Animation is an incredibly diverse medium for storytelling, and the best animated movies of all time come in a variety of styles. Feature-length animation has continued to evolve since its beginnings in the 1930s. Hand-drawn 2D animation used to be the norm, but new technologies have set the stage for computer-generated animation, stop-motion, and many more techniques. This means that filmmakers have more freedom than ever, and they are only limited by their imaginations.
Choosing the best animated movies will always spark debate among fans, since animation is so diverse. Animation shouldn’t be seen as a genre. Instead, it’s best understood as an art form which can facilitate many genres. This means that the best animated movies of all time encompass comedies, sci-fi, fantasy, action and more. It’s impossible to reach a consensus on the best animated movies, but there are some classics which everyone can agree on.
Related The 60 Best Movies Of All Time Screen Rant breaks down the best movies of all time, from old classics to modern masterpieces across multiple genres of cinema.
15 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
A Short And Sweet Holiday Horror
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Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review 9/10 9/10 The Nightmare Before Christmas Where to Watch stream
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buy Not available Not available *Availability in US Director Henry Selick Release Date October 29, 1993 Cast Catherine O’Hara , Glenn Shadix , Ken Page , William Hickey , Chris Sarandon , Paul Reubens , Danny Elfman
A great Christmas movie and a great Halloween movie rolled into one, The Nightmare Before Christmas fully justifies its status as a holiday classic. The otherness of the world in The Nightmare Before Christmas is strangely enticing. There are endless mysteries to be unpicked, creatures to be examined and dark corners to illuminate. Tim Burton and Henry Selick beckon the audience into this strange landscape, enchanting them with memorable music and some gut-busting humor, but The Nightmare Before Christmas packs a surprising emotional punch too. The jittery nature of stop-motion is used to full effect.
14 The Wild Robot (2024)
The Wild Robot Could Signal A Bright Future For Western Mainstream Animation
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The Wild Robot is already being recognized as one of the best DreamWorks movies, rivaling the likes of Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon and Chicken Run. During a time when Pixar, Disney and other major studios are more interested in sequels and remakes than ever before, the unchained originality of The Wild Robot is a breath of fresh air. It puts an interesting spin on 3D animation, with broad, impressionist-style brushstrokes giving The Wild Robot a unique visual appeal that mirrors its fondness for the rough edges of the natural world. It’s a tender story, but an endlessly entertaining one with plenty of laugh-out-loud moemnts.
13 Akira (1988)
Akira Is Action-Packed And Atmospheric
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Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review Akira Where to Watch stream
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buy *Availability in US Director Katsuhiro Otomo Release Date July 16, 1988 Cast Mitsuo Iwata , Nozomu Sasaki , Mami Koyama , Taro Ishida , Tesshô Genda , Mizuho Suzuki , Tatsuhiko Nakamura , Fukue Itō , Kazuhiro Shindō
Animated movies can easily make audiences laugh, cry or think, but Akira is a shock to the system, pulsing with the kind of vibrant action that animation so rarely seems capable of. The story behind the explosive action extravaganza sets the scene perfectly without becoming overly complex. It’s an intriguing sci-fi tale that displays some intelligent, economical worldbuilding. This gives the audience everything they need to buckle in for some relentless thrills. The sci-fi elements develop organically as the story progresses, teeing up a mind-bending finale that leaves a lasting impression.
12 The Incredibles (2004)
The Incredibles Combines Comic Book Thrills With Everyday Drama
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The Incredibles is a beautiful throwback to a bygone era of superhero stories. Its quirky retrofuturist style evokes classic comic books, and it delivers just as much excitement. The Incredibles has far more action and violence than other Pixar movies. It’s worth remembering that Mr. Incredible kills several people during his James Bond-style infiltration of Syndrome’s lair. Still, The Incredibles distinguishes itself from comic book thrills by telling a deeply personal story about the characters behind the masks. Syndrome is arguably Pixar’s best villain, and Bob’s story will be relatable to parents everywhere.
