The best animated movies of all time are an assortment of animated movies that rank among the best movies Hollywood ever made. While the characters might be brightly colored and possess abilities most real people could only wish to ever have, the stories and imagery speak to everyone and have set these movies up to become the best animated films ever. You'll quickly find that this is far more than just a top 10 best cartoon movie list. It takes into account the best cartoon movies that have been ranked by your votes.
Far from simply being movie versions of cartoons, these are movies with some of the best characters, most compelling stories, and some of the overall most memorable movies in the history of cinema. With great animated movies, the sky's the limit (literally, for characters in movies like The Incredibles and WALL-E) for the story being told. Many of these top animated and cartoon movies are a funny comedy with a message (like Toy Story). Others are not the funniest animated movies but can be considered heartbreaking dramas (like The Lion King). There's no story that can't be told through these amazing and popular animated films.
What are the best animated movies ever? What makes one animated film better than another? What is the greatest animated film? There are many varied answers to what makes good animated movies (story, characters, adventure, animation style), but there's no question that these are the best animated movies ever made. If you see your favorite animated movie on the list, make sure to vote it up this list of the greatest animated films so that it might become someone else's favorite animated film someday.
Not all animated films are for kids, but if you are looking for some more animated and live-action kid friendly fare, check out the best movies for children.
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4,2422,042Actors: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Liev Schreiber
Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film directed... more2
3,4842,195Moana
2016Actors: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Moana is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy-adventure film directed by Ron... more3
12,1859,048Toy Story
1995Actors: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Penn Jillette, Annie Potts
Directed by: John Lasseter
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy-comedy adventure film produced by Pixar... more4
13,97510,830The Lion King
1994Actors: Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson
Directed by: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical epic film produced by Walt Disney Feature... more5
9,8577,996Monsters, Inc.
2001Actors: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, James Coburn
Directed by: David Silverman, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Pete Docter,... more6
3,2812,254Actors: Boris Karloff, June Foray, Hal Smith, Dallas McKennon, Thurl Ravenscroft
Directed by: Chuck Jones, Ben Washam
This special is a 1966 American animated television special directed by Chuck Jones. It is... more7
1,8661,364Coco
2017Actors: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Coco is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy adventure film directed by Lee... more8
3,3482,518Robin Hood
1973Actors: Ringo Starr, Peter Ustinov, Graham Chapman, Roger Miller, Andy Devine
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
Robin Hood is a 1973 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions which was... more9
11,8839,416Despicable Me
2010Actors: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove
Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Despicable Me is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin... more10
6,8495,370Big Hero 6
2014Actors: Jamie Chung, Maya Rudolph, Génesis Rodríguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk
Directed by: Chris Williams, Don Hall
Big Hero 6 is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated superhero action comedy film produced by... more11
6,5625,244Zootopia
2016Actors: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence
Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Zootopia is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated comedy film directed by Byron Howard and Rich... more12
2,3291,628An American Tail
1986Actors: Christopher Plummer, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Nehemiah Persoff, Hal Smith
Directed by: Don Bluth
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth and... more13
2,0711,494Actors: Michael J. Fox, Leonard Nimoy, James Garner, John Mahoney, David Ogden Stiers
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American traditionally animated action-adventure film... more14
3,0752,105Coraline
2009Actors: Teri Hatcher, Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Keith David, Jennifer Saunders
Directed by: Henry Selick
Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion animated 3D dark fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's... more15
3,5642,615Actors: Akihiro Miwa, Akio Ōtsuka, Takuya Kimura, Chieko Baisho, Ryunosuke Kamiki
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film scripted and directed by Hayao... more16
4,2163,290101 Dalmations
1961Actors: Rod Taylor, Paul Frees, J. Pat O'Malley, Tom Conway, Dallas McKennon
Directed by: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Wolfgang Reitherman
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often written 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated... more17
4,2983,376Shrek 2
2004Actors: Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Julie Andrews, Mike Myers
Directed by: Kelly Asbury, Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated, comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly... more18
2,6971,996Actors: Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Jason Alexander, Frank Welker, David Ogden Stiers
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Madacy Kids brings to life Victor Hugo's classic novel for this entry in their animated... more19
10,7878,801The Incredibles
2004Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Craig T. Nelson, Wallace Shawn
Directed by: Brad Bird
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film directed by Brad Bird. A... more20
1,8361,240Actors: Clint Howard, Howard Morris, Sterling Holloway, Ralph Wright, Sebastian Cabot
Directed by: John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a 1977 American animated musical film produced by... more21
2,6381,886Actors: Alan Napier, Sebastian Cabot, Norman Alden, Karl Swenson, Jimmy MacDonald
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by... more22
1,532868Actors: June Foray, Paul Frees, Billy De Wolfe, Jackie Vernon
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Frosty the Snowman is an American animated Christmas family television special based on the... more23
2,6211,942Finding Dory
2016Actors: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Finding Dory is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Andrew... more24
2,2651,495Actors: Loni Anderson, Dom DeLuise, Vic Tayback, Charles Nelson Reilly, Melba Moore
Directed by: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Dan Kuenster
All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 AmericanIrish animated musical adventure comedy film directed... more25
2,7661,948Anastasia
1997Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Meg Ryan, Kelsey Grammer, Lacey Chabert, Christopher Lloyd
Directed by: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Susan Beak, Geoff Beak
Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy drama film produced by Fox Animation... more