Best animated films of all time, according to audiences

- Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, David Hand
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 83 minutes

One of the first animated films produced by Disney Studios after Walt Disney's death, this 1973 musical chronicles the adventures of its titular hero. With help from his trusty sidekick, Robin Hood steals from Prince John and shares the spoils with the underprivileged. Viewers can see echoes of previous Disney films in the characters' dancing and facial expressions.

- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 78 minutes

Loosely inspired by Rudyard Kipling's classic Mowgli tales, this animated musical is about a young boy raised by a family of wolves. Upon reaching the age of 10, Mowgli must choose between his jungle friends and the world of humans. This was the last Disney film overseen by Walt Disney himself before his death.

- Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 95
- Runtime: 83 minutes

Disney's first full-length animated feature centers on the lovely Snow White, who takes up with seven dwarfs after running away from her wicked stepmother. Walt Disney's team invented the multiplane camera just for the project, thereby redefining the possibilities of animation. What could have been an outright disaster ended up expanding an entire industry.

- Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 83 minutes

Disney kicked off a latter-day renaissance with this extraordinary effort, in which a mermaid named Ariel gets to be human for three days. Should Ariel fail to receive a kiss from her beloved prince, then she'll belong to an evil sea witch forever. In addition to drawing all the bubbles by hand, the movie's many animators employed airbrushing, backlighting, hand-painted cels, superimposition, xerography, and minor amounts of computer animation.

- Director: Brad Bird
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 118 minutes

The world's foremost family of animated superheroes returned for this massively successful sequel. Despite an ongoing ban on their life-saving practice, Mrs. Incredible takes off to stop a new villain known as the Screen Slaver. Back at home, Mr. Incredible discovers that Baby Jack Jack is in possession of some seriously impressive powers.

- Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 88 minutes

Disney's art directors borrowed from Chinese and Japanese aesthetic traditions when crafting the visual style for this musical epic. Adapting ancient Chinese folklore, it tells the story of a young woman who joins the army in her father's place. A big-budget, live-action remake premiered in March 2020 to overwhelmingly bad reviews.

- Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 107 minutes

Inspired by Polynesian mythology, this computer-animated adventure finds an island village plagued by an ancient curse. To set things right, a fearless explorer named Moana Waialiki embarks on a dangerous ocean journey. A sequel series is set to air on Disney+ in 2023.

- Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 92 minutes

The first film in a beloved trilogy introduces audiences to a lazy panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black), who becomes the world's most unlikely kung fu hero. Under the tutelage of Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), Po and his peers square off against a vengeful snow leopard (voiced by Ian McShane). Described at the time of its release as Dreamworks' "most ambitious project ever," the movie makes deft use of innovative computer technology.

- Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 95 minutes

Audiences first met a supervillain named Gru and his trusty minions in this computer-animated comedy from 2010. Determined to pull off the world's biggest heist, Gru brings three orphan girls into his devious scheme. Two sequels and a spin-off followed.

- Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 84 minutes

The quaint life of an elderly British couple is uprooted by a nuclear attack in this cautionary tale. Based on a graphic novel, it's recognized by the BFI as "one of the most powerful depictions of nuclear armageddon ever made." Who better than Roger Waters of Pink Floyd to compose a 20-plus minute suite for the soundtrack?

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- Directors: René Goscinny, Henri Gruel, Albert Uderzo, Pierre Watrin
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 82 minutes

"Asterix" co-creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo adapted their beloved comic book series for this animated feature. Set in Roman times, it challenges a pair of fearless Gauls to 12 seemingly impossible tasks. The film's speedy pacing and stylistic devices have helped it earn cult status over time.

- Directors: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 98 minutes

From the creators of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" franchise comes the theatrical "Rebuild," a new set of four films. It takes place in an alternate universe of ultra-futuristic proportions, where humans must protect themselves from monstrous creatures called Angels. Most of the plot points are lifted straight out of the first six episodes of the original anime TV series.

- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 119 minutes

With help from a beastly mentor, a street orphan embarks on a perilous adventure between two worlds. This animated fantasy comes to viewers from Studio Chizu and its founder, filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda. Each film from the studio aims to explore "a new continent of movies that nobody has ever seen before."

- Director: Nora Twomey
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 94 minutes

This Oscar-nominated drama tells the story of Parvana, a young girl growing up in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. As Parvana searches for her missing father, she retreats from her harsh reality into a fantasy world of her own design. Like the best-selling novel upon which it's based, the film conjures bravery and hope out of bleak despair.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 102 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki's feature directorial debut continues the adventures of manga-based thief Arsène Lupin III. After robbing a casino of counterfeit bills, Lupin traces the loot to a villainous count with a dangerous family secret. AV Club critic Tasha Robinson praised "Miyazaki's obsessively detailed, gloriously colorful animation style," and a "manically energetic humor that his more sedate children's films never quite achieve."

- Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 103 minutes

This dark slice of Japanimation is based on the third novel in a popular series. Set thousands of years in the future, it follows a half-breed vampire hunter as he races to retrieve a kidnapped girl. Many of the film's characters were designed by Yoshitaka Amano, illustrator of the original novels.

- Directors: James Simone, Hiromasa Yonebayashi
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 103 minutes

Based on a novel of the same name, this Studio Ghibli production sends a young introvert to the Japanese countryside. Once there, she makes a mysterious new friend that only she can see. Rich, hand-drawn visuals and a range of emotive themes drive home the story of two soulmates.

- Director: Mark Osborne
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 108 minutes

Adapted from the bestselling children's book, this visual tour de force centers on the friendship between a young girl and her elderly neighbor. As the neighbor regales with fantastic stories about the "little prince," the young girl gets swept away into a realm of limitless possibility. To distinguish between the two respective worlds, the movie alternates between CGI and stop-motion animation.

- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 98 minutes

Blending elements of comedy, romance, teen drama, and sci-fi, this 2006 anime movie follows a high school girl named Makoto as she travels back in time. Despite the endless possibilities, Makoto mostly uses time travel to prevent petty and awkward things from happening. What she fails to realize is that little actions have big consequences.

- Director: Satoshi Kon
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 90 minutes

Japanese legend Satoshi Kon helmed this mind-bending anime thriller, which some say is a predecessor to Christopher Nolan's "Inception." When a thief takes off with a dream-penetrating machine, fantasy and reality start to collide. Can a young therapist named Paprika find the thief before the material world fractures for good?

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 94 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki takes to the skies in this adventure fantasy with historical overtones. Set in 1930s Italy, it centers on a former WWI pilot who makes his living as a bounty hunter. After being magically transformed into a red pig, the pilot earns himself the nickname Porco Rosso (i.e. "Red Pig").

- Directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe Jr., Norman Ferguson, David Hand, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 96
- Runtime: 125 minutes

A major financial disappointment in its day, this thrilling masterwork is now considered one of Walt Disney's greatest artistic achievements. Interpreting a variety of classical compositions, the movie features an array of vividly animated short films. Included among them is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," in which Mickey Mouse causes all sorts of mayhem when his master is away.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 101 minutes

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," this comic adventure tells the story of a beautiful goldfish named Ponyo. After falling in love with a five-year-old boy, Ponyo magically takes the form of a young girl. As with almost all of Hayao Miyazaki's films, this one features stunning hand-drawn animation.

- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 104 minutes

The most expensive production of its time, this 1988 crime comedy blends live-action and animation to deliriously thrilling effect. Set in a world where humans and cartoons co-exist, it sees Hollywood cartoon star Roger Rabbit framed for murder. His only hope lies in a grumpy, 'toon-hating detective named Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins).

- Director: Trey Parker
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 81 minutes

This big-screen version of a controversial cartoon dials up the show's most clever and uncompromising qualities. It goes big on meta-satire by featuring a movie within a movie, the release of which sparks a war between Canada and the United States. At the heart of the story is a biting critique of the MPAA, which previously slapped Trey Parker's "Orgazmo" with an NC-17 rating.

