The Greatest Animated Movies of all Time
by cinemabon | created - 18 Jul 2012 | updated - 10 Oct 2018 | PublicThese films are important contributions to the art of cinema.
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1. Pinocchio (1940)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.
Directors: Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc, Don Brodie
Votes: 159,901 | Gross: $84.25M
From start to finish, there are no two frames of film that are identical. Disney's artists gave us a true measure of the art that will be difficult to surpass by any generation.
2. Fantasia (1940)
G | 124 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.
Directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe Jr., Norman Ferguson, David Hand, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Corey Burton
Votes: 104,004 | Gross: $76.41M
The most fundamental elements in the art of cinema are its ability to tell a story using just pictures and sound. Disney and his artists have taken that expression to its epitome in this animated classic. The use of a narrator was unnecessary.
3. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 849,811 | Gross: $10.06M
While the very first AA for animation went to Shrek, the Academy made up for it the following year by giving Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Studios just credit for their incredible work.
4. Toy Story (1995)
G | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.
Director: John Lasseter | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Votes: 1,068,884 | Gross: $191.80M
Until this film came along, no one truly believed that computer animation could replace the old ink and cell method. They were wrong and Pixar has forever changed that landscape.
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Approved | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.
Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell
Votes: 215,503 | Gross: $184.93M
If it seems that Walt Disney might dominate this catagory, there is a good reason for that. Disney, once an animator, saw the art form as a marketable medium when others told him to pack it in and move back to the farm. "Snow White" proved them wrong and he never looked back.
6. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
G | 84 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A prince cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster sets out to regain his humanity by earning a young woman's love.
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise | Stars: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart
Votes: 479,752 | Gross: $218.97M
The Academy has only nominated 2 movies for Best Picture of the Year, this film was one of them. Disney Studios surprised us with a "Broadway musical" like experience inside a cartoon. "Beauty and the Beast" elevated animated movies into a respectable class, giving a boost to New York's theater district and a resurgence in the musical genre.
7. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
PG | 119 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa
Votes: 449,629 | Gross: $4.71M
If Miyazaki thought "Spirited Away" was a difficult act to follow, then he had an even greater challenge after he gave us this film. His attention to detail in shot after shot had no rival since the golden age of animation at Disney Studios.
8. Shrek (2001)
PG | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.
Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson | Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
Votes: 734,434 | Gross: $267.67M
"Shrek" was one of the first animated movie that relied so much on comedy to sell its premise. It was the first animated film to win an Oscar for "best" in that category. The most successful franchise in animation history followed with four sequels that audiences couldn't wait to see.
9. Bambi (1942)
G | 69 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
The story of a young deer growing up in the forest.
Directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright, Arthur Davis, Clyde Geronimi | Stars: Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey, Peter Behn
Votes: 154,128 | Gross: $102.80M
Nature lovers often use "Bambi" as a metaphor for all that has gone wrong with the conservation moment. However, this tale of nature versus man is as poignant today as it was in 1942, and just as controversial. Heartwrenching, the story that Disney gave us is an eye-opener and affected every generation afterward.
10. Fantasia 2000 (1999)
G | 75 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
An update of the original film with new interpretations of great works of classical music.
Directors: James Algar, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Eric Goldberg, Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt | Stars: James Levine, Steve Martin, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones
Votes: 41,434 | Gross: $60.66M
Nephew of the company's founder, Roy Disney pushed the studio to "update" his uncle's great work and the animator's delivered. Once more the marriage of picture and music gave us a spectacle that will be treasured by generations to come.
11. The Incredibles (2004)
PG | 115 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee
Votes: 809,005 | Gross: $261.44M
From this point on, it would be easy to pick practically any Pixar film, they've made so many in such a short period of time. However, this movie was one of my favorites so I bumped it up to number eleven as a personal taste (I confess to loving "Bond" movies).
12. The Lion King (1994)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 1,142,754 | Gross: $422.78M
Like "Beauty and the Beast" before it, this film made a profound impression on the world's love for animation to the extent that it is now a musical play running on Broadway. It won for Best Original Score, something unheard of in an animated film and it dominated the original song catagory, giving Elton John an Oscar for "Can you feel the love..."
