The Top 10 Animated Films of All Time

Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

I took the family to see Disney Pixar’s latest film, Coco, last night and I was blown away. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater and it immediately got me thinking, was this the greatest animated film ever made? Given how many fantastic animated films have been produced over just the past 25 years, that’s a tall order. I decided to sit down and really sort through them. What are the absolute best animated films ever made? Here are my picks from number 10 to number 1.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Director Tim Burton has made a half dozen or more movies I love, but come Halloween, this is always the one to watch. Jack Skellington is the king of our scariest holiday, but when he gets it in his fleshless head that Christmas looks like it’s more fun, problems ensue.

Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)

Being a 1980s video-game nerd, this movie had me based on the premise alone. Ralph is tired of being the arcade-game bad guy so he sets off to prove he’s hero material but gets much more than he bargained for. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman make this one a real treat.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

You won’t find many princess movies on my list, but this one is the exception. Tiana is no damsel in distress. She’s resourceful, she’s determined, and she’s got to make a man of selfish Prince Naveen if they have any shot at beating one of my favorite Disney villains, voodoo practitioner Dr. Facilier.

The Incredibles (2004)

What do super heroes do when the world thinks it doesn’t need them anymore? Director Brad Bird proves an animated action movie can be just as exciting as a live one when it’s armed with a great script and a cast featuring the likes of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

When you’re little, the monsters hiding in the closet can seem awfully scary, but what if they’re really cute and cuddly once you get to know them? Billy Crystal and John Goodman are perfect together as monster protagonists who just want to help a little girl get home without losing their jobs in the scare factory.

Inside Out (2015)

Growing up is hard and few films more poignantly depict the emotions involved than this story of a young girl forced to move from the Midwest to San Francisco and leave the familiarities of her childhood behind.

Up (2009)

The opening 10 minutes of this film are heart-breakingly beautiful. You won’t find better animated story telling. From the unconventional main character to the iconic image of a house being lifted into the sky by a massive bunch of balloons, this film will stay with you a long time.

Wall-E (2008)

For a film that features a robot protagonist incapable of saying more than two words, Wall-E has a whole lot to say about man and the destructive path he’s on with both the world and the bodies we live in. Not only is this one of Disney Pixar’s best films, it might be their most important.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

I could have picked any of the three films in this series for my list, but I think the last one is the best of the bunch. Tom Hanks and co. are pure magic and this one packs more emotional punch than any other film on this list save one...

Coco (2017)

Yep, Coco is my new favorite of all time. The script and the animation are unmatched. Making it through this movie without tearing up is the new Voight-Kampff test (hey, shout-out to my fellow sci-fi nerds!). You can’t do it. Go see it while it’s in the theaters this Thanksgiving holiday.

Because I love so many animated films, here are a dozen Honorable Mentions: Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994),Toy Story (1995), South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (1999), Toy Story 2 (1999), Shrek (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Ratatouille (2007), Frozen (2013), Book of Life (2014), Big Hero 6 (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)