- 1 day ago
Animation has never been afraid to break the rules — but some films take that to a whole new level. Join us as we count down our picks for the most boundary-pushing animated movies ever made, celebrating groundbreaking visuals, bold storytelling and ambitious themes that set them apart from everything else!
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 animated movies
00:09that push boundaries with their groundbreaking visuals, storytelling and thematic ambitions.
00:14There will be spoilers. Number 10 Fantastic Mr Fox. Truly this film is unlike anything we've seen
00:28before. It follows the story of sly Mr Fox who vows to become responsible after learning he's
00:42about to become a father, only to revert to his old ways. With outstanding voice performances from
00:47A-list actors, Wes Anderson's directing and a striking stop-motion approach, Fantastic Mr Fox
00:53instantly stands apart. Instead of the glossy hyper smooth CGI style dominating modern animation,
00:59Anderson embraces handcrafted storybook aesthetics.
01:02I must say I'm pleased to be invited but I'm not sure I should be doing this Uncle Foxy.
01:05Why not? Because I don't like to be dishonest with people.
01:08Well, just keep your mouth shut and it won't be a problem.
01:10The film even shows the textures of furs and miniature sets instead of hiding them.
01:14A warm burnt orange palette gives every scene that autumnal glow, creating landscapes that feel cozy
01:21yet wistful. In the end, the film deepens Roe Dahl's beloved tale into something richer and more reflective.
01:27Oh, why'd you have to get us into this Foxy?
01:32I don't know, but I have a possible theory.
01:35I think I have this thing where I need everybody to think I'm the greatest.
01:39Number 9 The Red Turtle. This is the first non-Japanese animation produced by Studio Ghibli,
01:44yet it feels spiritually aligned with the studio's catalog as it tells the story of a man stranded on an
01:50island.
01:54As he struggles to escape, he encounters a turtle that changes the course of his life.
01:59All that happens from then on is breathtaking visual storytelling.
02:03With absolutely no dialogue, The Red Turtle relies on evocative music and
02:07magnificent animation to communicate emotion and meaning.
02:17Director Mikhail Dudek-Dewitt blends charcoal drawings, paintbrush textures, and subtle CGI
02:23to capture the story's gentle depth. The result is a serene yet emotionally vast story that's open to
02:29many interpretations. Studio Ghibli and Dudek-Dewitt should definitely do more collaborations.
02:408. A Scanner Darkly.
02:42Few films commit so completely to matching style with theme, but A Scanner Darkly pulls it off brilliantly.
02:48No, no, no, they can never get away with that. You're kidding me? Come on, that's an urban myth.
02:51Based on Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel, it paints a world riddled with substance use disorder,
02:57fractured identity, and surveillance. You can almost feel Dick's warped dystopian reality
03:02through the animation itself. Yes, this isn't your typical animation. It was first shot in live
03:07action before artists digitally painted over every frame using rotoscoping software.
03:12You think there's anything to this, Fred? I think we should definitely look at his evidence.
03:18Yep, it's the very same technique that made Richard Linklater's walking life so exceptional. The result is
03:24a constantly shifting dreamlike visual that mirrors the story's psychological unraveling. Though fluid and
03:30real on screen, the process took far longer than standard post-production editing. That's what
03:35true hard work looks like. 7. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
03:42Based on real Japanese folklore, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya tells the story of a mysterious girl
03:47who truly longs for a simple happy life. Mama, would you give a part of the garden to me? Why?
03:55It would
03:55be fun to plant some of the things I like. Yes, yes of course if it makes you happy. One
04:01of the first
04:01things you notice is this breathtaking beauty and the way it covers Kaguya's inner turmoil. The animation
04:06uses delicate charcoal lines and watercolor brushwork that resemble traditional Japanese drawing. The trees are
04:12already getting ready for spring. Getting ready? So spring will come back again? Sure it will. It's like a
04:22circle. Just when you think one ends, another begins again. You can always count on it. Many scenes look
04:29like moving artwork, something you could imagine hanging in a museum or lifted straight from a storybook.
04:35Yet beneath that beauty lies a story layered with deeper themes and metaphors. Joe Hashiashi's sweeping
04:41score heightens the film's emotional impact. All these gentlemen compared me to very rare treasures.
04:49Therefore, whomever can present me the real treasure, I will happily become that noble gentleman's
04:55real treasure. Though it lost the Oscar to Big Hero 6, many still consider this Studio Ghibli film a
05:02masterpiece. Number 6, It's Such a Beautiful Day. When we say it's such a beautiful day is one of a
05:08kind,
05:09we are not exaggerating. In the morning, Bill felt really tired even though he'd just been sleeping.
05:14With a stick figure as a protagonist, the film looks far removed from reality yet somehow feels more
05:19real than many conventional movies. Much of that impact comes from its unusual animation style.
05:25It may look like simple pencil drawing, but that simplicity is deceptive. He noticed that every time
05:30he was near her, she sort of moved away with a tight-lipped smile on her face, as though everything
05:36were
05:36okay. Mostly, they talked about death. They agreed that being buried seemed too claustrophobic.
05:43Creator Don Hertzfeld spent six years crafting the film using a rostrum camera rather than just going
05:48digital. And it works. That mixture of live-action photography and hand-drawn animation gives the film a
05:55strange fragility. Paired with its haunting story-line about morality and memory loss,
05:59and supported by narration and a beautiful score, the film leaves a lingering emotional impact.
06:04His ex-girlfriend's been visiting lately, and they talk for hours about current events.
