Here are Cinephile Corner’s picks for the 50 best animated movies of all time, ranked:
50. Shrek (2001)
Shrek stays winning! I don’t think its in the pantheon of great animated movies this century (Pixar has made movies superior to this just in the last few years), but it’s pretty entertaining and funny for what it strives to be. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy are terrific voice actors.
49. Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)
48. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
47. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022)
46. Turning Red (2022)
Despite feeling a bit like Pixar is borrowing heavily from their contemporaries, Turning Red is the first movie from the studio to actually move the needle in a while. It’s a story for generations to enjoy, and I always prefer when Pixar aims to appeal to older audiences in conjunction with the usual kids demographic.
Read our full review of Turning Red
45. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s Pinocchio is a beautiful and marvelous return for the ancient story after the dark places it went to in 2022. The stop-motion is clean and stoic, and the story breaths new life into the wooden child. Guillermo del Toro rarely misses, and this is another example of his gothic stories hitting just the right notes.
Read our full review of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
44. The Simpsons Movie (2007)
43. Toy Story 2 (1999)
42. Rango (2011)
41. Entergalactic (2022)
40. Cinderella (1950)
39. The Wild Robot (2024)
The overall package of The Wild Robot is ultimately quite honorable and noteworthy. The animated genre offers just a few great movies a year, and The Wild Robot falls into that category. It’s probably the frontrunner for Best Animated Picture at the Academy Awards, and I’d add that we’ve had much worse winners should this take home the prize. It’s sweet and effortlessly likeable, even if you can see the mechanisms of it working behind the scenes.
Read our full review of The Wild Robot
38. Ponyo (2008)
37. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
36. Toy Story 4 (2019)
I was certainly in that camp in 2019, always favoring original stories over rehashes of the same material over and over (I’ll probably act the same way when Toy Story 5 nears because I clearly haven’t learned my lesson). Toy Story 4 quickly expels any notion that it shouldn’t exist – the different themes and new characters actually make the franchise as engaging as ever.
Read our full review of Toy Story 4
35. Sausage Party (2016)
34. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
33. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
32. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
31. Anomalisa (2015)
30. Robot Dreams (2023)
Suitable for children while also extremely relatable for adults, Robot Dreams is one of the most uncomplicatedly pleasant experiences I’ve had with a movie in 2024. It’s nice to relive an animation style that once was the norm, while also seeing it adapted in prescient and timely ways. Robot Dreams, while small scale and innocent, feels like the much needed break from convention.
Read our full review of Robot Dreams
29. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
28. Mad God (2021)
27. Porco Rosso (1992)
26. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
25. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
24. Perfect Blue (1997)
23. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues what the first film did so well – feel like something you’ve never seen before. An intense thrill ride that explores carving your own path and not staying constrained to the expectations set before you.
Read our full review of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
22. The Incredibles (2004)
21. Chicken Run (2000)
20. Fantasia (1940)
19. Spirited Away (2001)
18. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
17. Toy Story (1995)
16. The Lego Movie (2014)
15. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
14. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
13. Finding Nemo (2003)
12. Aladdin (1992)
11. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
10. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
9. Toy Story 3 (2010)
8. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
7. Coraline (2009)
An absolutely beautiful stop-motion movie, Coraline supplies enough whimsical joy for kids, while still being thoughtful and profound. Henry Selick‘s best film is also Laika Entertainment’s best film.
Read our full review of Coraline
6. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
5. WALL-E (2008)
Over fifteen years later, I’m not sure Disney Pixar Studios has made a movie nearly as insightful, colorful, original, and ambitious as WALL-E. As an allegory for corporate greed and environmental neglect, the film operates on such a concise and straightforward manner – Pixar’s strongest thematic statement in their catalogue.
Read our full review of WALL-E
4. The Wind Rises (2013)
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
2. Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille could only be as effective as it is with these voice actors and this concept and director, and it all comes together to make one of Pixar’s most unique and loveable movies. Brad Bird conceptualizes a ridiculous premise to perfection, delivering a meta story about the intersection of art and criticism.
Read our full review of Ratatouille
1. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox is more than just one of the best Wes Anderson movies or one of the best animated movies—it’s one of the best movies, period. A singular work of creativity and charm that continues to inspire, entertain, and resonate.
Read our full review of Fantastic Mr. Fox
More ‘Best of All Time’ Rankings from Cinephile Corner
Cinephile Corner has recapped the best movies of all time with the following ‘Best of‘ rankings:
