Summary
Animation is the most beautiful artistic medium in the entire world and, fortunately for moviegoers who enjoy and appreciate it, a lot of high-quality animated films have been released over the last five years.What’s even more exciting is that not only the most well-knownwestern studios(like Disney or Pixar) have put out excellent projects, but also newcomers have managed to make an impact despite being less famous and/or having smaller budgets.
As a result of this boom, most of the western animation industry has successfully captivated the hearts of audiences worldwide, with beautiful animation, engaging stories, impactful moments and incredible soundtracks. While western studios have already released many high-quality animated movies throughout the 2020s, the following eight are the absolute best ones of the decade so far.
Most animated movies nowadays are either comedies or dramas, but the medium also lends itself very easily to action. One of the few animated films of the decade that belongs to this genre (which also isn’t a superhero adaptation) isTransformers One, a fresh new take on Hasbro’s classic franchise about robots in disguise. At first glance, this is a solid action film with thrilling fight scenes and some solid comedy, but it slowly gets better with each new scene.
The heart and soul ofTransformers Oneis the relationship between Orion Pax and D-16, two best friends who slowly grow apart because of their different worldviews and, even though the audience is fully aware that they’re destined to become Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively, their inevitable falling out is both surprisingly mature and heartbreaking. The third act of this movie is a full-on masterpiece of storytelling combined with satisfying action, and it’s enough to cement it as one of the most outstanding animated projects of the last decade.
Contrary to popular belief, Pixar has been putting out some high-quality new movies in this decade, likeLuca,Turning RedorElemental. However, one of the studio’s most fascinating releases is definitely 2020’sSoul, a mature story that explores some surprisingly deep ideas about life, death, destinies and dreams. Because of this, it has inevitably appealed more to adults rather than kids, but younger audiences can still enjoy it without issue.
Of course,Soulstill has Pixar’s signature beautiful animation and familial sense of humor, but the story of Joe Gardner and 22 also gets quite philosophical and complex at times, not to mention that it takes place within an endlessly creative version of the afterlife. This is one of Pixar’s best projects, so it should be no surprise that it won Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.
When Disney and Pixar originally announced that they were working on anInside Outsequel, most fans were not too keen on the idea and deemed the project as unnecessary. However,they were proven wrong whenInside Out 2came out in 2024, and it quickly became one of the best feature films of the year. This is a sequel that does everything it should do and even more, since it takes all the innovative ideas that made the original movie so memorable and expands on them in clever and fun ways.
Riley is now a teenager, so her five core emotions – Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger – not only have to deal with the hurdles of growing up, but also with all the new emotions that come with it: Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment. This is overall an incredibly entertaining adventure with colorful and vibrant animation, creative world building and excellent comedic writing, that concludes with a surprisingly poignant scene that tugs at the heartstrings.Inside Out 2has a lot to say about growing up and, unlikeSoul, it seems to have resonated with both adults and children alike, meaning that entire families can enjoy this movie together and get something out of it.
The originalPuss in Bootsfilm from 2011 was always considered one of DreamWorks Animation’s most underwhelming films, since it was mostly a dull and generic animated spin-off. Because of this, absolutely nobody anticipated its 2022 sequel to be so good that it would inadvertently breathe new life into the dormantShrekfranchise.The first thing that madePuss In Boots: The Last Wishsuch a game-changer for the studio was its change in animation style, which was clearly inspired by theSpider-Versemovies, but it still maintained a charming new identity of its own.
As a result,Puss In Boots: The Last Wishis an animated masterpiece with hilarious comedy and exciting action sequences, while also featuring an engaging story that makes brilliant use of the concept of Puss having nine lives to seamlessly develop him as a character. The other major standout aspect of this film were its two main antagonists: the Wolf, who is surprisingly creepy and intense, and Jack Horner, who is so unapologetically evil that he steals every single scene he’s part of. If DreamWorks puts the same amount of effort into the upcomingShrek 5, then that sequel also has the potential to become something special.
