Today’sanimationfilmmaking landscape is primarily dominated by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Studio Ghibli. Unlike formulaic saturation in many other so-called genres – animation, technically, is a medium of storytelling more than a genre – the monopoly-like domination by these companies hasn’t created an artistic stagnation yet, as refreshing stories are regularly told in films from each studio.
Disney, DreamWorks, Studio Ghibli, and Pixar have given us manyaesthetically pleasing animated movies that are also uniqueover the years. They are responsible for thebest animated movies of 2024, 2023, and nearly every year before. However, as prolific as they are, the creative output of the industry from other studios and animators shouldn’t be discounted.
FromThe LEGO MovieandTransformers One, toKubo and the Two StringsandSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, there’s no dearth of recentanimated movies from other studios that are better than expected. However, this isn’t a recent phenomenon, and throughout the medium’s history,there have been great animated movies that aren’t Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, or Studio Ghibli.
10Waking Life (2001)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Animator Max Fleischer invented rotoscoping in 1915, which eventually became a standard technique used by various studios, including Disney, who used it first forSnow-White and the Seven Dwarfsin 1937. In 1997,computer scientist Bob Sabiston invented a form of digital rotoscoping, or interpolated rotoscoping, aka rotoshopping, which was used by Richard Linklater for his 2001 film,Waking Life.
The use of rotoshopping allowed Linklater to ground the visual aesthetic of his lucid-dream-like narrative. The characters inWaking Liferesemble the actors closely, giving it an unnerving dose of visual realism. With conversations about free will and human relationships,Waking Lifeis like a thesis on the nature of life from the perspective of someone struggling to live it.
9Balto (1995)
Directed by Simon Wells
Steven Spielberg’s short-lived animation studio Amblimation, gave us a couple of great animated underrated gems before being shut down due to underwhelming box office performances. WhileAn American Tail: Fievel Goes Westwas a success and won over audiences' hearts, the next two films by the studio underperformed and have only been appreciated in later years, after the studio closed.
Voiced by Kevin Bacon, Balto is a dog-wolf who rescues a community in need during a snowstorm by delivering life-saving medicine despite seemingly insurmountable odds. He isa kind-hearted spirit with a wacky sidekick in the form of a goosevoiced by Bob Hoskins. With talking animals, a simple story, and gorgeous animation,Balto’s similar to ’90s animated Disney cinema.
8Blood Tea and Red String (2006)
Directed by Christiane Cegavske
Stop-motion animation requires painstaking work for years, and the 13-year production period for the 70-minute-longBlood Tea and Red Stringis a testament to the hard work that goes into this style of animation. Anunderrated stop-motion animated movie that doesn’t get enough love, Cegavske’s feature film is reminiscent of 1970s East European cinema, due to its themes and color palette.
Despite using characters appropriate for children’s animation, it isa devastating exploration of classism in the world, with insightful commentary on the socio-political climate of the late ’90s and early 2000s. While its shocking imagery may not be entirely effective,Blood Tea and Rising Sunis unforgettable due to its weirdness, which works in its favor more often than not.
7Son of the White Mare (1981)
Directed by Marcell Jankovics
With an impressive 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,Son of the White Mareis an underrated Hungarian animated movie that’s based on narrative poetry. The poetry, entitledFehérlófia,which is also the film’s name in its original language, serves as the primary inspiration, while Hungarian, Hunnic, and Avaric legends are also referenced in the movie, which follows the titular character.
Fehérlófia is the third son of a horse goddess who gives birth to three brothers. The film’s story is based on the trio’s adventures as they each attempt to rescue a princess from an evil dragon. Their quests, if successful, will help them reclaim their ancestors' lost kingdom. The nearly psychedelic art style enhances the mystical nature of the folklore.
6Felidae (1994)
Directed by Michael Schaack
Some of thebest animated movies for adultsexplore the impact, emotional or otherwise, of experiences that would be too visceral to recreate in live-action. One such subject, the depiction of sexual assault, continues to be a point of contention among viewers, with a general lack of agreement as to what extent is ethical and what amounts to censorship.