11 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Wes Anderson’s Stop-Motion Animation Dials His Idiosyncratic Style All The Way Up
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Wes Anderson’s movies can be easily identified based on his unique visual style, in which everything within the frame is neatly manicured. His first stop-motion animated movie allowed him even more control, and Fantastic Mr. Fox doesn’t have a whisker out of place. Anderson is a natural fit for a Roald Dahl adaptation, as he too has a childlike sense of wonder and aesthetic exuberance that obscures some darkness. Fantastic Mr. Fox is gorgeous to look at, but it’s an emotionally complex story about a former crook struggling to settle into his new life as a father. It has defied categorization, with critics debating whether it should be classified as a children’s movie or not.
10 Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)
The Heartbreaking War Story Shows The Potential Of Animation
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Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review 10/10 Grave of the Fireflies Director Isao Takahata Release Date April 16, 1988 Cast Tsutomu Tatsumi , Ayano Shiraishi , Akemi Yamaguchi , Yoshiko Shinohara
Grave of the Fireflies debunks the tired old notion that animated movies are solely for children. The Studio Ghibli classic is a harrowing story of desperation and despair, set during the final months of the Second World War in Japan. It follows a boy and his younger sister as they fight to survive while the streets fill with rubble and food becomes scarcer. Although the tragic ending is shown at the very beginning, it’s no less emotionally devastating. Grave of the Fireflies is so painfully relatable that it makes the audience pray against the inevitable, mirroring the dire situation of the war. Animation has rarely been so powerful.
9 Bambi (1942)
Bambi Is Just As Enjoyable As Ever
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buy *Availability in US Director James Algar , Samuel Armstrong , David Hand Release Date August 14, 1942 Cast Hardie Albright , Stan Alexander , Bobette Audrey , Peter Behn , Thelma Boardman , Janet Chapman
As one of Disney’s first animated features, Bambi is filled to the brim with the studio’s intangible magic. The beautiful woodland tale seems to take place in a world that’s a little more colorful and bright than our own. However, Bambi is also mature enough to get dark when it needs to. It’s a simple story, but a deeply emotional one nonetheless. The early scene in which Bambi’s mother dies is one of Disney’s saddest moments of all, not just because of what it means to the young fawn, but also because of the bleak artistry on display. The entire movie is sketched with such love that the animation perfectly reflects the story.
8 Toy Story (1995)
Pixar’s First Movie Changed Animation Forever
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Toy Story represented a landmark moment for animation, but it’s much more than just a piece of history. The 3D computer-generated animation looks relatively quaint by modern standards, as Pixar and other studios have continually pushed the technology forward. The story and the characters are just as charming as ever, though, and it’s no wonder that Toy Story gave rise to the biggest animated movie franchise of all time. The simple premise of Toy Story shows Pixar’s ability to capture the minds of children with ease, and the delightful dynamic between Buzz and Woody means that the movie captures hearts too.
7 Princess Mononoke (1997)
Princess Mononoke’s Moral Complexity Is Fascinating
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Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review 9.8/10 Princess Mononoke Where to Watch stream
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buy *Availability in US Director Hayao Miyazaki Release Date July 12, 1997 Cast Yôji Matsuda , Yuriko Ishida , Yûko Tanaka , Kaoru Kobayashi , Masahiko Nishimura , Tsunehiko Kamijô , Akihiro Miwa , Mitsuko Mori , Hisaya Morishige
Other directors would create entire franchises out of any one of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies, but he is able to create captivating, complex worlds with such regularity that he never needs to retread old ground. Princess Mononoke sees this boundless creativity in full flow, as a dangerous tale unfolds in a rich fantasy world. The action scenes are particularly exhilarating, but Princess Mononoke works just as well in its quiet moments. Its environmental message has withstood the test of time well, and its woven into such a compelling story that it never feels heavy-handed. Princess Mononoke is one of Studio Ghibli’s greatest movies.
6 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
The First Spider-Verse Movie Is Remarkably Original
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The ripple effect of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still reverberating through the field of animation. After a long period when all western animation trended towards similar styles of 3D animation, Into the Spider-Verse tore up the rule book with a patchwork of different visual influences, including comic books, graffiti and Saturday morning cartoons. It helps that the story is just as creative, and told with just as much originality. Into the Spider-Verse is designed to be visually overwhelming. Fortunately, the action is so exciting and the humor is so refreshing that it’s easy to watch multiple times.
