12 Animated Movies Worth Watching at Least Once
Introduction
Animated movies were once thought to be exclusively for kids. Cute, colourful, and childish, they were something to keep your toddler entertained while you made dinner.
Today, animated films are able to resonate with audiences of all ages. Whether it’s the handcrafted charm of 2D animated movies or the hyper-realistic depth of 3D animated movies, the medium is constantly redefining what’s possible on screen.
Be it from a multinational media juggernaut or a boutique, top 3D animation studio in Singapore, animated movies are able to deliver more emotional weight and artistic ambition.
If you’re looking to dive into the best the medium has to offer, here is our curated list of 12 animated movies you should watch at least once in your life. A mix of modern masterpieces and underrated gems, these films will give you a good idea of the wonders of the medium.
- The Iron Giant (1999)
- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
- Zootopia (2016)
- Coraline (2009)
- Spirited Away (2001)
- Rango (2011)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Shrek (2001)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
- Coco (2017)
- Wolfwalkers (2020)
1. The Iron Giant (1999)
Set in 1950s America in the midst of the Cold War, a young boy named Hogarth discovers and befriends a massive alien robot that crash-landed nearby. As government agents grow suspicious, tensions rise, and Hogarth must protect the Iron Giant while teaching him about humanity.
The heart of the film lies in the warmth of the bond between Hogarth and the Iron Giant, and its exploration of choice in the paranoia of the Cold War – what happens when something made for violence, no longer wants to be violent? These intricate beats build to a gut-punch ending that resonate even today, more than two decades after the film’s release. It shows that animation is more than capable of handling complex themes and stories.
2. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
When a humble bamboo farmer and his wife discover a tiny, glowing girl inside a bamboo stalk, they believe they’ve received a divine blessing. She grows up supernaturally fast, and is whisked away from her rural home to the rigid world of nobility, where she faces a heartbreaking struggle between her wild, joyful nature and the weight of societal expectations.
Animated in the style of a traditional Japanese watercolour painting, its world bleeds with colour that expresses Kaguya’s emotional turmoil, shifting hues as her feelings change. It captures the story in a way that a live action film simply would not have been able to.
3. Zootopia (2016)
In a sprawling metropolis where predators and prey animals live side-by-side, Judy Hopps makes history as Zootopia’s first ever rabbit police officer. To crack a missing persons case, she’s forced to team up with the fox Nick Wilde, a cynical con-artist. What begins as a buddy-cop comedy quickly spirals into a conspiracy threatening to tear Zootopia itself apart.
Disney developed custom 3D animation software to do justice to the hundreds of animals depicted on screen, rendering individual strands of polar bear fur and the distinct movement of tiger muscles. The film then uses this vibrant world to tackle genuinely heavy themes like systemic bias. It’s entertaining on the surface but layered with social commentary, a legacy continued by its successor, Zootopia 2.
4. Coraline (2009)
When Coraline Jones moves into the Pink Palace, she discovers a hidden door leading to the Other World. At first, it’s a dream filled with attentive parents, better food, and vibrant neighbors. However, that dream turns into a psychological nightmare when her Other Mother reveals the price of her presence.
Coraline is the pinnacle of stop-motion animated films, a tactile masterpiece where each frame bursts with painstakingly handmade details, from the tiny knit sweaters to the elaborate, eerie garden set piece. The tangible quality of the film gives it an unsettling texture that CGI can’t replicate, and proves that animation can be genuinely haunting.
5. Spirited Away (2001)
Chihiro is a moody 10-year-old who learns to become her own hero when she becomes trapped in the spirit realm after her parents are transformed into pigs. If she wants to save them, she must survive a job at a sprawling, chaotic bathhouse run by the formidable witch Yubaba, and navigate a world of gods, dragons, and soot sprites.
Visually, Studio Ghibli films are the gold standard of 2D animated movies. The hand painted backdrops feel more akin to fine art than set dressing, and the character designs are incredibly imaginative. It’s a movie that trusts its audience and envelopes you in an atmosphere that’s simultaneously alien and deeply nostalgic.
6. Rango (2011)
A theatrical pet chameleon is stranded in the Mojave Desert, and stumbles upon a gritty, lawless town facing a lethal water shortage. After accidentally rebranding himself as a legendary gunslinger, he’s appointed Sheriff and tasked with uncovering a deep rooted conspiracy, all while dealing with a full blown existential crisis.
What makes Rango a standout among 3D animated movies is its subversion of expectations – situating animated animals in a spaghetti western, and being unafraid to showcase the gloriously grotesque in their character design. This makes the world feel that more tangible, clouded in the dusty, untamed frontier. It showcases 3D animation as a legitimate vehicle for a rugged, unconventional, desert epic.
