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Animated films have always held a special place in people’s hearts, and for very good reasons. Whether they be 2D or 3D-animated, these projects are genuinely incredible in almost every way. While there’s no such thing as a truly perfect piece of media, these animated movies are about as close as one could get.
This isn’t to say that these are the only perfect animated films out there, but they’re some that are most certainly worth noting. Good animated movies typically find themselves being fun for the whole family, having animation quality unlike the rest, and, at the end of day, remain memorable even decades after release.
10
‘The Prince of Egypt’ (1998)
The Prince of Egypt may very well be one of the most underrated animated projects of all time. It has some absurdly detailed 2D animation and remains a pillar of what many people miss about 2D animated movies, now that 3D/CGI has become so prevalent. As odd as it may sound, though, an animated movie doesn’t rely solely on its animation to be great, and Prince of Egypt is proof in the pudding, thanks to everything that sits alongside the visual fidelity to enhance the film.
With an excellent score by the ever-legendary Hanz Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz, the music behind this project helps enhance not only the visuals, but the excellent story tenfold. Said story has mature storytelling that doesn’t dumb itself down for children, despite still being very accessible to them. This is super important in today’s day and age, with how often animated movies and television shows find themselves dumbing themselves down, because they assume their audience is dumber than they actually are.
9
‘Up’ (2009)
Animated films—those brought to life by the studio of Pixar, specifically—are commonly known for how emotional they’re able to make people feel. This is typically thanks to how much a character can express (being typically more expressive than the likes of a live-action actor), and because the screenwriters are able to craft a story that has to be accessible for everyone, giving the chance for even more of an audience to relate to them. One of the greatest cases is the likes of Pixar’s Up: the story of an old man named Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner (rest in peace)) teaming up with a young scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai) as they search for Paradise Falls via the transportation of his house, led by hundreds of balloons.
The animation from Pixar is great, yes—it always is—but Up finds itself being so amazing because of how well-written the screenplay is by writers and directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (with story assistance from Tom McCarthy). This 2009 release is a story about the importance of love, and letting go of the past’s loss of said love. The opening of Docter and Peterson’s film is known as one of the most emotional film openings of all time, and sets the tone perfectly, showcasing the prowess these two can execute their story with. If the movie can make one cry in the first ten minutes, the rest of the runtime is going to most likely be just as impactful.
8
‘Zootopia’ (2016)
The best animated movies can be for all ages and still find a way to touch on mature, deep, and socially important themes and messages. There are few that accomplish this better than 2016’s Zootopia. While being a production by Walt Disney Animation Studios, it still heavily touches on themes of discrimination and prejudice. It’s far more topical of the modern age than one would ever think a movie like this animal-centric flick could possibly be.
However, this does not mean—not in the slightest, actually—that Zootopia isn’t a family flick filled with fun, comedy, and lightheartedness. In fact, this is an incredibly fun film with great vocal performances from Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman, bringing so much more to the script than just what’s on the page.
7
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Stop-motion animation is one of the most beautiful forms of animation out there. The amount of dedication, love, blood, sweat, and tears that goes into making a movie like this possible is borderline unfathomable. Directed by the extremely talented Henry Selick, Coraline is, by far, one of the greatest stop-motion animated films of all time—putting it higher above most other animated projects.
It emphasizes the struggles of familial dynamics, and how wishing for somewhere better than one currently is doesn’t always end up the way they’d wish. For being a flick for all families, it’s also an incredibly spooky film, filled with almost Tim Burton-like vibes and visuals. The fashion in which it executes its tones is masterful, allowing it to be spooky, but still filled with heart and genuine emotion that ends the film on a satisfying note.
6
‘WALL-E’ (2008)
Sometimes, to get through to the world, said world needs art to tell them the cold, hard truth. If any animated film does that, it’s most certainly WALL-E, produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The themes, plot, and messaging in this iconic project raised a massive amount of awareness of real life issues via the cute little robot, WALL-E (Ben Burtt), and his companion, EVE (Elissa Knight).
The world of WALL-E is one that is scarily similar to what the world’s future could genuinely become. Seeing how much humanity has degraded from laziness and having so much screen time—after destroying the Earth from pollution and waste, mind you—truly affected some people and raised awareness of how many humans rely on screens now, and how little they care about protecting the planet (on a mass scale, that is. As there are plenty of amazing people who actually care about the environment).
5
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Not only is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse excellent in almost every corner of the film, both technically and in its screenplay, but it shook the ground beneath the animation film industry as a whole. The style this movie brought forth inspired so many studios to get more experimental with their styles for both television and movie projects.
The directors of the movie—Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman—don’t get enough credit for how phenomenal this project ended up being. The attention to detail at play made for not just groundbreaking animation, but a story that is super moving and thought-provoking. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular superhero movies of all time.
4
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Pixar Animation Studios has some great films out there, but there’s a group that has gone down in history as the best of the best. One of those is, without a doubt, 2004’s The Incredibles. Following Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) and his superfamily as they try to acclimate to a modest, boring life without using their powers, The Incredibles depicts some lovable and incredibly honest familial dynamics that show that families are, in fact, not perfect at all, but it’s the imperfection that can lead to the strongest love.
This project is raw and honest—marital issues, sibling rivalries, midlife crises—which gives it things that anyone in the family can relate to, which means there’s something for everyone. Not to mention, there’s an awesome score here by the one and only Michael Giacchino that takes inspiration from the James Bond franchise-style of music, while keeping heartwarming familial tones in there, too.
3
‘Shrek’ (2001)
When it comes to animation studios, Pixar’s biggest competitor (and often even surpasses) is the always great DreamWorks Animation. One of the pinnacles of their work is the absolutely legendary Shrek. Being the sixth production done by the studio, this Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson-directed project is hailed as one of the greatest animated movies of all time, and for very good reason.
With DreamWorks being co-founded by the ex-Disney chairman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the studio was built on the things that the ex-chairman wished Disney did better, due to the bitter relationship he had with them in his time there. This led to a movie like Shrek being the epitome of what an antithesis to Disney and their typical storytelling would be. This causes the film to be a gigantic breath of fresh air that mixes adult humor with childish humor, adult themes with family-friendly ones, and all-around makes Shrek one of the most layered animated films of its time. It proved that family animated movies don’t have to be overly safe and can take some risk.
2
‘Ratatouille’ (2007)
Ratatouille is what many consider to be Pixar’s magnum opus. Directed by the incredible The Incredibles director, Brad Bird, this project is one that affected a lot of people and still holds a very special place in their hearts to this day. With a gorgeous depiction of Paris, stunning animation quality, lovable characters, and inspiring message, Ratatouille is iconic in every sense of the word.
The theme that anyone can be great, no matter where they come from or who they are, is one that truly means something to audiences. Passion and acceptance of oneself drive this project to be abundantly inspiring. Not to forget, the food depiction is mouth-watering, truly capturing the essence of good cooking and the types of beauties that cooks can bring to life when they really care about what they do—as is true with any form of creativity.
1
‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
If it isn’t clear already, Brad Bird is one of the most critically acclaimed animation directors thanks to his contributions to The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and, especially, The Iron Giant. Being his first feature film, this story about the bond between a young man and a giant robot is one that is heartwarming, tear-jerking, and truly meaningful.
The Iron Giant is not just a tale about friendship, but one about free will and not being what one thinks they were made to be. It also brilliantly combines 2D animation with 3D CGI animation in a way that blends the two and makes them feel like they genuinely belong in the same world together. The Iron Giant is a true spectacle with an abundance of heart.
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Eddie Possehl
Almontather Rassoul