5 The Lion King (1994)
The Disney Renaissance Reached Its Peak With The Lion King
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buy *Availability in US Director Roger Allers , Rob Minkoff Release Date June 24, 1994 Cast Matthew Broderick , Moira Kelly , Nathan Lane , Ernie Sabella , Robert Guillaume
The Disney renaissance of the 1990s produced a string of classics, including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Mulan. The Lion King still reigns supreme, with a box office total just shy of a billion dollars and a critical reputation to match. The plot famously mirrors Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but it’s given new life by a lovable cast of animals and some delightful musical numbers. The Lion King is, above all, a generous movie, with gifts for its audience in every scene and every song. It’s a grand epic that details a power struggle across generational boundaries, but the minute details are just as delicately painted.
4 The Iron Giant (1999)
Like Its Protagonist, The Iron Giant Has A Stunning Exterior And A Tender Heart
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Before becoming one of Pixar’s go-to directors, Brad Bird proved that he was just as adept at handling 2D animation with 1999’s The Iron Giant. Although it was famously a box office flop, The Iron Giant is now recognized as a masterpiece of the medium, shortly before 3D computer-generated animation became the industry standard. The Iron Giant has some breathtaking images, as an alien robot thoughtfully plods his way through an American fall. However, the movie always prioritizes the story. It’s both a charming story of young friendship and an exciting Cold War thriller about paranoia and distrust.
3 Pinocchio (1940)
Disney’s Take On A Classic Children’s Book Shows What The Studio Can Do
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Your Rating 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 star 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star 0/10 Leave a Review 5/10 Disney’s Pinocchio Director Ben Sharpsteen , Hamilton Luske , Bill Roberts , Norman Ferguson , Jack Kinney , Wilfred Jackson , T. Hee Release Date February 23, 1940 Cast Cliff Edwards , Dickie Jones , Christian Rub , Walter Catlett , Charles Judels , Evelyn Venable , Frankie Darro
Pinocchio was just the second feature-length animated movie produced by Disney, after 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It represents a bold leap forward in both the animation and the storytelling. Pinocchio is one of the movies which perfectly crystallized the Disney formula in the early days, with an adorable protagonist and just enough threat to keep things interesting. At its best, Disney can connect with its young audience on an emotional level by refusing to talk down to them. Pinocchio is cute and full of laughs, but it’s also a resonant story of growing up and reconnecting with family. It remains one of the very best Disney animated movies.
2 WALL-E (2008)
WALL-E’s Visual Storytelling Is Inspired
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WALL-E may be Pixar’s best movie, but it’s certainly the most ambitious, both visually and in terms of storytelling. Pixar proves that they can make audiences love anything, as a rusty old robot somehow becomes one of the studio’s most relatable characters. The opening act of WALL-E is particularly breathtaking, as the robot protagonist trundles through the ruins of an Earth far in the future which has been wrecked by environmental catastrophe. Soon after, the story moves on to some kid-friendly horror á la 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a tearjerking romance that plays out with barely a word exchanged.
1 Spirited Away (2001)
Studio Ghibli’s Finest Work Tells A Relatable Story In A Fantasy World
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buy *Availability in US Director Hayao Miyazaki Release Date July 20, 2001 Cast Rumi Hiiragi , Miyu Irino , Mari Natsuki , Takashi Naitô , Yasuko Sawaguchi , Tsunehiko Kamijô , Takehiko Ono , Bunta Sugawara
Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece is a gloriously creative treasure, bristling with odd details and fantastical creatures which invite the audience deeper into the spirit world that Chihiro discovers. It’s hard to imagine a movie from a western studio leaving so many mysteries hanging in the air, but Spirited Away’s ending doesn’t answer some of the most puzzling questions that the story raises. Each corner of Miyazaki’s world is inhabited by intriguing characters, rendered beautifully in traditional hand-drawn animation. It’s this attention to detail and this boundless invention that makes Spirited Away so rewarding to watch over and over again.