Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for animated movies like Dog Man:
Robot Dreams
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
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The glorious animation in the newest Shrek installment Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is enough to drive you to the theater by itself. Led by a star-studded cast and a script with enough heart, The Last Wish is one of the better animated movies of 2022.
Read our full review of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Ratatouille
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 (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Incredibles 2) conceptualizes a ridiculous premise to perfection, delivering a meta story about the intersection of art and criticism.
Read our full review of Ratatouille
Elemental
Elemental acts as a surprising return to the roots of Pixar. It’s a movie with a host of relevant themes and messages rolled into a sincere and effective love story. It’s been a a minute since Pixar landed an original story with such a clear balance of narrative and comedy.
Read our full review of Elemental
Shrek
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.
Night of the Zoopocalypse
As a gateway horror film, Night of the Zoopocalypse functions fine. But for those hoping that it might stand alongside some of the more daring or genre-savvy animated fare in recent years, this feels like a mild disappointment. Not quite wild enough to be truly memorable, and not sharp enough to be clever, it’s a serviceable but skippable entry in the animated horror-comedy space.
Read our full review of Night of the Zoopocalypse
Strange World
It’s not that Strange World is bad, it just should’ve been much better. The movie has a third act with its positives (I particularly liked the main twist that I’ll avoid spoiling in this review, but it gave me some nice food-for-thought), but not enough to redeem a story that takes too long to set up without much fun or promise. Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid lead a mixed voice cast.
Read our full review of Strange World
Leo
Leo is a reptilian romp that surprises with its unexpected humor and heart, carried by Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, and a fun voice acting cast. While it may not be a genre-defining masterpiece, Leo succeeds in delivering a singular story and surpasses many animated movie releases in 2023.
Rally Road Racers
Rally Road Racers doesn’t offer much beyond being a palatable kids movie that goes down easily. Light on stakes and emotion, the film works strictly on the premise that working faster beats working harder. It’s easier to reconcile this notion given the premise of Rally Road Racers, which goes hand-in-hand with the breakneck speed with which it’s told.
Read our full review of Rally Road Racers
Sing 2
Sing 2 is occasionally more entertaining than the first movie, but it rarely competes with some of animation’s recent bests. Hopefully someday they’ll make Kids Bop-adjacent animal movies that are better than this.