- Director: Henry Selick
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 100 minutes

Laika Studios became the first company to make a feature-length film using 3D-printed replacement faces when it churned out this 2009 fantasy. Based on a book by Neil Gaiman, the movie follows its 11-year-old title character into a parallel world. What at first seems like a dream come true turns out to be something far more sinister.

- Director: Josh Cooley
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 100 minutes

The "Toy Story" franchise continues to explore coming of age themes in this fourth installment. Now owned by a young girl, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the gang must contend with a new toy named Forky (voiced by Tony Hale). Arguably more introspective than its predecessors, the film still finds time for plenty of high-stakes adventure.

- Directors: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 100 minutes

Everything is awesome for a construction worker (voiced by Chris Pratt) in this comedic tale until he discovers the truth behind his blissfully ignorant existence. The movie somewhat mimics stop-motion animation, as the filmmakers utilized plastic models, Lego sets, and CGI to create its look. A much-awaited sequel was released in 2019.

- Director: Rich Moore
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 101 minutes

A video game villain named Wreck-It Ralph gets tired of his bad rap in this 3D computer-animated comedy. Eager to play the hero, Ralph finagles his way into a completely separate arcade game. Total chaos ensues.

- Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 100 minutes

Disney's 50th animated feature-length film offers a loose take on the story of Rapunzel, presenting her as a teenage girl with 70-foot-long hair. After being locked away for years, Rapunzel takes off on a wild adventure with a bandit named Flynn Rider. Disney spent a ton of money bringing this story to life—$260 million, according to some reports.

- Director: Masahiro Andô
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 103 minutes

A young boy and his dog are on the run from deadly Ming warriors in this overlooked anime adventure. Under the protection of a nameless ronin, they journey to an ancient Buddhist temple. Fans of blood-soaked action and intricate plots may find themselves pleasantly surprised.

- Director: Claude Barras
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 70 minutes

Swiss director Claude Barras employed a loose collective of stop-motion animators to create this award-winning dramedy, which follows a young boy named Courgette to an overstuffed foster home where he picks up some important life lessons. Critic Donald Clarke called the film a "beautifully balanced visual marvel" in a review for The Irish Times.

- Director: René Laloux
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 72 minutes

Co-produced by companies in France and what was then Czechoslovakia, this experimental sci-fi film remains an enduring cult curiosity. The story takes place on a distant planet, where giant blue aliens keep humans as pet-like slaves. An eerie soundtrack and surrealist animation style lend the work a timeless dimension.

- Directors: Kevin Altieri, Boyd Kirkland, Frank Paur, Dan Riba, Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 76 minutes

Released one year after Tim Burton's "Batman Returns," this animated actioner delivers what some say is a more authentic depiction of the Dark Knight. In the film, Batman is framed by an unknown vigilante for the murders of various mob bosses. The movie's art deco design came straight out of the concurrent animated series, which ran from 1992 to 1995.

- Director: Sylvain Chomet
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 91
- Runtime: 80 minutes

Hardly a word of dialogue is uttered in this animated classic from comic-strip artist Sylvain Chomet, who lets the (mostly) hand-drawn visuals do the talking. The plot kicks off when a woman's grandson and two other cyclists get kidnapped during the Tour de France. With help from her beloved dog and a once-famous jazz trio known as The Triplets of Belleville, the woman embarks on a rescue mission.

- Directors: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 94 minutes

This biographical drama takes place a year after Vincent Van Gogh's death and finds a young man looking into the artist's troubled life. As the man conducts various interviews, he discovers that Van Gogh was as elusive and mysterious as the very work he created. True to its subject matter, the movie is made entirely of oil paintings.

- Director: Richard Linklater
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 99 minutes

Director Richard Linklater once described this 2001 effort as "a realistic film about an unreality," which helps explain its heady mix of naturalism and surrealism. The movie takes its protagonist through a dream-like world, where he and others discuss the meaning of life. To create the work, animators used special computer software that allowed them to draw over video images.

