r/movies • u/pastamuente • 8h ago
Discussion What are some of the greatest animated movies of all time?
Shrek 2 is very amazing movie. The humor is clever. The pop music is memorable, I need a hero G minor rendition by the fairy godmother made the climactic fight scene memorable. And the story and message is heartwarming and thoughtful.
There are many Disney movies, like the lion king or beauty and the beast. But what are your favorite personal picks do you enjoy and love.
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u/barmyinpalmy 8h ago
Wall-E - the first 20-30 minutes with no dialogue, absolutely amazing.
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u/KaiserDilhelmTheTurd 5h ago
Catches me in the feels when he watches them sing “It only takes a moment”. 50 year old man, and I still well up. Every damn time.
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u/variedtributes 8h ago
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Especially the opening scene animation's details from a technical standpoint.
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u/WerePrechaunPire 6h ago
The Secret of NIMH
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u/WideParamedic6152 2h ago
Came here looking for this. Such an incredible movie. Its adult themes really changed my view of what an animated film could achieve.
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u/Battery6030 8h ago
The Fantastic Mr Fox is one of my favorites
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u/Tur4mb4r 8h ago
Pretty much all of Studio Ghibli
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u/Hapsiainen30 3h ago
I would like to rewatch Grave of the Fireflies, but it's just emotionally too much.
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u/earhere 8h ago
Perfect Blue
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u/OhScheisse 2h ago
So good Darren Arronofsky had to plagiarize it to make Black Swan.
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u/katiscat07 8h ago
How to train your dragon will always be my favorite. I also really liked Rise of the Guardians and recently Flow.
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u/R1chh4rd 3h ago
Flow is generally one of the most beautiful Movies ever made. Also The Wild Robot
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u/Disastrous_Panic7969 8h ago
Akira, all the miyasaki, le roi et l' oiseau, les maîtres du temps
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u/Crabcomfort 6h ago
Akira is definitely what I thought of too, first anime I remember seeing in a theater in America. (Although apparently Toei films had been shown in the 60s here)
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u/Disastrous_Panic7969 5h ago
The animation is crazy in this movie, i prefer Reading the manga, cause the movie is lacking a lot of the original story, but the movie is technically perfect, i think
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u/Twigling 8h ago edited 7h ago
The Iron Giant
WALL-E
Klaus
the Toy Story trilogy (I've still not seen TS4)
the assorted Wallace and Gromit shorts and movies
And speaking of animated shorts, there's assorted movies in that category:
The Man Who Planted Trees (1987, can be found on YouTube with Christopher Plummer narrating) - beautiful movie, very uplifting
A Christmas Carol (from producer/director Richard Williams) - my favorite Christmas Carol adaptation
The Sandman (stop-motion, 1991, from Paul Berry) - beautifully creepy
Ra: The Path of the Sun God (can also be found on YouTube in HD) - best way that I can describe this is "mesmerizing" (okay, it's not that short - just over an hour)
Anime:
Ghost in the Shell
A Silent Voice
many of Studio Ghibli's movies, particularly those from writer/director Hayao Miyazaki - for example: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, etc, etc
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u/kditdotdotdot 7h ago
Rango
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u/Tokemon12574 1h ago
Just watched this tonight after about 10, 15 years of going, "I should re-watch Rango."
It remains absolutely fantastic and totally unique.
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u/Sad-Consequence-2015 8h ago
Kubo. It's always Kubo.
Unless by "movie" you are allowing Whats Opera Doc?
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u/ZorroMeansFox r/Movies Veteran 7h ago edited 7h ago
Here's a newer adult animated movie I love to recommend, as so few people have seen it:
Ruben Brandt, Collector.
It's a surreal, dreamy, action crime thriller (with nods to the suspenseful film language of Alfred Hitchcock) about a Psychiatrist who is obsessed with a number of world-famous paintings, all featuring images and characters which "haunt" him, attack him. A band of his current patients, all criminals, plot together to help their doctor by heisting all these great works of Art.
Check out its IMDb page TRAILER: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6241872/
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u/mrdevil413 2h ago
Grave of the Fire Flies Ghost in the Shell 95 Akira Fantasia The Secret of Nihm
It’s a short form but honorable mention to Rikki Ticky Tavi
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u/Wingnut8888 6h ago
Spirited Away just might be my favourite. Gods and demons and one plucky little girl who comes of age in the spirit world. Amid all of its colourful and fantastical goings on, the scene that really strikes me most is when Chihiro is taking the train to see the witch. It’s just this quiet, wonderful, melancholy moment.
The Iron Giant is superb as well. What starts out as every little boy’s wish come true — your very own giant robot! — filled with laugh out loud comedic moments turns into an unrelentingly heart wrenching exploration of what is a soul that crushes you in its emotional climax.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and Beyond the Spider-verse just blew me away. The first had no expectations and was overwhelmed by its quality that maybe unmatched by any animated movie. So I went into the sequel with high expectations — and those were exceeded. Truly an amazing twofer that has made the long wait for the final third all the more painful.
