Ranking The Marco Movies From Worst To Best

Howdy! This is Film Critic Guy and today I would be talking about what's considered by many to be the absolute BEST animated movie franchise to ever exist: Marco. The Marco movies have always topped the box office, received lots of praise from both critics & audiences of all ages, and made the Marco franchise a HUGE iconic landmark in Marcanese pop culture. It's no wonder how Sony, Actors 3D, & Anaya Animation (the same studio behind Agent Cyberlink, Hotel Cloudylandia, Dingo, and the 2010s Actors movies) made this great beloved franchise since the first feature-length computer animated film from Sony debuted in 2005. The Marco movies gave us lots of very funny moments, engaging & highly original storylines, lots of surprising emotional depth, amazing action scenes, and a whole lot more. Not only that, but the franchise also introduced us great lovable characters such as Marco, Pepe, Isabella, Kevin, Joaquin & Emiliano, and the kids, whom we grew up with and became our best cartoony friends. With the newest Marco movie, Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco, already in theaters & Anaya+ June 4th, we'll also include that one. Now, without further ado, let's start ranking the Marco movies from worst to best in my personal opinion, and if you don't agree with me, that's okay, I know many people have their very own personal favorite. Anyway, onto the countdown!

Worst:

Marco 2 (2013)
The sequel to Sony's 2005 animated modern classic smash hit is arguably not as great as the original, it's just....okay, I guess. A very much-needed but pointless sequel in the Anaya Animation canon, Marco 2 just lacks some of the things that made its predecessor such an highly beloved film, especially the HUGE emotional depth from the original. The plot is somewhat weak for a Marco film, as Marco gets kidnapped by some secret agency known as the MISDA (Magnolia Independent Spy Department Agency) to....only preserve some diamond at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which I personally think this film could've done a much better story, although the story's execution is decent. The new characters aren't as lovable as Marco & his gang, as they constantly argue with each other & don't really help poor Marco that much, but some of them are good-worthy, like Allen & Jacob and the film's new comic relief Abel (who's just okay as the new funnyman). Like some other animated films, this film has some obnoxious pop culture references, although the film has plenty of good ones like the ones for Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars (to which the film refers several times), and Night At The Museum; and there's some awkward & semi-cringy moments for a family-oriented film, unlike the first film. However, I do admire the film's nice animation (which is a slight upgrade of its predecessor's), the top-notch voice acting from many big-star celebrities like Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, & Jack Black, the film's amazing soundtrack (with hits like "Happy" and "Walkin' At The Museum" from Pharrell Williams and the kids silly "Folk Dance Song"), its great action scenes (despite them taking place at only one place: the museum), the goofed up-yet-charming gags, its emotional scenes (seriously, Melvin's death was very sad & emotional, and I felt anger towards the film's villain, Owen, for killing him) and, speaking of Owen, he's a really terrifying main antagonist who's even yet more menacing than Alondra, and I also like how he not only has enough henchmen, but also holograms of his own and also that he plans to take over the world by using Marco's kids as his "goons". I also like the robot characters, they're so endearing (especially Melvin's robot Bud & R2-D2); and the film's strong message about autism through the lens of the kids & Jacob, and this is a really great movie for autistic people. My greatest concern for this movie (besides the somewhat convoluted "save the diamond" plot) would be Marco himself, he's just been literally dumbed down in this movie as the object of ridicule he used to be and still someone who lacks self-confidence & self-control. Also, the movie focuses more on Marco & the agents' story rather than Marco's friends' story; and Jonathan, Luke, and Lane don't really appear that much nor do they contribute to the film's story, although they're good & funny side characters. If it weren't for the film's dumbed down storyline & some of the new characters; and also if there were more gags from Joaquin & Emiliano, this sequel could've been as brilliant as the 2005 original, but no, it rather came out as a semi-cashgrab only for the young kiddos. Sorry, Anaya Animation, but I was kinda disappointed with this Marco sequel.

Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco (2021)
The most recent Marco movie is actually worth the watch, despite the fact that this is the darkest one in the whole entire franchise. The reason I put this film above Marco 2 (despite it being the lowest-rated Marco film on Rotten Tomatoes) is because this film is quite more enjoyable than the aforementioned Marco film. The sequel to 2018's gut-bustingly hilarious Marco spin-off Joaquin & Emiliano: The Movie, this film takes place during the events of the original Marco where we get to see how Marco became the genius spy mastermind he is today; and we also get to see Joaquin & Emiliano as babies as well as how they met Marco. This sequel actually surpasses its predecessor in almost everything, from its stunning animation and its new fun characters (such as the wildly cool Felonious 5, Joe Greed & his crazy hipster gang, and the amazingly cool Yang family) and their adorably cute ones (which are Mateo & Emely) to the film's AWESOME action scenes (most notably the film's climax scene with the Felonious 5 & the Galleria scene) and its great themes for both kids & adults. I also like how this movie takes you to different time periods before getting onto the main thing (and the dark absurdist humor here is just pure comedy gold, especially when the kiddos expose Bigfoot to the police by accident) and also 90s Uptown Houston, which looks very spectacular for my eyes, and I also like the film's several 90s-early 2000s references and especially its amazing 90s soundtrack from Mark Mothersbaugh. I laughed a whole lot more on this film than its predecessor (which was also hilarious) on several scenes such as the Raven intro scene, the Tackle-Me-Elmo scene (no, seriously, there IS a freaking Tackle-Me-Elmo in this movie!), Joaquin & Emiliano and the kids' wacky time travels, and the scene with those small but cunning ninjas (and I also thought the idea of greedy living vending machines is actually quite clever). This sequel has it all: it's got plenty of hysterical moments, very top-notch talented voice acting (with great choice stars like Leslie Jones, Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves, Danny Trejo, Ken Jeong, and even Brad Pitt), action scenes that are undeniably the BEST the Marco franchise has to offer, and enough happy & sad moments (such as the ramen night scene, the Water Wall scene, & when Joshua's adopted pet dinosaur dies shortly after his owner adopted him); and I also like the film's message of choosing whoever you want to be, I think that is a great message for everyone and here in this film we see that Joshua at first doesn't want to be the new leader since he misses Marco's helping hands, but later he decides it's time to become the kids' new leader at the film's ending (and, speaking of the ending, it's actually cute). However, despite having great concepts, the plot just feels more like a series of Marco Toons rather than a full feature-length Marco film and it's just very confusingly outlandish, as the film's story is literally all over the place and I don't really get it; the animation actually feels more like something out of Hotel Cloudylandia rather than Marco, some of the film's humor is quite mediocre, and also the movie focuses more on young Marco rather than our wacky cousins, despite this being the sequel to Joaquin & Emiliano: The Movie. What's even more menacing about this film is how surprisingly DARK this could get for a family film (we see that Robespierre gets beheaded but thank God we didn't see his head cut off, King Tut gets eaten by his pet alligators, Marco Polo falls down to his death, Napoleon Bonaparte gets fired by the kids' cannon, and Count Dracula dying because of garlic & later being exposed to sunlight). Anyway, nitpicks aside, I actually quite enjoyed this movie despite not being the best one in the Marco franchise. All I can say is... Anaya Animation, please don't put too much dark content for such a lighthearted franchise, just please. And, speaking of its predecessor....