- Director: Paul King
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 103 minutes

Due to an unearthed negative review for "Citizen Kane," this acclaimed sequel to 2014's "Paddington" now ranks as the greatest film of all time on Rotten Tomatoes. Worthy of the title or not, "Paddington 2" is not without its many charms. A stolen book and subsequent misunderstanding land the beloved bear in prison, where he quickly makes all kinds of new friends.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 126 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki eschewed the familiar fantasy genre when crafting this biography of the life and times of Jiro Horikoshi. Unable to fulfill his dream of being a pilot, Horikoshi ends up designing one of Japan's most important military planes. The film navigated its way around a fair amount of controversy before earning an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

- Director: Travis Knight
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 101 minutes

A young boy in feudal Japan must locate his father's suit of armor if he wants to fend off a vengeful curse. So goes this stop motion animated adventure from Laika Studios. It took a talented team of carpenters, model builders, artists, dressers, and riggers approximately 18 months to construct the movie's elaborate set pieces.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 103 minutes

As per the traditions laid out in this film, young Kiki must undergo a year of independent life before she can become a full-fledged witch. Equipped with a magic broom, she and her black cat take off for a small community in Japan. There, Kiki finds her place in the world by launching an air delivery service.

- Director: Dean DeBlois
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 102 minutes

A Viking named Hiccup and dragon named Toothless are back in this computer-animated sequel. As the duo squares off against a ruthless villain named Drago Bludvist and his clan, they get help from a legendary dragon-rider. A third installment to the franchise also racked up rave reviews.

- Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 102 minutes

Culling from both American and Japanese influences, this computer-animated adventure goes down in the city of San Fransokyo. In the wake of a devastating event, a boy and his friends form a co-op of amateur superheroes. Helping them in their quest is an inflatable healthcare robot by the name of Baymax.

- Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 90 minutes

Loosely based on a book of the same name, this smash hit takes place in a world inhabited by classic fairy tale characters. To reclaim his swampland, an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and his loudmouthed donkey friend (voiced by Eddie Murphy) must defeat a dragon and save a princess (voiced by Cameron Diaz) from captivity. The movie's animation style and off-the-cuff humor set the template for many more Dreamworks productions to come.

- Directors: Daisuke Nishio, Hirotoshi Rissen, Leiji Matsumoto, Kazuhisa Takenouchi
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 68 minutes

Created as a visual companion to Daft Punk's 2001 album "Discovery," this animated adventure blends a variety of genres. It picks up where previous music videos left off and pits the alien-like bandmates against a ruthless record executive. Veteran Japanese artist Leiji Matsumoto drew upon years of experience to design the movie's retro anime aesthetic.

- Director: Takahiro Ômori
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 45 minutes

Based on a one-shot shoujo manga, this 45-minute anime centers on the friendship between a young girl and the spirit who saves her. As the girl comes of age, her relationship with the spirit takes on a conflicting dynamic. The beautifully animated story examines themes of love and mortality.

- Directors: Khurram H. Alavi, Ayman Jamal
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 52
- Runtime: 105 minutes

Journey back over 1,000 years in this 3D computer-animated adventure based on true events. Sold into slavery, Bilal ibn Rabah overcomes various obstacles on his way to becoming a great warrior and revolutionary. From his struggle, a new religion is born.

- Directors: Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Benjamin Renner
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 80 minutes

Adapted from a series of children's books, this French-Belgian dramedy chronicles the unlikely bond between a bear and a mouse. Ostracized by their respective tribes, the two friends come up against a number of stark prejudices. Hand-drawn animation and gentle watercolor backgrounds further distinguish the film from the standard family fare.

- Director: Tatsuya Nagamine
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 59
- Runtime: 100 minutes

A long-running franchise broke new ground with the "Dragon Ball Super" TV series and this theatrical continuation. Bursting at the seams with kinetic action, the film reintroduces and reimagines an elite supervillain named Broly. Adored by critics and fans alike, it became the highest-grossing film of the entire franchise.

