30 Best Animated Movies You Can Watch Right Now
Since the earliest days of film history, cartoons have never been intended only for children, and it is important not to confuse genre with genre. Animation has created films that are charming, romantic, heartbreaking, musical, magical, dystopian, funny… and just about every other adjective you can use to describe a story you can find in a live action film. However, the best animated films tell stories that are particularly well suited to the cartoon canvas. Here are 30 of them you can stream right now. (Some films are, of course, primarily aimed at children, but they also respect the intelligence of their young audience.)
These are all favorites, spanning genres and age ranges.
Soul (2020)
Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a pretty good jazz musician, but life as a high school music teacher isn’t quite what he dreamed of. At least until he falls into a manhole, dies, and realizes what it really means to have a soul. This Pixar film about finding your purpose won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as Best Original Score, featuring works by Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Mitchells vs. Machines (2021)
Danny McBride voices technophobe Rick Mitchell, who teams up with his movie-obsessed daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) to save the world in this smart yet touching animated film. Aspiring director Katie is constantly at odds with her father, whose personality and obsession with tools (and general angst) leave him out of the loop when it comes to her dreams. Instead of letting Katie fly off to college, Ricks decides to go on a road trip to help the whole family bond, which doesn’t work out too well even before the tech company’s AI goes rogue and threatens the entire world in hilariously animated ways. The family must learn to respect their differences and understand each other in order to defeat the machines.
Where to watch: Netflix
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Peter Parker is a supporting character in the best Spider-Man movie yet, with Miles Morales reluctantly learning to become a hero with a little help from Spider-Men across the multiverse. The intentionally messy, stylish animation is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Where to stream: FXNow, Fubo
Nimona (2023)
Nimona , based on the graphic novel by N.D. Stevenson, is a heartfelt, joyful and very funny fantasy set in a futuristic world full of medieval trappings. Ballister Baldheart, along with his boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin, is about to be knighted by the Queen, the first commoner ever to receive the honor. All is well until he is accused of murdering the queen and is forced to flee, becoming the criminal the snobs have already mistaken him for. Luckily (or not), he is joined by Nimona, a teenager who has become an outcast due to her shapeshifting abilities. The two work to clear Ballister’s name, although Nimona has a lot to teach Ballister about being true to his true self.
Where to watch: Netflix
Spirited Away (2001)
It’s no surprise that Hayao Miyazaki’s triumph is also one of the greatest films of all time (live or animated). This is a work of stunning beauty, every frame worked with great care. This is the story of headstrong Chihiro, who goes on an adventure into the spirit world to save her parents from a witch and regain her name.
Where to stream: Max
The Iron Giant (1999)
In Cold War Maine, a giant alien robot becomes the focus of fear and paranoia on the part of the US military, who only see its potential as a weapon, and the best friend of a lonely little boy who believes in his mechanical heart. Beyond the deep emotional experience, the characters (including the giant robot) are as complex as any live-action film. (Director Brad Bird made The Incredibles, which of course could have been on this list, but I didn’t want to just include all Pixar films.)
Where to watch: digital rental.
Sea Beast (2022)
Chris Williams, an animator who has directed or had a hand in creating some of the best animated films of the last decade ( Bolt , Big Hero 6 , Moana , etc.), brings us the story of a girl who hides on ship, a legendary monster hunter (Karl Urban) embarks on an adventure that gives her a new understanding of what truly makes someone (or something) monstrous. It uses modern animation technology without feeling gimmicky.
Where to watch: Netflix
My Father’s Dragon (2022)
My Father’s Dragon , based on the 1948 children’s novel by Ruth Stiles Gannett and aimed at a younger audience than most of the other all-ages animated films on this list, still contains enough wit and surprises to make it easy to recommend almost everyone, and also more emotional. intelligence than in many films made for adults. A boy named Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) and his mother, store owner Dela (Golshifteh Farahani), leave their close-knit town for a bigger city, although the promise of better conditions doesn’t materialize so quickly. However, Elmer’s patience is rewarded when a talking cat takes him on a wonderful candy-colored adventure to meet the dragon and save the island.
Where to watch: Netflix
Bubble (2022)
Attack on Titan and Death Note director Tetsuro Araki and the all-star creative team at Bubble find Tokyo cut off from the rest of the world when reality-warping bubbles (perhaps shades of Stephen King’s Under the Dome ) rain down on the city. It’s a great love story filled with parkour, but worth a watch for anyone who loves animation (or great sci-fi films in general).
Where to watch: Netflix
Akira (1988)
This beautiful cyberpunk classic is set in a dystopian 2019. Biker Kaneda is forced to fight his friend Tetsuo after he gains telekinetic powers in an accident. The incredibly fast-paced film and its highly detailed world set a new standard for anime – we’re still living in the animated world that writer/director Katsuhiro Otomo and company created with this film.
Where to watch: Hulu
Toy Story (1995)
I’m not sure the first Toy Story is the best of the series, but it’s great in its own right, not to mention innovative technically, so if you’re rewatching (or watching for the first time), it’s still the best place to start.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Light Year (2022)
Unpopular opinion warning: This movie deserves another chance. Although its convoluted premise (it’s pitched as a Buzz Lightyear movie that inspired a Toy Story toy) landed it in the bottom half of the box office, Lightyear is, at its core, a characteristically charming, edgy Pixar film with strong sci-fi plot. . While exploring a new world, Buzz (Chris Pine) and his best friend and commander Alisha Hawthorne (Uzi Aduba), along with their team, find themselves in a difficult situation. Buzz commits to testing the hyperspace fuel they’ll need to get home… but the resulting time dilation means that every short trip into space means years pass by for his friends on the surface. Pixar is so good at this poignant production, even if it understandably left theater audiences scratching their heads.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
A pair of Japanese siblings narrowly escape the American bombing of Kobe in the final months of World War II in Isao Takahata’s brilliant, heartbreaking classic that makes clear the cost of war.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Blame! (2017)
In the future, the City is growing like a virus, endlessly in all directions, people have long lost control over the automated systems designed to manage affairs. The same systems now view humans as “illegals” to be purged, so flesh-and-blood survivors are caught between the city’s murderous defense systems and the need to find food. However, one group of people is searching for a person with a genetic marker that they believe will allow them to gain access to the city’s control systems – the hunt is led by Killie, a synthetic human who may hold the key. There’s neat world-building and solid computer animation.
