Looking for the best animated movies of all time? It’s a fact that animated movies are not just for kids. They are also great for solo and family entertainment.
From Disney to DreamWorks, this genre has a range and is packed with unmissable winners. Whether you’re looking for artful stop-motion or visually striking computerized animation these are the best animated films of all time.
Best Animated Movies of All Time
1. The Lion King (1994)
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Drama
Star Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
The Lion King is the best animated movie of all time. It is a 1994 American animated musical drama movie written and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands, however, after Simba’s paternal uncle Scar kills Mufasa to seize the throne, Simba is manipulated into believing he was responsible and flees into exile.
After growing up with the carefree outcasts Timon and Pumbaa, Simba gains vital perspective from his childhood friend Nala and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and reclaim his rightful place in the Circle of Life as King.
2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Director: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Genres: Animation/Action/Adventure
Star Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson
How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated action-fantasy movie created by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, largely based on Cressida Cowell’s 2003 book of the same name.
Hiccup, an undersized kid who aspires to be a dragon slayer like the other Vikings, injures a rare Night Fury dragon but is unable to bring himself to kill it. Instead, he assists and befriends the dragon, rapidly discovering that not everything in the Viking-Dragon war is as it appears.
3. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Director: Lee Unkrich
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 computer-animated comedy-drama movie produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third movie in the Toy Story series and the follow-up to Toy Story 2 (1999).
Andy Davis, now 17, is leaving for college in the movie. Andy’s mother unintentionally donates Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the other toys to a daycare center, and the toys must decide where their loyalties lie.
4. WALL-E (2008)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Family
Star Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction movie directed by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Andrew Stanton directed and co-wrote the movie, which was produced by Jim Morris and co-written by Jim Reardon.
WALL-E follows a lone robot left to pick up waste on a future, inhospitable, deserted Earth in 2805. A probe dispatched by the starship Axiom, a robot named EVE, pays him a visit, with whom he falls in love and pursues across the galaxy.
5. Up (2009)
Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated movie directed by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Pete Docter directed the picture, which was co-directed by Bob Peterson and produced by Jonas Rivera.
The story revolves around Carl Fredricksen (Asner), an old widower, and Wilderness Explorer Russell (Nagai), who embark on a voyage to South America to fulfill a promise Carl made to his late wife Ellie. Along the trip, they encounter a talking dog named Dug (Peterson) and a huge bird named Kevin, who is being pursued by adventurer Charles Muntz (Plummer).
6. Toy Story (1995)
Director: John Lasseter
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy movie directed by John Lasseter and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The plot revolves around the relationship between an old-fashioned pull-string cowboy doll named Woody and a modern space cadet action figure, Buzz Lightyear, in a world where toys come to life when humans are not present, as Woody develops jealousy towards Buzz when he becomes their owner Andy’s favorite toy.
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7. Finding Nemo (2003)
Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure movie released by Walt Disney Pictures and produced by Pixar Animation Studios.
It follows the narrative of Marlin, an overprotective clownfish who, along with Dory, a regal blue tang, seeks his lost son Nemo. Along the journey, Marlin learns to take risks and accepts Nemo’s ability to care for himself.
8. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Director: Pete Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 computer-animated monster comedy movie directed by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
The plot revolves around two monsters, the hairy James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and his one-eyed partner and closest friend Mike Wazowski, who works at the eponymous energy-generating factory Monsters, Inc., which generates power by scaring human children.
The monster world, on the other hand, feels that the children are toxic, and when a tiny human girl sneaks into the factory, she must be brought home before it’s too late.
9. Inside Out (I) (2015)
Director: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling
Inside Out is a 2015 American computer-animated movie directed by Pete Docter and based on a script co-written by him, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley.
The movie depicts the inner workings of a little girl named Riley (Dias), as five personified emotions govern her thoughts and behaviors while she adjusts to her family’s relocation.
10. The Incredibles (2004)
Director: Brad Bird
Genres: Animation/Action/Adventure
Star Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero movie directed by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
The plot revolves around Bob and Helen Parr, a couple of superheroes known as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl who disguise their powers in order to comply with a government decree and live a tranquil suburban life with their three children. However, Bob’s drive to assist others brings the entire family into conflict with a spiteful fan-turned-foe.
11. Ratatouille (2007)
Director: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Genres: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
Star Cast: Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm
Ratatouille is a computer-animated comedy-drama movie released in 2007 by Walt Disney Pictures and produced by Pixar Animation Studios.
The title refers to the French cuisine ratatouille, which is presented at the end of the movie, as well as the main character’s species, a rat. The story is set in Paris and follows a rat who wants to be a chef and strives to attain his goal by forming an unexpected partnership with a restaurant’s garbage boy.
12. Big Hero 6 (2014)
Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams
Genres: Animation/Action/Adventure
Star Cast: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller
Big Hero 6 is a 2014 American computer-animated superhero movie produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
Big Hero 6 follows Hiro Hamada, a young robotics prodigy, and Baymax, his late brother Tadashi’s healthcare provider robot, as they join a superhero team to battle a masked villain responsible for Tadashi’s death.
