The Best Animated Movies of All Time

The best animated movies of all time, like the other best movies of all time, encompass a cornucopia of emotions: celebration, heartbreak, joy, grief, excitement, and anger. Animated movies have a long history of tackling both the more mundane aspects of everyday life, in a comedy or otherwise light-hearted film, to serious global and political issues in a drama. Animation is a medium that lends itself to diverse, often tear-jerking, story-telling. Box office smashes and sleeper hits alike make up the top animated movies of all time. It's about time to put some respect on animation and think about it outside the context of a humble cartoon.

Pixar has been running the animation game for many years, blessing us with animated movies like the Oscar-winning Toy Story and Coco, and the recent installments in the Incredibles and Toy Story series. Hayao Miyazaki has held it down in Japan and enjoyed global success with an entirely different style of animation, thanks to classic animated movies like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Animation continues to be a universal language, one well worthy of Academy Awards, like 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. From your favorite classic cartoons to more modern animations, these are the best animated films of all time.

Soul (2020)

Soul, the first Pixar film to not get a theatrical release (and the first to be billed as a “Disney+ Original”), didn’t let that stop the feels from flowing. Drenched in the music of jazz and features a great lead performance from Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, with the likes of Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Angela Bassett, and others helping flesh out this tale built around our souls. It’s still a children’s film, even though the themes—in current Pixar fashion—stretch farther than good versus evil. A beautiful film that deserves any awards season buzz it’s given, Soul gets to the heart of what it is to live a full life. —khal

Encanto (2021)

Encanto was difficult to escape in late 2021. The animated film took the world by storm and had kids and people of all ages, not talking about Bruno. (The breakout hit, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the film, spent five weeks at the number-one spot, making it the first-ever song from a Disney film to stay at the top of the charts for that long.) Whether it was the infectious Latin music created by Hamilton’s Lin Manuel Miranda or the story that follows a multigenerational Colombian family, people couldn’t get enough of it.

Encanto centers around Mirabel Madrigal who is the only one out of all the children and grandchildren from the Madrigal family who doesn’t have a magical gift that helps them better serve their people and their community. While the film is dripped in magic realism, the core theme is generational trauma, which is explored beautifully through the lens of a Latin family—a community that has been underrepresented in Disney films, animated films, and in Hollywood overall. We can only hope that movies like Encanto and Coco spark up a trend of more stories like these being told. —Karla Rodriguez

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

2018's best-animated film (and, arguably, the best superhero film to drop that year) not only featured a half-black, half-Latino Spider-Man who wore Js and bombed subways, but it featured Gwen Stacy as a Spider-Woman, a whole pig in the outfit, and so much more. Animation so dope that Sony made sure they patented it so they could cake up on this in the future, Into the Spider-Verse took the beauty of comic book art and perfectly translated that on the screen. On top of all that, it's just a good movie, with an awesome story, loads of laughs, and tons of action. The bar for animated superhero films has been raised. —khal

Spirited Away (2001)

If you want the math, fine—Spirited Away is one of the most successful Japanese films of all time, with box office receipts totaling over USD $275 million. If you want the art, here goes nothing—Spirited Away, Miyazaki's eighth feature-length animated film, is a pure expression of cinema. It's a dream the viewer falls into. It takes you to a place you can't get to by any other means.

The story is simple, as it should be. A little girl, Chihiro, is moving with her family to a new home. On the way, her parents take a detour that deposits the family at what looks to be an abandoned amusement park. From there, Chihiro finds a bathhouse for spirits, where she becomes trapped. The themes of childhood alienation and loneliness are prominent, but truly Spirited Away is plain magic. The animation, most of it hand-drawn, feels alive in a way that has nothing to do with computers and everything to do with the power of the human body acting in accordance with limitless imagination, a hand illustrating the impossible. Be with this movie. —RS

Coco (2017)

The first Pixar movie with an entirely non-white cast (not counting Pixar lucky charm John Ratzenberger, of course) and centering on a major cultural non-American tradition, Coco had a lot to live up to, and it succeeded greatly. The movie focuses on Miguel, a young boy living in a Mexican village who desperately wants to play music despite the protests of his entire family, and finds himself trapped in the afterlife during the Day of the Dead and must find a way to escape, all while discovering long held family secrets. The result is essentially Pixar’s version of Spirited Away: a vibrant odyssey into a mysterious world, done with humor and grace.

