In my experience, animated films are often underestimated. They are dismissed as “just cartoons” or something that can only be enjoyed by kids. Of course, there have been some incredible animated films that do appeal directly to children.
As you would probably guess, Disney has the widest catalogue, with big hitters such as Inside Out, Frozen and, most recently, Moana 2. But those films can also be appreciated by adults in equal measure. I believe more adults than would care to admit were shedding a few tears in the final act of Toy Story 3…
Outside of Disney’s releases are a whole host of animated movies that are too often shunned from the limelight. Now that we have exhausted Christmas movie-watching but still have a little time left of the holidays to put our feet up in front of the TV, I've put together our top animated film recommendations. I’ve included a variety of different animation styles to marvel at, from stop-motion to hand-drawn.
The Boy And The Heron (2023)
Most of you will have at least heard of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio responsible for classics such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The studio is renowned for including themes of nature in its films, particularly in the creations of director Hayao Miyazaki. The Wind Rises was meant to be his last film ten years earlier, but in classic filmmaker fashion he returned to the director’s chair to create his “final” passion project, The Boy And The Heron (he later announced he is working on another one – not bad for an 83-year-old!).
Based on the novel How Do You Live?, the film asks this exact question. When 12-year-old Mahito struggles to cope after the loss of his mother, a mysterious talking heron informs him that she is still alive. Fuelled by hope, Mahito follows the heron into a world shared by the living and the dead.
This film feels like a master in his element exploring life after loss, accompanied by some of the most beautiful animation this studio has produced. The mystical other world is filled to the brim with quirky characters, from a heron with human teeth to adorable bubble-like spirits called the Warawara.
The English dub has got a great cast, too. This includes Florence Pugh, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson and Dave Bautista.
Stream The Boy and The Heron on Netflix
Klaus (2019)
As it’s the festive season, it only feels right to include a Christmas movie in here. Created with a neat combination of 2D and 3D animation, Klaus follows spoiled postman Jesper who is exiled to the icy town of Smeerensburg to complete the impossible task of posting 6,000 letters.
He enlists the help of a woodsman named Klaus (fantastically voiced by J.K. Simmons), a man of few words with an all-too-familiar white beard and large stature. Thus follows a clever and charming origin story of how the tradition of present-giving came to be, filled with wink-wink moments that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
The animation harks back to the days where 2D animation was commonplace, creating a nostalgic atmosphere with cozy Christmas imagery and snow so soft you feel you could sink into it. Its humour is especially reminiscent of The Emperor’s New Groove. Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, it’s the perfect shot of festive cheer you need around this time of year.
The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021)
Going on a road trip with your family is trying at the best of times, but The Mitchells vs The Machines imagines a scenario where you are also being chased by evil robots. Let the chaos commence! It’s directed and co-written by Mike Rianda who worked on TV show Gravity Falls, so you know from the get-go you are in safe hands.
The relationship between teenage daughter Katie and dad Rick is central to the film. While Katie is ecstatic to leave her suburban home and find her place at film school, Rick is reluctant to let her go. He insists on taking a family drive all the way to college, not knowing an army of robots are being released to imprison all of humanity. You can feel that this is a personal story for many of the crew (hopefully excluding the robots) as the end credits are littered with their own family road trip snaps.
The animation style may seem familiar to some, mainly because it borrows much of the same technology and techniques used in Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse (more on this later). There are plenty of laughs along the way but be warned; you may also find yourself shedding a tear.
Stream The Mitchells vs The Machines on Netflix
Pinocchio (2022)
This is our first and only stop-motion entry, but it is in my humble opinion one of the best to come out in the last decade. Guillermo Del Toro takes the lead on this re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, turning the 1940 Disney version you may be familiar with on its head. Instead of being a perfectly painted puppet boy, Pinocchio resembles a gnarled wooden mannequin who was created from a place of hopeless loss by his grieving master.
For the uninitiated, Pinocchio tells the story of a craftsman named Gepetto who loses his son. After making a wish on a stormy night over a wooden puppet, it comes to life, believing it is a real boy. It takes place during the rise of Italian fascism in the 1930s, diverting even further from the saturated family-friendly version we are accustomed to.
Everything, unsurprisingly, has a handmade feel to it from the trees in the background to Pinocchio’s little wooden fingers. Stop motion is a painstaking process. This movie took about two and a half years just to film, not including the creation of all the sets and characters. It is always refreshing to see a traditional story reinvigorated, and Del Toro delivers his unique take on the tale perfectly.
Song Of The Sea (2014)
Song Of The Sea is a beautiful 2D animated hand-drawn film depicting the Irish folklore story of Selkies, who can switch between the shape of a human or a seal by donning a seal-skin coat.
This quite haunting myth translates surprisingly well to a PG-rated story of familial bonds. Set on a remote island, we follow a young boy and his mute sister Saoirse who discovers a mysterious white coat that belonged to her mother. After the inevitable occurs and she transforms into her seal self, Saoirse slowly realises her destiny to free magical beings from the clutches of the goddess Macha.
While it is wholesome viewing, the film is not afraid to delve into the darker side of Celtic folklore. Its animation style feels timeless, bringing the mystical beauty of rural Ireland to the fore.
Stream Song of the Sea on Netflix
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse (2018)
It would have been easy for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse to flop. After all, the concept seems fairly bonkers at first. It follows Miles Morales, a teenager who develops superhuman powers after getting bitten by a radioactive spider. That will all sound familiar, but it’s here that the film takes an unexpected turn. The multiverse opens, and a collection of different Spideys are drawn together. These include Spider-Ham, a spider who got bitten by a radioactive pig. Bonkers, right? Luckily, the film perfectly balances these more absurd aspects by grounding the story with Miles’ struggle to live up to the image of a superhero.
There is so much to like about this film, but I will keep it simple and talk about the soundtrack. It features a whole host of talented musicians such as Denzel Curry and Post Malone, who are tied together by composer Daniel Pemberton.
An iconic scene that springs to mind is when Miles dons his Spidey suit and sticks to the side of a skyscraper. As he prepares to jump and employ his newly discovered swinging abilities, What’s Up Danger by Black Caviar and Blackway plays, accompanied by a soaring orchestral score. It perfectly portrays Miles’ journey from teen to superhero, and is a joy to experience.
See Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
The Wild Robot (2024)
Do you want to cry like you did at Toy Story 3? Try this on for size. The Wild Robot follows a robot assistant who is dropped by accident onto a remote island. Rozzium Unit 7134 (Roz for short) doesn’t have much luck with the local residents, however. The deer and otters are scared or repulsed by her mechanical form. But when she unwittingly adopts a baby goose, Roz develops beyond being an emotionless assistant and must learn how to be a loving parent.
If that doesn’t sound like it will jerk your tear buds, the adorable character design of the animals might persuade you. Heartstopper’s Kit Connor voices the goose adoptee Brightbill, whose large eyes and sweet expression are impossible to dislike.
This is the newest film on this list and in a slightly dystopian world of live-action remake after remake being released by Disney, it is certainly reassuring to see that animation is still important to so many filmmakers.
Stream The Wild Robot on Apple TV+
Pre-order The Wild Robot on 4K Blu-ray at Amazon
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