- Director: Satoshi Kon
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 87 minutes

From the director of "Paprika" and "Perfect Blue" comes this animated drama about the life and career of Chiyoko Fujiwara, a reclusive former movie star. By interlacing events from Fujiwara's past with scenes from her films, the story takes on complex layers of meaning. The main character was reportedly inspired by real-life actress Setsuko Hara, who similarly vanished from the spotlight in the midst of her career.

- Director: Satoshi Kon
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 92 minutes

Three homeless people find an abandoned baby and set out to locate its parents in this anime comedy, co-written and co-directed by Satoshi Kon. It takes place on Christmas in Tokyo and presents the main characters with a series of misadventures. The story is loosely inspired by the John Ford western "3 Godfathers," starring John Wayne.

- Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 94 minutes

Set in Edo-period Japan, this groundbreaking anime adventure follows a mercenary ninja named Jubei as he tracks down the leaders of a murderous clan. The Wachowski sisters (of "The Matrix" fame) have cited this film as an influence in their work.

- Directors: Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Tensai Okamura, Hiroyuki Okiura, Yoshiyuki Takei
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 115 minutes

A terrorist attempts to kill the human population on Mars in this anime sci-fi film, which picks up where episode 22 of the popular TV series left off. It's up to the bounty hunting crew of the spaceship Bebop to locate the mysterious perpetrator. As the hunt continues, the line between sanity and insanity begins to blur.

- Director: Yoshifumi Kondô
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 111 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay for this romantic drama, about the relationship between an avid book reader and the boy who keeps checking out all her favorite titles. It was the first film from Studio Ghibli to incorporate computer animation for certain scenes, though the movie is still very much a hand-drawn endeavor. Director Yoshifumi Kondô passed away just a few years after the film's release.

- Director: Wes Anderson
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 101 minutes

Wes Anderson returned to the stop-motion animation format with this predictably quirky outing, which takes place during a dog flu outbreak in Japan. When all dogs are exiled to Trash Island, a young boy journeys there to get his beloved pet back. The movie features voice work from Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Yoko Ono, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, and others.

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- Director: Wes Anderson
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 87 minutes

Director Wes Anderson's first foray into stop motion animation brings a classic Roald Dahl tale to life. After a cunning fox enacts one last raid on a trio of nasty farmers, he must protect his community from retaliation. Providing their voices are a number of A-list celebrities, including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson.

- Directors: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 92 minutes

With Andy away (at summer camp), the toys will still play in this award-winning sequel. Things take a turn for the worse after Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) gets stolen by a crazed collector. It's up to Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang to rescue their friend before he gets stuck behind glass forever.

- Director: Mamoru Oshii
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 83 minutes

A cyberpunk cult classic was updated using modern animation and audio technologies for this 2008 re-release. Based on a manga of the same name, the movie sends two futuristic cops on the trail of a dangerous hacker. Skip the disappointing live-action remake and go straight to either this version or its 1995 predecessor.

- Directors: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 112 minutes

The "Rebuild of Evangelion" continues and so too does the war between humans and Angels. In this second installment, NERV pilots Mari Illustrious Makinami and Asuka Langley Shikinami resort to dangerous battle tactics. The film was nominated for Best Animation Film at the 33rd Japanese Academy Awards, and it won the Award of Excellence.

- Director: Isao Takahata
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 137 minutes

Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata took over eight years to develop this animated adventure, which is based on a 10th-century Japanese folktale. After being discovered inside a bamboo stalk, a tiny girl blossoms into a mysterious princess. Takahata renders an exquisite hand-drawn and painterly style, blending hard lines with dreamy watercolors.

- Director: Satoshi Kon
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 81 minutes

Satoshi Kon's debut feature film endures as one of his most prescient and influential works. When a pop idol leaves her girl group behind to focus on acting, she finds herself being targeted by a vicious stalker. Thanks to its psychological underpinnings, the movie represented a radical shift from the standard anime fare.

