Top ten best animated films of all time

For the majority of cinema’s history, animated films have lived side by side with their live-action counterparts. Originally as shorts and then into fully fledged features courtesy of the pioneering Walt Disney, whose still-going-strong studio celebrates 100 this year. Animation has continued to evolve technologically and narratively, tapping into the wonder not possible through live action.

Of course, animation is a broad spectrum. There is computer generated, hand-drawn and stop-motion. There’s 2-D and 3-D and, of course, a hybrid of everything. For the purposes of this list, only completely animated films have been included so the likes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Ted and Space Jam will have to wait for another turn.

Disney, Ghibli and Aardman are just three revolutionary creative companies that have expanded the essence of storytelling through three very different types of storytelling and animation. They’re all celebrated here as well as a few other choice gems.

Take a look below at GQ’s favourite animated films.

10. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (1999)

“Shut your fucking face, Uncle Fucker.” You all know the song, don’t deny it. And you all sang it after this movie warped your fragile little minds. While the show has always been hit and miss in terms of quality, the South Park movie is an anarchic masterpiece that sees the Baldwin family blown up, Satan shagging Saddam Hussein and show tunes that could rival any in the West End. A thrilling satire about censorship, outrage and parental responsibility, the film feels as lightning hot now as it did in 1999. Spot the George Clooney voice cameo.

9. Spirited Away (2001)

Responsible for making Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli household names outside of Japan, Spirited Away is an enchantingly surreal journey into the mystical. Following a young girl who becomes trapped in a bathhouse after her parents are transformed into pigs, the film is far more accessible than its outlandish premise suggests. The highest-rated animated film on the latest Sight and Sound list, Spirited Away is a wonder of imagination that owes much to the work of Lewis Carroll.

8. Up (2009)

If you didn’t sob after the first ten minutes, then are you really human? The opening sequence alone captures the agony and ecstasy of life and death with such nuanced detail that it should have been impossible for the rest of the film to follow that emotional crescendo. But credit to director Pete Docter that the rest of the film is an adventure masterpiece full of uproarious humour yet still grounded in the realities of living with grief. While Pixar has mined the rest of its films for sequels and spin-offs, Up remains thankfully untouched.

7. Toy Story (1995)

The film that changed it all. And not just in breaking new technological ground that would become the backbone of animated movies in Hollywood. For a very long time, Pixar became synonymous with masterful cartoon movies that were lushly coloured and could make you laugh and cry (often simultaneously). Tom Hanks also gives about the best voice acting performance you’ll ever hear. But you knew that already. To infinity and beyond indeed.

6. The Simpsons Movie (2007)

While it may have come long after the show’s golden era and past when The Simpsons was the biggest pop culture phenomenon since Star Wars, the movie is one last great ride for the finest sitcom of all time. Where The Simpsons Movie really hits, however, is its emotional beats – the devastating Homer and Marge break up in particular is a moment you’re allowed to admit to weeping to. It would have been a perfect finale.

5. Bambi (1942)

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” It’s a good job Bambi is the finest of Disney’s classic hand-drawn animations then, Thumper. Inspiring several generations of vegetarians thanks to cinema’s most devastating gunshot, Bambi proved there was more to Disney’s films than just fairytales and sparkle.

4. Monster’s Inc (2001)

Another groundbreaking Pixar special. This time, the company mastered animating fur for the gentle giant Sully, whose official job is to scare children because children's fear powers the monster world. A buddy comedy at heart, gag-for-gag Monster’s Inc is probably Pixar’s finest. It also leans heavily into sentimentality, but just you try and not cry at the final goodbye between Boo and Sully.

3. My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

It’s impossible to talk about My Neighbour Totoro without mentioning the cat bus. No, it is not a bus for cats, it is, in fact, a cat that looks like an American school bus. This moment is a perfect example of Miyazaki’s imagination at its peak and the rich detail his films possess. Though lighter than some of his other work – especially visually – Totoro’s heart is never far away from the true fears of childhood, mainly the loss of a parent.

2. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005)

Everybody’s favourite cheese-loving inventor and his dog got the big screen treatment in 2005 after three revolutionary shorts made for TV between 1989 and 1995. Somewhat inspired by Hammer Horror movies, the Aardman team built on the success of Chicken Run to deliver a delightfully charming comedy that delivers a gag a minute for the kids and knowing smarts for the adults. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit has everything from giant aubergines to the cutest bunnies this side of Bugs.

1. Fantastic Mr Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson’s films often have an animated quality. From the mannered acting to immaculately designed sets, Anderson could only naturally take to the animated form. This stop-motion take on the Roald Dahl classic stays pretty faithful to the source but is given a classic Wes twist in terms of the wardrobe and dry, idiosyncratic humour.

What is the greatest animated movie never made?

Persistence of Vision is a 2012 documentary film based on animator Richard Williams' ill-fated attempts to produce his film The Thief and the Cobbler. Directed by Kevin Schreck, its tagline is "the untold story of the greatest animated film never made".

What is the most watched animation?

Using that metric, the 10 most-viewed animated series were:.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc – 95.8 million..

CoComelon: Season 3 – 91.4 million..

Little Angel: Volume 2 – 86.2 million..

CoComelon: Season 4 – 82.5 million..

Sonic Prime: Season 1 – 82.1 million..

What is the highest grossing animated movie of all time?

15 Highest-Grossing Animated Films of All Time.

8 The Lion King (1994) ... .

7 Toy Story 4 (2019) $434 Million. ... .

6 Shrek 2 (2004) $441.2 Million. ... .

5 Frozen II (2019) $477.4 Million. ... .

4 Finding Dory (2016) $486.3 Million. ... .

3 The Lion King (2019) $543.6 Million. ... .

2 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) ... .

1 Incredibles 2 (2018) $608.6 Million..

Which is the best cartoon in 2023?

The Best Animated Movies of 2023.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie..

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart..

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget..

Unicorn Wars..

Blue Giant..

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem..

Nimona..

Suzume..