10 Best Animated Movies of the Last 25 Years, Ranked

In the last quarter of a decade, animated movies have exploded in popularity and creativity. The first few years of the twenty-first century saw the last gasps of 2D animation before it was supplanted by 3D as the main way to bring creative worlds and characters to life. Numerous animation studios also opened up, allowing various films to enter production and further diversify the genre with new twists on old story ideas.

With all these advancements, it’s no small wonder that this time period has seen the rise of many fantastic animated films. Granted, many of them come from the big juggernaut companies like Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks, but others have managed to slip in and even influence future masterpieces by these giants.

10 ‘Klaus’ (2019)

Directed by Sergio Pablos

Concerned that his son, Jesper (Jason Schwartzman), is becoming lazy and spoiled, the Postmaster General (Sam McMurray) assigns him to the island of Smeerenburg to process six thousand letters in one year or risk losing his inheritance. Unfortunately, the residents of Smeerenburg are part of two feuding clans, so at first, the task seems impossible. However, things pick up when Jesper meets a reclusive woodsman named Klaus (J. K. Simmons), and their friendship helps not only one another but all of Smeerenburg.

Klaus might have been denied the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but it successfully proved that hand-drawn animated films still had a market. While the characters are hand-drawn, the colors and shading are done digitally, thus giving the film the best of both mediums: fluid and expressive animation combined with vibrant colors that perfectly match the mood of each scene. It’s also one of the best Santa Claus stories thanks to how lovable the characters are, and the fun, inventive way the myth evolves from Jesper and Klaus’ actions.

9 ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ (2022)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

In a drunken despair, woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) chops down the pine tree that marks his son’s grave and carves a puppet in his likeness. A passing Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton), empathizing with his grief, brings the puppet to life and names him Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), with a cricket named Sebastian (Ewan McGregor) serving as his conscience in exchange for a wish. Unfortunately, Pinocchio’s lack of self-control and wonder at every new experience leads him to fall victim to both a con man and Italy’s fascist government.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio delivers exactly what you would expect: a highly creative adaptation of a beloved story with dark themes and a bittersweet but ultimately uplifting ending. It explores what it means to be human, demonstrating how folks like Pinocchio and Sebastian are worthy of the distinction thanks to their character, while others, like the fascist Podestà (Ron Perlman), are not due to how they treat their fellow man. The animation is some of the best stop-motion ever put to film, with incredibly detailed models both in terms of design and the fluidity of their movement.

8 ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)

Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is the teenage son of Viking chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler) but is seen as a disappointment because he is too scrawny to help the village fight against dragons. Determined to prove himself, Hiccup invents a device that allows him to shoot down a deadly Night Fury, but he finds he cannot kill the dragon. Instead, he befriends the dragon, whom he names Toothless (Randy Thom), and learns more about dragons than anyone imagined.

How to Train Your Dragon launched one of DreamWorks’ best franchises and remains one of their most beloved films. Its flying scenes are some of the best in any animated film, thanks to how immersive they are, accompanied by the brilliant music by John Powell. The story between Hiccup and Toothless is one of bridging hostile cultures and shows that such an act is worth the sacrifices and hardships in order to produce something greater.

7 ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman

After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) witnesses Spider-Man (Chris Pine) trying to stop Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) from creating a supercollider that threatens the city. He gives Miles a flash drive that can disable the collider before Kingpin kills him. However, the experiment weakened the walls between dimensions, leading Miles to team up with alternate universe Spider-people to face Kingpin and his supervillain minions.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the film that proved Sony could be a contender in the world of animated films. Its animation is phenomenally stylistic, with each character designed in a way that evokes different styles of comic artistry. Story-wise, it’s one of the best Spider-Man films thanks to its reverence for the character and, despite having so many different versions swinging around, it keeps the focus on Miles as he grows into his own unique brand of web swinger.

6 ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)

Directed by Lee Unkrich

As Andy (John Morris) prepares for college, his mother accidentally places his toys in the trash rather than in storage as he asks. Believing they’d been abandoned, the toys jump into a donation box for Sunnyside Daycare, while Woody (Tom Hanks) follows to convince them of the mixup. Unfortunately, Sunnyside is a prison run by the manipulative Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), who rules with an iron fist and forces the new toys to be roughly handled by the youngest children.

