As the 2022 Oscars show can attest, the best animated film award is often overlooked by viewers and voters alike. This year, all five of the nominees had IMDB scores higher than at least one film in the best picture category.
What this has led to is a glut of animated films with a lessened chance of receiving wide-spread acclaim at the Oscars still performing very well both critically and at the box office. Even the losers in the best animated film category carry high high IMDB ratings, sometimes higher than their best picture counterparts.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) – 7.9
The stop-motion animated comedy, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the 6th feature film by Wes Andersen and perhaps the best showcase of the dollhouse-like aesthetics that are the calling card of the avant-garde director. The loose adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling children’s story is jam-packed with stars from George Clooney to Bill Murray.
While not inappropriate for children, the film is definitely targeted toward a mature audience with its themes of midlife crises and living up to your parents’ example. But there is enough charm and fox-on-rat fights that will keep younger viewers engaged.
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (2013) – 8.0
Hayao Miyazaki’s other half when it came to creation of Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata has been at the studio from the start and directed the more adult fare that the studio has produced. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya tells the story of a mysterious girl as she transforms from peasant to Japanese nobility.
Themes of beauty, femininity, and the restriction thereof thread the film and make it more than just another pauper to prince story. Kaguya’s journey from otherworldly, naïve child to experienced and knowing adult is a poignant look into modern adulthood. And the heart-breaking twist at the end makes this a difficult re-watch.
Song Of The Sea (2014) – 8.0
Cartoon Saloon, the Irish animation studio, has been at the forefront of animated films that avoid the classic animated and CGI styles of Disney and other studios by being purely hand-drawn. In their second film, Song of the Sea, the action again takes place in and around the emerald isle.
The film uses Celtic mythology and legend to tell the story of a young boy and the search for his lost mother. Even ignoring the story and incredible voicework, the visuals of the film are jaw-dropping. Each one, a work of art in its own right, with detailed pictures of the waters around the British Isles.
Persepolis (2007) – 8.0
Black-and-white, graphic novel-like design, and originally in French, Persepolis could have been relegated to the indie-movie shelf and had only a fleeting appreciation by the world. Instead, the auto-biographical film became an international phenomenon garnering accolades and condemnation by the countries it criticized.
Marjane Satrapi adapted her own graphic novel to the screen with the help of an animating team who somehow made the two color film dazzle with its vibrant and mesmerizing drawings. Marjane’s incredible story of immigration and loss of herself and her homeland are shown via a style reminiscent of Japanese manga.
Wolfwalkers (2020) – 8.0
The most recent film by Cartoon Saloon, Wolfwalkers is a semi-historical movie about the arrival of The Lord Protector, an unnamed Oliver Cromwell, to Ireland and the young girl who arrives as well and finds she may have more in common with the people and the wolves of the island.
The cast of mostly unknowns add an air of authenticity to the film and visual style has somehow improved from the incredible heights the studio reached with Song of the Sea. Swirling tapestries, screen-filling red hair, and dazzling stained-glass windows are beautifully drawn and painted. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the visuals and miss an incredible story of friendship and belonging.
Flee (2021) – 8.0
Flee just lost to mega-hit Encanto at the 94th Academy Awards and in a world with more mature audiences appreciating animated fare, films like Flee may be finding their way into more Oscar ceremonies. The thrilling story told in flashback is entirely documentary and the main character, Amin, voices himself as he tells his story.
From Afghanistan to Denmark, and all the trials in between, Amin desperately tries to forget the injustices of his past while staying true to himself and the man he loves. This film covers an array of heavy thematic content from the refugee crisis to LGBTQ rights and identity.
Klaus (2019) – 8.1
There has been a distinct lack of holiday themed animated films in recent years but 2019’s Klaus brings the Christmas cheer in the Netflix produced hit. The story is an origin of the Santa Claus legend and throughout the film, traditions and Christmas items are revealed to have all come from this same moment in time and place.
Telling this story is a wonderful and unique animation that combines 3D and traditional animation to create a warm and ethereal look that goes well with the cozy tale. Humor and heart abound and the punches aren’t pulled when it comes to the history of St. Nick and the tragic backstory that led to him wanting to give to children everywhere.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010) – 8.1
A true thrill ride of a film, How to Train Your Dragon uses fairly standard animation techniques to create a roller-coaster like effect. The audience flies along with the main character, Hiccup, and his dragon, Toothless over gorgeous vistas of an unnamed Nordic land.
The score, speed, and animation combine to create an experience usually reserved for live-action films like the Fast and Furious franchise. How to Train Your Dragon led to two sequels and a host of franchise material that have all garnered at least some acclaim. While the story of trying to prove yourself and making unusual allies may not be anything new, the colorful and smooth visuals make it an experience worth seeing over and over.
Monsters, Inc. (2001) – 8.1
It’s hard to remember a time when Pixar was not just dominating the cultural discourse but the critical discourse as well. So it may come as a surprise that the first Pixar film to be nominated lost that year. Monster’s, Inc. lost to Shrek in 2002 but by a close margin.
The fourth film released by the studio was the first great step forward in computer generated images. CGI films were generally either ugly, awkward, or forced to use characters that didn’t require much texture. Think the plastic toys in Toy Story. Technological developments by the Pixar animators led to the first protagonist in an animated film covered completely in long, fluffy hair. Sully and the rest of the wildly different monsters still hold up to this day.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – 8.2
The legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki followed up his Oscar winning Spirited Away with the highly acclaimed Howl’s Moving Castle. With an incredible leading voice performance by Christian Bale, the steam-punk story with wizards and nightmarish creatures would be a great movie on its own.
Add in Hayao Miyazaki’s creative control and the animators at Studio Ghibli and the movie becomes a fantasy epic. This is Ghibli at its best with incredible visuals and ideas. The titular castle is a masterpiece of design. As the hulking ship moves across beautifully painted fields and mountain passes, the building itself chugs and breaths as if it were alive.
