AFI announced today their top 10 films and top 10 television series of 2009.

After reviewing the lists, two things jumped out at me right away.  First, that two of their top 10 films are animated features (Coraline and Up.) This speaks to something that our mentor Jana Williams talks about frequently:  that animation is home to some of the best storytelling out there. In animation, the sky is the limit with regard to set-pieces and premise, but there are no famous faces (famous voices, I suppose, but how much does that really mean…) or superstar directors to coax people into shilling out twelve bucks for a ticket. These films rely so heavily on great scripts — big stories brimming with unique characters and situations. These are indeed two of the best in recent memory.

The other thing that jumped out at me was that The Hangover made the list! To me this is another testament to how vital a great screenplay is. This was an anomaly as far as studio comedies go in that there were no huge stars attached.  The cast was instead packed with emerging talents, and their performances (along with the incredible script) made stars of them all and turned The Hangover into one of the year’s biggest films.

The TV list didn’t bear too many surprises. Comprised of the most critically praised shows of the year, the only thing that caught me off-guard was the inclusion of Glee. I understand it’s a huge hit… I just can’t figure out why.

Here are the full lists:

AFI Movies of the Year

Coraline

The Hangover

The Hurt Locker

The Messenger

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

A Serious Man

A Single Man

Up

Up in the Air

AFI TV Programs of the Year:

The Big Bang Theory

Big Love

Friday Night Lights

Glee

Modern Family

The NO.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

Nurse Jackie

Party Down

True Blood