7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Miles Morales is a teenager trying to get through high school when a radioactive spider bite and a small multiversal glitch, thrusts him into the newfound world of superheroes. As dimensions collide, Miles must navigate his newfound powers and team up with a ragtag group of Spider-people to save the multiverse.
With the spectacular combination of hand-drawn techniques, Ben-Day dots, and bold mix of animation styles, this movie feels like a comic book come to life. The film also plays around with frame rates, which. It definitely makes a case for stylised vs realistic animation. Add its emotionally gripping storyline about finding yourself and taking a leap of faith into the mix and you get an animated movie that no one should miss.
8. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
The story follows teenager Seita and his sister, Setsuko, after they’ve lost their mother in the firebombing of Japan during the final months of World War II. As the siblings are forced to navigate a landscape of starvation and indifference, they cling to each other as their world slowly unravels around them.
Grave of the Fireflies is a devastating 2D animated film that focuses on the smallest parts of a war torn nation. Studio Ghibli cements its second spot on this list through the way the hand drawn animation strips away the spectacle of war and lingers on the intimate human cost of survival. While director Isao Takahata maintains that it is not an anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is still considered one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made.
9. Shrek (2001)
Shrek is a grumpy ogre whose peace is shattered when the villainous Lord Farquaad exiles all the fairy tale creatures in the fantasy kingdom of Far Far Away. The various creatures promptly take refuge in Shrek’s swamp, and in his bid to reclaim his home, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower, accompanied by a hyperactive talking Donkey.
As a pioneer of early 3D animated movies,Shrek subverts fairy tale tropes while still managing to weave a heartfelt story into the mix. DreamWorks utilised cutting-edge technology at the time to make the characters more expressive and grounded in a way that has held up remarkably well. The tone of the film strikes a balance between genuinely hilarious for adults, and entertaining for kids, in the same way as some top adult animated series.
10. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Based on a novel by Roald Dahl, Mr. Fox is a reformed chicken thief who’s traded in wild nights for a steady job as a newspaper columnist. Unfortunately, the wild animal within him hasn’t settled down quite as well, which leads to him breaking a promise to his wife and pulling one last heist against three horrible farmers, triggering a series of events that puts his entire community in danger.
Much like anything directed by Wes Anderson, this film is, in a word, fantastic. The stop-motion animation imbues it with a specific, handmade soul, a jittery aesthetic which Anderson embraced, using real flickering fur and miniature corduroy suits for a tactile, vintage feel. It’s quirky, symmetrical, and incredibly witty, and presents animation as a sophisticated medium for deadpan comedy and beautiful storytelling that can appeal to all ages.
11. Coco (2017)
Miguel is a young boy who wants to be a musician, despite his family’s generations-old ban on music. On Día de los Muertos, a magical accident transports him to the vibrant Land of the Dead. To find his way back to the living, he must seek the blessing of his ancestors and untangle a family mystery that has been buried for decades.
Coco is a visual feast – Pixar’s team pushes the boundaries of lighting and special effects to create the Land of the Dead: a megacity glowing with seven million individual lights and marigold petals. The animation captures everything from the papery skin of skeletal characters to the precise finger placements on a guitar string. The film is a touching exploration of family legacy and cultural pride, proving that animation can bridge the gap between generations and cultures.
12. Wolfwalkers (2020)
Set in a time of magic and superstition, Robyn is an apprentice hunter traveling to Ireland with her father with the goal of wiping out the last wolf pack. Her world is flipped on its head when she befriends Mebh, a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night. As Robyn is drawn into their world, she must choose between duty to her father and the wild world she’s beginning to love.
Visually, Wolfwalkers is a breathtaking tribute to 2D animated movies. Crafted by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, the film uses a hand-drawn style to make the medieval forest feel alive. It’s deeply symbolic, as the rigid, grey town is drawn with sharp, straight lines, while the forest is a swirling, messy explosion of watercolors and loose sketches. It’s a shining example of how stylised animation can heighten the emotion of a story, and how traditional techniques can still feel incredibly fresh and revolutionary.
Conclusion
To limit animated movies as “kids movies” is to do the medium as a whole, and yourself, a huge disservice. Animation is a boundless medium for storytelling, whether you love artistic soul imbued in 2D animation or the sheer cinematic scale that 3D animation is able to deliver, even with a shorter runtime, like these top animated short films.
Animated films go beyond entertainment, as they innovate and inspire audiences. It’s the reason brands invest so much in high-quality animation for campaigns, like these top animated ads.
At CraveFX, we’re passionate about bringing stories to life through animation. As a leading 3D animation studio in Singapore, we combine cinematic artistry with compelling storytelling to help brands stand out.
Ready to start your next project? Contact us today.