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 96 minutes

Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi adapted her own work when co-directing this autobiographical drama, which kicks off in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. After being sent to a boarding school in Vienna, a young and precocious Marji finds it no easier to adapt. Satrapi's illustrative black-and-white style makes an easy transition onto the screen, providing a perfect accompaniment to the film's socio-political themes.

- Director: Mamoru Oshii
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 83 minutes

A brilliant cyberpunk manga got the big-screen treatment it deserved back in 1995 and subsequently inspired a slew of major sci-fi films. The story follows a cyborg policewoman and her partner as they track down a hacker known only as The Puppet Master. Not just visually unique, the story asks what it means to be human in an overly mechanized world.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 125 minutes

The first full-length movie animated by Studio Ghibli centers on a young boy and a mystical girl, who race through the sky in search of a floating castle. In their possession is a crystal amulet of considerable power, and on their tail are various high-flying enemies.

- Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in the futuristic city of Neo-Tokyo, this groundbreaking cyberpunk anime film chronicles the exploits of a bike gang leader named Shōtarō Kaneda. When one of Kaneda's fellow gang members unlocks psychic powers, it sets off a brutal series of violent confrontations. The movie is frequently cited as a major influence across a full spectrum of media.

- Director: Brad Bird
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 86 minutes

A financial disappointment upon its release, Brad Bird's feature-length directorial debut is now considered a bona fide cult classic. It centers on the friendship between a young boy and a giant alien robot, who together must flee from a paranoid government agent. Bird pursued the project in hopes of answering the question: "What if a gun had a soul?"

- Director: Henry Selick
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 76 minutes

Chaos comes to Halloween Town when local leader Jack Skellington tries to whip up some Christmas spirit in this holiday classic. Replete with stunning stop motion animation and a handful of catchy songs, the film brings Tim Burton's vision to life.

- Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 90 minutes

Disney was in a whole new world by the time this wildly popular adventure came along, about a romantic street urchin named Aladdin. Hoping to impress the beautiful Princess Jasmine, Aladdin wishes upon a genie's lamp and becomes a powerful prince. A live-action remake starring Will Smith dropped in 2019.

- Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 95
- Runtime: 84 minutes

Long before the live-action remake came this animated fantasy, in which an unruly beast takes a young beauty as his prisoner. Should the beautiful Belle learn to love her captor, then a curse will lift and a prince will be revealed. Disney mostly kept to hand-drawn animation, though the studio did utilize a new Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) for the now-famous ballroom sequence.

- Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 108 minutes

Anthropomorphic animals from all walks of life converge in the city of Zootopia and even manage to get along in this computer-animated comedy. Everything changes when a strange affliction turns some of the city's residents into rabid predators. It sounds like a job for Judy Hopps, the ZPD's newest rookie and the city's first bunny cop.

- Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 96
- Runtime: 111 minutes

An aspiring chef lands a sweet gig inside a Parisian restaurant in this computer-animated comedy from Pixar. There's just one problem: the aspiring chef happens to be a rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt). It looks like Remy will need a little help from a bumbling kitchen employee named Linguini, who uncovers some hidden skills of his own.

- Director: Brad Bird
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 115 minutes

Mr. and Mrs. Incredible were two of the city's greatest superheroes before their career was banned. Fifteen years later, they're living a quiet life in suburbia with their three children. That all changes when Mr. Incredible is called back into action, but little does he realize the new job is not what it seems.

- Directors: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 103 minutes

Filmmakers Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart capped off their "Irish Folklore Trilogy" with this final installment, which tells the story of Robyn Goodfellowe, an apprentice hunter who crosses the divide between two distinct worlds. The movie's hand-drawn animation style was deliberately expressive so as to relay subtle insights about certain characters and environments.

- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 71
- Runtime: 117 minutes

It's hard out there for a widowed werewolf in this award-winning family drama. Not only does the werewolf need to raise her unpredictable son and daughter, but she has to do so while keeping their secret hidden from the world. Japanese production company Digital Frontier handled the visuals, combining CG with celluloid animation.

