about him is that he not only takes full responsibility for what he did, but he is willing to put his life on the line if it means saving others. He's naïve, but he's very selfless.

Jack Frost (Chris Pine)
Jack is an amazing character because, speaking as a teenager myself, he is relatable in a sense that we all want to be believed in; we all want to know what our purpose in life is (or, as the film puts it, "our center"). He is an innocent and lost soul, but at the same time he is fearless and kind-hearted. When he's upset, you legitimately feel sorry for him and want him to succeed.



Bunnymund (Hugh Jackman)
Bunny starts off as that character who you think is going to be a cold-hearted jerk, but as the film progresses, you learn that he is much more than that. While he is arrogant, he's protective of his fellow Guardians as well as the children of the world and he is also passionate about what he does. He has several funny moments, too.



Toothiana (Isla Fisher)
I find Tooth to be a unique character in that she's a mixture of two types of personalities: the sweet, motherly side and the determined, threatening side. As kind-hearted and bubbly as she is, she does have her badass moments as well. Like how she uses her wings as blades to slice through her enemies! Whoa!



North (Alec Baldwin)
This has got to be one of my favourite versions of Santa Clause. Why? Well not only is he an expert swordsman and a brave leader, but he possesses that one quality that we all want Santa to have; that being wisdom. He serves as a father figure to Jack in the film and he is the glue that holds the group together.



Sandy
What the creators of the film did with this character is actually really clever. He doesn't talk and instead expresses his emotions as well as convey what he wants to say through his facial expressions and little sand shapes that form above his head. He's tough, funny and an all-around nice guy. No wonder Jack likes him so much.

(the series as a whole)



Woody (Tom Hanks)
Ever since I was little, I've always had a liking towards Woody. To me, he's everything we'd want in a friend: loyal, friendly, protective and brave. While he can be stubborn and ignorant at times, you can't help but enjoy his presence and his role as the main character in the series.



Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen)
One would think that Buzz would be a cocky person (er... toy) due to the fact that he's more up-to-date than Woody (at least for the 90s), but he's not. After he realizes he's not a real space ranger in the first film, we start to see the real him. He's not only fearless, but he's also kind-hearted, protective and fiercely loyal to his friends.



Jessie (Joan Cusack)
Aside from the fact that she's energetic, spunky and brave, I love Jessie because of her ability to not let her tragic past control her. She's not depressed about it 24/7 nor does she complain about it; she's still a happy-go-lucky, optimistic individual.



Slinky (Jim Varney & Blake Clark)
Slinky is another one of those side characters that sticks out so much, at least for me. I don't know, maybe it's his upbeat and loyal personality or the fact that there are lots of jokes in the series about his stretchy body. Whatever the reason, I love this guy.



Rex (Wallace Shawn)
Rex serves as one of the many comic reliefs that the franchise has, but he is also the innocence and the motivator of the group. He is absent-minded and naïve, but in the end, his heart is always in the right place.



Barbie (Jodi Benson)
All I can say about Barbie is that she just cracks me up. She's always so upbeat, funny and can be ditzy at times. What I love about her, though, is that she doesn't let her love for Ken get in the way of her feelings for her friends. So much so that she would rather be locked up with them then date the person (toy, I mean) who is hurting them.

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel)
Out of all the characters on this list, Hiccup is probably one of my top favourites if not my absolute favourite. Not only is he funny due to his sarcastic nature and dorky personality, but he is also relatable in a sense that he is the outcast most of us were when we were growing up. Despite all the abuse he's received in his life, he's still a compassionate and friendly individual, even though he can also be very reckless and a little stubborn. What he lacks in physical strength he makes up for with his wit and bravery. As a whole, he's an amazing character.



Toothless
I love what the creators did with Toothless. It would have been easy to make him an obedient animal with no mind of his own, but they didn't. In fact, they did the opposite. He's an intelligent animal who can be fierce (no, dangerous) and headstrong. Yet, once Hiccup (along with the audience) gets to know him, we discover he is also protective, loyal and friendly. That, and he can be very sassy :3



Astrid (America Ferrera)
Astrid seems to get a bit of hate from some people and I can understand why, but personally, I like her. I like her energy, her independence and her bravery. I also love how it is shown that once you get to know her, she is actually a nice person who can be sweet, devoted and supportive. You just can't get on her bad side...



Gobber (Craig Ferguson)
There are a lot of reasons why I like this guy. For one, he serves as a mentor and a second father-figure towards Hiccup, being nicer to him than he is with the other teens. For another, he is just as tough as he is funny and resourceful. His presence on screen is always noticeable in a positive way.

Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
Yet another character that I find so relatable for most teenagers. Not only has he gone through parental abandonment by his father, but he is also struggling to prove himself while still trying to figure out his place. As cold and cynical as he can be, he is also adventurous, smart and friendly towards people he feels comfortable around.



Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson)
Amelia is one of those characters that just draws your eye whenever she's on-screen. She's someone who likes to show off and is a fast-thinker, but at the same time she's also very protective and energetic and can be very funny at times. Her dialogue with Dilbert is always entertaining to listen to.



