35 Best Animated Movies Streaming
Animation sure has evolved since cinema's early days, when each cell had to be hand painted and each stop motion figure ever so slightly reposed. Now, computer programs and pixels can mimic previous animation styles and create almost unbelievably lifelike 3D moving images.
The medium has long been used to tell stories that simply couldn't be captured in live-action (at least not until the advent of CGI). Cartoons brought us talking mice, fire-breathing dragons, and sentient toys. They've taken us to ancient kingdoms, magical lands, and more recently, inside the human brain. But animated movies don't have to delve into the fantastical to be fantastic, though most of them still delight in the ability to make the impossible possible. And, as any animator or filmmaker will tell you, they're most definitely not just for kids. More of a format than a genre, animated films include comedies, dramas, musicals, mysteries, and much more.
Updated on April 5, 2023: Whether you and your family are looking for hidden gem that passed you by in theaters or you're hoping to rewatch an old favorite, these are the best animated features — from classics to cutting edge — currently streaming on major platforms.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - HBO Max
One of the best iterations of Batman comes in the form of "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." The film was an extension of "Batman: The Animated Series," with the voice cast all returning, and its plotline and characters borrowed from the "Batman: Year One" and "Batman: Year Two" comics. Someone is killing off Gotham's most dangerous criminals, and some in the city are hypothesizing that it might be the Caped Crusader himself. It isn't, and Batman begins to investigate just as he's getting back in touch with a former flame. When the mysterious Phantasm frames Batman for a murder and associates him with a corrupt politician, Bruce Wayne must clear his alter ego's name and solve the case.
- Starring: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Abe Vigoda
- Directors: Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
- Year: 1993
- Runtime: 78 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Beauty and the Beast - Disney+
Like most Disney Princess stories, "Beast and the Beast" is a tale as old as time that's been retold many times over. But this is the only version that's been nominated for an Academy Award for best picture ... the first animated movie ever to achieve that honor. Not much has changed from the 1700s French fable, but those minor tweaks combined with Broadway-caliber songs from Ash and Menken and fine-art-like work from animators make all the difference. Belle is a bookworm with a who's busy avoiding the pushy affection of local alpha male Gaston. When Belle's father is captured by the Beast for trespassing, she strikes a deal to take his place and discovers that the Prince and his castle are actually under a curse.
- Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robbie Benson, and Angela Lansbury
- Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
- Year: 1991
- Runtime: 84 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Amazon Prime, Peacock
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" expands a children's picture book into hilarious story that has serious fun with its food. Flint Lockwood lives with his dad and pet monkey in the fishing village of Swallow Falls, where the entire economy (and most of the menus) is based on sardines. Flint, an aspiring inventor, has been work on a device that replicates food matter to help expand Swallow Falls' palate. He hasn't quite perfected the device, though, and when he feeds it too much power, it goes berserk and changes the weather pattern so that it constantly rains a variety of appetizing dishes. This attracts attention from the news, and Flint attractions attention from a weather girl sent to report on the situation.
- Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan
- Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
- Year: 2009
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Coco - Disney+
"Coco" is one of the most critically acclaimed films in Disney-Pixar's vault-full-of-hits, as well as one of its Oscar winners for best animated feature. An incident in his family's past means that music is forbidden for Miguel, who nevertheless dreams of becoming a musician and idolizes a famed crooner named Ernesto de la Cruz. When he suspects de la Cruz may actually be his grandfather, he travels to the land of the dead on Día de los Muertos to find out the truth. Miguel meets his ancestors, as well as a strange man named Hector — who fears he will disappear, as no one in the land of the living remembers him.
- Starring: Anthony Gonzales, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
- Director: Lee Unkrich
- Year: 2017
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Despicable Me - Peacock
Five films and countless memes later, it's easy to forget that the "Despicable Me" franchise is anything more than annoying Minions. But the first installment, which was the now-formidable Illumination Studios' first feature, was refreshingly original (and those overexposed yellow pill creatures were still novel and cute).
"Despicable Me" plays like a Looney Tunes version of a reverse James Bond movie, which works great for adults who will get the references and for kids who like slightly off-color humor just as much as the rest of us. Gru is a supervillain who's lost his mojo and decides to steal the moon to get it back. But first, he'll need to swipe a shrink ray, and for that, he needs the three orphans selling cookies door to door. An evil middle-aged man kidnapping little girls is a dark premise for a kids movie, but despite the presence of an actual iron maiden, Gru and "Despicable Me" get just the right amount of cuddly at just the right time.
