Shedding its unfairly labeled tag of being a medium for children, animation has become a juggernaut in the 21st century. While there is plenty of kids' movies in the realm of animation, these films often contain enough mature themes to appeal to adults as well, sometimes creating genuinely emotional scenes that rival any film "made for adults."
Animation is also a medium that has been adopted worldwide, with the best films hailing from both Asia and the West. What makes animation so appealing from a storytelling perspective is that it allows creatives to explore incredible worlds that are too complicated to create in a live-action setting, restricted only by imagination. This has led to great movies set in the sky, the sea, and even inside the mind of a child.
10 'Howl's Moving Castle' (2004)
IMDb Score: 8.2
A classic from animation kings Studio Ghibli, Howl's Moving Castle follows Sophie, a young woman who is turned into a 90-year-old after being cursed by a witch. Made old before her time, Sophie becomes a traveling companion of Howl, a wizard, and she becomes his cleaning lady as they journey in his flying castle to search for a cure for her.
Howl's contains the signature dazzling animation and heartfelt storytelling that Ghibli is known for. Set in a fictional kingdom that relies on both magic and technology, Sophie and Howl find themselves caught in a war between kingdoms as the film touches on anti-war themes born from director Hayao Miyazaki's opposition to the war in Iraq.
9 'Inside Out' (2015)
IMDb Score: 8.2
Pixar is famous for always having a bunch of feelings hidden within their seemingly kid-focused films, often crafting characters and scenarios that are enough to make even the most hardened person shed a tear. Inside Out makes that perfectly clear by focusing on feelings directly, with every one containing five talking feelings inside them.
The film focuses on Riley, a young girl who is navigating the terrors of adolescence. With the embodiments of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear living inside her, they try to guide her through this troubling time. After an incident causes Riley's core memories to become corrupted, her feelings race to save her emotions.
8 'Finding Nemo' (2003)
IMDb Score: 8.2
Beloved by children and adults worldwide, Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's best movies. After his son Nemo goes missing, overprotective father Marlin sets out with the outgoing Dory to find him while braving the dangerous waters of the ocean and making new friends along the way.
Despite being twenty years old, Finding Nemo remains a big part of popular culture as its dialogue is still quoted regularly, while its characters are some of the most beloved in the medium. Its personal story of a widowed father looking for his only child is a powerful tale that resonates with parents in particular.
7 'Toy Story 3' (2010)
IMDb Score: 8.3
The third entry in the classic series, Toy Story 3 is considered by many to be the best in the franchise. With Andy about to leave for college and having no time for his childhood toys anymore, they are accidentally shipped off to a daycare center. Feeling they have been abandoned, Woody rallies the toys to come together to make the trek back home.
Toy Story 3 has been praised for its handling of themes surrounding the loss of youth. Growing old is something that everyone has to face, and the movie does it in such a way that is both fantastical and relatable, telling a story that can make you laugh in one scene and cry in the next.
6 'Up' (2009)
IMDb Score: 8.3
Up follows elderly Carl, who is living alone after the death of his beloved wife Ellie. Resolved to finally go on the vacation to South America they always planned, Carl attaches countless balloons to his house to float there, joined by young wilderness explorer Russell, an excitable and caring kid.
Up is most famous for its opening scene which depicts Carl and Ellie's relationship from beginning to end. It makes for a wholesome sequence as the pair share a genuine romance before it falls apart as Ellie eventually falls ill and passes away. It is one of the hardest-hitting and well-made openings in cinema, with many viewers finding themselves in tears before the movie has even truly begun.
5 'Your Name.' (2016)
IMDb Score: 8.4
One of the best takes on the body-swapping trope, Your Name revolves around two teenagers who find themselves swapping bodies randomly. With Taki living in Tokyo and Mitsuha in the Japanese countryside, the two decide to meet in person which complicates things further.
Using anime to tell a sweet romantic story, Your Name is a great example of the varied stories that can be told in the medium. Along with critical acclaim, the movie was met with massive financial success as well, becoming the third highest-grossing anime movie of all time.
4 'Coco' (2017)
IMDb Score: 8.4
Set in Mexico, Coco follows Miguel, a young boy who is obsessed with music. Despite his family having put a ban on music, Miguel idolizes the famous Ernesto de la Cruz and teaches himself to play guitar while watching the deceased musician's videos. When a series of incidents leads to Miguel finding himself in the Land of the Dead, he embarks on a quest to find his hero.
Coco offers a view a look at a culture and a country that is usually not given the proper respect in film. It uses music and the beliefs of the Mexican people to craft a deep and engaging story, as Miguel and his new traveling companion Hector explore the vastness of the underworld.
3 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
IMDb Score: 8.4
Ditching the over-adapted story of Peter Parker to instead focus on the younger Miles Morales, Into the Spider-Verse follows Miles as he gains his web-swinging powers. When his efforts as a wannabe crime fighter lead to a tear in the multiverse, he is forced to team up with multiple versions of Spider-Man from alternate universes.
Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best-animated movies of all time, with every frame of the movie a treat for the eyes. It has already proved to be influential in the medium with the recent Puss in Boots: The Last Wish leaning into its animation style for its action scenes, while Spider-Verse's story also contains plenty of laughs and feels.
2 'Wall-E' (2008)
IMDb Score: 8.4
Set in the future when humanity has destroyed the planet and voyaged into the stars to start again, robots have been left behind to clean up the insurmountable amount of rubbish left on the planet. One of those robots is WALL-E, who leaves his post to chase another robot named EVE across the galaxy after he falls in love with her.
While WALL-E offers a sweet story about a charming little robot and how far he will go for love, it is also a comment on the state of the Earth. With global warming becoming a bigger issue with each passing year, the film serves as a kid-friendly examination of why humanity needs to do a better job of looking after the world around us.
1 'Spirited Away' (2001)
IMDb Score: 8.6
One of the most acclaimed animated movies ever, Spirited Away is often referred to as both Studio Ghibli's and Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece. The story follows ten-year-old Chihiro who finds herself trapped in the spirit world where she is forced to work at a witch's bathhouse in order to free her parents who have been turned into pigs.
Spirited Away's mix of imaginative storytelling and mesmerizing hand-drawn visuals quickly gained it a large following, and it is regularly placed on lists of the greatest movies of all time. It also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and to date is the only non-English speaking film to do so.