13. Finding Nemo (2003)
G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 1,113,725 | Gross: $380.84M
Until "Toy Story 3" came along, the biggest money-making film in Pixar history belonged to this beautiful story of a father determined to find his son. Incredibly difficult for Pixar animators to make nearly 90 percent of the film "under water" the effects shots in this film are amazing and captivated audiences all over the world.
14. The Polar Express (2004)
G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter, Leslie Zemeckis
Votes: 241,361 | Gross: $183.37M
One of animation's greatest challenges is to successfully animate people in a way that is believable. Robert Zemekis broke ground when he gave us this holiday treat of a boy that only had to find the truth.
15. Gulliver's Travels (1939)
Passed | 76 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A doctor washes ashore on an island inhabited by little people.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, Orestes Calpini, Roland Crandall, William Henning, Winfield Hoskins, Thomas Johnson, Frank Kelling, Seymour Kneitel, Robert G. Leffingwell, Grim Natwick, Tom Palmer | Stars: Jessica Dragonette, Lanny Ross, Pinto Colvig, Cal Howard
Votes: 4,849 | Gross: $7.13M
At a time when most people were focusing their attention on Disney, the Fleischer brothers were trying to make their own mark in animation history came up with this feature film. Nearly lost for all time, digital reconstruction has resurrected this classic to its rightful place in history.
16. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey
Votes: 375,221 | Gross: $75.08M
Not all animation is drawn, and stop-motion animation is probably the most difficult. Tim Burton had the vision and foresight to bring back a style of animation virtually lost at a time when computers were entering the field. This film gave us a humorous look at animation's dark side.
17. Ice Age (2002)
PG | 81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The story revolves around sub-zero heroes: a woolly mammoth, a saber-toothed tiger, a sloth and a prehistoric combination of a squirrel and rat, known as Scrat.
Directors: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha | Stars: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Goran Visnjic
Votes: 519,319 | Gross: $176.39M
Not all successful or even creative animated films have originated from major animation studios. Such was the case with "Ice Age" that seemed to hit the moviegoing audiences at just the right time. This film launched a series of sequels that has few rivals in its box office power.
18. The Little Mermaid (1989)
G | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince's love.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes
Votes: 291,057 | Gross: $111.54M
While not necessarily my cup of tea, no one can argue with success, and this film gave a resurgance to the sagging animation industry when Disney was ready to shut it all down. The team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken gave the mermaid her voice and a collaborative team that rivaled Rogers and Hammerstein. Unfortunately, Menken contracted HIV and passed before he could establish a new Disney dynasty.
19. Rango (2011)
PG | 107 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Rango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff.
Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 293,148 | Gross: $123.48M
Best animated film of 2011, "Rango" seems an impossible plot with difficult characters to like. However, this clever and complex film is a major breakthrough in animation and proves once more that a great animated movie can come from unlikely sources - this one, from Paramount.
20. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 216,917 | Gross: $156.45M
More a homage to animation, this mix of live action and animation was another pioneering effort from filmmaker Robert Zemekis. Technically, one of the most challenging films ever made, animators had to match movements of live actors with characters such as Roger and his wife, Jessica, who had one of the best lines in animation history - "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."
21. Aladdin (1992)
G | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
Votes: 467,050 | Gross: $217.35M
Who knew that Robin Williams would literally steal the show and make this his vehicle - you ain't never had a friend like me... and we never will.
22. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.
Directors: Les Clark, Clyde Geronimi, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske | Stars: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton
Votes: 160,923 | Gross: $51.60M
Presented in anamorphic 70mm this widescreen Disney film with music based on Tchaikovsky represented one of Disney's most ambitious efforts that succeeds on many levels despite its limited animation.
23. Peter Pan (1953)
G | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Wendy and her brothers are whisked away to the magical world of Neverland with the hero of their stories, Peter Pan.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney | Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson
Votes: 153,149 | Gross: $87.40M
One of Disney's last "full animation" efforts the music inspired the Jule Styne/Comden/Green effort that debuted the following year starring Mary Martin. Pixie dust!