While the story ofFelidaeis a gripping murder mystery, its exploration of hard-hitting subjects and its personal nature of narration can make it difficult for even adults to watch. Withanimation that ranges from loosely realistic to utterly imaginary,Felidae’s choice to tell its stories through cats is the most bizarre creative decision and the film’s biggest strength.
5Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
Directed by Eiichi Yamamoto
A deeply disturbing erotic depiction of a woman’s psychosis after she is raped and exiled for trying to get justice for herself,Belladonna of Sadnessis considered the late director Eiichi Yamamoto’s Magnum Opus. The woman seeks the help of the devil for revenge, but she is used by the Devil as well, before being given powers necessary for her vengeance.
With a fluid animation style that often takes the form of psychedelic visuals,Belladonna of Sadnessis deceptively erotic. It is actually a cold tragedy that even thesoothingly sorrowful musical numbers or the whimsical animated sequences cannot soften the blowof. Belladonna’s loss of sense of self as she is regularly dehumanized is eerily captured by the harrowing art.
4I Lost My Body (2019)
Directed by Jérémy Clapin
Deconstruction of the body isn’t an uncommon theme in animated cinema. However, disembodied organs going on extended adventures through a city in search of something intangible is a much more rare sight, and Jérémy Clapin’sI Lost My Bodyperfectlybalances the melancholy of such a quest with the rush of adventureit inevitably brings with itself.
It follows a hand after it’s been cut off from a young man in mid-’90s Paris. While such an origin would traditionally be framed as a horror narrative, it turns into a story of longing, which becomes the film’s defining emotion. As a Best Animated Feature Academy Award nominee, it is one of thebest animated movies on Netflixtoday.
3When The Wind Blows (1986)
Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami
Love and optimism will be the only weapons in the arsenal of survival that will make our final days tolerable after a nuclear apocalypseobliterates the possibility of ever returning to the familiar normalfrom before. With this bleak premise,When The Wind Blowsexplores the strength and fortitude of a couple who attempt to survive after a nuclear blast.
As one of thebest animated war movies,When The Wind Blowspaints a necessarily dark and depressing picture of a world ravaged by nuclear warfare. While the couple survive the blast, their hopes of being rescued seem less possible with every passing day. Few films have ever captured the emptiness of such an experience better than this film.
2April and the Extraordinary World (2015)
Directed by Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci
Marion Cotillard voices the titular April, a teenage orphan girl in an imaginary steampunk 1941 France, inApril and the Extraordinary World.It follows the protagonist on her daring quest to find her long-lost parents, who were scientists, and have disappeared alongside other colleagues over the past few years. The animation of the film has as much energy as April.
The setting of the film also opens up conversations about political regimes, as this version of France hasn’t encountered new-age discoveries. Thetyrannical Napoleon V has kept his country trapped in the 19th Centuryas he only allows research into serums that turn his soldiers into superhumans, and persecutes anyone attempting to use research for the positive development of society.
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Flee
Flee is an animated documentary that tells the harrowing journey of Amin Nawabi, who flees Afghanistan to escape persecution. Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, the film examines themes of identity, immigration, and the resilience of the human spirit. Through a blend of animation and archival footage, Flee provides a poignant exploration of Amin’s past as he navigates complex memories and the strain of hiding his secret.
It is rare for animation to be used to tell non-fiction stories. A documentary about a young man’s escape from Afghanistan, it is a spine-chilling true tale that’s rendered in gorgeous animation. Despite seeming so on paper, the animation doesn’t undercut the strength of the story being told, and instead enhances and complements it by visually bringing themes to life.
Flee, which was nominated for three Oscars in theBest Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature Filmcategories, is a haunting portrait of the state of immigration in the States, and of the horrifying living conditions in Afghanistan. The impact of the art style, which amplifies the emotional quotient of the interviewee’s words, makes it a tearjerker.
