Hop, dive, spin, swirl, sing, swim, fly, vanish, rescue, get rescued -- all at once.

In a nutshell, being a toon rocks. Not only do they breathe an adventure a second but also make us humans go green with envy for lacking Mr Incredibles-like powers or Peter Pan's flying skills.

August 24 marks the release of Disney's new recipe, Ratatouille, which opened to rave reviews and jingling box office performance in United States. It's only a matter of time before Remy, the Rat becomes the delightful face of kiddie merchandise.

All cartoons are endearing. But some are more special than the others. What makes them so immortal in a viewer's memory? What makes them stand out from rest of the looney crowd?

Connection.

So here's a list of my ten favourite animated characters of all times.

Tell me yours too.

Shrek (Shrek)

Having watched Shrek more than a 100 times, I can safely announce 'I love him. And I love him for the ogre that he almost is.'

Look at the guy. He's green with attitude and brimming with dishy ferocity. Those funnel shaped ears only add to his growling unconventionality. He's mean and loving it. But at the same time, he's all heart too, even if a tad dusty.

His uncouth ways and nasty sense of humour only add to his bootylicious persona. He gets his kicks out of Prince Charming, literally, and walks away with his equally fluroscent Princess in what can be only called an happily ever after (read sequels).

Speaking of Shrek, Donkey deserves an honorary mention too. What an ass! He's easily the greatest sidekick Hollywood ever produced.

Text: Sukanya Verma

Also Read: The best bottoms in Hollywood

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