Extensive research was done into Mexican culture and traditions, and it shows in the bright colors present throughout the film, as well as the respectful nods to various cultural practices associated with the Day of the Dead. The voice cast is brilliant as well, with leads Anthony Mendez and Gael Garcia Bernal standing out, both in their speaking and singing performances. It’s essentially a movie about the importance of culture and family in the face of adversity, and in many ways is the most tear-inducing Pixar movie since Toy Story 3 (anyone who doesn’t cry during the last fifteen minutes might just be a monster). —Andy Herrera

The Incredibles (2004)

Marvel and DC may own the superhero movie landscape, but in 2004, Pixar proved that you don't need household names and company mascots to tell a compelling story about characters in tights. The Incredibles focuses on a family of superheroes, not unlike the Fantastic Four, that has to juggle their bizarre superpowers while trying to live a normal life. The good folks at Pixar weren't just satisfied with regurgitating the same superhero stories we'd seen over and over again, though; instead, they gave us a complex tale featuring superheroes facing domestication and worldwide threats. It's sharp, funny, and, most importantly, it isn't embarrassed of the genre it lovingly pays homage to. It's more fun than The Dark Knight, smarter than The Avengers, and, overall, it's one of the best superhero flicks to ever hit the screen. —JS

Toy Story (1995)

In addition to opening the door for other classic movies from Pixar (such as The Incredibles and Monster's Inc.), Toy Story‘s witty script and groundbreaking images prompted many critics to call it the greatest animated film ever made. And not without reason—27 animators worked diligently on the film, illustrating every detail, down to each blade of grass, to tell the story of the misadventures of two lost toys trying to find their way home. However, Toy Story‘s greatest achievement is its balance of nostalgia, childhood wonder, and misty-eyed adult humor. That's the blend every kid's movie aspires to. —TA

Finding Nemo (2003)

Normally, kids don't line up to see something that's a mash-up of Hamlet and the Biblical tales of Joseph and Moses, but Disney made that happen with The Lion King. Props to Elton John for letting Disney introduce kids to heavier topics, like a beloved father getting trampled by a stampede of wildebeests. (We're still not over it.)

The Lion King is one of the most heart-wrenching stories told through American animation, and a staple on the DVD shelves of families across the country. It broke new ground with its use of CGI animation and went on to spawn one of the most popular Broadway musicals ever. —TA

Wall-E (2008)

Ingeniously unfolding without dialogue, the Wall-E‘s first scenes treat the post-apocalypse like a silent slapstick comedy, only the Little Tramp has been swapped out for a squat robot with expressive eye cams. Wall-E is a robot on Earth after it’s become Trash Planet, a garbage-strewn nightmare (and perhaps our future if we don't shape up?). Wall-E compresses the world's trash into tiny cubes using his chest compartment and then creates epic pyramids of detritus—until he falls in love.

From there, the film transforms into something more conventional, though still beautiful and moving. True-story sidebar: This writer was once a substitute teacher in a past life, and while subbing at a middle school that used block scheduling, had to screen Wall-E for a number of classes. Because of the long class durations, the film would run in its entirety. After 48 hours had elapsed, I had seen Wall-E six times. The kids caused havoc while I was intermittently moved to the point right before the point where you'd say you were on the verge of tears watching Wall-E cry out for his beloved. Real talk. —RS

Inside Out (2015)

Easily the most complex movie Pixar has ever released, Inside Out is revolutionary for its portrayal of emotions and psychology, specifically in a way that’s easily understood by children as well as adults. The story of a little girl named Riley as she moves across the country and adjusts to her new surroundings and grows up is a bit dry for a children’s movie. Instead, we watch how all of this plays out in Riley’s head, as she sorts through her complicated emotions and discovers that sometimes one has to feel bad in order to properly process things.