- Starring: Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig
- Directors: Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin
- Year: 2010
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
Encanto - Disney+
Mirabel Madrigal is the only member of her family not to inherit a superpower. When things start going wrong around La Casa, her grandmother begins to suspect that Mirabel is the problem — and Mirabel fears she may be right. She tries to get to the bottom of the wavering magic, but discovers that she's not the only one struggling under the weight of high expectations. "Encanto" — with its loving but dysfunctional family and healthy message — has become a phenomenon, with massive hit songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a best animated feature Oscar win.
- Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, John Leguizamo, Jessica Darrow
- Directors: Jared Bush and Byron Howard
- Year: 2021
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Fantastic Mr. Fox - Disney+
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" — based on the book by Roald Dahl — uses stop-motion plus all of Wes Anderson's usual tricks to capture the sweet but subversive kids' author's vibe. Mr. and Mrs. Fox thieved chickens together until she became pregnant with their son, Ash. Fatherhood prompts Mr. Fox to settle down and take a job as a newspaper columnist, but 12 fox years later, sick of the daily grind and living in a hole in the ground, he mortgages a tree next to three farms and starts scheming again. Worse, he involves his nephew, his son, and a friendly possum. This lapse in judgement puts his family and his anthropomorphic community in danger, for which he fears he will pay the price.
- Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman
- Director: Wes Anderson
- Year: 2009
- Runtime: 87 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Flee - Hulu
"Flee" has the distinction of being the only movie ever nominated for best international feature, best documentary, and best animated feature. This Danish film used animation out of necessity, to protect its subject's anonymity. "Flee" tells the harrowing story of a man named Amin whose family fled from Kabul, Afghanistan to Russia and eventually to Europe as political conflict and violence threatened their lives. The events are mostly depicted in animation, but they're cut together with real news footage to help emphasize the awful situation Amin found himself in, beginning in 1979. As if his childhood wasn't fraught enough, Amin also realized he was gay, which was so unthinkable at the time in Afghanistan and Russia that he literally didn't know a word for it. "Flee" is a heartbreaking yet hopeful statement about refugee crises around the world.
- Starring: Amin Nawabi, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Belal Faiz
- Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- Year: 2021
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Frozen - Disney+
"Frozen" revitalized Disney animation, sold billions in merchandise, and made instant icons of its characters. Loosely based on Hans Christen Anderson fairy tale "The Snow Queen," "Frozen" begins in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, where the King and Queen have two daughters, one of whom is stricken with what they believe to be cursed magic. The monarchs keep their daughters apart for their safety, which definitely doesn't help matters — especially when they're lost at sea in a storm, leaving the elder Elsa to rule in isolation as the younger Anna longs for the way things used to be. The Princesses were uber-popular, but the breakout star was Olaf, the adorably innocent singing and dancing snowman.
- Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad
- Director: Christopher Buck and Jennifer Lee
- Year: 2012
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
The Incredibles - Disney+
Four years before "Iron Man" kicked off the MCU, Pixar had a massive superhero hit of its own with "The Incredibles" — featuring Samuel L. Jackson no less! The family comedy/action movie centers on the Parrs: Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. When public opinion turns against unregulated vigilantism, the genetically-gifted family — whose superpowers include strength, speed, elasticity, invisibility, and human combustion — is placed in the Superhero Relocation Program and forced to live a normal suburban life. But freaky robots belonging to a new supervillain bring Bob out of retirement and make fighting evil a family affair.
- Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson
- Director: Brad Bird
- Year: 2004
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Inside Out - Disney+
The creators of Pixar's "Inside Out" consulted with psychologists and neurologists to make sure they nailed this under-told story of a tweenage girl's inner-life. Riley has just relocated to San Francisco for her father's job, but the move has been a real let down. She's left behind her preferred home, plus her best friend and her beloved hockey team. Rather than spend too much time on the exteriority of what Riley's going through, we see her emotional struggle play out as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust all vie for control of her brain. Her imaginary friend is no longer needed, her personality is collapsing, and pain is beginning to taint her once precious memories. When Joy and Sadness must journey through the recesses of her mind to retrieve them, abandoning the headquarters, Riley can't think straight and plans to run away.
- Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader
- Director: Pete Docter
- Year: 2015
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
James and the Giant Peach - Disney+
"James and the Giant Peach" — adapted from Roald Dahl's first novel — seems bespoke compared to most animation. It combines producer Tim Burton's surreal and gothic sensibilities with a tactile, homespun feel that comes from its colorful stop-motion. James lives with his cruel aunts, Spiker and Sponge, after a rhino eats his parents. After he rescues a spider, he's given something that makes an enormous peach grow nearby, which his aunts promptly turn into a money making scheme. James takes a forbidden bite, and then another ... until he's absorbed into the peach, where he meets a collective of insects (including the spider he saved) who travel with him to New York City. The peach rolls away, and their adventure begins.
- Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Pete Postlethwaite, Susan Sarandon
- Director: Henry Selick
- Year: 1996
- Runtime: 79 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Lady and the Tramp - Disney+
Lady is the pampered fur baby of Jim Dear and Darling — that is, until Darling gives birth to a human baby and the cocker spaniel becomes an afterthought. When cat lady Aunt Sarah comes to stay (in the movie's most problematic scene), Lady has a memorable night on the town with stray bad boy, Tramp. Their spaghetti kiss is one of the most famous and oft-referenced scenes in all of cinema. "Lady and the Tramp" was the studio's first to be presented in CinemaScope, which helps show off it its wide, painterly backgrounds, and makes the world of the movie appear as if it's really from the perspective of a dog.
- Starring: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee
- Directors: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske
- Year: 1955
- Runtime: 76 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
The Last Unicorn - Amazon Prime, Tubi
"The Last Unicorn" is a challenging kids' film that stays true to its literary roots. An evil Red Bull is forcing the world's unicorns into the sea. The titular Unicorn, last of her kind, must survive, find the other unicorns, and lead them into a brighter future. Along the way, she gets captured by a mystical traveling circus, befriends a fumbling magician who transforms her into a woman, and discovers the brutally beautiful experience that is mortality. This gorgeous film contains some heavy themes, but is enchanting enough to whisk the whole family away. It also boasts one of the best vocal casts ever assembled for an animated movie.
- Starring: Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges
- Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
- Rating: G
- Year: 1982
- Runtime: 93 minutes
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
The Lego Movie - HBO Max
Too often, animated movies aimed at younger audiences play more like feature-length commercials for branded merchandise. "The Lego Movie" could've easily been the worst offender, especially considering the fact that it tied in not only to those expensive Danish interlocking blocks but also to intellectual properties like Batman and Harry Potter. Instead, "The Lego Movie" became one of the freshest ever entries into the computer animated space, and it did so with a visual style that perfectly captured its inspiration and a story that thumbed its nose at corporate cynicism.
Aesthetically, the movie renders its characters and their world in a way that feels familiar and tactile, but it still makes spectacular use of what CGI can do, especially in how it all moves about the screen. As for the plot, generic minifig Emmet Brickowski becomes "the Special" and must defeat the evil President-slash-Lord Business before his super weapon, the Kragle, destroys Bricksburg. Emmet and his friends' quest is punk rock yet heartwarming, and the film's final act builds to a twist that really pays off.
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks
- Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
- Year: 2014
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
The Lion King - Disney+
"The Lion King" was such a smashing success, it not only became the highest grossing traditionally animated film of all time (and it still is), it also spawned a stage musical that has become the most financially successful stage show or movie of all time, grossing over $6 billion and counting. Loosely mirroring the characters and plot of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," "The Lion King" tells of a prince, Simba, who doesn't yet measure up to this father, the King. When his uncle Scar kills the reigning monarch and assumes the crown, Simba feels responsible, flees, and chooses to worry only about himself. But when the spirit of his father and his beloved Nala implore him to challenge Scar, he re-evaluates his life's purpose.
- Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick
- Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
- Year: 1994
- Runtime: 88 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
The Mitchells Vs. the Machines - Netflix
The way we consume and share media — and even view the world around us — is rapidly changing, and "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" is just about the only animated movie keeping up. College-bound Katie wants to be a filmmaker, and uses social media and her devices to create content and to bond with her future classmates. Her old-fashioned dad wants the family to unplug and spend quality time together before she leaves for school, so the Mitchells embark on a cross country trip, despite Katie's protests that she'll miss orientation. Meanwhile, a tech billionaire trashes his old OS (named PAL) in favor of a revamped model, so the sentient code plots seeks revenge by recruiting everyone's electronics to help rid the earth of humans.
- Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph
- Director: Mike Rianda
- Year: 2021
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
My Neighbor Totoro - HBO Max
Walt Disney gave us Mickey Mouse, and Hayao Miyazaki gave us Totoro. In "My Neighbor Totoro," Satsuki and Mei move to a country house with their father while their mother convalesces in a nearby hospital. The older sister, Satsuki, must cope with anxiety regarding her mom's long-term illness, while stepping into the role of mother herself to take care of Mei. Meanwhile Mei, who's too young to process what's going on, discovers spirits in the nearby forest, including one (Totoro) that looks like a creature in her picture book. The sisters and the forest spirits play and have adventures while they await news from doctors. (HBO Max hosts the 2005 dub as part of its Studio Ghibli collection.)
- Starring: Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Year: 1988
- Runtime: 86 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
The Nightmare Before Christmas - Disney+
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" must be one of the most rewatched movies of all time. This stop-motion classic makes for appropriate family viewing for two holidays, yet it's become such a part of the culture, its merchandise can be found in stores year round. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, has grown weary of terrifying children. When he stumbles into Christmas Town and gets a taste of what Santa Claus does for a living, he hatches a well-intended but ill-conceived hostile takeover of the holiday. Sally, who not-so-secretly pines for him, can only watch in horror.
- Starring: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Year: 1993
- Runtime: 76 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Pinocchio - Netflix
In theory, the last thing anyone needs is another "Pinocchio" movie: The puppet who becomes a real boy has already starred in many different film adaptations. But Guillermo del Toro has carved out something new and noteworthy with his "Pinocchio," and it surpasses expectations of substance and style. Narratively, this film fleshes out the bones of the children's tale with more social context and emotional resonance. It uses the setting — 1930s Italy, during the rise of fascism — to make better sense of the story's more random plot points. And the stop-motion animation, detailed down to the last splinter, looks like nothing we've ever seen before, while still retaining del Toro's singular aesthetic. The story itself and the artfulness with which it's rendered are a captivating study in contrasts: Surreal but shockingly realistic, beautiful but haunting, tragic but heartwarming. This "Pinocchio" really comes to life.
- Starring: David Bradley, Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard
- Director: Guillermo del Toro
- Year: 2022
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Ponyo - HBO Max
You could put on Disney's "The Little Mermaid," but Ariel and Eric having nothing on Ponyo and Sōsuke. Studio Ghibli's "Ponyo" takes the basic fish-out-of-water story and turns it into something much stranger yet still appropriate for kids. Brunhilde is one of many fish princesses born to Fujimoto (a human-turned-sea wizard) and Gran Mamare (a powerful Goddess). She's bored with life underwater and swims away, only to get stuck in a glass jar. Sōsuke rescues her and, thinking she's a goldfish, names her Ponyo. He injures himself setting her free, but Ponyo heals him with her magic. She then uses that magic to turn herself into a little girl so that she and Sōsuke can stay together. His mom seems fine with it, but Fujimoto is incenses and wants her back.
- Starring: Tiny Fey, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Year: 2008
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Peacock
"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," the sixth flick in the "Shrek" saga, didn't have to be good. But it managed to become one of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful films of 2022 by pushing the boundaries of the medium in every department. The titular feline swashbuckler is down to his last life, and he's responding to this with major resistance and a whole lot of panic attacks. The magical Wishing Star could solve his problems — too bad he's not the only one after it. The film's tight plot, emotionally honest themes, and vividly kinetic style will resonate with viewers of all ages, regardless of how plugged into the "Shrek"-verse they are. Antonio Banderas keeps the whole thing charmingly rakish as it charges toward a heartwarming ending.
- Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Florence Pugh
- Directors: Joel Crawford
- Year: 2022
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Ratatouille - Disney+
Like Remy the rat, Pixar has great taste, and "Ratatouille" is among the most refined and satisfying films the studio has served up. All of Pixar's usual ingredients can be found here: a story that works well for kids but better for adults, a noble moral at its core, and top rate animation that combines realism with adorability. Remy knows he's supposed to eat trash like the rest of his family, but he learned to appreciate fine cooking from watching Chef Gusteau on television, and he longs for a more appetizing, fulfilling life. He gets the chance to prove that anyone can cook when he helps out an inexperienced employee at Gusteau's high class restaurant, but the maniacal head chef and an exacting food critic will surely flip if they know a rat is in the kitchen.