Toy Story 3 should have been when the franchise ended thanks to how it wraps up the story of Andy’s toys in a poignant and heartfelt way. It ends not with Andy’s toys being stored away, but given to a young girl named Molly (Emily Hahn), showing that when one story ends, another begins. Combined with its gorgeous animation and the strong comradery between the characters, it’s no wonder why it became the most recent animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Feature.

5 ‘Inside Out’ (2015)

Directed by Pete Docter

At eleven years old, Riley Anderson (Kaitlyn Dias) moves from Minnesota to San Fransisco and has a hard time adjusting to the change. Within her mind, the personification of Joy (Amy Poehler) does her best to keep Riley happy, but after Riley cries while introducing herself to her new class, a sad core memory is created. Joy tries to get rid of it and accidentally gets herself and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) flung out of headquarters, leaving only Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) to try and keep Riley’s life on track until Joy can return.

What sets Inside Out apart from so many great Pixar movies is its powerful and timeless theme. The movie teaches kids that it’s not only OK to feel sadness from time to time, but it’s important to have a healthy relationship with others. Not only does experiencing sadness help tell others that you need help, but it also teaches empathy, allowing people to show support and connect with others over the mutual feeling of loss.

4 ‘Up’ (2009)

Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

After accidentally injuring a construction worker, Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) is forced to leave the home he built with his wife, Ellie, so he resolves to fulfill their childhood dream of visiting Paradise Falls in South America. He uses hundreds of balloons to lift the house off the ground but accidentally brings along a boy scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai). During the trip, the two meet a strange bird being pursued by Carl’s old hero, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), who is determined to capture the bird and won’t let anyone stand in his way.

Up is famous for its beautiful intro, which details Carl and Ellie’s life together, which could have been released as its own short film with how perfectly it’s paced and how strong its emotional impact is. The rest of the film is phenomenal as well and continues the intro’s themes about the hardships of life and how, even if things don’t always go how you planned, you can find great joy in life’s unexpected twists. The characters are some of Pixar’s best, especially Carl, who, thanks in large part to Asner’s performance, never loses the audience’s sympathy, no matter how curmudgeonly he is in the first act.

3 ‘Shrek’ (2001)

Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson

When Lord Faarquad (John Lithgow) exiles all fairy tale creatures from his land, they are relocated to the swamp of an ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers). Eager to get back to his isolation, Shrek allows a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) to bring him to Faarquad’s castle. He agrees to remove the squatters from Shrek’s land if the ogre rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a dragon-guarded castle.

Shrek cemented DreamWorks as a major contender among animation studios and became a staple of popular culture thanks to its meta jokes and strong character writing. This can best be seen in its main trio: Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey serve as subversions of classic fairytale tropes, such as a monstrous hero, a princess who can save herself, and a noble steed who leaves much to be desired. This plays into the story’s main theme about the harm of making hasty judgements, which is also further explored through the characters making assumptions about one another that almost prove disastrous.

2 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)

Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado

Famed outlaw Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is disheartened to learn that he is on the last of his nine lives, and after nearly being killed by a wolf (Wagner Moura), he resigns himself to an early retirement. He decides to jump back into the game when he learns of a map that leads to a wishing star, which he can use to regain his lost lives. However, others are also after the star, including his old flame, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault), Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and her bear crime family, and Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney).

Nobody expected much from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but the production crew poured their heart and soul into the movie, creating what many consider to be a contender for DreamWorks’ best film. The film’s art style perfectly fits its fairytale aesthetic, with bright colors and textures that mimic what would be found in a picture book. The story is also surprisingly mature, touching on themes of death, legacy, and what it means to truly live.

1 ‘Spirited Away’ (2001)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

While moving to a new house, Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) and her parents accidentally find themselves in the spirit world. As the sun sets, the way back closes, and Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs after eating food meant for spirits. With the help of a young man named Haku (Miyu Irino/Jason Marsden), Chihiro gets a job working for the witch Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette), who runs a local bathhouse, so that she can try to rescue her parents and get home.

Hayao Miyazaki has rightly earned a legendary reputation among the animation community, and Spirited Away is seen by many as his masterpiece. From an artistic standpoint, the animation is breathtaking: characters are given unique designs that reflect their personalities, the movement is fluid, and incredible detail is put into every frame. Story-wise, it’s a gorgeous coming-of-age tale that touches on many of Miyazakis’ favourite themes, such as environmentalism, supernatural occurrences, and the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood.

NEXT: 10 Animated Movies With the Best Art Styles, Ranked