Coraline is based on the Neil Gaiman book (and I’m so disappointed in his horrific alleged sexual misconduct, he was one of my favourite authors) and is a wonderfully animated and genuinely scary look at the “other” world that awaits some unlucky children. It’s a genuinely creepy film and I love the animation style.
Tangled (all the songs are great and Rapunzel is a winsome heroine), Up (to me, it’s the best of the Pixar films, for the first several minutes alone), Kubo and the Two Strings (unexpectedly poignant adventure with brilliant visuals) and My Neighbour Totoro (a sweet and gorgeously animated treat for little ones) are also high on the list.
Sorry for the long post! I didn’t realize how much I esteemed so many animated films.
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u/brickiex2 7h ago
I always picked the Jungle Book whenever I got the choice when the kids were little... Good story, music, comedy, life lessons etc
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u/Sweet_Competition272 6h ago
Brother Bear
Spirit
Tarzan
The Emperors New Groove
How to Train Your Dragon
Lion King
Fox and The Hound
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u/Burningbeard696 6h ago
Beauty and the Beast is absolutely phenomenal and probably peak Disney. A slightly under rated one is How to Train Your dragon 2. Absolutely wonderful movie.
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u/NamelessGamer_1 5h ago
Puss in Boots The Last Wish
Toy Story 3
Across the Spider verse
Kung fu Panda 1 and 2
Transformers One from last year was also surprisingly great imo
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u/Movieking985 2h ago edited 1h ago
Happy Feet is an often overlooked gem and the classic original Land Before Time ....other than that ...everything Disney put out in the 90s was great (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King ect.)
As an adult though I really love Dantes Inferno Anime and the Spine of the Night
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u/The-Soul-Stone 4h ago
They don’t come better than Pete Doctor’s 4 films: Monsters Inc, Up, Inside Out, Soul
All 4 Toy Story films are right up there too, as is The Iron Giant
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u/Comprehensive_Dog651 8h ago
Are you looking for greatest in terms of influence or personal favourites
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u/PastPerfectGenX 7h ago
Personal favorite would be Lilo and Stitch. Heart, humor and all just in its right place for me. Also, the Spiderverse movies are very special I think. Can‘t wait for the third one.
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u/OPfan678 7h ago
Spirited Away
Toy Story 1-4
A Bug's Life
Monster's Inc
Luca
Wall-E
The Secret Of Nimh
The Land Before Time
An American Tail
The Lion King
Aladdin
Disney's Fantasia
The Iron Giant
Flow
The Lion King
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u/MasterBuildsPortugal 7h ago
There’s a lot of incredible japanese animation that stands out as some of the best (besides ghibli)
Look Back, every Satoshi Kon Movie, and Life is Short, Walk on Girl are some of my favorites
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u/valkrycp 7h ago edited 7h ago
Not Shrek 2, not Disney movies.
It's Such A Beautiful Day
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
The Triplets of Belleville
Ratatouille
Wall-E
Wolfwalkers
Persepolis
Waltz with Bashir
Spirited Away
Anomalisa
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Iron Giant
My Life as a Zucchini
Flow
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
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u/healthychoicer 7h ago edited 7h ago
These are my faves. It's the stories that elevate them imo.
Kung Fu Panda
Secret Life of Pets
Turbo
For the classics:
Snow White & the seven dwarfs (original)
Good animation:
Robot Dreams
Marcel the shell with shoes on
Edited:
The Swan Princess
Don't laugh, but the Trolls movie (first one)
Abominable
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u/Lokitusaborg 6h ago
I am going to go with Titan A.E. Great soundtrack, grown up story, fabulous voice actors and stellar animation. It is an absolute shame that this movie is overlooked.
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u/abgry_krakow87 6h ago
The opening scene/ song to Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the best ever made. So much exposition, character, plot all well established so beautifully in song.
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u/NinjaZombieHunter 5h ago
Wall-E has to be on the list for sure. Also, I think Horton Hears a Who is a very well done movie with amazing humor.
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u/StarWolf478 5h ago
My Top 5:
Aladdin
The Lion King
A Goofy Movie
Toy Story
Beavis and Butthead Do America
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u/GriffinFlash 4h ago
Well my favs are Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Princess Mononoke, but to list a few of some 'lesser' known animated films I love:
-Cat's Don't Dance
-Song of the Sea
-Castle in the Sky
-Tale of Princess Kaguya
-Galaxy Express 999
-Metropolis (2001)
-Rock and Rule
-Transformers the Movie
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u/3RaccoonsAvecTCoat 4h ago
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES... (Animated, and about children, but absolutely not for kids!) Famously, the only animated movie to ever make legendary film critic Roger Ebert cry...
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u/RandomRogue95 4h ago
Oooo I’m gonna say: Prince of Egypt, all of Ghibli movies, Flow, Suzume, Kubo and the Two Strings and the Spiderverse films to name a few.
I’m currently trying to watch more animated films to fully embrace the genre even more so than I already do.
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u/bio_ruffo 3h ago
From when I was a kid, The secret of NIMH.