- Starring: Patton Oswalt, Brad Garrett, Peter O'Toole
- Director: Brad Bird
- Year: 2007
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
The Sea Beast - Netflix
Fans of "How To Train Your Dragon," "Avatar: The Way of Water," and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series will find much to like in this tale of a coastal kingdom at war with monsters from the deep. There are swashbuckling seafarers, plucky orphans, and enormous fantastical creatures, not to mention some of the best computer-animated renderings of the open ocean to ever grace a screen. Maisie is a dauntless kid who stows away aboard a ship hunting the titular sea beasts. But are these creatures truly as fearsome as they seem? This mythical adventure might feel a bit familiar, but "The Sea Beast" effectively remixes its tropes to present an enjoyable parable about found family.
- Starring: Karl Urban, Jared Harris, Zaris-Angel Hator
- Director: Chris Williams
- Year: 2022
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Shrek - Peacock
"Shrek" was the winner of the first-ever Oscar for best animated feature, which was surely a thorn in Disney's side since "Shrek" is basically biting criticism of Disney ... for kids. The adventure comedy/love story was a franchise-generating success that — for a while — established DreamWorks as the Mouse House's biggest competition. The self-absorbed Lord Farquaad banishes all the fairy tale characters from his kingdom to Shrek's swamp. The loner ogre doesn't want them around either, so he and an incessant talking Donkey venture to Duloc to get things back to normal. But, when they inadvertently win a tournament, they're forced to rescue Princess Fiona from her dragon-guarded castle prison so that Farquaad — desperate to become King — can marry her.
- Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
- Director: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson
- Year: 2001
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
The Simpsons Movie - Disney+
It's impossible to talk about animation without mentioning "The Simpsons." The long-running show is the root of the medium's use for timely, satirical comedy. "The Simpsons Movie" isn't as great as the very best episode, but as there are hundreds upon hundreds of them, that's still high praise. As usual, Homer caused trouble again. Despite Lisa's activism, Springfield has been polluted beyond usability. Homer's pet pig's waste is the last straw, and to prevent the toxicity from leaking out, the EPA traps the city under a giant glass dome. The locals blame the Simpsons, who escape to Alaska. In keeping with the TV series, the plot is full of hairpin turns and plenty of witty non-sequiturs.
- Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright
- Director: David Silverman
- Year: 2007
- Runtime: 87 minutes
- Rating: PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - Disney+
Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," and its cultural impact reverberates to this day. "Snow White" helped build the studio that's still one of the biggest players in the entertainment industry, generations later. Based upon a Grimm fairy tale, Snow White's vain, jealous stepmother sends a woodsman to kill her so that she can remain the fairest in the land. Seven dwarves hide her until her prince comes. There are elements that wouldn't play as well to modern audiences, but as an artistic achievement, "Snow White" holds up.
- Starring: Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, and Harry Stockwell
- Director: David Hand
- Year: 1937
- Runtime: 83 minutes
- Rating: N/A
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Spirited Away - HBO Max
Many of Miyazaki's fans consider "Spirited Away" to be his masterpiece. This extraordinary, impressionistic film combines a coming-of-age story with elements of traditional Japanese culture, Shintoism, Buddhism, environmentalism, and critiques of modern consumerism. The result is something you experience more than merely watch. When Chihiro's parents pull off the road to explore, they stumble into what appears to be an abandoned restaurant and help themselves to the food. A boy warns Chihiro that they must leave before the sun goes down, but it's already too late. Chichiro's mother and father have been turned into pigs, and now she's trapped in this strange netherworld where she's expected to serve a witch — one who's plotting to keep them there forever.
- Starring: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, David Ogden Stiers
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Year: 2001
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Teen Titans Go! to the Movies - HBO Max
"Teen Titans GO!" is one of Cartoon Network's most popular shows. It doesn't take itself too seriously and frequently pokes fun at pop culture. Well, nothing's bigger in pop culture than superhero movies, so of course these motley superheroes had to make a movie about making a superhero movie. Self-absorbed, insecure Robin desperately wants a film made about him. Instead, he has to attend the premiere of "Batman Again." When he and the Titans pitch a feature length project about themselves, a producer dismisses them, saying she'd only make a Teen Titans movie if they were last superheroes left in the world. The Titans take this literally and conspire to go back in time so that they can be the world's only superheroes, with predictably disastrous effect.
- Starring: Tara Strong, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell
- Director: Peter Rida Michail and Aaron Horvath
- Year: 2018
- Runtime: 84 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Toy Story 2 - Disney+
"Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" are the only Pixar films with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores, and many agree that the sequel was an improvement, both in terms of the quality of the animation and in the introduction of new characters, most notably Jessie. Villainous toy store owner Al steals Woody to complete his collection of "Woody's Roundup" memorabilia, with the intention of selling the whole set to the highest bidder. That means the rest of Andy's toys are on the clock to try and rescue him. But when Woody meets his replicated costars and discovers he has a fanbase, he has second thoughts about going back home.
