Animated films deserve love too, so we decided to round-up our favorite animated films in 2022. For our Top Animated Movies of 2022 we looked across IP, genre, studio, and release method. Now, we do have some stipulations for making our list, through we thought it best to celebrate all animated films regardless of style or country it originated from.
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To make the top animated movies of 2022 list the film had to have released in the United States in the calendar year of 2022 and was available to audiences either in theaters or on streaming platforms. This means that films with theater only runs and not currently available can still make the list. Additionally there was no rating or age-group specific requirement as well to be on the Top Animation movies of 2021 list. Without further ado, here are our top animated movies of 2021.
15. Puss in Boots: Last Wish
Director: Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado
Writer: Tommy Swerdlow, Tom Wheeler, Paul Fisher
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh
Animation Studio: Dreamworks
Where to Watch: In Theaters December 25, 2022
“Puss in Boots: Last Wish is Dreamworks’ finest animated film yet. By blending different styles of animation and humor, it makes the largest splash since the original Shrek came out. Antonio Banderas is a force, and I didn’t know that I needed more of the Shrek franchise in my life but here we are.”
14. Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood
Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Richard Linklater
Stars: Milo Coy, Jack Black, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux
Animation Studio: Austin’s Minnow Mountain and Dutch outfit Submarine
Where to Watch: Netflix
“The caliber of animation and storytelling in Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood still makes it a fantastic watch.”
13. The House
Director: Paloma Baeza, Emma De Swaef, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Marc James Roels
Writer: Enda Walsh, Johannes Nyholm, Paloma Baeza, Emma De Swaef, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Marc James Roels
Stars: Mia Goth, Matthew Goode, Claudie Blakley, Jarvis Cocker, Sven Wollter, Susan Wokoma, Paul Kaye
Animation Studio: Nexus Studios
Where to Watch: Netflix
“The House works as an anthology because, despite its spanning time period and atmosphere, it’s united in a call to see beyond the house that is just bricks and to look for something to keep us alive. A push against the capitalistic dream of homeownership, I can’t praise The House enough. In dark and humble narratives with fantastical animation, The House is a home to reclaim yourself.”
12. Chip’n Dale Rescue Rangers
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Writer: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand
Stars: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana
Animation Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures & Mandeville Films
Where to Watch: Disney+
“Chip’n’Dale: Rescue Rangers blends meta-humor and buddy comedy together to great effect while paying tribute to its animated roots…It’s proof that Disney+ can provide film projects outside of Marvel and Star Wars that have a broad appeal.”
11. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp
Writer: Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, Nick Paley, Elisabeth Holm
Stars: Jenny Slate, Dean Fleischer-Camp, Isabella Rossellini
Animation Studio: n/a
Where to Watch: Prime Video
“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On is a lovely film that expertly blends stop-motion animation with real life and explores the connections we forge with others, whether friends or family. Not only is this a film that A24 fans will enjoy, but it’s also the first A24 film I can recommend for families. In fact, I recommend everyone sees it with their families, no matter the age—I promise there’s something in this film to connect to.”
10. Entergalactic
Director: Fletcher Moules
Writer: Kid Cudi, Kenya Barris, Ian Edelman, Maurice Williams, Esa Lewis, Sidney Schleiff, Judnick Mayard
Stars: Kid Cudi, Jessica Williams, Laura Harrier, Ty Dolla $ign, Timothée Chalamet, Vanessa Hudgens
Animation Studio: DNEG Animation
Where to Watch: Netflix
“Entergalactic is an inspired, original, and extremely intimate look at life and success. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed from adult animation.”
9. Chickenhare And The Hamster Of Darkness
Director: Benjamin Mousquet & Ben Stassen
Writer: David Collard, Chris Grine (based on the graphic novel by)
Stars: Joe Ochman, Michael Ornstein, Dino Andrade, Kyle Hebert
Animation Studio: nWave Pictures
Where to Watch: Netflix
“Netflix’s animated children’s movies run the gamut in quality, but Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness is certainly among the better endeavors. It’s somewhat simplistic in its conceit, but its animation is spectacular and as a whole, it’s quite fun.”
8. Wendell & Wild
Director: Henry Selick
Writer: Henry Selick, Jordan Peele, Henry Selick & Clay McLeod Chapman (based the book by)
Stars: Lyric Ross, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, James Hong
Animation Studio: Netflix
Where to Watch: Netflix
“Wendell and Wild is a hellishly entertaining, well-crafted animated experience that succeeds on multiple levels—having Key and Peele withdrawals? It’s for you. Looking for the next great Halloween movie? It’s for you. Animation fan? It’s DEFINITELY for you. Hopefully, this isn’t the only project that Sellick and Peele work together on. Much like the titular demons, they’re a match made in heaven — or in this case, hell.”
7. Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie
Director: Seong-Hu Park
Writer: Hiroshi Seko, Gege Akutami (based on the manga by)
Stars: Megumi Ogata, Takahiro Sakurai, Koki Uchiyama, Tomokazu Seki, Mikako Komatsu
Animation Studio: studio MAPPA
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
“Jujutsu Kaisen 0 kicks off anime feature film this year with one hell of a punch and Yuta Okkotsu is well on his way to becoming a new favorite among fans. Grief, love, and guilt all combined with hard-hitting action and vibrant beauty for a feature film that solidifies MAPPA’s standing in animation, and Jujutsu Kaisen’s among the current on-going anime as well.”
6. Mad God
Director: Phil Tippett
Writer: Phil Tippett
Stars: Alex Cox, Niketa Roman, Satish Ratakonda
Animation Studio: Tippett Studios
Where to Watch: Shudder
“Mad God is a nightmare of gore, machinery, and violence that exploits human fears. It’s a beautifully deranged artistic achievement of epic proportion and an uncompromising vision brought to life with mind-bending imagination and some of the best animation you will ever see.”
5. Inu-Oh
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Writer: Akiko Nogi, Hideo Furukawa (based on the book by)
Stars: Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Kenjirô Tsuda
Animation Studio: Science Saru
Where to Watch: Available on Blu-ray & DVD
“From the music crafted by Otomo Yoshihide, to Nogi’s screenplay adaptation, and Yusasa’s masterful direction, Inu-Oh is perfection. It’s gorgeous, it’s moving, and it’s an expression of rock, of Miwa, and of the power of music as a whole that makes it not only a strong film but a necessary one. Throwing its characters and its audience into a fervor with vibrant colors, there is magic in every scene. Here, Science SARU swings for the fences and it pays off. You can call it psychedelic, a fever dream, or even fantastic, but in the end, it’s the focus on the power and nature of memory through folklore that makes this film succeed.”
4. The Sea Beast
Director: Chris Williams
Writer: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin
Stars: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Animation Studio: Sony Pictures Imageworks
Where to Watch: Netflix
“The Sea Beast ultimately sets a high bar for animation with beautiful and adorable creature designs that embrace the epic scale that the beasts hold for the humans they interact with. Each character feels complete throughout, even those who just exist in the background. The ship carries an elegance and a power. I could go on of on about each element from the water to the sand has its own beauty but instead, I’ll say that all of this pulls together to create a film that, despite its two-hour runtime leaves you wanting more in the best way.”
3. Turning Red
Director: Domee Shi
Writer: Domee Shi, Julia Cho, Sarah Streicher
Stars: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Animation Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Where to Watch: Hulu
“Turning Red is straightforward, and it captures very specific family pressures passed down from moms to their daughters perfectly. To be honest, it’s one I really want to watch with my mom and talk with her about it after.”
2. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Director: Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson
Writer: Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale, Matthew Robbins, Carlo Collodi (based on the book by)
Stars: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard
Animation Studio: Netflix Animation
Where to Watch: Netflix
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio manages to take the story of a real boy and surround it with grief and war, exploring the darker elements of life through a childlike whimsy without losing any of its teeth. Grief and pain are as present as love and belonging. Trauma and fear dance with comedy and fantasy. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio captures the complexity of the world and the humans in it, and how we can survive after it all too.”
1. The Bad Guys
Director: Pierre Perifel
Writer: Etan Cohen, Yoni Brenner, Hilary Winston, Aaron Blabey (based on the books by)
Stars: Frank Grillo, Naomi Watts, Will Sasso, Selina Lo, Michelle Yeoh
Animation Studio: Dreamworks
Where to Watch: Netflix
“The Bad Guys packs plenty of wit into its story and style into its animation, resulting in a film that feels like the delightfully devious love child of Ocean’s 11 and Looney Tunes. It also proves that animation doesn’t have to be confined to a certain look or genre for the silver screen. If this film is successful, I hope that other studios will consider taking the same approach to their own animated projects.”
With childrens’ films, adult animation, existing IP and new original works, our top animated films of 2022 list is stacked with films across genre and style, though it was a stellar year for stop-motion animation. With the beauty of animation in full swing, we did end up with a few honorable mentions like Strange World and Goodbye, Don Glees! that barley missed the cut. Did your favorite make out top animated films of 2022 list? Let us know on social media: @butwhythopc.
