Long gone are the days in which people considered animation movies were only suited for children. Granted, most animated movies are made with kids in mind. But that doesn’t mean they can’t resonate with audiences of all generations. These films have the potential to inspire and make the lives of anyone a lot more joyous and bright.
Companies like Disney have brought this genre to the forefront of cinema, with many eventually winning Academy Awards, high praise from critics, and endless love from audiences. With this in mind, let’s take a look at ten of the best animated movies out there, that audiences instantly fell in love with, according to the Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
10 Incredibles 2 – Audience Score 84%
The year 2004 gifted audiences with the outstanding animated picture The Incredibles. This movie became such a staple within its genre that fans didn’t seem to mind it took over a decade for it to receive a sequel and flocked to movie theatres in pure excitement.
This fresh new take on superheroes was very much welcomed into everyone’s lives, proving that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t the only franchise capable of offering unique stories and twists.
9 Finding Nemo – Audience Score 86%
The year was 2003, and no one was quite prepared for what Finding Nemo was about to bring. A moving story about a young fish who wants to explore the world and his over-protecting father who goes on a frantic search to find him.
Leave it to Disney Pixar to make sea creatures so relatable and hilarious, to the point where viewers cried and laughed alongside the characters. Finding Nemo‘s popularity subsists to this day, with the meme and quote potential being off the charts.
8 Ratatouille – Audience Score 87%
If no one ever saw themselves being able to relate to fish, then what would they say about a mouse who wants to become a professional chef? Whatever it might be, all of those misconceptions died once Ratatouille hit the screens.
This Academy Award-winning movie took us yet on another timeless journey covering the issues of ambition, pre-conceived ideas, prejudice, and persistence than few non-animated films manage to ace.
7 Paddington 2 – Audience Score 88%
While the original 2014 movie captivated audiences in its own right and set the stage for potential future projects, it was the sequel, Paddington 2, that catapulted the character to astronomical fame.
Mixing animated elements with real-life settings and characters is not unheard of, but this particular movie’s narrative somehow managed to tug at audiences’ heart-strings in the most perfect way.
6 Inside Out – Audience Score 89%
Human beings are so complex, that trying to understand every single moving part can become quite the hassle. And attempting to explain how the brain works to children…well, that just sounds like an incredibly daunting task.
Inside Out managed to create a metaphor that superficially, yet efficiently, explains the intricacies of our emotions and why we do what we do and behave the way we behave. Sweet, funny, and heart-warming, it’s no wonder this movie was an instant hit.
5 Moana – Audience Score 90%
By the time Moana came around, audiences were craving a different kind of animated movie that moved its setting towards something that hadn’t been fully explored before within the genre.
Taking place in Ancient Polynesia, Moana excelled in offering representation, a beautiful soundtrack, and a well-rounded heroine, all wrapped up in a wonderful two-hour package.
4 WALL-E – Audience Score 90%
2008 was the year when Disney Pixar took the jump to outer space and came up with the masterpiece that was WALL-E. The movie was so good, it went on to win an Oscar and win a spot in IMDb’s Top Rated Movies.
The fact that we bonded on an emotional level with animated fish and rats was already extraordinary, but once again, Disney-Pixar raised the bar and made audiences everywhere feel the personal journey of a robot deep in their souls.
3 The Nightmare Before Christmas – Audience Score 92%
What’s an animated movie list without a Tim Burton movie? Burton hardly fits the molds created by Disney and Pixar when it comes to his style of animation and storytelling, but that doesn’t make his movies any less brilliant.
On the contrary, Burton’s inimitable approach was the exact thing that made him an A-lister, and his tale of The Nightmare Before Christmas remains one of the most beloved animated films of all time.
2 Zootopia – Audience Score 92%
This Oscar-winning, hilarious 2016 motion picture included an all-star cast of the likes of Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, and Jason Bateman, capturing the hearts of viewers from all around the globe.
Who wouldn’t want to see a version of reality where anthropomorphic animals rule the world as we know it, and all the adventures that ensue? Disney knew exactly what they were doing when creating this smashing hit.
1 Beauty and the Beast – Audience Score 92%
It’s a story that subsists to this day and will continue to be part of many generations to come. Beauty and the Beast is arguably one of Disney’s most successful projects where timelessness is concerned.
It’s been almost thirty years since the original movie was released, but the fascination and love audiences bear for it hasn’t withered over time. Indeed, a tale as old as time!
