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59 films

Animation

Animation builds worlds frame by frame, whether drawn, painted, sculpted or digital. Emile Cohl and Winsor McCay worked in the silent era; Disney's Snow White (1937) proved the feature-length form; Japan's Miyazaki and Takahata at Studio Ghibli, Eastern Europe's puppet and stop-motion artists, and Pixar's computer-animated features each created major traditions. Because nothing has to resemble reality, animation can be the most imaginative form of cinema.

Where
The United States, Japan, France, Czech lands, Russia
When
From 1908; feature-length from 1937
Key figures
Walt Disney, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Jan Švankmajer, Satoshi Kon
Landmark films
Snow White (1937), Akira (1988), Spirited Away (2001), Toy Story (1995)
Legacy
Proved that animation is a full art form for all ages, not just children's entertainment

What to look for

  • Movement designed rather than filmed
  • Distinct visual styles for each film
  • Transformation as a storytelling tool
  • Music and sound built with the picture
  • Emotion carried by simple shapes

Directors with the most films in this genre

Hayao Miyazaki12 filmsJan Švankmajer7 filmsMakoto Shinkai7 filmsIsao Takahata6 filmsSatoshi Kon4 filmsWilfred Jackson4 filmsAri Folman3 filmsKatsuhiro Otomo3 filmsBen Sharpsteen2 filmsGints Zilbalodis2 filmsRichard Linklater2 filmsWes Anderson2 filmsGene Kelly1 filmGuillermo del Toro1 filmLuigi Comencini1 filmRobert Zemeckis1 filmWalter Ruttmann1 film

Often combined with

Adventure Drama Comedy Family Fantasy Romance

59 films, best rated first

  1. Spirited Away 2001 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.6
  2. Grave of the Fireflies 1988 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 8.5
  3. Your Name 2016 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 8.4
  4. Princess Mononoke 1997 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.3
  5. Howl's Moving Castle 2004 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.2
  6. Dimensions of Dialogue 1982 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 8.1
  7. My Neighbor Totoro 1988 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.1
  8. Akira 1988 · Katsuhiro Otomo · IMDb 8.0
  9. Castle in the Sky 1986 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.0
  10. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 8.0
  11. Perfect Blue 1997 · Satoshi Kon · IMDb 8.0
  12. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya 2013 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 8.0
  13. Waltz with Bashir 2008 · Ari Folman · IMDb 8.0
  14. Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 · Wes Anderson · IMDb 7.9
  15. Flow 2024 · Gints Zilbalodis · IMDb 7.8
  16. Isle of Dogs 2018 · Wes Anderson · IMDb 7.8
  17. Kiki's Delivery Service 1989 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 7.8
  18. Millennium Actress 2001 · Satoshi Kon · IMDb 7.8
  19. The Wind Rises 2013 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 7.8
  20. Tokyo Godfathers 2003 · Satoshi Kon · IMDb 7.8
  21. Paprika 2006 · Satoshi Kon · IMDb 7.7
  22. Porco Rosso 1992 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 7.7
  23. Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988 · Robert Zemeckis · IMDb 7.7
  24. Only Yesterday 1991 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 7.6
  25. Ponyo 2008 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 7.6
  26. Suzume 2022 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 7.6
  27. The Flat 1968 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.6
  28. Waking Life 2001 · Richard Linklater · IMDb 7.6
  29. Weathering with You 2019 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 7.5
  30. 5 Centimeters per Second 2007 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 7.4
  31. Alice (1988) 1988 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.4
  32. Pinocchio 1940 · Ben Sharpsteen · IMDb 7.4
  33. The Garden of Words 2013 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 7.4
  34. Alice in Wonderland 1951 · Wilfred Jackson · IMDb 7.3
  35. Cinderella (1950) 1950 · Wilfred Jackson · IMDb 7.3
  36. Faust (1994) 1994 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.3
  37. Lady and the Tramp 1955 · Wilfred Jackson · IMDb 7.3
  38. Little Otik 2000 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.3
  39. The Boy and the Heron 2023 · Hayao Miyazaki · IMDb 7.3
  40. Dumbo 1941 · Ben Sharpsteen · IMDb 7.2
  41. Peter Pan 1953 · Wilfred Jackson · IMDb 7.2
  42. Pom Poko 1994 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 7.2
  43. Surviving Life 2010 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.2
  44. Lunacy 2005 · Jan Švankmajer · IMDb 7.1
  45. My Neighbors the Yamadas 1999 · Isao Takahata · IMDb 7.1
  46. A Scanner Darkly 2006 · Richard Linklater · IMDb 7.0
  47. Voices of a Distant Star 2002 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 7.0
  48. The Adventures of Pinocchio 1972 · Luigi Comencini · IMDb 6.9
  49. Steamboy 2004 · Katsuhiro Otomo · IMDb 6.8
  50. The Place Promised in Our Early Days 2004 · Makoto Shinkai · IMDb 6.8
  51. Away 2019 · Gints Zilbalodis · IMDb 6.7
  52. Invitation to the Dance 1956 · Gene Kelly · IMDb 6.4
  53. The Congress 2013 · Ari Folman · IMDb 6.4
  54. Where Is Anne Frank 2021 · Ari Folman · IMDb 6.4
  55. Pinocchio (2022) 2022 · Guillermo del Toro · IMDb 5.1
  56. Combustible 2013 · Katsuhiro Otomo
  57. Lichtspiel: Opus I 1921 · Walter Ruttmann
  58. The Castle of Cagliostro 1979 · Hayao Miyazaki
  59. The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun 1968 · Isao Takahata