06:10Sometimes they eat ice cream bars.
06:15It's the happiest he's been in a long time.
06:19Number 5, Wants With Bashir. Animation isn't just for entertainment. It can also tackle serious
06:25issues.
06:37That's exactly what Wants With Bashir sets out to do, and it's one reason the film stands out.
06:43Instead of fantasy or comedy, it blends archival footage with animation, allowing director Ari Fomen
06:49to visually reconstruct fragmented memories from the 1982 Lebanon War.
07:06The visuals resemble illustrated graphic novels, a style that perfectly suits the story's heavy
07:11themes of war and trauma. Honestly, it's rare to see animation balance realism with surrealism so effectively.
07:18But the powerful, aesthetically pleasing final result didn't come from shortcuts. The film took four years
07:23to complete. The process started with live-action scenes recorded in studios, which were painstakingly
07:28transformed into detailed animated sequences.
07:31Number 4, Fantastic Planet. This is one of those trippy philosophical 70s animated films.
07:43Fantastic Planet flips the human perspective by portraying people as tiny primitive creatures,
07:48treated as pests or pets by giant blue aliens.
07:51Oh, look at the father, a female man and his little girl. Do you think she's dead?
07:57I'm afraid of, Tiva. And the little girl, why does she make noise?
08:01It depends. He cries maybe because he's afraid.
08:04That reversal alone makes the film deeply unsettling. Then there's its surreal cut-out technique with
08:10textured pencil-like shading that feels lifted from an old science book. That strange illustrative quality makes the
08:16alien world oddly believable. Combine that with its slow pacing and eerie jazz and the result is a
08:31distinctively psychedelic atmosphere. In the end, the storyline leaves you feeling like you've drifted
08:36through a philosophical hallucination. It may be strange, but for viewers who enjoy animation that
08:42feel original and provocatively different, it's perfect.
08:57Number 3, Spider- Across the Spider-Verse. This superhero flick looks unlike most modern animations
09:03and absolutely deserves the many awards it won.
09:06I don't want to argue about this, okay?
09:10Yeah, I can tell.
09:11You can tell an enormous amount of effort went into it. The bold blend of 2D and 3D aesthetic
09:16feels almost like returning to how comics once looked on the page. Remember how each world Miles
09:22visits looks completely different? That's intentional. The filmmakers use six distinct
09:26animation styles to reflect emotion and character.
09:29Hey, who's in you guys?
09:30Hey, Pav. He's Miles and he wasn't invited.
09:33Oh, you weren't invited and you came anyway.
09:36Right?
09:36Hey, new guy must be in love with you.
09:39Okay.
09:39No, I'm not.
09:41What about that cinematography? It's crafted with purpose, highlighting even the tiniest details.
09:47Then, the storyline and characters are equally as compelling as the visuals. Across the Spider-Verse
09:53may have pushed this revolutionary style further, but it's into the Spider-Verse that started it all.
09:58And it's a no on the cape.
09:59I think it's cool.
10:00Take that off. It's disrespectful. Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape.
10:03Number two, Loving Vincent.
10:05It's amazing what creativity and dedication can achieve. Loving Vincent is living proof.
10:10Why do you find that so hard to believe? You saw what happened.
10:14The film isn't just based on the life of Vincent van Gogh, it actually adopted his artistic style.
10:19Actors were first filmed in live action and then the artists painted over each frame on canvas.
10:24The result is an animation that feels like you've watched a living painting in motion.
10:28The Van Goghs are only ghosts in Paris now.
10:31It becomes even more impressive when you consider the scale of work. More than 100 trained painters
10:37recreated Van Gogh's style and produced over 65,000 individual oil paintings. That's not just
10:43creativity. It's endurance at the highest level. But payoff? Something that feels genuinely different,
10:49letting viewers step straight into Van Gogh's world.
10:51And I thought to myself, how lonely is this guy? But even a thieving crow brightens up his day.
10:58Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:02Flow. Because it's indeed a breath of fresh air.
11:11Rango. That weird mix of western mythology and absurdist humor is impressive.
11:16What are you talking about?
11:18Enlightenment. We are nothing without it.
11:21Nothing? Your delusional quest just ruined my life. I had an incredibly complex social network going.
11:27Highly sophisticated friends. I was very popular.
11:30Friends. The triplets of Belleville. It feels both old-fashioned and completely modern at the same time.
11:41Paprika. The wildly creative visuals and deep themes are downright amazing.
11:46I bet you never thought about it, but the internet and dreams are similar.
11:50They're areas where the repressed conscious mind escapes.
11:53Number 1. Akira. Before Akira, anime had reached western audiences,
11:57but none had broken through in such a powerful way.
12:09With provocative themes and the perfect cinematic scale, it arrived like a shockwave.
12:14Its hyper-detailed Neo-Tokyo landscapes, political unrest, and psychic chaos prove that animation
12:20can handle mature, complex storytelling. Technically, it was just as revolutionary.
12:25The production used pre-scored dialogues, meaning animation was carefully matched to voices
12:29that had already been recorded.
12:37That's pretty rare to find even today, and Akira was one of the first to use it.
12:42Even more astonishing, the film used over 160,000 hand-drawn animation cells,
12:47with unprecedented light effects to bring the neon city to life.
12:51It's no surprise it stands amongst the best in animation history.
12:58What other animated movies deserve to be on this list?
13:01Let us know in the comments down below.
13:02And don't forget to like and subscribe for more WatchMojo videos.
Comments