The 7 Best Adult Animated Movies of All Time, Ranked
Who says animated films are only meant for kids?
In point of fact, there are plenty of emotionally engaging animated works geared explicitly towards older members of the audiences, including such adult-oriented classics as The Simpsons Movie, Akira, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
While there’s always going to be a place for Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks in mainstream entertainment, it’s impossible not to bring up the unique influence adult animated films have had on contemporary pop culture. From profanity-laden TV spin-offs to sweeping anti-war films, here are some of the greatest adult animated movies we’ve seen yet, ranked in order from worst to best.
7. Waltz with Bashir (2008)
War has a way of fundamentally shaping our human psyches, upending any semblance of normalcy we’ve constructed in our daily lives. Seizing upon this idea with heartrending accuracy, Waltz with Bashir thoughtfully explores the traumatic Lebanon War of 1982, most especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre that left roughly 3,500 ordinary citizens murdered by the Lebanese Army. Rarely shying away from the disquieting reality of war, Waltz with Bashir is a gut-wrenching animated drama that should be experienced by every potential viewer, triggering as devastating a response as Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, or Grave of the Fireflies before it.
6. Mary and Max (2009)
There are many different reasons why viewers might be interested in 2009’s Mary and Max. Between its macabre imagery and meticulous stop-motion animation, it’s a visual feast for the eyes, appealing to practically extrasensory perception we have. Not only that, Mary and Max’s cathartic storyline has a way of connecting to every prospective viewer, toying with our emotions through its raw subject matter, before picking us up, dusting us off, and showing the profound happiness that awaits in the wake of a potentially life-altering disaster.
5. Persepolis (2007)
As with the aforementioned Waltz with Bashir, Persepolis excels at portraying the harsh reality of life in the midst of the most dire places imaginable. Adapting Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel for the big screen, Persepolis’s careful adherence to its comic source material allows for plenty of visually stunning sequences throughout. More than anything, though, Persepolis succeeds as a coming of age drama set against the Iranian Revolution, showing the pain, hardship, and emotional burdens that come with growing up in a politically unstable environment.
4. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Leave it to Matt Stone and Trey Parker to think of a project as downright unorthodox as South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. A cinematic continuation of the duo’s iconic comedy series South Park, Bigger, Longer & Uncut delivers a characteristically chaotic adventure for South Park’s unwaveringly eccentric residents. Incorporating stylish musical numbers and a plot that revolves around an unholy scheme by Satan, a massive war between the U.S. and Canada, and an undead Saddam Hussein, it’s the perfect addition to South Park’s famously irreverent universe, vulgar language and all.
3. Anomalisa (2015)
Charlie Kaufman, you splendid mad man. Routinely cited as one of the most talented screenwriters working in Hollywood today, Kaufman has regularly applied his astounding storytelling capabilities to his directorial ventures, as seen with 2015’s illuminating drama Anomalisa. Like Kaufman’s previous work on Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomalisa focuses on the deeper questions of the mind and soul, including our constant desire for romantic companionship as an escape from the loneliness of everyday life. As a result, the finished film might hit a little too close to home for some viewers, but for most, it’s a sobering study of isolation, depression, and the unrivaled joys that come with genuine human connection.
2. Akira (1988)
If you were to challenge the average person to name an anime movie off the top of their head, there’s a strong possibility they’ll immediately clap back with 1988’s Akira. Next to Studio Ghibli’s eclectic lineup of films, Akira remains the definitive entry in Japanese animation, holding as esteemed a place in international pop culture as Blade Runner before it or The Matrix after it. Transporting viewers to the neon-lit streets of a dystopian Neo-Tokyo, Akira provides an electric sci-fi thriller completely unlike any other. Between its flawless design, wondrous color palette, and thoroughly engaging main storyline, it’s a film capable of dazzling a universal audience of viewers, regardless of whether they consider themselves an anime fan or not.
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Most people might readily associate Studio Ghibli with films like My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, or Spirited Away. But it’s also worth pointing out the critical achievements of 1988’s gut-wrenching drama, Grave of the Fireflies. Set during the latter days of World War II, Grave of the Fireflies emphasizes the tremendous hardships experienced by civilians amidst the historical conflict, including the millions of orphaned children struggling to survive against impending starvation and malnutrition. A devastating movie in more ways than one, it’s also a film impossible to keep a dry eye while viewing, reaching down to audience members’ very core and furiously tugging on their heartstrings throughout.