24. The Iron Giant (1999)
PG | 86 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A young boy befriends a giant robot from outer space that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy.
Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Vin Diesel
Votes: 227,565 | Gross: $23.16M
An emotional film on so many levels as it examines the fears of the McCarthy era while also addressing the innocence of an adolescent boy's desire for adventure in the late 1950's.
25. How to Train Your Dragon (2010 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure
Launches gamers into a third-person action-adventure as a Viking hero where they must embark upon an epic quest to become the ultimate dragon trainer.
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Angela Bartys, Nolan North, Chris Edgerly
Votes: 742
Feeling outcast, this young boy overcomes his timid nature in an outstanding moment of animated courage, beautifully told.
26. Zootopia (2016)
PG | 108 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.
Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush | Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
Votes: 546,530 | Gross: $341.27M
When a country rabbit wants to improve her lot, she ventures to city and longs be a detective. The level of complex animation here is superb along with a driving plot.
27. WALL·E (2008)
G | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
Votes: 1,200,798 | Gross: $223.81M
Pixar's film with an homage to the 1970's film Hello Dolly is about a future run amok in over abundance. An outstanding piece of futuristic animation with special devotion to romance.
28. Yellow Submarine (1968)
G | 85 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The Beatles agree to accompany Captain Fred in his yellow submarine and go to Pepperland to free it from the music-hating Blue Meanies.
Director: George Dunning | Stars: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon
Votes: 28,042 | Gross: $0.99M
At the peak of Beatles' popularity, animators took some of their finest songs and wove them into a weird story about Blue Meanings attacks on popular music. Strange but beautiful in its limited animation and that lovely Beatles music.
29. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
G | 85 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.
Directors: Steve Box, Nick Park | Stars: Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Kay
Votes: 146,124 | Gross: $56.11M
Although "clay animation" this film's creators took great pains to make this animated film a masterpiece of comedy and art simultaneously.
30. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
TV-MA | 83 min | Animation, Action, Crime
A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
Directors: Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera
Votes: 156,938 | Gross: $0.52M
This Japanese "anime" made Americans aware of adult level stories that involved themes without children as their focus. This is a powerful film about corporate greed and futuristic robotic possibilities.
31. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
G | 76 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The romantic tale of a sheltered uptown Cocker Spaniel dog and a streetwise downtown Mutt.
Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Cutting | Stars: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee, Bill Thompson
Votes: 148,513 | Gross: $93.60M
When the Disney studios entered the 1950's, they began to limit the quality and quantity of their animation due to studio cutbacks. This stylistic version of a "dog's life" is both humorous and romantic with "Belle Notte" being the most memorable meatball in film history.
32. Big Hero 6 (2014)
PG | 102 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who together team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Directors: Don Hall, Chris Williams | Stars: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller
Votes: 502,329 | Gross: $222.53M
Disney movies usually skirt the issue of tragedy lightly. However, in this film they hit the issue of personal loss head on and continued the protagonists strive to achieve redemption through his efforts to overcome grief.
33. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 205,307 | Gross: $0.55M
This Japanese anime film made many Americans wake up to a new aspect to animation known as "anime" and started a rush to see all things Japanese.
34. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Not Rated | 89 min | Animation, Drama, War
A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara
Votes: 310,581
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert call this film the greatest animated movie of all time with its emphasis on both tragedy and art. This film is not for the light-hearted but its message is both powerful and profound.
35. Castle in the Sky (1986)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada
Votes: 182,425
The first of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces, this film represents the culmination of many years working as an apprentice in Japan and the foundation of Studio Ghibli.
36. Steamboy (2004)
PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
In 1860s Britain, a boy inventor finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly conflict over a revolutionary advance in steam power.
Directors: Shinji Takagi, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Anna Paquin, Patrick Stewart, Alfred Molina, Anne Suzuki
Votes: 18,725 | Gross: $0.41M
While thin on plot devices, this film represents a great step for Bandai Films with Japan presenting more feature length movies for an international market. A fantastic adventure film.
37. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 165,609
Next in the Studio Ghibli lineup, this movie is full of warmth and human kindness in a way that only Miyazaki could tell.
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