As complicated as this all might seem, the movie is a blast, thanks to imaginative set pieces within Riley’s head (her dreams are framed as sitcom tapings) that effortlessly translate into her emotions and motivations, and to a stellar voice cast led by an effervescent Amy Poehler as the emotion “Happiness” and the conversely dour Phyllis Smith as “Sadness.” —Andy Herrera

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas introduced a new generation to some amazing stop-motion animation. In turn, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a traditional Christmas film of its own. Or, wait—Halloween film? Uh, just watch it on both days.

Produced by Tim Burton, and directed by Coraline‘s Henry Selick, the film follows Jack Skellington, a skeleton living in Halloween Town who opens a portal to Christmas Town. The movie follows his adventures in trying to get his spooky town to accept the more joyful holiday, all set to the music of Danny Elfman. It's a haunting twist on the traditional saccharine sweet Christmas fare we usually see, making it an amazing, original film worth checking out. —TA

South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncat (1999)

Privileging all of the F-bombs (and a whole lot more) that can't be heard on Comedy Central, South Park: Bigger, Louder, and Uncut plays like the raunchy animated series on steroids.

The plot is typical (read: intelligent and hilarious) South Park fodder: An R-rated, animated Canadian movie provokes American parents to incite a war against the neighbors up north. And as if that's not grown-up enough, the film's music, with songs like the none-too-subtle “Uncle Fucka,” sends it out of good taste stratosphere. Baby ears should stick to Itsy Bitsy Spider. —MB

Persepolis (2007)

In 2000, Marjane Satrapi began publishing the segments that would come to form her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, chronicling her childhood in Iran and later, her time abroad. Upon its English publication in 2003, the graphic novel was immediately hailed as a masterpiece, both as a frank memoir, a potent piece of political commentary, and as a great comic book.

Then, in 2007, Satrapi collaborated with Vincent Paronnaud, turning her story into a feature-length animated movie. It didn't change much, aside from flashing her truth into your eyes at 24 frames per second, but it was—and we are—all the better for it. —RS

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

For fans of Japanese animation, the name Hayao Miyazaki brings to mind some of the greatest animated feature films of the past 30 years. And in 1988, Miyazaki released what many consider to be his magnum opus: My Neighbor Totoro. The movie chronicles the adventures of two young girls in post-WWII Japan as they move to the country to take care of their ailing mother. Once there, they encounter bizarre spirits from the surrounding forests.

Whereas Grave of the Fireflies brought bleak realism to war-torn Japan, My Neighbor Totoro brings whimsy to the world by blending history with the supernatural. It's an intelligent film that explores innocence and youth in a difficult time. Miyazaki has always had a flair for tapping into wondrous worlds filled with energy and originality, and My Neighbor Totoro is a prime example of his abilities. —JS

Bambi (1942)

For more than 70 years, Disney's Bambi has stood as one of the preeminent examples of what animation can bring to the silver screen. The most memorable scene in the movie—and easily one of the great moments in film history—is when Bambi's mother is gunned down by a hunter. The scene is stripped to its most basic components, for maximum heart-breakage: swirling snow and Bambi's cries for his mother. It's the turning point of the movie, and of the lives of many children. It's the destruction of innocence.

