Best Animated Movies

Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can’t create it if you don’t have one. It offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world.

Animated films have been always a great way of storytelling not only for kids but for adults too. It’s a genre that is very diverse and can portray various serious human emotions like – heartbreak, sadness, grief, etc. that too effortlessly. Apart from being a source of entertainment, animated movies have been a great source of learning since the very beginning among both kids and adults alike.

Here, is the list of “Best Animated Movies” of all time in terms of storytelling.

 

1. Lion King (1994)

The Lion King tells the story of a young lion – Simba and his pursuit of succeeding his father Mufasa as the king. However, things turn ugly when his uncle Scar betrays everyone by killing his brother Mufasa and putting the blame on Simba. Scar then manipulates him to run away, leaving everything that legally belonged to him. The whole plot of the movie revolves around the journey of Simba reclaiming the throne with the help of his friends and how he blamed himself for his father’s death. This movie was made under Walt Disney’s banner. Besides being entertaining, the film taught us a few most important lessons in our life like – Circle of Life and How death is inevitable, Running away from your problems doesn’t solve them, Avoid Hyenas i.e. avoid mean and selfish people in your life, You must forgive yourself, etc.

 

 

2. Toy Story (1995)

This is a story about a fictional world where toys are living beings, but they pretend to be lifeless in front of humans. This film stars a young boy Andy and his toys. Andy receives a “Buzz Lightyear” action figure as a surprise gift for his birthday. The whole plot then revolves around the struggle of “Woody” (Cowboy Action Figure) and Buzz’s struggle to become Andy’s favorite toy. This movie was a Pixar Studio’s project. This movie taught us lessons like – the importance of teamwork, why we should not hold a grudge against someone, why we should always stand up for what we believe in, and the importance of being one own-self. This movie is always going to be one of the best-animated movie ever made. Not to forget there is a whole series of movies after Toy story 1!

 

3. The Incredibles (2004)

This story is set in a world where the public opposes the superheroes due to the collateral damage they cause during their crime fighting. This is a story about a superhero family who has taken a secret identity after fifteen years. Bob (Mr. Incredible) and Helen (Elastigirl) and their children Violet, Dash and Jack Jack, among with Luicis (Frozone) who was a superhero best friend. It is a Walt Disney production. This movie taught us:- the importance of family, how we should look up to each other no matter what.  The animated film also highlighted some of the very important lessons like – we should never underestimate someone, the importance of taking the risk, and how the smallest act can have the biggest impact etc. 

 

4. Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

The plot revolves around Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), savagely beats a criminal realizes her mistake and retires from crime fighting. Meanwhile, Batman investigates a crime scene where he realizes Joker has escaped from Arkham. Joker then attacks Barbara and her father Commissioner Gordon and shots her in the stomach. He then takes Commissioner with him and tortures him by making him watch his naked pictures and of her daughter for days. The film also showed us the origin story of the Joker, how a comedian turns into an insane Joker. This film remains one of the darkest and best-animated project ever. The film was given an adult certification due to its portrayal of gory, torture, sex and violence. 

 

 

5. Ratatouille (2007)

This is a story about a highly ambitious rat Remy who had a highly developed sense of smell and taste, and his obsession towards his dream of becoming a chef. The main aspect of this film was if we are ambitious size doesn’t matter but actions do. The whole movie revolves around Auguste Gusteau’s mantra “Anybody can cook”. Auguste Gusteau is Remy’s idol in the movie who is a top-notch chef but sadly dies! Remy later sees and becomes friends with a garbage boy Alfredo who realizes Remy’s potential as a chef. Remy then guides Alfredo in becoming one of the best chefs around. The movie taught us the importance of being obsessed with our dreams. 

 

6. Big Hero 6 (2014)

The movie follows the story of 14-year-old Hiro Hamada, high school graduate who is a robot genius but is involved in illegal robotic fights. After losing his elder brother Tadashi in a fire in his university, he discovers Baymax, an inflatable health robot which was created by Tadashi. The movie then follows the adventure of Hiro and Baymax, also Tadashi’s friends who later formed a superhero team to fight the evil and save the world. While the plot might sound a bit cliche but this film taught us the importance of having the right friends and the right people to look your back. Also the film showed us the importance of showing compassion, dreaming big and believing in yourself.

 

7. The Lego Movie

Believe it or not – but it requires tonnes of work to produce an animated world full of Lego figures, using modern complex animation techniques. The pieces used in the film are totally animated yet the lego world looks so real. This movie has the IMDB rating of 7.8 making it a true work of technology and art also a delight to eyes. The movie gives us a very important lesson about the importance of kindness, confidence, and teamwork, also it highlights the fact we should really stop being obsessed over perfectionism. 