Where to watch: Netflix
Chicken Run (2000)
The Aardman brothers’ action-packed comedy features incredibly funny stop-motion animation… and a lot of chicken. It remains the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time. (And after 20-plus years, we’re finally getting a sequel this year.)
Where to watch: Netflix
Batman: Mask of the Phantom (1993)
The late, great Kevin Conroy is joined by Mark Hamill and Dana Delany in this short-form animated crime thriller that was originally intended to be a direct-to-video release but somehow still stands among the very best films in the entire Batman franchise. Even as he reunites with his former love, Bruce is forced to reconsider his life choices as a mysterious vigilante kills criminals in Gotham.
Where to stream: Max
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Another of Hayao Miyazaki’s triumphs , Princess Mononoke is set in a fantasy version of medieval Japan. Ashitaka becomes infected from an animal attack and searches for a natural cure – only to discover that humanity’s activities have angered the gods and upset the natural balance.
Where to stream: Max
The Little Mermaid (1989)
After a series of failures, Disney virtually ceased its activities as a producer of animated films. The Little Mermaid single-handedly brought the company back. This is a true classic that rivals the triumphs of previous decades.
Where to stream: Max
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Another brilliant piece of stop-motion animation, this time inspired by origami and Japanese ink painting. The action takes place in feudal Japan. The story follows Kubo and his enchanted shamisen (the stringed instrument of the title) on a beautiful, fairytale quest to stop his grandfather, the Moon King, in a story that doesn’t condescend to young audiences.
Where to stream: Tube, Pluto
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
This seasonal gem from Henry Selick and Tim Burton is so familiar now that it’s easy to underestimate its impact on pop culture. A completely original dark fantasy and an all-time holiday classic (but is it Halloween or Christmas?).
Where to watch: Disney+.
Your name. (2016)
Never before has the body swap story been so beautifully visualized using light that I have never seen in animation. Country girl Mitsuha begins a mysterious trading alliance with Taki, a boy from Tokyo, and they gradually begin to understand each other and their separate lives. Stunning revelations in the second act take the story into deeper waters, and the film reveals that there’s much more on the mind than a metaphysical encounter – sweetheart.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
You know the story, but if you’ve never seen the film itself, you’re missing out on one of the signature artistic achievements of Disney’s golden era. From the backgrounds, inspired by Gothic art and medieval tapestries, to the superb character designs and animation, it represents some of the best hand-drawn work ever put to film. When it was released in 1959 after an eight-year development process, it was a huge step forward for both Disney and screen animation in general. (The audience was not quite ready for this, and it was a financial disappointment. History certainly redeemed it.)
Where to watch: Disney+.
Red Turtle (2016)
Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit teamed up with Studio Ghibli to create this dialogue-free film that tells the story of a man who becomes trapped on a desert island with only a giant turtle for companionship. What begins as a story of survival takes on deeper resonance as their bond deepens. A powerful emotional journey.
Where to watch: Starz
Up (2009)
The tearful opening minutes lay bare all the silliness to come in Up , a wild, sometimes wacky adventure story about an old man who gave up on life until he finally decided to go on a real adventure (with a young stowaway accompanying him). ), transporting his home to South America using thousands of hot air balloons. It’s an absurd romp that somehow never loses its grounding in the idea that grief and loss can only be challenged by forming real human connections.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Run (2021)
In the animated mockumentary Flea, director Jonas Pocher Rasmussen tells the story of Amin Nawabi, who was about to marry his boyfriend but stopped to recount his childhood journey of escaping Afghanistan at the end of the Soviet occupation. An exciting and deeply moving journey of self-discovery.
Where to watch: Hulu
Frozen (2013)
While many Disney princess stories end with fairly simple dichotomies of good and evil, Frozen does something new by creating a female protagonist who is also the film’s antagonist, following her on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance that is just as profound significant as before. Disney film. (This is also a movie about sisters of the highest order.)
Where to watch: Disney+.
Paprika (2006)
Therapists can bring their patients’ dreams to life in Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece, which clearly inspired Inception . The film plays with layers of emotion and reality without leaving viewers feeling lost or disoriented. Well, maybe a little.
Where to watch: Tubi, The Criterion Channel.
Coco (2017)
Miguel enters the land of the dead to find his grandfather and return the gift of music to his family in this Oscar-winning film. The stunningly detailed depiction of the afterlife not only celebrates Mexican culture, but also feels deeply universal.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Waltz with Bashir (2008)
There is a documentary style here, but the film, which includes memories of Ari Colman and his time as a young soldier in Israel’s 1982 war with Lebanon, acknowledges the controversial nature of memory. It is also a film that, like few others, clearly reveals the crimes and costs of war.
Where to watch: Tubi
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
A great, very creepy tale that introduced the then unheard of idea to audiences that people would sit still while watching a full-length animated film. It remains both entertainment and a work of art in its own right.
Where to watch: Disney+.