But the movie begins to look up after that, as Disney imparts its typical magic on the rest of the story, complete with a saccharine supporting cast of wide-eyed animals and unrestrained optimism. This is a movie filled with so many down-to-Earth themes and so much emotion that anyone who walks away from it still unconvinced that animation is a viable medium will likely never come around. For everyone else, though, Bambi stands not only as one of the best Disney movies ever, but one of the great cinematic achievements of Hollywood's Golden Age. —JS

Ratatouille (2007)

Pixar's focus on real human emotion and sharp storytelling have helped it become the computer-generated successor to Walt Disney Animation, which had been the Capo of the cartoon world for the better part of a century. In 2007, the studio put out one of its finest pieces of work: Ratatouille.

The story itself is a study of fulfilling dreams and becoming something more than what others think you can be. These are universal feelings, and Pixar taps into them beautifully, while also keeping an eye on pure entertainment. A movie is truly a success only when it can be viewed on multiple levels, and Ratatouille proves that an animated flick can do just that. —JS

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Whether fans want to believe it or not, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was the most faithful big-screen representation of the Caped Crusader until Batman Begins hit theaters in 2005. Shaking off the dark and perverse look of Tim Burton's Batman Returns and the neon madness of Schumacher's Batman Forever, Phantasm embraced the art deco style of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series. The movie puts Batman against the Joker and a mysterious new villain named Phantasm, who is loosely based on the Reaper of comic book lore.

By cutting back and forth between a mystery set in the current day and the early days of Batman's career gives gravitas to Gotham's Dark Knight, and it also allows for some darker moments of violence that The Animated Series couldn't do. This isn't simply a Batman movie; it is a throwback to the pulp heroes of the '30s and '40s. Mask of the Phantasm stands out as a superhero adventure with an eye toward sleek design and tortured humanity. —JS

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

While many war films focus on the overblown heroics and jingoistic bravado of their country of origin, Grave of the Fireflies gives audiences a civilian's perspective with a story about the firebombing of Kobe by the U.S. during WWII. The movie follows siblings Seita and Setsuko as they try to survive during the raids on their city, but with no firm shelter and a dwindling supply of food, the future is dim. Throughout of the film, they see loved ones die and their home torn apart by the machines of war, but still, they forge on. Grave of the Fireflies shows us that with a bit of humanity and creativity, animated movies can be as real as anything else on the screen. —JS

Aladdin (1992)

Romance, magic carpets, distant lands, a genie in a lamp. Aladdin, an adaptation of a folktale from One Thousand and One Nights, got Hollywood started on using A-Listers (Robin Williams) as recognizable voice actors. Besides the talent, there's a lot to love about the Disney classic, Aladdin. Put in layman's terms, the film is about a homeless guy who falls in love with a princess. Pretty basic Romeo and Juliette stuff. Add in an evil Grand Vizier, a monkey, and a couple of really catchy tunes, and you've got a childhood classic. —TA

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Mamoru Oshii's adaptation of Masamune Shirow serialized manga is a sci-fi classic in the tradition of Philip K. Dick and Blade Runner. Ghost in the Shell asks all the questions of the hardest sci-fi—What does it mean to be human? How do we know ourselves?—within a rain and gun-heavy world that any cyberpunk could call home. Major Motoko Kusanagi is on the hunt for a hacker known as The Puppet Master, and her pursuit of the criminal sets the stage for all those heady questions that inspired the Wachowski siblings to make The Matrix four years later. —RS

Dumbo (1941)

Dumbo is one of the saddest movies of all time, so it's perfectly normal that its target audience sits below the age of 13. The awkward, big-eared baby elephant, whose bullies call him “Dumbo” instead of his real name, “Jumbo Jr.,” embodies the outcast in all of us, with all our social anxieties. When Dumbo's mother is captured, he blames himself—but, of course, this is a Disney movie, and Dumbo comes to terms with himself. He also gets his happiness back thanks to Timothy Q. Mouse and champagne that is spilled into his water and makes him fly (no comment).