Audiences were quite shocked whenFlow, a relatively unknown animated movie from Latvia, won Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards. However, those who used this prestigious award as an excuse to give it a shot quickly learned why it deserved it, because this is one of the most distinctive and refreshing animated films of the entire decade.Flowtells the story of an adorable black cat who has to survive in what seems like a post-apocalyptic world, while in the process it meets a bunch of animals that become unexpected allies.
Every single main character in this film is a regular animal, meaning that the movie has no dialogue at all and, yet, it still says a lot about life, death, wildlife and humanity. This is both a minimalistic and an existential story that works incredibly well, which is quite impressive for such a small studio with such a relatively low budget. The technical aspect ofFlowalso deserves to be praised, seeing as it was fully animated with Blender (a free and open-source 3D animation tool that anybody can download) and yet it looks absolutely breathtaking.
DreamWorks Animation’s output during the 2020s has been quite mixed, seeing as it made both high-quality and lackluster films over the last five years. However, none of that matters, because it also releasedThe Wild Robotin 2024, which quickly became one of the best animated projects this beloved studio has ever made. Adapted from Peter Brown’s novel of the same name, this movie tells the story of Roz, a state-of-the-art intelligent robot that accidentally ends up on an abandoned island and has to learn how to coexist with its animal inhabitants.
The first half of the movie uses little-to-no dialogue to properly convey who Roz is and how she slowly grows as a character while she befriends the animals, especially when she starts raising a small orphan goose named Brightbill. The second half is a lot more conventional (mainly because it has a lot more dialogue) but it still maintains its atmosphere of melancholy and its impactful themes of family, wildlife and coexistence. Roz, Brightbill and Fink end up becoming an adorable found family and their strange relationship is endearing enough to make most audiences tear up. On top of all that,The Wild Robotfeatures a beautiful animated style that looks like nothing else DreamWorks has made and an excellent soundtrack that makes every eleveates every emotional scene.
Visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been trying to make his own adaptation ofPinocchiosince 2008 and, with the help of Netflix, he was finally able to complete it in 2022. This was a fortunate turn of events, because he’s one of the few famous figures in Hollywood who truly understands and appreciates animation, and his love for the medium can be seen and felt throughout the entirety of this excellent movie.For starters,Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchiois a stop-motion animated film, meaning that it took an entire crew of talented and hardworking people a lot of time and resources to finish it, and it was completely worth it, because it looks absolutely amazing.
Every single character in this film, from Pinocchio and Geppetto to Count Volpe and Death, is brimming with style, life and personality in a way that would never have been possible with conventional 3D animation. But the stop-motion animation is not the only remarkable aspect ofGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, since it also tells a beautiful and emotional story that takes advantage of the concept of an immortal living puppet in fun and creative ways, while also (and much to the surprise of audiences) criticizing Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime during the war. This movie is a modern masterpiece, and it undoubtedly deserved to win Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
Sony Pictures’Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versewas a game-changer for the animation industry, with many other studios trying to replicate its innovative style of animation. Because of this, audiences naturally had high expectations for its sequel,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseand when it finally released in 2023, not only did it meet them, but it also completely surpassed them. This is becauseAcross the Spider-Verseis an outstanding sequel that flawlessly expands on every single exciting and creative idea from its predecessor.
As a result, Miles Morales’ journey through the titular spider-verse is not only very enjoyable and exciting, but it also has a surprisingly emotional narrative that proposes some fascinating questions about what it truly means to be Spider-Man. Additionally, the supporting cast is made up of many other lovable characters with even more solid development, from Spider-Gwen to Peter B. Parker and even the antagonistic Miguel O’Hara. But, of course, the most impressive aspect ofSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis its animation, since every single dimension the characters travel to looks absolutely breathtaking - complete with their own signature art style and color palette - not to mention that the dramatic scene in which the entire Spider-Society chases Miles through Nueva York is one of the most impressive animated sequences of the decade, which was enhanced by Daniel Pemberton’s incredible score (just like every other scene in the film).Across the Spider-Verseis a masterpiece of both the superhero genre and the medium of animation, so it should be no surprise that fans are extremely excited about the third and final film of this trilogy,Beyond the Spider-Verse.
