#63

Ferdinand

Released: December 15, 2017

Runtime: 106 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-animated style

Studio: Blue Sky/20th Century Fox

Here is one of those films that I had no anticipation for and did not to expect to love it as much as I did. However, sure enough, I loved this. John Cena was great as the voice of Ferdinand. Based on a 1936 book called The Story of Ferdinand, this even received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.

Voice cast: John Cena, Kate McKinnon,  Bobby Cannavale, Peyton Manning, Anthony Anderson, David Tennant, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, and Miguel Ángel Silvestre. 

#64

Sing

Released: December 21, 2016

Runtime: 108 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-generated imagery

Studio: Illumination

Sing was a film I was not expecting to like, but I was surprised. There were some great songs involved, including a wonderful cover of “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John, and the film was surprisingly emotional.

Voice cast:  Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Kroll, Peter Serafinowicz, Beck Bennett, Nick Offerman, Jay Pharoah, Leslie Jones, Garth Jennings, Rhea Perlman, Laraine Newman, Adam Buxton, Brad Morris, Bill Farmer, Edgar Wright, Wes Anderson, and the children of Garth Jennings (Oscar, Leo, Caspar, and Asa Jennings).

#65

Turning Red

Released: March 11, 2022

Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

Rating: PG

Animated Style: blends 3D CGI with strong 2D anime influences, expressive caricatures, and a chunky, tactile aesthetic

Studio: Pixar/Disney

This film received way more hate than it deserved. It came out during a “down” time for Pixar, but this film was a typically excellent Pixar outing, no matter what the haters said.

Voice cast:  Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, James Hong, Addie Chandler, Sasha Roiz, Lily Sanfelippo, Anne-Marie,  Lori Tan Chinn, Lillian Lim, Sherry Cola, Mia Tagano,  Jordan Fisher, Finneas O’Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo and Grayson Villanueva.

#66

Megamind

Released: November 5, 2010

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rating: PG

Animated Style: 3D computer-generated

Studio: DreamWorks

Megamind is one of the most underrated animated films of all time. I did not expect much from it when I went to see it, and it delivered way more than I expected.

Voice cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jonah Hill, J.K. Simmons, Ben Stiller, Jack Blessing, and Rob Corddry

#67

Princess Mononoke

Reelased: 1997

Runtime: 2 hours and 13 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Animation Style: hybrid animation style combining traditional hand-drawn cel craftsmanship, lush painterly watercolor backgrounds, and pioneering digital CGI

Studio: Studio Ghibli

“Hayao Miyazaki returns to head up the next Studio Ghibli film and this is one of the studio’s most popular and well-known films. Princess Mononoke is one of the first films people cite when speaking about the animation giant and it is well deserved. The film is truly a grandiose, fantasy epic that spirals through the forests of Japan.” -from my review on the site.

Voice Cast: [English version] Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, John DeMita, John DiMaggio, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gillian Anderson, Debi Derryberry, and Keith David.

#68

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Released: November/December 2022

Runtime: 1 hour and 57 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: Stop-motion animation

Studio: Netflix Animation

I considered a couple of Pinocchio movies for this list, and, in the end, I decided upon only one. I let the iconic Disney film sit on the outside of the Top 100 and included the masterful creation from Guillermo Del Toro. This film ended up winning the Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature in 2023.

Voice Cast:  David Bradley as Geppetto, alongside Ewan McGregor, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton and Tom Kenny. 

#69

Mulan

Released: June 19, 1998

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: traditional hand-drawn cel animation with classical Chinese art, minimalist design, and pioneering computer-generated imagery

Studio: Disney

Amazing as it seems to me now, I had never seen Mulan until 2019. The main reason I went to finally watch the film was because the live action that Disney was coming out with and I thought I should see the original before the live-action, and I loved it. The voice of Mulan was one of my favorite actresses from Agents of Shield, Ming-Na Wen.

Voice cast: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe, Jerry Tondo, James Hong, George Takei, Pat Morita, and Miriam Margolyes.