John Silver (Brian Murray)
Oh my goodness, I love the complexity of this character! Yes it's true, he's a bloodthirsty, greedy pirate who will do anything to get his treasure, but what makes him so interesting is watching him struggle with that along with his soft spot for Jim. He serves as the father-figure that Jim always wanted and Silver himself grows to like the boy just as much. He's a nice guy underneath it all, but he's still ruthless.



Dr. Delbert Doppler (David Hyde Pierce)
I have always enjoyed this guy and even today he still gets a laugh out of me. What I like about him (along with B.E.N., but I'm not including him on the list) is that he is obviously the comic relief, but he is actually useful. He has a purpose and a reason for being on the journey.

(this section contains spoilers)



Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee)
Coupled with the fact that Norman is the character those who have been bullied (myself included) can relate to, I find that he differentiates from most bullied characters in that he doesn't let it get to him too much. He certainly isn't happy about it, but he never mopes or complains about. Underneath it all, he's a friendly kid who only wanted someone to understand him.



Neil (Tucker Albrizzi)
Neil is enjoyable because he serves as the optimistic one of the group. When the going gets tough, he stands by his friends and always looks on the brightside of things. He's not very smart, but his heart is in the right place. Not to mention he's very funny.



Courtney Babcock (Anna Kendrick)
I will admit at first I thought Courtney was going to be a straight up jerk who is totally self-absorbed and for a while she was, but as the film went on, I found myself enjoying her character more and more. She's funny, she's enjoyably ditzy and, in the end, she can be a relatively nice person.



Mitch (Casey Affleck)
This guy... I just love him so much. Not only is he hilarious, but he also breaks the jock stereotype in that he's such a nice guy despite not being very smart and being very protective of Neil. And the revelation that he was gay was pure genius on the writers' part; making us think he'll end up with Courtney and then BAM!



Aggie (Jodelle Ferland)
This character's story was a huge punch to the gut. Aggie is an innocent soul who was unjustly killed and became a vengeful, dangerous spirit bent on making her executioners suffer and show them what being a pariah really feels like. Beneath all her rage, she's just a little girl who only wanted someone to understand her and her ability... and she also just wants her mom. Ow, my heart...

Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon)
Jack is an enjoyable character for me in that he's so optimistic and intrigued whenever he discovers something new. He has a bit of an innocence to him and it shows when he discovers Christmas Town and the holiday itself. The fact that he actually learns his lesson in the end is all the more reason to like him.



Sally (Catherine O'Hara)
Sally is without a doubt a sympathetic individual. Not only does she work for a scientist who doesn't treat her in the best way, but she also struggles with the nagging feeling that she'll never end up with Jack, no matter how hopelessly in love she is with him. Despite that though, she's very sweet, resourceful, street-smart and not mention devoted.

Merida (Kelly MacDonald)
I understand why some people are put off by this character, mainly due to her being a 'brat', but I'm not in the same boat as those people. I simply see her as a free-spirited teenager who is being roped into something that she doesn't want to be a part of (that being an arranged marriage) and trying to find a way out of it for good. And besides, she does actually learn her lesson and acknowledges that she screwed up in the end.



Elinor (Emma Thompson)
At the start, I thought for sure I was going to hate Elinor (her tossing Merida's bow into the fire certainly didn't help that notion). However, as the film progressed and the more I thought about her character, the more I started to like her. When you think about it, all she wanted was to keep tradition and see her daughter do good things, and you can clearly see that she truly does love Merida. As a whole, she's one of the more developed mom characters out there.



Fergus (Billy Connolly)
This guy is so friggin' enjoyable in how energetic, protective and hilarious he is. Not only does he get some really funny lines, but he also loves his family with every fibre of his being. He stands up for Merida, comforts and entertains his sons and is heartbroken when he thinks that Elinor was killed. He's just one of those loud, brutish characters who has some dignity as well as love towards his family.

Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell)
Alex is one of those characters who most people would think I would hate (I'm a pretty peaceful and non-violent person), but in all honesty, I actually kind of enjoy him. Now I haven't seen the full movie yet, but from what I have seen, Alex always seemed to capture my attention and keep me thoroughly entertained. Maybe its his smile, his passion for the "ultra-violent", his energy or his intelligence beneath his insanity. Whatever it is, I like him.

Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn)
One of my favourite Disney males, Tarzan is an entertaining character fuelled by his energy, his bravery, his curiosity and his innocence. Watching him having to choose between the human world and people (um... gorilla buddies) is heartbreaking and you really sympathize for him when disaster is thrown his way.



Jane Porter (Minnie Driver)
I only have three words that describe Jane: funny, adorable and intelligent. She's one of those characters who has the damsel in distress thing down pat while at the same time being very enjoyable. She's polite and collected, but has her limits and can be brave when the time calls for it and is also very adventurous. Her interaction with Tarzan is always fun to watch.

Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews)
Ever since I was a little kid, I've always loved Mary. She seemed like the perfect babysitter/nanny, possessing magical qualities and being loving towards Jane and Michael, while at the same time being stern, but never to a point where she's relatively strict. Julie Andrews played her perfectly and made her a true Disney and musical icon.



Bert (Dick Van Dyke)
Bert to me was always that person you wanted as either your neighbour or your friend. Or both! He's such a kind-hearted, positive and energetic individual that it's hard not to like him. I know a lot of people don't like how Dick did the Cockney accent, but it never bothered me that much. He's just too enjoyable to let that get in the way.

Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp)
This (among a few others) is the character that got me interested in Johnny Depp's acting ability and Johnny himself. Edward is probably one of the most innocent things on the planet. Every time I watch this movie, I just can't help but find myself wanting to hug him. He's just so friendly and sweet and curious and... GAAAHH! Actually, all those qualities serve as a downfall in his case, considering some of the people he meets.

Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning)
I find Coraline to be one of those kid characters who is actually written like a real kid. She's needy and has her selfish moments, but to balance it out, she's curious, imaginative and very brave (I mean, you would kind of have to be to face the Other Mother). On top of that, she's also very clever.

Spirit (Matt Damon)
As cocky as he can be, I can't help but love Spirit largely due to his undying need to get back home and not giving up without a fight when an obstacle is thrown in his way. He's not a character who can be taken done easily. Alongside that, he also has a good heart and it shows when he spends time with Little Creek and Rain.



Rain
It truly is amazing how expressive and well-developed a character can be without ever having to say a word. Not only is Rain friendly and adventurous, but she is also brave, headstrong and incredibly protective of Little Creek and the Native village. Not only that, but she has a sassy attitude to boot.

Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton)
As cunning and annoying as he can be, I can't help but enjoy this guy's character. Maybe it's the fact that he's sort of the anti-hero... sort of. The way he's written, the way Michael portrays him and the way he is so confident in his abilities makes him one of those characters that you find yourself liking despite his deceiving ways.



Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder)
I find the way Lydia is written to be refreshing because they gave her a personality outside of just being Goth. It would have been easy to make her solemn and depressed throughout the whole film, but they actually gave her a fleshed out personality. She's smart, she's friendly, she's inquisitive and she is, as she puts it, "strange and unusual".



Barbara & Adam Maitland (Geena Davis & Alec Baldwin)
I'm putting these two together because they're very much alike. Both are kind-hearted people who are innocent in their own way, especially when in the World of the Dead (is that what it's called? Or is it the Otherworld?). They are indeed quite gullible, but as a whole are a very mild-mannered couple who are happily married and are not without several brave moments.

(the series as a whole)



Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)
Shocker, right? I'm sorry, I can't help it! I just love this guy so much. He's what makes this series as enjoyable as it is. He's eccentric, he's adventurous, he's street-smart, he's resourceful, he's everything we'd expect a pirate to be. Not to mention he gets the most laughs outside of some of the side characters (who are also pretty funny). Jack is an iconic character and one of the first that people think of when they hear "Johnny Depp", and it's not hard to see why.

(a few of these guys can be linked to the first film along with this one)



Caesar (Andy Serkis)
What is there to be said about Caesar that hasn't already been said in critical reviews and film analyses? His characterization as the compassionate and strong leader was conveyed brilliantly in both films. In Rise, we got the birth of his innocence and then the development of the revolution he leads. In Dawn, he has shaped a whole new civilization while still maintaining his friendly and wise demeanour. In the face of danger, he never makes selfish decisions and puts his 'peoples' safety before his own.



Koba (Toby Kebbell)
Talk about an awesome and refreshing villain! In Rise, Koba didn't have that big of a role nor did he leave that large of an impact outside of killing Jacobs and pretty much starting the whole epidemic. In Dawn, however, he is one of the major characters and his personality is more fleshed out. I love how they gave him motivations and justifications for why he hates humans as much as he does. Although I wanted him dead when he not only shot Caesar but also when he killed Ash, I cannot deny that Koba was a well-written, interesting and well-portrayed (great job, Mr. Kebbell!) character.



Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston)
In simple terms, Blue Eyes is adorable, innocent and hard to miss when he's on-screen. To elaborate more, he is a teenage chimp who has an iffy relationship with his dad over how the apes should view humans. He's conflicted with Caesar's views and Koba's (who he is arguably closer to); who should he follow? You can see in his eyes when the conflict of the plot unfolds that he is not 100% sure who to side with. And once he finds out that Koba started the war, you are so proud to see him rise up and fight for what's right.



Maurice (Karin Konoval)
I've always loved Maurice, both in Rise and Dawn. There's such a kindness and approachable feel to his design and personality that it makes you want to sit down and have a chat with him. Seeing his friendship with Caesar develop in the first film is cute to watch, and knowing that their bond has strengthened over the next 10 years makes it all the more heartwarming. But with all that said, he can be super threatening and badass in his own way. He's pretty much a good example of the "Beware the Nice Ones" trope.



Ash (Doc Shaw)
While this guy didn't get much screen time, he certainly did have a presence. So much so that when Koba killed him, I was heartbroken. He's Blue Eyes' best friend and it's evident that the two have been close for years given how they tease each other and also how protective Blue Eyes is of him. Ash is cocky and surprisingly forgiving given the fact that Carver shot him in the arm, but his loyalty to Caesar's ethics is what makes him a character we hope makes it out okay in the end.