 

8. The Jungle Book (1967)

The story is simple –  an orphan (Mowgli) who is found in a basket in an Indian Jungle, by Bagheera (a black panther), who is then raised by a pack of wolves. The movie focuses on the rivalry between Mowgli and Sher Khan (a tiger), Mowgli’s struggle to fit into the Jungle world after discovering who he really is. The film taught us to embrace our surroundings, and why should we laugh and truly enjoy our lives and also the importance of having good friends. The film showed us the importance of facing our fears, trying new things, and why should we always take some time out to appreciate our people.

9. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

This film was the cinematic spin-off of Batman and the animated series and remains one of the biggest DC’s animated film. The plot is based on Batman fighting Joker and a new villain Phantasm. The caped crusader is already one of the biggest superheroes ever made, and this was the time when DC ruled the market. The movie was critically appreciated but was not commercially successful. Until the release of Killing Joke, it was the only animated Batman film to be a theatrical release. The movie remains one of the best-animated movies of all time.

 

10. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

This film follows Spiderman’s multi-verse storyline, the plot follows Miles Morales as the main protagonist. The film’s animation was so dope that it became 2018’s best-animated film. The film also had Peter’s version of Spiderman who’s stuck in another dimension and other characters from the multi-verse. The film used a comic book like animation, which was so dope that Sony patented it for future projects. While the movie was fun, it also addressed some deep lessons like – why is it important to have the right mentor, how to deal with losing someone you loved, or the importance of teamwork.

 

11. Despicable Me (2010)

The story revolves around a supervillain Gru – who adopts three daughters, Vector – a rival of Gru who steals Pyramid of Giza. The Gru when learns about the heist of Vector he then plans Earth’s biggest heist to steal the Moon with the help of his sidekick and his minions. The center attraction of the film was of course, the minions. However, in the end, he changes himself because of his increasing love and affection towards the girls. It was a wonderful film that teaches us about the importance of always trying to do better or the importance of investing in our relationships. 

12. UP (2009)

The film revolves around an elderly widower (Carl) and a boy (Russell), the main plot of the film is about how Carl fulfills his promise to his late wife, Ellie. By tying a lot of balloons to his house and he goes to see wilds of South America. This movie had a lot of lessons like – why we should never give up on our dreams, how important it’s to reach your goals or how we might have to make hard decisions in life.

 

13. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

The film was a reboot of the famous comic book character Tintin, a young journalist, and his adventures. The story starts with Tintin and Snowy (his dog) in the market buys a model of a ship called Unicorn. Later then, two characters Sakharine and an american named Barnaby try to buy the model from him but he refuses. He discovers that the ship contains a clue about a hidden treasure but before he can locate it, he gets kidnapped. The rest of the film is his adventure about discovering the treasure and the ship. The film showed us the importance of taking risks and having a great company.  The film was a huge commercial success and was critically appreciated as well. The film let us relive the magic of our favorite comic book character in a very exhilarating way.

14. TANGLED

Its a story about Rapunzel who lives in a tower in a forest with her mother, Gothel. She is not allowed to go anywhere because Gothel tells her it’s dangerous out there for her. What she did not know is that Gothel is keeping her a prisoner because her hairs have restorative power that helps Gothel in looking young. The rest of the plot is about Rapunzel breaking out of the prison and her desire to live her life on own terms. The biggest lesson this film had was about the importance of stepping out of our comfort zone, also it is okay to miss home.

15. Waltz with Bashir

It’s an autobiographical animated film written, directed and starring Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman. It’s a story about a 19-year-old infantry soldier in 1982’s war with Lebanon. He witnessed Sabra and Shatila massacre but has no memory of it. This film was dark and depicted the reality of that period. The film received a number of awards and was also premiered in 2008’s Cannes. It’s one of the most tragic, eye-opening and impactful animated movies I have ever watched. This film is undoubtedly one of the best-animated movies ever made.

16. FINDING NEMO (2003)

This movie is about the journey of a meek clownfish (Marlin), whose son (Nemo) gets abducted in the Great Barrier Reef and is dispatched to Sydney. “Finding Nemo” is the 10th-highest-grossing animated film of all time. The movie was produced by Pixar studios and released by Walt Disney. Finding Nemo became the highest-grossing animated film at the time and was the second-highest-grossing film of 2003. The movie teaches us various lessons like- the love of a family, The beauty of making friends and that nothing is impossible. Next in line of Finding Nemo franchise is Finding Dory.

Animated films are not primarily for children. They bring out the child in all of us, “whether we be 6 or 60.”

Their business is happiness. These films bring tears and smiles, to young and old, around the world, and they have a very specific recipe for doing so.  The recipe is the four Cs: Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy..