The Greatest Animated Feature-Length Films

This list is of the 53 greatest animated feature-length films and was requested by K1. The reason for 53 instead of a traditional 50 is that three of the films included are live-action films that prominently feature animated sequences. It was completed 02/24/2026.

1.     Princess Mononoke (1997, Japan)

2.     Grave of the Fireflies (1988, Japan)

3.     The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013, Japan)

4.     Fantasia (1940, USA)

5.     Waltz with Bashir (2008, Israel)

6.     Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018, USA)

7.     The Jungle Book (1967, USA)

8.     The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926, Germany)

9.     Akira (1988, Japan)

10.  The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006, Japan)

11.  Spirited Away (2001, Japan)

12.  Beauty and the Beast (1991, USA)

13.  The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales… (2017, France)

14.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, USA)

15.  Ernest & Celestine (2012, France)

16.  Up (2009, USA)

17.  My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Japan)

18.  Ratatouille (2007, USA)

19.  American Splendor (2003, USA)

a.    Live-action film featuring animated sequences

20.  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, Japan)

21.  Persepolis (2007, France-USA)

22.  Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000, Japan)

23.  King Kong (1933, USA)

a.  Live-action film featuring stop-motion animated sequences

24.  Despicable Me 2 (2013, USA)

25.  Frozen (2013, USA)

26.  A Silent Voice (2016, Japan)

27.  Wall•e (2008, USA)

28.  Mary Poppins (1964, USA)

a.    Live-action film featuring animated sequences

29.  Bambi (1942, USA)

30.  The Aristocats (1970, USA) [Last 4-star film is #30; First 3.5-star film is #31]

31.  Finding Nemo (2003, USA)

32.  Tangled (2010, USA)

33.  Brave (2012, USA)

34.  Cinderella (1950, USA)

35.  Ghost in the Shell (1995, Japan)

36.  Barefoot Gen (1983, Japan)

37.  Shrek 2 (2004, USA)

38.  Rango (2011, USA)

39.  Millennium Actress (2001, Japan)

40.  Habfürdő (1979, Hungary)

41.  Toy Story 2 (1999, USA)

42.  Ice Age (2002, USA)

43.  Ponyo (2008, Japan)

44.  The Plague Dogs (1982, UK-USA)

45.  The Lion King (1994, USA)

46.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer [TV Movie] (1964, USA)

47.  The Rescuers (1977, USA)

48.  Perfect Blue (1997, Japan)

49.  Your Name (2016, Japan)

50.  Zootopia 2 (2025, USA)

51.  April and the Extraordinary World (2015, France-Belgium-Canada)

52.  Memories (1995, Japan)

53.  The Princess and the Frog (2009, USA)

The 3.5-star films that didn’t make the cut

(Just to provide a little extra quality watching 😊)

In alphabetical order:

Ø  Cars (2006, USA)

Ø  Frozen II (2019, USA)

Ø  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005, UK-USA)

o    Live-action film featuring animated sequences

Ø  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009, USA)

Ø  Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986, Japan)

Ø  Madagascar (2005, USA)

Ø  Monsters, Inc. (2001, USA)

Ø  One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961, USA)

Ø  Peter Pan (1953, USA)

Ø  South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999, USA)

Ø  Summer Wars (2009, Japan)

Ø  Tarzan (1999, USA)

Ø  A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium-France-Luxembourg)