Joaquin & Emiliano: The Movie (2018)
I knew what you were thinking about.... this 2018 hysterical gut-buster of the Marco franchise starring your favorite comical cousins who have taken over the whole world, became the most well-known candy-obsessed animated icons of Marcanese pop culture, became huge merchandising giants, and they're even the official mascots of Actors 3D! And, man is this movie absolutely HILARIOUS! The long-awaited spin-off of the Marco franchise, Joaquin & Emiliano: The Movie isn't what we thought at first: a cashgrab only made for the sake of cash & merchandise, but a very funny film. It has a very simple story about Joaquin & Emiliano searching for their parents, but it's very well-executed, thanks to the film's highly solid comedy (and you can't help but laugh your gut off with the film's several jokes: among them Noah's intro scene, the wagon scene with Joaquin & Emiliano, and most especially the chicken breakdance scene, it's just SO hilarious I would rewatch that part several times!) Besides its hysterical comedy, the film also has amazing animation with visuals that are pure eye-candy, great voice performances (most notably from Thomas Middleditch, Jordan Peele, and Kristen Bell), great additions to the Marco franchise such as Joshua & Noah (and I also liked the kids' robot friends), a wonderful music score from Heitor Pereira (the kids' silly performance of "Sweet Caroline" is very endearingly sweet to hear), very entertaining action scenes despite having a somewhat weak finale, several cute emotional moments, and its excellent themes about parents, friendship, and how teamwork makes the dreamwork. I also like how Joaquin & Emiliano and the kids visit Galveston (that is, Marco's birthplace) and spend time at the local Schiltterbahn waterpark. However, it's not all just rainbows & sunshine as we have Bryan as our weak recycled villain (and his nerdy assistant Newton) along with some unnecessary pop culture references (although most of them are quite funny, like Emiliano's portrayal of Godzilla) and the Con Of Doom scene (which is quite dark for a children's movie), and also Emiliano & Tanya's funny but awkwardly pointless romantic subplot. However, the film has a very nice ending in which Marco & his friends play with snow (in Texas, ironically) for the very first time, and prior to that we saw this unexpected moment of Marco's surprise arrival (and boy, I didn't see that coming), and later, in the mid-credits scene. we see that Joaquin & Emiliano have a new sister to take care of. I also laughed so much at the Columbia Pictures/Universal fanfare for this film (for the Universal one, Emiliano just can't stop saying "DAAAAAAAAAAAA..." until Joaquin shuts him up and together go see "their very own movie"), and I know this isn't your typical Christmas movie since it's not really a Christmas movie, but it was honestly worth the wait and a highly fun treat for the holidays.

Marco (2005)
Oh, Marco, the iconic 2005 animated film that started it all. The next two Marco movies are slightly better than this one, but THIS one is actually the Marco movie I often admire the MOST. If it weren't for this film, we wouldn't have Marco & his friends and also Joaquin & Emiliano and the kids. Truly, the only concern with this film would be the simple character designs, but I guess they're okay (the sequels would improve them as long as this franchise exists). Now, let's list all of the great things about this 2005 classic: the animation... OH MY GOD... how did Sony (well, Anaya Animation) come up with those very photo-realistic looking visuals? They're SO darn cool! And it's even better with its Hanna Barbera-style cartoony approach to Marco (who's actually the most expressive character I've ever seen in an animated film, I also like his pure awkwardness & charm) and his lovable friends. The fast-paced action scenes are AMAZING, they give me lots of Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry vibes every time I see them over again (especially the film's great climax scene in the clouds), the pop culture references are pure GOLD, the voice acting's beyond great (thanks to funnyman Bill Hader, who perfectly voices Marco, Will Smith, Emma Stone, Robin Williams, Jason Segel, Sandra Bullock, Danny DeVito, among others), the jokes are hysterically funny (thanks to our small comic reliefs, Joaquin & Emiliano and the kiddos), its several emotional moments are perfectly done very well (such as the part where Marco has to rescue the girls & when he sadly sees his grandparents getting buried on a VHS documentary, and that part has made me grab the tissues), the bad guys are entertaining (Joe's really funny as the film's secondary villain, while Alondra makes it for the film's intimidating & manipulative main female antagonist), Heitor Pereira & Mark Ronson's soundtrack is excellent (especially the film's theme song, "Highway To Heaven", and "Don't Believe Me, Just Watch") and EVERYTHING about this unique James Bond-esque masterpiece is absolute GOODNESS. The film also appeals to people of all ages (despite it being rated PG for some action & mild suggestive humor) and it has good messages for both kids & adults, such as the importance of family & friends, how showing kindness/caring for other people can make you a better person, teamwork, gaining self-confidence & depending on others, accepting people for who they are, etc. I also like how this movie isn't even afraid to show themes about Christianity (I know Marco 3 expands on that, but we'll get there later), even to non-Christian audiences. I can even remember the film's many great quotes like Marco's "You've got to be kidding me" and Joe's "Ah! Shame on you, fish!" and its countless memes that revolve around the Internet to this very day, such as the "Dumpling King" meme, for example. Blend all that with not one, but TWO great concepts ("what if kids could be anything, even spies?" and "what would kids do if their parents aren't home?"), a decently understandable plot, and plenty of action, humor, and a huge heart, and you've got what's considered by many as the BEST animated movie of all time that you & your "buddies" might wanna watch over & over again...

