Best Animated Movies of All Time — From Aardman to Zootopia

Ah yes, “true beauty is on the inside not out” as many have been told by watching Beauty and the Beast. This Disney classic works in spite of its trite message for a few key reasons. First and foremost, the story is tight and well-executed. Second, the animation and music are classic.

Disney’s Aladdin is another animated classic that was inspired by a much more gruesome fable. In the original fable, taken from the Arabian folktale compilation One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin is much more violent and the stakes of the story are far more complex. 

The Disney version simplified the story and toned down the gruesome aspects so that it would appeal to younger audiences.

No list of the best animations is complete without Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park. In 1999, the duo released the bombastic black comedy musical South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which, of course is a phallic euphemism. 

I like to think of Shrek as a complete deconstruction of the animated movies that inspired it, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. That being said, it’s hard to make a genre/cliche “deconstruction” film. So why does Shrek work so well? The main reason is due to how it exaggerates the cliches for the comedic effect.

How can anybody hate Kung Fu Panda? The film takes the traditional hero’s journey cliche and flips it on its head with a truly ridiculous setting. In addition, Kung Fu Panda has a phenomenal voice cast that features Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane, Angeline Jolie and Jack Black in the starring role.

By 1968, the Beatles had already gone through the global phenomena of “Beatlemania” and were moving in a new, experimental direction. Perhaps no work better embodies this hallucinogenic period better than the animated film Yellow Submarine.

Paperman is proof that animations don’t need to be feature-length to have a strong, emotional impact. At just seven minutes, Paperman is tight, focused, and consistently filled with heart and character. 

The short also makes great use of black and white animation by masterfully controlling light and shadows.

Let’s be honest, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?  is a buckwild film. The first time that I ever saw it, I was probably ten years old, and utterly shocked by what I was seeing. There’s alcoholism, a seductively drawn cartoon lady, and film noir tropes in spades. For a movie predominated by “toons,” it’s surprisingly dense.

Akira is one of the all-time most influential animated films. Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira is an uber-violent and mature story of a futuristic Tokyo that’s wrought with corruption and crime.

Ernest and Celestine feels like watching an old watercolor book come to life. As such, the film makes strong use of the nostalgia that so many have for watercolor drawings.

Klaus is the newest animated film on this list, but it certainly has the chance to be one of the most enduring. The film is a subversive take on the story of Christmas that we’ve all seen recycled from year to year: Santa Claus brings yuletide cheer to children from ear to ear. Ah yes, we’ve all seen this story so many times that it’s become contrived. So how does Klaus subvert it? 

It starts at the foundation with the film’s protagonist Jesper who needs the spirit of giving more than anyone else. So what’s his job? He’s a postman. Where is he a postman? In a place where nobody writes letters. Great, so he probably just lets everybody go about their business and does nothing. That would be too easy! Jesper has to mail a certain amount of letters or else his father, the postmaster general, will cut him off from the family fortune. This well-layered plot is further supported by deconstructing popular Christmas myths, i.e., the notion that Santa loves cookies, shimmying down the chimney, and the “naughty list.”

“Fish are friends, not food” so say the sharks in the Disney Pixar classic Finding Nemo. This nautical animation follows the titular clownfish Nemo, who becomes separated from his dad after dreaming of life out in the great unknown.

Many critics swear by the fact that Pinocchio is one of the top animated movies ever made. I’ve never been as infatuated by the film as others, but there’s no denying its massive influence on animation.

Following the release of Castle in the Sky in 1986, the newly founded Studio Ghibli went into production overdrive working on their next two films: Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies and Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. In 1988, both films were released to critical acclaim.

Has there ever been a movie more pleasantly surprising than The Lego Movie? When the film was first announced, I was immediately skeptical. Even after hearing strong reviews, I went into the theater with tempered expectations and major hesitation.

Toy Story is the film that changed everything for computer-generated animation. This Disney classic has inspired three direct sequels and countless spin-offs. 

By 1940, audiences had somewhat soured on Mickey Mouse, which prompted Walt Disney to find a way to bring the character back into the mainstream. Thus, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was conceived as an animated short that sought to blend fantasy and reality. After production costs rose and rose, Disney decided to expand the project into a montage feature of eight films.