The Best Cartoon Movies of the 2000s

Updated September 13, 2019 8.3k votes 898 voters 19.0k views

List RulesVote up your favorite animated films that were released in the 2000s

Some of the best animated films of all time were released in the 2000s. With their family-friendly stories, unique visual style, and intelligent jokes and references peppered for adult viewers, these ‘00s cartoon movies appeal to everyone.

In this list, you’ll encounter iconic animated characters like Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo, the story of one fish’s wild adventure to get back home. You’ll also see Mike Meyers star in Shrek, a movie about a rough-around-the-edges ogre with a heart of gold. No discussion of animated movies from the 2000s would be complete without mentioning Pixar. The legendary studio is responsible for a gigantic number of the top ‘00s cartoon movies, including Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Wall-E.

What are your favorite cartoons from the 2000s? Vote up the best ones, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section.

...more

Try the free app

1
211
67
Ratatouille
Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo
Released: 2007
Directed by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation... more on Wikipedia
More Ratatouille
20 Small, Succulent Details & Trivia About 'Ratatouille' That Leave Us Hungry For More#152 of 221 List of French Inventions
2
253
54
Monsters, Inc.
Billy Crystal, John Goodman
Released: 2001
Directed by: David Silverman, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Pete Docter,... more on Wikipedia
More Monsters, Inc.
Fan Theories About ‘Monsters, Inc.’#331 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever
3
191
64
Up
Christopher Plummer, Ed Asner
Released: 2009
Directed by: Pete Docter
Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Pixar... more on Wikipedia
4
238
64
Finding Nemo
Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe
Released: 2003
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by... more on Wikipedia
5
244
51
Shrek
Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Released: 2001
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy-comedy film produced by PDI/DreamWorks,... more on Wikipedia
More Shrek
12 Things You Never Knew About The Making Of 'Shrek'Shrek Fan Theories That Add Another Chapter To The Fairytale
6
176
64
WALL-E
Sigourney Weaver, Laraine Newman
Released: 2008
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar... more on Wikipedia
7
153
49
Lilo & Stitch
Tia Carrere, Ving Rhames
Released: 2002
Directed by: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated action-adventure comedy-drama film produced by Walt... more on Wikipedia
More Lilo & Stitch
15 Small But Poignant Details Fans Pointed Out About 'Lilo & Stitch' 18 Years Later#11 of 572 The Best Animated Films Ever

8
149
65
The Emperor's New Groove
John Goodman, David Spade
Released: 2000
Directed by: Mark Dindal
The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated buddy comedy film created by Walt Disney... more on Wikipedia
More The Emperor's New Groove
Interesting Details About The Emperor's New Groove That Prove It's Time For A Rewatch'The Emperor's New Groove' Fan Theories That Just Might Be True
9
234
64
The Incredibles
Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter
Released: 2004
Directed by: Brad Bird
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film directed by Brad Bird. A... more on Wikipedia
More The Incredibles
The Incredibles Fan Theories13 Small Details In 'The Incredibles' That We Missed As Kids
10
166
55
Ice Age
Jack Black, Ray Romano
Released: 2002
Directed by: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha
Ice Age is a 2002 American computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Carlos Saldanha... more on Wikipedia
More Ice Age
The Best Characters in the Ice Age Series, Ranked#192 of 926 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
11
143
58
Kung Fu Panda
Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu
Released: 2008
Directed by: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy martial arts film produced by... more on Wikipedia
12
110
83
Spirited Away
Miyu Irino, Bunta Sugawara
Released: 2001
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki... more on Wikipedia
More Spirited Away
The Best Anime Like 5 Centimeters Per SecondThe Best Anime Like Yuri!!! On Ice
13
153
47
Madagascar
Chris Rock, Ben Stiller
Released: 2005
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial
14
157
50
Shrek 2
Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Released: 2004
Directed by: Kelly Asbury, Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated, comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly... more on Wikipedia
15
68
48
Howl's Moving Castle
Akihiro Miwa, Akio Ōtsuka
Released: 2004
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Howl's Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film scripted and directed by Hayao... more on Wikipedia
More Howl's Moving Castle
#14 of 97 The Best Movies to Watch on Mushrooms#41 of 105 The Best Halloween Movies for Kids
16
78
52
The Road to El Dorado
Elton John, Kevin Kline
Released: 2000
Directed by: Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Silverman, Will Finn, Bibo Bergeron, Don Paul
The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 American animated musical adventure comedy film directed by... more on Wikipedia
More The Road to El Dorado
#2 of 9 The Best Soundtracks and Scores by Elton John#3 of 46 The Best Family Movies Streaming on Hulu
17
105
51
The Princess and the Frog
Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman
Released: 2009
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
The Princess and the Frog is a 2009 American animated musical romantic fantasy-comedy film... more on Wikipedia
18
86
51
Treasure Planet
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson
Released: 2002
Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Treasure Planet is a 2002 American animated science fiction adventure film directed by Ron... more on Wikipedia
19
105
63
Coraline
Teri Hatcher, Dakota Fanning
Released: 2009
Directed by: Henry Selick
Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion animated 3D dark fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's... more on Wikipedia
More Coraline
'Coraline' Is A Stop-Motion Nightmare That Still Chills Us If We Think About It Too Long17 Small But Chilling Details In 'Coraline'
20
74
58
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Michael J. Fox, Leonard Nimoy
Released: 2001
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American traditionally animated action-adventure film... more on Wikipedia
21
137
43
Over the Hedge
Avril Lavigne, Bruce Willis
Released: 2006
Directed by: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Over the Hedge is a 2006 American computer-animated comedy film based on the characters from... more on Wikipedia
22
30
38
The Cat Returns
Aki Maeda, Tetsurō Tamba
Released: 2002
Directed by: Hiroyuki Morita
The Cat Returns is a 2002 Japanese animated drama film directed by Hiroyuki Morita of Studio... more on Wikipedia
More
#288 of 355 The Best Rainy Day Movies#284 of 317 The Best Movies For Kids
23
116
54
The Polar Express
Tom Hanks, Steven Tyler
Released: 2004
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
The Polar Express is a 2004 American motion capture computer-animated musical Christmas... more on Wikipedia
More The Polar Express
#15 of 134 The Best Christmas Movies of All Time#96 of 364 The Best Movies Based On Books
24
139
60
Cars
Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal
Released: 2006
Directed by: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
Cars is a 2006 American computer-animated comedy-adventure sports film produced by Pixar... more on Wikipedia
25
82
44
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Anna Faris, Neil Patrick Harris
Released: 2009
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a 2009 American computer-animated science fiction comedy... more on Wikipedia
More Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
#84 of 313 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time#38 of 99 The Greatest Kids Sci-Fi Movies

The Cat Returns