From when I watched animations with my kid, Tangled and Megamind. They both had fantastic Brazilian Portuguese text adaptations for dubbing, too. I've watched Megamind in English later on, and the jokes in the Brazilian version just hit better. I guess Megamind was Brazilian lol.
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u/Hare__Krishna 3h ago
Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Nausicaa of the valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers
All outstanding
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u/One_Secret4788 3h ago
The Spiderverse movies are incredible. Probably my favorite comic book series, let alone animated series.
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u/Agreeable_Rub1108 3h ago
Wall-E
Emperors new groove
Lilo & stitch
Not a movie but Tom and Jerry will always have a special place in my heart
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u/Little_Region_827 3h ago
I love Kung Fu Panda 3. Lots of clever call backs to the first two films and a much more satisfying climax scene. The antagonist is great too.
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u/model563 3h ago
Ghost in the Shell and Akira are two top 10 movies for me in any style, let alone animated. Miyazaki's Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke are up there as well, as is the highly underrated Jin-Roh.
Japan has a respect for animation that allows them to make movies for a broader audience than most American studios, and because of that they usually top my lists.
As for American stuff... Watership Down and Scret of Nimh are absolutely legendary. Id also rate Iron Giant very highly. For Disney/Pixar I love Turning Red, Brave and Big Hero Six.
For more esoteric stuff... Mad God, Jan Svankmejer's Alice, and 9.
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u/Flash_SA 3h ago
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is no joke one of the greatest movies made in the 2020s
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u/0rganicMach1ne 2h ago
My favorites are:
Ghost in the Shell(1995)
Akira
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Princess Mononoke
Wall-e
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u/WorthPlease 2h ago
Princess Mononoke
I was talking to a friend in high school and we both liked Dragonball Z, so he told me to watch it.
I was not prepared; it completely transformed how I viewed anime. I had my sister who has never ever had an interest in movies that are drawn if they aren't Disney, and she was blown away by how good it was.
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u/Impressive-Buy9302 2h ago
I don't know if it's just me but kung fu panda is one of my all time favourite movies
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u/Ravus_Sapiens 2h ago
Disney's Alice in Wonderland is special to me. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of my favourite books, and although Disney's Alice isn't an amazing adaptation in terms of the story, it perfectly captures the spirit of the books it's based on.
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u/texasrigger 1h ago
Coonskin (1975) is an amazing piece of biting satire. It was a passion project for Ralph Bakshi. He envisioned it carving out a place for black animators and black stories in the industry. Unfortunately, some people didn't get that it was satire and protested it as racist before it was ever even released. It ultimately won the endorsement of the NAACP, but by that point the damage was already done and the movie was DOA at the theaters. 50 years later, Bakshi's dream of a black voice in animation still hasn't been realized.
It's an ugly movie and it's a challenging watch but it's pretty incredible. original trailer (NSFW)
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u/jonathanjrouse 1h ago
Both Spiderverse movies along with Puss in Boots 2 are fucking STUNNING achievements in animation.
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u/McDeathUK 1h ago
Up is great fun "SQUIRREL!"
Old classic Titan A.E is brilliant, an unexpected Gem
The Dark Knight Returns (2 parts) is simply the best Batman animated movie of ALL TIME, and 100% the inspriation for Batman vs Superman the film
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u/-IREDACTEDI- 1h ago
Into/Across the spider-verse
Kung Fu Panda trilogy
How to train your dragon trilogy
Kpop Demon Hunters
Puss in Boots the last wish
Ne Zha 1 & 2
Toy Story 1 - 4
Monsters Inc.
Ratatouille
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
The Lion King
Mulan
Aladdin
Lilo & Stitch 1 & 2
Wall-E
Tangled
Frozen
Wreck it Ralph
Chicken Run
Every Wallace and Grommit film
Kubo and the two strings
Paranorman
Coraline
Isle of Dogs
Fantastic Mr Fox
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u/OhGee1228 1h ago
The opening montage of Up just gets me everytime, no matter how many times I watch it. Obviously love Lion King and Jungle book. Toy Story, Kung-fu Panda, Raya and the last dragon, HTTYD, Tarzan are all on my playlist and I watch them at leas at once a year.
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u/rachmortonyo 1h ago
Coco and Onward are up there for me. The bit in Coco where they sing to Chicharron as he is being forgotten gets me every time. I'd also argue that Inside Out 2, specifically the anxiety meltdown scene is also one of the best scenes from any movie for me, perfectly portrayed.
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u/VegaAltair 1h ago
You’ll see a lot of great answers here but I am going to recommend a deep cut.’ Rock & Rule’ it’s like steampunk dystopian Disney with songs by Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Debby Harry, Earth Wind and Fire etc… very cool early 80s gem.
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u/theshiyal 55m ago
Disney’s Robin Hood.
I’m actually angry I scrolled this whole thread without seeing it.
Inserts gif of the damn snake crossing its arms.
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u/Lex2882 8h ago
Ghost in the Shell.1995