Marco 3 (2015)
This is by far the best Marco film of all time, but I don't really feel that much appreciation for this one like the next Marco movie I'll talk about after this one. However, I REALLY enjoyed this one a whole lot and I even had to say that this is probably the most emotional Marco movie I've ever seen, as we have several heartwarming, moving (like the iconic scene where Pepe sings "Hallelujah" to help Marco cope with his grief), thought-provoking, and even tearjerking ones, too (such as when Marco's uncle Manuel dies, and we also feel very sad for poor Marco since he actually never met him that much). I LOVE the film's animation, especially how the animators made the city of Houston stand out in this film, it even fully resembles the actual city! I fully remember the Surfside Beach scene as well as the Chinese restaurant & Oak Thicket Park scenes, too. The new characters are cool (even Mr. Mime, who's quite amusing as the film's new comic relief), the voice acting's superb (with Benjamin Bratt doing a very excellent job as the film's new villain, Emmanuel), the action scenes are A TOTAL BLAST to see, and the gags are very hysterical: among them Marco's failed inventions, the Salvation Army scene, the Texan Idol scene (which is a great spoof of American Idol) in which the kids do "Le Disco, La Fiesta", the FARB scene (which I rewatch several times), the scene where Joaquin & Emiliano scare Derek & Brian with a crow as their birthday gift, Marco & Pepe's portrayals of Bob Ross, and plenty of others. The soundtrack is fantastic, the film's climax scene is very epic to watch, the ethnic diversity of this film is very well represented, Emmanuel's a decent twist villain with understandable motives (and you can't help but also feel sorry for him, and I also like how he's not only the film's "evil corporation tyrant" but also the film's "mysterious masked thief"), and there's even cameos of other Actors 3D & Anaya Animation films: among them Alex & Abby from Lego, Redhead & Blob from Hotel Cloudylandia, Ducky from Beast Flock, Agent Cyberlink's Computer Guy, and even Josh Samuel himself; as well as lots of spot-on Easter eggs from said movies and the film's excellent pop culture references throughout. What I REALLY love most about this film is how Marco & his friends deal with people who have everyday life issues such as divorce, homelessness, the loss of a loved one, moving out, mental illness/disabilities, etc. and this film also deals with other serious issues like religion, poverty, corporate greed, discrimination, and even death. I also LOVE the film's story, it's just SO darn BRILLIANT! Here, Marco becomes what he wanted to become in the first place before being a spy: an aspiring genius inventor. Despite his failures, he learns throughout the film that he could use his own failed inventions to track down our "evil corporation tyrant/masked thief" who wants to take over his beloved city. You see, this movie makes the point that even your "failures" can help you succeed if you use them for good, and the film also has strong life lessons about being optimistic in the middle of chaos, the consequences of greed, and following your dreams no matter what other people think. I also found the relationship between Marco & Marlene very sweet & endearing, and the scenes with them together do contribute much to the film's emotional core. The film's ending is SO bittersweet but nice at the same time I even had to grab THREE Kleenex tissues to cry. This is not just a great animated film, THIS is a highly beautiful state-of-the-art masterpiece of animated cinema (or, heck, even CINEMA as a whole!). Marco 3 might not be the best Marco movie in my personal opinion, but it's definitely the franchise's BEST one.

Best

Marco 4 (2017)
This is, by no doubts, my FAVORITE Marco movie. I know this isn't really what you all expect from this list, but I found this film to be the franchise's absolute BEST and I actually really enjoyed it as much as you'll do (maybe because this is probably the most underrated Marco movie ever made, as people don't really appreciate it that much due to how dark this film is, or to how awkward it can sometimes get). Anyway, let me tell you why THIS is the best Marco movie in my personal opinion: it's by far the Marco film with the best-looking visuals & cinematography, the BEST action scenes (especially the finale with the E-Bot/dance fight scene), and the best storylines (as here we see that Marco & his friends, who are now teens, attempt to track down a teen rapper who becomes Marco's most threatening arch-nemesis to date). Besides those things, the film has new lovable characters (my favorite one being Ian, he's really hilarious as Marco's new assistant), hysterically funny comedy that works (such as the "Billie Jean" scene where Marco & Mikayla have this awkward dinner night together), a highly catchy & addicting soundtrack (I liked "Let The Good Times Roll" and Edgar's parody of "Low" by Flo Rida, "Bad"), plenty of cute emotional moments throughout the film (such as the scenes with Marco & the girls and when Bom Bin calmly plays "I Remember You" to Isabella), great references to pop culture such as the ones for Sherlock Holmes & Ghostbusters as well as nice nods to the original 2005 film, surprisingly top-notch voice acting from actors like Hugh Jackman (who does an even better job as Marco than Bill Hader, to be honest), Trey Parker from South Park, and of course David Spade, and even the film's villain: Edgar (who's very expressively animated like Marco and entertaining as the film's main antagonist, also the idea of him being rejected from the Billboard 200/getting his show canceled all for being a gangster & his plan of getting revenge on the music industry is indeed very original). What I really LOVE about this film is Marco's detective subplot (boy, I wish it could've been expanded even further in this movie!) and how unpredictable the movie actually is: it keeps you guessing whether Marco's friends will appear in this film or not, whether Marco will stay with Mikayla or Aileene, etc. I can also remember the fair scene, the Main Event scene, and most especially the Lake Conroe evening scene at the film's ending (the ending is undeniably sweet); and I also liked the film's amusingly cool posters for The Fate of the Furious, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Dunkirk, and The Shape Of Water as well as the film's stylized 2DCG animation for the end credits. I also like how this movie reverses some clichés from other animated features such as the "male/female lead kiss each other at the end" cliché and the "misunderstanding" cliché, as here we actually see that Marco & Mikayla don't break their promise and he only wanted to reconnect with his longtime girl friend. This movie is about "overcoming the bad things in life with the good things", being yourself (even if you're a quirky weirdo like Marco), having strong relationships even if they're weak, and how insecurities & doubts can harm you easily if you don't take action, such as in Marco's case. Like the other Marco films, this film appeals to everyone, especially teens (the film's target demographic) and reflects teens today instead of pandering them as lazy & stereotypical. The film, however, can get quite dark at times (such as the abandoned mansion scene) and it somehow feels like a total rehash of the original film (as in both films we have Marco rescuing two girls at the climax scene, Marco going to the villain's fortress, & him confronting the bad guy despite failing a lot). The film can get slow-paced at times and the animation can sometimes feel like that of Hotel Cloudylandia (although it's not as much compared to The Rise Of Marco), but anyway, I actually enjoyed this one from start to finish, and that's why I consider this one to be Marco's absolute BEST. And, yes of course... "WOOHOO YEAH!!!!" this is the BEST Marco movie on this list!