- Directors: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 87 minutes

The second installment of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" franchise, "The End of Evangelion" was the last film until the acclaimed "Rebuild" tetralogy launched in 2006. It provides an alternate ending to the original TV series, remaking episodes 25 and 26 with higher quality animation and more dramatic heft. In command of Evangelion Unit 01, pilot Shinji Ikari must wage battle against the mysterious Angels.

- Director: Naoko Yamada
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 130 minutes

A former bully turned depressed teen embarks down a path of redemption in this manga-based drama. Bolstered by solid writing and an unflinching approach, the story examines torment from both internal and external perspectives.

- Director: Tomm Moore
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 93 minutes

Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore employed his signature hand-drawn animation style for this thrilling adventure. It centers on a pair of young siblings, one of whom has the power to transform into a seal. Determined to save the spirit world, the brother and sister embark on a perilous journey across the sea.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 117 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki adapted his own manga when making this 1984 epic, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and tackles environmental themes. At the heart of the story is the noble Princess Nausicaä, who struggles to keep the peace between two warring clans. Should she fail, it could mean the end for an already dying planet.

- Director: Adam Elliot
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 92 minutes

This stop motion animated comedy hails from Australia and depicts the unlikely friendship between its two title characters. Despite living in different countries, 8-year-old Mary and 44-year-old Max engage in a 20-year correspondence. Meanwhile, the question lingers: Will these two friends ever meet in person?

- Directors: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 100 minutes

Winner of Best Animated Feature Film at the 2021 Oscars, "Soul" follows an aspiring jazz pianist (Joe, voiced by Jamie Foxx) into the cosmic realm between life and death. Joe's subsequent journey makes good on the film's title in more ways than one. The story's seeds were planted over two decades ago when co-director Pete Docter asked himself where his newborn son's personality came from.

- Directors: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 94
- Runtime: 95 minutes

A young girl named Riley grapples with a new move and so do her emotions in this unconventional adventure comedy. As Riley navigates her way through a new city and new school, her personified emotions likewise embark on a consequential journey. The film's creators physically modeled each emotion after a specific shape, which helps explain why Disgust resembles broccoli.

- Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 98 minutes

Adored by critics and audiences alike, this 3D computer-animated adventure tells the story of a Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and a dragon named Toothless. Determined to be a mighty dragon hunter, Hiccup ends up becoming best friends with his supposed enemy. Together, he and Toothless try to mend the bitter feud between Vikings and dragons.

- Directors: Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 92 minutes

Set in the city of Monstropolis—where children's screams keep the power on—monsters Mike and Sulley make a living by eliciting those very same screams. When a human girl accidentally gets loose on their watch, the two friends scramble to return her to her bedroom before word gets out. Along the way, they discover that humans aren't so bad after all.

- Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 100 minutes

One of Pixar's most celebrated efforts follows a fish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) as he searches the sea for his missing son. Helping along the way is a forgetful blue tang named Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). The extraordinary computer animation came literally bursting off the screen in 2012 when the film was re-released in 3D.

- Directors: Sergio Pablos, Carlos Martínez López
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 96 minutes

This award-winning comedy puts an alternate spin on the origin story of Santa Klaus (voiced by J. K. Simmons). Banished to the freezing town of Smeerensburg, an inept postal worker (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) forges life-changing friendships. It represents the feature directorial debut from Sergio Pablos, creator of the "Despicable Me" franchise.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 86 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki serves up some magical realism as only he can in this 1988 fantasy film, which follows two young girls out to the Japanese countryside. While tending to their sick mother, the girls embark on numerous adventures with the forest spirits nearby. Miyazaki based parts of the story on personal experience, as he too had a sick mother when he was young.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 119 minutes

Yet another triumph from Hayao Miyazaki, this anime adventure finds a young woman cursed with an old woman's body. The only way she can break the spell is by seeking out a magician named Howl, who lives inside a moving castle. To supplement the hand-drawn animation during certain scenes, Miyazaki and his team made light use of CG technology.

