As part of a yearly tradition, the members of CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM have created a list of the 55 BEST ANIMATED FILMS OF ALL TIME. Animated films aren’t traditionally independent films. The best known animated films in the U.S. comes from huge studios like Disney and Pixar. And while those studios are certainly represented on this list, there are a wide range of films appearing from all over the world. By creating lists of challenging and well-made films, Chlotrudis hopes to encourage film buffs to educate themselves about the history of film.
Fourteen countries are represented on this list of animated films, with Japan, unsurprisingly, taking the second spot after the US with fifteen films represented. The popularity of anime certainly rivals the interest in animated films generated by Disney and Pixar. France, the United Kingdom, and Austrlia also enjoy multiple entries, at six, five and four respectively.
Japan scores the most films appearing on the list attributed to a single director, namely Hayao Miyazaki, famed animator responsible for Studio Ghibly, and the list’s number one film, SPIRITED AWAY. Miyazaki’s five other entries include MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO at #12, PRINCESS MONONOKE AT #28, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE at #37, KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE at #38, and PONYO at #48. Interestingly enough, it is Miyazaki’s fellow countryman, Satoshi Kon who scored the next highest number of films on the list with four: MILLENNNIUM ACTRESS coming in at #17, followed by TOKYO GODFATHERS, PAPRIKA, and PERFECT BLUE. U.S. and the UK directors follow respecitvely with three films apiece for Brad Bird and Nick Park.
It’s not surprising, given the advances made in the art of animated filmmaking, that most of the films, twenty-nine were released in the year 2000 or later. The oldest film to appear on the list comes from 1937, Disney’s SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS at #24.
To create this list, Nominating Committee members were asked to come up with their individual Top 20 animated films of all time. The definition of an animated film was very broad, including short films and animated pieces made for television. After receiving all of the lists, numerical values were assigned to each of the rankings, and each movie was given a point total. Ties were resolved by consideration of the number of lists a movie appeared on, followed by the highest ranking that movie reached.
We hope you enjoy our list of the 55 Best Animated Films of all time. From classics to the best of international animation, you’ll find something to enjoy on this list.
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Top 55 Animated Films
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| 01 | Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki | 2001 |
| 02 | Mary & Max | Adam Elliot | 2009 |
| 03 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Tim Burton | 1993 |
| 04 | The Triplets of Belleville | Sylvain Chomet | 2003 |
| 05 | Up | Pete Docter/Bob Peterson | 2009 |
| 06 | Fantasia | Multiple | 1940 |
| 07 | Grave of the Fireflies | Isao Takahata | 1988 |
| 08 | Wall-E | Andrew Stanton | 2008 |
| 09 | The Fantastic Mr. Fox | Wes Anderson | 2009 |
| 10 | Persepolis | Vincent Paronaud/Marjane Satrapi | 2007 |
| 11 | South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut | Trey Parker/Matt Stone | 1999 |
| 12 | My Neighbor Totoro | Hayao Miyazaki | 1988 |
| 13 | Beauty and the Beast | Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise | 1991 |
| 14 | The Illusionist | Sylvain Chomet | 2010 |
| 15 | The Incredibles | Brad Bird | 2004 |
| 16 | Waking Life | Richard Linklater | 2001 |
| 17 | Millennium Actress | Satoshi Kon | 2001 |
| 18 | Coraline | Henry Selick | 2009 |
| 19 | Chicken Run | Peter Lord/Nick Park | 2000 |
| 20 | Toy Story 3 | Lee Unkrich | 2010 |
| 21 | Sita Sings the Blues | Nina Paley | 2008 |
| 22 | $9.99 | Tatia Rosenthal | 2008 |
| 23 | Finding Nemo | Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich | 2003 |
| 24 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | David Hand | 1937 |
| 25 | The Iron Giant | Brad Bird | 1999 |
| 26 | Ratatouille | Brad Bird/Jan Pinkava | 2007 |
| 27 | Fantastic Planet | René Laloux | 1973 |
| 28 | Princess Mononoke | Hayao Miyazaki | 1997 |
| 29 | Tokyo Godfathers | Satoshi Kon/Shôgo Furuya | 2003 |
| 30 | Wallace & Gromit in the Case of the Were-Rabbit | Steve Box/Nick Park | 2005 |
| 31 | Toy Story | John Lasseter | 1995 |
| 32 | Pinocchio | Hamilton Luske | 1940 |
| 33 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit? | Robert Zemeckis | 1988 |
| 34 | The Lion King | Roger Allers/Rob Minkoff | 1994 |
| 35 | Akira | Katsuhiro Ohtomo | 1988 |
| 36 | Wallace & Gromit in the Wrong Trousers | Nick Park | 1993 |
| 37 | Howl’s Moving Castle | Hayao Miyazaki | 2004 |
| 38 | Kiki’s Delivery Service | Hayao Miyazaki | 1989 |
| 39 | The Secret of Kells | Tomm Moore/Nora Twomey | 2009 |
| 40 | Paprika | Satoshi Kon | 2006 |
| 41 | Bambi | David Hand | 1942 |
| 42 | Wings of Henneamise | Hiroyuki Yamaga | 1987 |
| 43 | Waltz with Bashire | Ari Folman | 2008 |
| 44 | Ghost in the Shell | Mamoru Oshii | 1995 |
| 45 | Happy Feet | George Miller/Warren Coleman/Judy Morris | 2006 |
| 46 | Despicable Me | Pierre Coffin/Chris Renaud | 2010 |
| 47 | The Brave Little Toaster | Jerry Rees | 1987 |
| 48 | Ponyo | Hayao Miyazaki | 2008 |
| 49 | Perfect Blue | Satoshi Kon | 1997 |
| 50 | Duck Amuck | Chuck Jones | 1953 |
| 51 | Closed Mondays | Bob Gardiner/Will Vinton | 1974 |
| 52 | Mulan | Tony Bancroft/Barry Cook | 1998 |
| 53 | A Scanner Darkly | Richard Linklater | 2006 |
| 54 | The Cat Returns | Hiroyuki Morita | 2002 |
| 55 | The Secret of NIMH | Don Bluth | 1982 |