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer
- Directors: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, and Lee Unkrich
- Year: 1999
- Runtime: 92 minutes
- Rating: G
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Turning Red - Disney+
Middle-schooler Mei is trying to manage her mother's expectations and the physical, emotional, and social complexities of adolescence. Hormones are harrowing enough, but Mei's body doesn't just mature — she morphs into a giant red panda. This certainly complicates her crush on the cashier at a nearby convenience store, her attempts to define herself within her school's social hierarchy, and her plans to attend a boy band's concert with her crew. Despite its heavy use of metaphors, "Turning Red" is refreshingly frank in its discussion of menstruation, mother-daughter relationships, and body image. Even if you've never been a 13-year-old girl, you're sure to find something to relate to in Mei's upbeat and often surprising journey.
- Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse
- Director: Domee Shi
- Year: 2022
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Up - Disney+
Many animated movies are aimed at kids, with some parts that the adults will love. "Up" is the inverse. There's a goofy bird and a great subplot involving dog collars that translate barks into human speech which youngsters will appreciate. But this Academy Award-winning film about taking stock of one's life is definitely for grown ups. Carl and Ellie lived happily on their own terms, though they never got around to taking their dream trip to Paradise Falls before she passed away. With a new development about to displace his home, former balloon salesman Carl makes an airship out of their house and steers it to South America, to (metaphorically) take Ellie on one last adventure. The problem is, an overeager scout just happened to be on the porch when he set sail. "Up" begins with a mostly silent sequence that's among the best bits of storytelling Pixar's ever done.
- Starring: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
- Director: Pete Docter
- Year: 2009
- Runtime: 96 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
WALL-E - Disney+
A largely dialogue-free piece of sci-fi dystopia that samples from 1969's "Hello Dolly!" might not sound like an obvious pitch for a Disney-Pixar movie. That said, "WALL-E" ma be a damning portrayal of the future of humanity, but because of WALL-E the trash compacting robot (who is as cute as any of the studio's big-eyed creatures), it's ultimately a hopeful one. Megacorporations like Buy-N-Large have squandered resources and polluted Earth to the point of no return. Having failed to save the planet, the remaining people save themselves by boarding a cushy ship and hanging out in space until Earth is habitable again. Some 700 years later, WALL-E is the last robot dutifully cleaning up the mess humanity left as an Apple-product-like Eve scans the surface for plants. Meanwhile, devolved spaceship-bound humans play on tablets and consume pizza in a cup. When WALL-E (who likes to collect things) spots a precious sprout, life gets a second chance.
- Starring: Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver
- Director: Andrew Stanton
- Year: 2008
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - Disney+
This Disney live-action and animation hybrid is a little darker and more adult than its PG rating suggests (especially to anyone who remembers "the dip"). "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" is set in Toontown, 1947, where humans and cartoon characters semi-peacefully coexist. Eddie Valiant, PI, is hired by a studio head named R.K. Maroon to spy on his star character, Roger Rabbit, and his bombshell wife, Jessica. When he produces evidence that points to an affair between Jessica Rabbit and Marvin Acme, the big wig who runs Toontown, Roger is distraught ... and Acme ends up dead. But Valiant doubts the case is so simple, since Acme's will is missing and Maroon might not be telling the whole truth.
- Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Kathleen Turner
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Year: 1988
- Runtime: 104 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Zootopia - Disney+
Disney does talking animals really, really well, but in the past, they'd stuck to the doghouse, the savanna, or the sea. "Zootopia" imagines an alternate reality where animals of all ecosystems and persuasions — herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore — live together in urban harmony. At least that's what they tell themselves. Judy Hopps exceled at the police academy, but she's been relegated to parking duty because her supervisor harbors species-ism toward rabbits. When she's caught off guard by a fox named Nick Wilde, she expresses some biases about his kind. But they have to work together to solve the case of a missing otter when Judy determines that Nick was the last to see him alive. "Zootopia" is a thoughtful allegory about prejudice that functions just as well as a fun and family-friendly mystery.
- Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, and Idris Elba
- Directors: Bryon Howard and Rich Moore
- Year: 2016
- Runtime: 108 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%