- Director: Lee Unkrich
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 92
- Runtime: 103 minutes

"Toy Story 3" follows Woody and the gang to a brutal daycare center, where the kids torment by day and an angry stuffed bear runs the show at night. Can the toys escape before it's too late?

- Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 96 minutes

This acclaimed comedy-drama opens with an emotional montage before segueing into the story of a man and his house. After attaching numerous balloons to the roof, the man floats off in search of Paradise Falls. Little does he realize that a stowaway has tagged along for the ride, or that life-threatening danger awaits them both.

- Director: Don Hertzfeldt
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 62 minutes

Unifying three short films into one, Don Hertzfeldt's experimental masterpiece defies convention at every turn. Bear witness to the psychological breakdown of a stick figure named Bill, who searches for meaning in the modern world. Philosophical insight blends with absurdist humor to generate a completely unique viewing experience.

- Director: John Lasseter
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 95
- Runtime: 81 minutes

Pixar's inaugural feature introduces viewers to all of Andy's toys, who spring to life when humans aren't around. A cowboy named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is living the dream until Andy brings home a new action figure by the name of Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen).

- Director: Makoto Shinkai
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 106 minutes

Director Makoto Shinkai injects heartfelt drama with a sci-fi twist and redefines teen anime in the process. With epic distance between them, two strangers mysteriously swap bodies and pine to connect in person. The story delivers no shortage of unexpected surprises, taking on genuine gravitas as it builds toward an apocalyptic final act.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 134 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki's international breakthrough hit follows a young warrior into the woods, where he gets embroiled in a fierce battle between human beings and forest gods. Interspersing epic fantasy with occasional violence, the movie additionally serves as a testament to the power and fragility of the natural world.

- Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 117 minutes

This new twist on the Spider-Man story sends Brooklyn superhero Miles Morales into a head-spinning multiverse. It's here that he teams up with five other Spidey superheroes to take on a dangerous threat. Animators borrowed ideas from the hand-drawn tradition and broke all sorts of new ground while coming up with the movie's computer-generated visuals.

- Directors: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 105 minutes

An aspiring musician named Miguel ventures into the Land of the Dead in this vividly colorful Pixar flick. While trying to connect with his deceased idol, Miguel encounters various relatives and befriends a trickster named Héctor. As it turns out, there's far more to Héctor than first meets the eye.

- Director: Andrew Stanton
- IMDb user rating: 8.4
- Metascore: 95
- Runtime: 98 minutes

The future does not look bright in this computer-animated sci-fi film, which opens on a trash-filled planet devoid of humans. While wading through the refuse, an adorable robot named WALL·E follows the object of his affection onto a giant spaceship. It's here that viewers discover what humans have been up to all this time, and the answer is: not much.

- Director: Ivo Caprino
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 88 minutes

A decisive car race lies at the heart of this Norwegian stop-motion-animated adventure, based on the work of artist Kjell Aukrust. While lesser known to modern American audiences, it's one of the most popular and beloved films in Norwegian history. In fact, local ticket sales reportedly exceeded the country's total population.

- Director: Isao Takahata
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 94
- Runtime: 89 minutes

Based on a semi-autobiographical short story of the same name, this animated drama takes place in Japan during WWII. After being separated from their parents during a firebombing, a young boy and his little sister struggle to survive. The movie is far more somber than the average Studio Ghibli fare, and its powerful message about the value of life still resonates.

- Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Metascore: 88
- Runtime: 88 minutes

Disney was on a veritable hot streak when it unleashed this epic crowd-pleaser, which won two Academy Awards. It tells the story of a lion prince named Simba, who returns from exile to reclaim the throne. A more recent live-action remake scored big at the box office but divided critics.

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Metascore: 96
- Runtime: 125 minutes

Hayao Miyazaki's most iconic effort was the highest-grossing movie in Japan for nearly 20 years. It follows a young girl into a fantastic parallel world where spirits roam free and humans get turned into animals. To understand why The New Yorker once described Miyazaki as the "auteur of anime," look no further than this quintessential work.