Despite live-action movies typically taking the top spots at the box office, there’s something so incredibly special about animated films that can’t be captured in live-action. The things that can be depicted, the style they can take on, the heart and soul they can emit—all are so integral to animated film as a medium, and make them some of the most beloved films of all time.
Whether it be a movie by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, or Studio Ghibli, an animated film can be astoundingly special to both kids and adults. They’re movies that can be shared with loved ones, and that makes them pieces of content that can make some amazing memories and be integral to people’s love of film. There are some that are truly amazing from beginning to end and are exceptional in almost every way.
15
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies may very well be one of the most heartbreaking animated movies ever made. Following a young man named Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi) and his little sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), as they try to survive in Japan amidst World War II. It’s semi-autobiographical, with Grave of the Fireflies being based on the real-life story of the original author, Akiyuki Nosaka, during World War II.Studio Ghibli always delivers incredible cinema, but Grave of the Fireflies is unlike anything they typically produce, which helps it stand out in their large catalog of films. Director Isao Takahata brought this story to life in the most emotionally compelling way he possibly could. It’s a truly impactful movie, and feels more timely now than it ever has.
14
‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’ (2010)
Despite not being a film that the general audience really saw, the more invested comic book movie fans who saw it see Batman: Under the Red Hood as one of the best Batman movies of all time, and for very good reason. It takes one of the greatest Batman comic book arcs, “Under the Red Hood”, and adapts it pretty much perfectly.
The emotional weight and layers of Batman: Under the Red Hood are profound, and the film perfectly showcases the point that Batman (Bruce Greenwood) does not and should not kill. Not to mention the performances by Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, and John DiMaggio are phenomenal and bring these 2d animated characters to life better than anyone could have imagined.
13
‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ (2011)
If anything is true, it’s that Dreamworks knows how to make a good sequel. Alongside the iconic sequel to Shrek, the Kung Fu Panda franchise has a phenomenal sequel, too. When it came to following up Kung Fu Panda, director Jennifer Yuh Nelson had a big weight on her shoulders, knowing she’d be compared to the work of directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson from movie one.
After establishing the characters and world in Kung Fu Panda, the sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, brings the emotional complexity up to a whole new level. It not only explores Poe’s (Jack Black) backstory, but also challenges him as the villain of the film, revealing that he was the one who killed his kind. Learning this as he’s trying to find inner peace makes for an amazing emotional conflict.
12
‘Flow’ (2024)
With 74 total award nominations and a whopping 56 wins, Flow found itself being one of the best movies of 2024, despite not catching as much attention as others. Following a cute little black cat after his home is destroyed by a great flood, Flow sees its feline protagonist ending up on a boat with other animals with whom he’ll have to find solace to survive.
It’s an incredibly cute, heartwarming, stylistic, and comfortingly quiet movie that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. The movie is also special because it contains absolutely zero dialogue. The story is told strictly through the lens of this adorable cat, and that means there aren’t any words spoken—animals only being in it anyway. There is so much to love about Flow that makes it borderline perfect from start to finish.
11
‘The Lion King’ (1994)
When people think of great movies from Walt Disney Animation, The Lion King is most certainly one of them. With a stacked cast, animation that’s beautiful, a wonderful story, and music that’s still consistently listened to in this modern age, The Lion King is phenomenal, pretty much all-around. The story of Simba (Matthew Broderick) rising to his kingship and taking down Scar (Jeremy Irons) is iconic.
The Lion King is genuinely one of the most critically renowned animated films of all time, even over 30 years later. Songs like “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” live on to this very day and have yet to die in popularity. Everyone knows these songs and will always sing along, no matter where they’re being played.
10
‘Tangled’ (2010)
People give Disney and Pixar a lot of flak as of late, but the 2010s era of Pixar was a truly great time for movies and animation as a whole. Kicking off that decade with Tangled 100% set this standard and was the perfect film to do so. Taking the old story of Rapunzel and modernizing it into a CGI-animated musical ended up being the best decision that Disney and Pixar could have made to kick off the decade.
Tangled got astonishing reviews and is still massively beloved today. With a wild cast consisting of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Ron Perlman, and Donna Murphy, the performances bring the characters to life and make them a lot of people’s favorite Disney/Pixar characters even 15 years post-release.
9
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
Pretty much every Studio Ghibli movie is fire, but it’s seemingly impossible to compare and compete with Spirited Away, which some call legendary director Hayao Miyazaki‘s best work (which is a huge hurdle to leap over). The best way to describe Spirited Away is “legendary”. It’s an anime film unlike any other out there.
Whether it be the amazing performances, astounding animation, or masterful storytelling, there’s so much to love about Spirited Away. It’s typically known as one of the best animated films of all time, and for very good reason. Hayao Miyazaki always delivers amazing stories, and Spirited Away is one of his best, with his best qualities as a writer/director being on full display here.
8
‘Shrek’ (2001)
Shrek is widely known as one of the best animated films ever made. It totally redefined the animated movie medium and showed that they didn’t have to be as sterile and basic as Disney’s stuff. Shrek took risks with jokes that appealed to adults, a more complex storyline than people would expect at the time, and a hero who wasn’t some prince or princess but rather an ogre.
It’s also a huge part of the company’s history, being one of their first massive theatrical hits. Not to mention, the voice cast is absolutely perfect. Filled to the brim with some of the time’s best comedians, they bring these characters to the screen in hilarious ways and keep this a consistently enjoyable watch, no matter how many times one has seen it.
7
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
Another total surprise banger to come out of DreamWorks was How to Train Your Dragon in 2010. Releasing at the same time as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, How to Train Your Dragon had some huge competition (with how large a franchise Diary of a Wimpy Kid was at the time). The story of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless is heartwarming, thrilling, and super well-animated for 2010.
There’s a reason that this movie is known as one of DreamWorks’ best. It’s all-around phenomenal and kicked off one of the strongest animated trilogies of all time. Not to mention, the score by John Powell is widely renowned for very good reasons. A ton of love went into every single aspect of this movie, and that makes for something truly special.
6
‘Akira’ (1988)
Another one of the best anime movies of all time is the one and only Akira. Director Katsuhiro Ôtomo brought the manga to life perfectly. Probably because he also wrote the original manga. This alone makes Akira so faithful to the original in ways that a lot of adaptations can’t be. He was truly able to bring his vision to life in a way where he could cut the fat of the story and fit it into a film’s runtime without killing the story.
The animation in Akira is beautiful in every way, brought to life by the wonderful TMS Entertainment. The film is filled with iconic imagery that has inspired movies, live-action and animated, for the rest of time. The “Akira Slide” is used all over various forms of media, and so much more. It’s proof that anime can stand among live-action Hollywood films just as well as movies coming from Pixar.
