In 1908, the world was introduced to Fantasmagorie, a nearly 2-minute short considered to be the world’s first animated cartoon. From such humble beginnings, animation has since transformed into a sprawling landscape, with many different animation companies creating high-quality films, TV shows, and games to showcase what can be done with the medium.
The biggest benefit here is that, since animation is not limited by reality, you can bring to life exaggerated worlds and characters, resulting in some amazing visual sequences and a chance for people to flex their creativity. The last 15 years have seen a fair few animated movies that could be considered masterpieces. They stand out because of the quality that went into making the movies look and move beautiful, but also the story and characters.
‘Klaus’ (2019)
To teach his son, Jesper Johansen (Jason Schwartzman), the importance of responsibility, the Postmaster General (Sam McMurray) tasks him with mailing 6000 letters from Smeerensburg within a year or being cut off from his inheritance. Unfortunately, the two clans that live in Smeerensburg, the Krums and the Ellingboes, have been at war since the dawn of time, so it looks like Jesper’s mission is doomed. That is, until he meets Klaus (J. K. Simmons), a reclusive woodsman and toymaker, whom Jesper convinces to help him deliver toys to the clan’s children once they write a letter to Klaus.
Klaus is a stellar example of mixing old and new techniques to make something unique. The characters are animated using 2D, something that has all but vanished from Western theaters, while the colors and shading are done with computers, creating an art style that is fluid and exaggerated with strong colors. Story-wise, it’s one of the most unique Santa Claus stories, and is carried heavily by the friendship between Jesper and Klaus, and some great comedy.
‘Song of the Sea’ (2014)
Ben (David Rawle) is a young boy living with his father, Connor (Brendan Gleeson), mute sister Saoirse (Lucy O’Connell), and family dog Cú, in a lighthouse off the coast of Ireland. Unbeknownst to Ben, Saoirse is a selkie like their mother, who vanished after Saoirse’s birth, and can transform into a seal if she wears a seal skin coat. She is separated from the coat by their grandmother, who takes them to live in Dublin, where they encounter members of the fey folk who reveal that Saoirse is the key to helping them get back home.
Song of the Sea is the second of the “Irish Folklore Trilogy” by Tomm Moore, and is arguably the best in terms of storytelling and animation. The art style perfectly captures the appearance of Irish mythology come to life, and the way the characters move against the beautiful backgrounds adds atmosphere and magic to every scene. Story-wise, it’s primarily a story about grief, as characters either run from it, succumb to it, or try to bury it, showcasing the importance of processing emotions and connecting with loved ones.
‘The Lego Movie’ (2014)
Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is a peppy and energetic construction worker living in Bricksburg. One day, he stumbles upon an object called the Piece of Resistance, which attaches to his back and marks him as the Special, a prophesied figure who will stop the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from using a weapon called the Kragle to freeze everyone in the Lego world. Emmet is rescued from Lord Business’ forces by a woman named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), a Master Builder who can build things without a construction manual, and they join forces with other Master Builders to stop Lord Business.
The Lego Movie could have become a standard cash-grabbing film meant to promote a popular product, but it shocked audiences so much with its quality that people were angry it was passed over at the Oscars. Even though the movie is CGI, the animators made the models look and move as if they were stop-motion with actual Lego pieces, which taps into the nostalgia of playing with Legos as a kid. The story, meanwhile, is a brilliant deconstruction of the “chosen one” trope, and presents a beautiful message about creativity vs conformity through hilarious characters.
‘Zootopia’ (2015)
Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) has the honor of being the first rabbit to become a police officer in Zootopia, a massive city where animals of all biomes can live together. Unfortunately, she finds that the much larger police officers look down on her, so she accepts a case to search for a missing otter to prove herself. She coerces a street-savvy fox named Nick Wild (Jason Bateman) into helping her, and their investigation uncovers a major conspiracy that threatens to destroy the unity of Zootopia.
Zootopia‘s biggest success is how well it tackles themes of prejudice. It makes a point to show that everybody has biases and preconceptions that can lead to prejudice, even if not intended, showing that it can also come from within similar groups, such as Judy being judged by her co-workers because she is a small rabbit, and they are all giant megafauna. Animation-wise, the film is very pretty, and every scene bursts with creativity as the animators show every little detail of how Zootopia accommodates all these different species.
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ (2022)
After losing his son in World War I, woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) chops down a tree that grew over his grave and carves it into a puppet in his likeness. A passing Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton) takes pity on Geppetto and uses her magic to bring the puppet to life, and names him Pinocchio (Gregory Mann). She promises a cricket named Sebastian (Ewan McGregor) a wish if he helps teach Pinocchio right from wrong, which proves a difficult prospect, as various factions want to use Pinocchio.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is not only one of the best adaptations of Carlo Collodi‘s novel, but also a dark, emotionally mature tale that expands on complex topics like death, fascism, and finding one’s purpose in life. Del Toro adjusted the story and characters to fit into its pre-World War II era, with additions such as Death (Tilda Swinton), the opposite of the Wood Sprite, engaging in interesting conversations with Pinocchio about the curse of immortality. It also goes without saying that the stop-motion is some of the best put to film, made even more impressive thanks to the detailed designs of the models.
‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023)
After his mother dies in a fire bombing during World War II, Mahito Maki (Luca Padovan) moves with his father, Shoichi (Christian Bale), to live in the countryside estate of his aunt/new stepmother, Natsuko (Gemma Chan). Mahito has a hard time adjusting: he is cold and hostile towards Natsuko, starts fights at school, and even injures himself with a rock. He is also stalked by a curious Grey Heron (Robert Pattinson), who tries to lure Mahito to an abandoned tower with the promise of finding his mother.
The Boy and the Heron is the most recent film by legendary animator and director Hayao Miyazaki, and easily ranks among his best. Grief, loss, and building a better world are primary themes of the movie, exploring them with a dream-like quality that leaves every scene with multiple ways it can be interpreted. The characters are also very memorable and entertaining, with the Heron standing out best thanks to his trickster persona and Pattinson’s amazing performance in the English dub.
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Feline outlaw Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) learns that he has used up 8 of his 9 lives. After almost getting killed by a mysterious wolf (Wagner Moura), Puss resigns himself to living as a domestic cat. That is, until he overhears Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears talking about a map that can lead to a wishing star, which Puss could use to get his lives back. Others are looking for the star as well, but Puss finds unlikely allies in the form of a friendly dog (Harvey Guillén) and his old flame, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault).
One doesn’t usually consider sequels to franchise spin-offs as masterpieces, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish shocked audiences with how beautiful and engaging it was. The story takes Puss in an interesting direction by forcing him to confront his mortality, leading to a pretty mature narrative about death, legacy, and judging what matters most in life. It’s also just gorgeous to look at, with an animation style that looks like a fairy tale book come to life, and stylistic action sequences.
‘Flow’ (2024)
In the distant future, humanity has vanished, leaving Earth to the animals. One day, the world is flooded, and a group of animals — a black cat, a golden retriever, a capybara, a lemur, and a secretarybird — band together on a boat to survive. As they search for a safe place to call home, they must learn how to work together.
Flow is a unique movie in the modern cinema landscape because it’s a modern silent film. None of the characters speak, so emotion is conveyed through beautiful music and on-point animation that nearly matches the movements of the real animals. The result is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that conveys a simple but effective story about camaraderie and adapting to change. Flow won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, proving that independent cinema can be recognized on an international stage.
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
While making graffiti art with his uncle, Aaron (Mahershala Ali), Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is bitten by a strange spider and begins to develop powers like the local hero, Spider-Man (Chris Pine). He investigates the spider’s origins and witnesses Spider-Man’s death at the hands of the Kingpin (Liev Schreiber). Before dying, Spider-Man gives Miles a flash drive that can be used to stop Kingpin’s plan involving a powerful supercollider. Miles is aided by other Spider-people pulled from other worlds, including Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is by far the most influential animated film of recent years. Numerous projects have taken inspiration from its animation style—which looks like comic book pages come to life—resulting in more films taking chances with their designs and making a more diverse landscape. Beyond its influence, Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best Spider-Man films, combining hilarious jokes and references to the wide array of Spider-Man comics with a fantastic origin story for Miles that helps establish him as a character distinct from Peter.
‘Ne Zha 2’ (2025)
After Ne Zha (Lü Yanting and Joseph Cao/Crystal Lee and Griffin Puatu) and Ao Bing (Han Mo/Aleks Le) are struck by God Lightning, their bodies are restored by Master Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming/Rick Zieff). However, Ao Bing’s fragile new body is destroyed in an attack by his father, dragon king Ao Guang (Li Nan/Yu Chen and Christopher Swindle), on Ne Zha’s home of Chentang Pass. With Ao Bing’s soul now in Ne Zha’s body, they make a deal with Ao Guang: if he doesn’t destroy Chentang Pass, Ne Zha will acquire a potion that can be used to restore Ao Bing’s body. To get the potion, Ne Zha and Ao Bing must complete three trials given to them by the Immortal Master Wuliang Xianweng (Wang Deshun/William Utay and Robert Clotworthy), though with each trial, they are drawn deeper into a heavenly conspiracy.
The original Ne Zha was already an impressive movie that put Chinese animation on the map, but Ne Zha 2 blows it out of the water in every conceivable way. The animation was worked on by over 4,000 people across 138 animation companies, and that hard work shows in how impeccably detailed the world is; every scale and wrinkle is visible, and elements like fire, water, and lightning look practically real. As for the story, it’s also excellent, both in how it continues the story of the first movie and explores themes of identity, family, and corrupt authority, and delivers powerful emotional moments.