#70

Toy Story 5

Released: June 19, 2026

Runtime: 102 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: ultra-realistic computer graphics with a tactile, 2D pastel chalk and watercolor style

Studio: Pixar/Disney

Toy Story 5 is the most recent of the films on this list. While Hoppers and Minions and Monsters might make a future list of Top 100 Animated Movies, Toy Story 5 had to make this one. I am a big fan of the Toy Story franchise, and the latest film works in many different ways. Having Jessie being the main focus of the story was a good choice.

Voice cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack,  Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris,  Craig Robinson, Matty Matheson,  Annie Potts, Keanu Reeves, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Tony Hale, Wallace Shawn, Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez, Blake Clark, John Ratzenberger, Melissa Villaseñor, Jeff Bergman and Anna Vocino . 

#71

Up

Released: May 29, 2009

Runtime: 96 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: a stylized, caricature-driven form of 3D computer animation characterized by geometric character shapes, simplified proportions, and a rich use of color theory

Studio: Pixar/Disney

This is another movie that is lower on my list than it would be on a bunch of other lists. I think the first 10 minutes are some of the best moments of all time, but the rest of the film is only good.

Voice cast: Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft,  John Ratzenberger, and David Kaye.

#72

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Released: July 29, 1989

Runtime: 103 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: traditional, hand-drawn 2D cell animation featuring fluid aerial movement, a warm European-inspired aesthetic, and detailed watercolor-style backgrounds

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Voice Cast: [English Dub] Kirstin Dunst, Phil Hartman, Tress MacNeille, Janeane Garofalo, Matthew Lawrence, Debbie Reynolds, Edie McClurg, Jeff Bennett, John Hostetter, and Kath Soucie.

#73

Encanto

Released: November 2021

Runtime: 102 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: vibrant computer-generated (CG) 3D animation style

Studio: Disney

We don’t talk about Bruno… no, no, no.. We don’t talk about Brunoooooo

Truth is, the first time I saw Encanto, I thought it was kind of boring. It took a second rewatch for me to enjoy it more. I was in a better frame of mind the second time and on, finding the strengths of the Lin-Manuel Miranda songs and the fun, engaging story. I don’t know why that first viewing did not do it for me, but it goes to show that thoughts do change on movies over time.

Voice cast:  Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitán, Diane Guerrero, Maluma, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Wilmer Valderrama.

#74

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

Released: October 10, 2016

Runtime: 78 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: vibrant, retro-modern tribute that mimics the 1960s live-action television show

Studio: Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment

I was a huge fan of the 1966 Batman show. I would watch it in syndication/reruns when I was young and it helped with my comic fandom. So when I found out that Adam West and Burt Ward were returning to their roles as Batman and Robin for an animated film, I was very excited, and it turned out better than I could have expected. Adam West passed away in June of the next year.

Voice cast: Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Jeff Bergman, William Salyers, Wally Wingert, Jim Ward, Steven Weber, Thomas Lennon, Lynne Marie Stewart, and Sirena Irwin.

#75

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Released: July 2023

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: highly stylized, “2.5D” CG animation technique

Studio: Mikros/Paramount

It seemed that we finally got the Turtles in a full animated feature and, though I hated the trailers leading up to this, it turned out awesome.

Voice cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu,  Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube and Paul Rudd

#76

Wall-E

Released: June 27, 2008

Runtime: 98 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: computer-generated imagery (CGI) with practical, handheld camera techniques

Studio: Pixar/Disney

Some consider Wall-E a classic. I did not like the movie on my first viewing, and listening to all of the people calling it a masterpiece made me want to give it a second watch. I gave a rewatch in 2022 and I found it much better than I remembered when I saw it at first. There are others who are still much higher on this than me, but it will still make my top 100.

Voice cast:  Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver. Fred Willard had a live-action role.

#77

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Released: 2009

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: Stop Motion Animation

Studio: 20th Century Fox/3 Mills Studios 

This is a film based on a book by Roald Dahl and is an Academy Award nominated movie.

Voice Cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Wes Anderson, Brian Cox, Adrien Brody, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson