Peter Mountain

1. King Kong, King Kong (2007)

CHARACTER STUDY This Kong, of course, is an update of the giant ape from the 1933 black-and-white classic, the movie Peter Jackson says inspired him to become a filmmaker at age 9.

WHY WE LOVE HIM Never before has an animated character looked so reach-out-and-touch-him real — and expressed so much without saying a word. Rage, tenderness, confusion, fear... all cross the beast's face at various points of Jackson's epic, making us adore and worry for him right along with his beloved Ann Darrow.

Which CG characters did we leave off our list? Let us know, here.