Rather than simply being a kid's movie, this early Disney feature is a great piece of art. Dumbo is a silent character, often portrayed as the unwilling clown, a la Buster Keaton, while the characters move about him and often pick on him. Despite being considered only a “filler” movie for Disney, Dumbo's poignant message about outcasts makes it a must-watch animated flick. —TA

Akira (1988)

If this were a countdown of the most important animated movies of all time, Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal anime Akira could very well be number one. To this day, the film impresses with its David Cronenberg-like grotesqueries and Akira-Kurosawa-in-Hell brutality. This ain't for kids.

Otomo's two-hour epic was based on his own manga of the same name, about the fallout from a nuclear explosion in Tokyo. Now called “Neo-Tokyo,” the ravaged city is the playground for a biker gang member who uses psychic abilities to wreak extreme havoc. Conceptualized on the grandest of scales, Akira is the kind of story that could only be done justice through animation. Pay Otomo's magnificent flick the respect and attention it still deserves. —MB

Toy Story 3 (2010)

In the huge franchise's third entry, young Andy, the owner of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), is a college-bound 17-year-old; he's smart enough to understand that littering your dorm room with toys isn't exactly an aphrodisiac, prompting Andy to leave all but Woody behind. Watching Buzz and his inanimate cohorts grieve over their sudden lack of presence in Andy's life brings to mind the viewer's own toys of old, and will make you nostalgic for the days when it was cool to stage GI Joe battles. TBT. —MB

Coraline (2009)

British novelist and comic book scribe Neil Gaiman penned a children's novel called Coraline in 2002, and it swept awards for genre novellas in 2003. It wasn't long before the film dropped, turning Gaiman's creepy tale of a young girl who travels to a different world where nothing is what it seems (first sign? Her parents have buttons for eyes—it's terrifying) into a gorgeous stop-motion animation masterpiece. Seeing as Gaiman had a hand in the production, Coraline couldn't miss it. It's also one of the few films worth seeing in 3D. —RS

The Iron Giant (1999)

Director Brad Bird is best known for his Pixar films and his work on The Simpsons, but before making The Incredibles and Ratatouille, he made this heart-breaking gem. A love letter to the monster and sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s, The Iron Giant is about a boy and his robot friend. They have a grand, frolicking adventure—until the military intervenes. What happens next never fails to turn viewers into puddles of hiccuping sobs. They just don't make cartoons like this anymore, and its failure at the box office is probably why. —Rich Knight

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

This French film, Sylvain Chomet's first feature animation, is less for kids and more for adults, and still stands as his greatest work. View it for his animation, one of the most unique styles we've seen in years, or for its witty story of a grandma, her dog, and the aged song-and-dance team, the Belleville Sisters, trying to get back a kidnapped Tour de France cyclist. Though it was nominated for two Academy Awards, The Triplets of Belleville is still considered a hidden gem. It's detailed, surreal, and incredibly charming. —TA

Monsters Inc. (2001)

Monsters Inc is Pixar's lighthearted romp through another dimension behind a kid's closet door, where monsters scare kids as a source of power (as opposed to, you know, our electricity). Despite being 18 years old, the film remains a visual masterpiece. If you want to see beautifully animated opening credits (something we don't see enough of, to be honest), pop in this DVD, then check out the scene of the roller coasters of doors at Monsters Incorporated during the climax of the movie. —TA

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Disney's own version of La Belle et la Bete was the first animated film to catch a nomination for the Best Picture Oscar, and we suspect—without doing much research on the topic—the first film to play at bestiality to be nominated for that award as well.

The G-rated take on the classic fairy tale tells the story of a selfish prince-turned-beast who is cursed by an enchantress for his vanity. To turn him and his castle full of workers back into humans again, he must earn the love of a beautiful woman. Enter: Belle, a kinda feminist (by old Disney standards) badass who's well-read, self-sufficient, and has standards high enough that she doesn't fall for the town's brain-dead pretty boy. Instead, she's into the wounded monster of a man who challenges her and treats her with respect. That said, he's still pretty much a buffalo on two legs. —TA

This article was originally published on complex.com.