There’s no shortage of great animated movies these days. Some are sequels or spin-offs of some of our old favorites. But excellent and original animated films are still coming out. This year the original movies I Lost My Body, Klaus, and Missing Link were all nominated for Best Animated Feature.
Rotten Tomatoes provides a helpful look at the top animated movies of all time, including those that haven’t had sequels. They rank their lists with their adjusted Tomatometer, which uses a formula that handles the differences in the number of reviews. So, here are the 10 Best Non-Franchise Animated Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes.
WALL-E (2008) - 95%
WALL-E was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning for Best Animated Feature. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the film tells the story of a robot who was programmed to compact trash on Earth and continues to do so long after the planet has been deserted. He eventually meets another robot, EVE, and follows her into space where he finds the remainder of humanity.
The film greatly succeeds in telling a story with minimal dialogue, largely due to legendary sound designer Ben Burtt creating the robot sounds. It’s also a cautionary environmental tale that speaks great truth while also having strong themes of hope.
Kubo And The Two Strings (2016) - 97%
Kubo and the Two Strings was directed by Travis Knight and produced by the stop-motion animation studio Laika. Kubo is about a young boy armed with a magical stringed instrument who seeks to find his father’s armor. Showcasing stunning visuals, the film received Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects.
Family is very important in the story, as Kubo fights against evil members of his family while being assisted by family members who love him. The story, settings, and music all carry an epic quality that elevates the film in every scene.
Isle Of Dogs (2018) - 90%
Another stop-motion film on this list comes from director Wes Anderson. Isle of Dogs begins with all the dogs in a Japanese city being sent to an island of trash because of a canine flu outbreak. Knowing his dog, Spots, is there, a young boy goes to the island and receives help from a pack of dogs along the way.
Filled with Anderson’s signature quirkiness and a stellar voice cast, this film shows it’s creativity from the start. Anderson is a director who can easily bounce from live-action to animation and back. Isle of Dogs received Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.
Moana (2016) - 96%
Moana is about a Polynesian princess who must return the Heart of Te Fiti to stop a blight facing her people’s island. Along the way, she receives assistance from the shapeshifting Maui, who was the one that stole the Heart. It was the first CG-animated film for legendary Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker. The film has beautiful water animation, which plays a necessary part in the story.
One of the film’s most important aspects is the soundtrack. Featuring songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i, the story is moved along by its music. “We Know the Way” features in a scene where Moana discovers her family’s history as explorers, while “You’re Welcome” is an extremely catchy introduction to who Maui is. The standout song is “How Far I’ll Go,” which was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Pinocchio (1940) - 100%
Pinocchio was the second film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The story of a wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy is a timeless classic, mostly defined by Disney’s version 80 years ago. The character Jiminy Cricket acts as Pinocchio’s conscience, and he became one of the most famous Disney characters. He sings perhaps the most famous Disney song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” which we still hear at Disney Parks and the start of almost every Disney movie to this day.
Pinocchio faces many challenges, but the way he gets through everything has made him a beloved character as well. With memorable settings like Pleasure Island and the belly of the whale known as Monstro, it has stood the test of time over eight decades. The world and characters of the film have also featured in the Kingdom Hearts video games, with Jiminy acting as the chronicler of the story throughout the series.
Up (2009) - 98%
Up is well known for its opening montage. It shows the ups and downs of the married life of Carl and Ellie Frederickson, and it ends with one of the saddest moments in Pixar history. But the story is just beginning there. Up comments on the various dreams and adventures of life as Carl flies his house with thousands of balloons towards Paradise Falls. He is joined by a Wilderness Explorer named Russell, a talking dog named Dug, and the very rare and large bird Kevin. So, beyond just the opening, the themes and characters are also part of what makes it so endearing.
Up won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, but it also became only the second animated film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Zootopia (2016) - 98%
Zootopia is a successful and different take on the classic Disney animal movies. Instead of placing the characters in the forest, the jungle, or the African plains, this film places them in an animal city. Following police officer Judy Hopps and conman Nick Wilde, Zootopia is a fun film that also touches upon social issues. It’s filled with metaphors about the greatness of diversity and the pains of prejudice. While these messages are powerful and relevant, the film never ceases to be accessible to both children and adults.
The comedy is also top-notch in this movie, with the DMV scene featuring Flash the sloth becoming an instant classic. Zootopia won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature over fellow Disney nominee Moana, becoming the third Disney Animation Studios film to win the award in four years.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - 98%
This is the classic that started it all. Walt Disney’s first full-length animated feature expanded the possibilities of animated stories, winning Disney an honorary Oscar for the achievement. In the film, Snow White is deemed fairest in the land above her stepmother the Queen, who then seeks to have her killed. Snow White runs off into the forest and discovers seven dwarves, who let her stay with them. The Evil Queen is one of the most classic Disney villains, earning that reputation from disguising herself and using a poison apple against Snow White.
While there have been many adaptations of the Brothers Grimm story over the years, the Disney version has remained the most prominent, much like Pinocchio. The film’s world and characters also appeared in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
Coco (2017) - 97%
Coco brought Pixar their ninth win for Best Animated Feature. Directed by Lee Unkrich, the film tells the story of a boy named Miguel who dreams of becoming a musician in a family that forbids it. Miguel goes off to a Day of the Dead music competition and tries to borrow a famous musician’s guitar. Upon strumming it, Miguel is transported to the Land of the Dead and must receive a family member’s blessing before sunrise.
Coco takes great care in portraying Mexican culture and traditions. It’s also full of heartwarming family themes and some incredible music, and the hit “Remember Me” won Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez their second Oscar for Best Original Song.
Inside Out (2015) - 98%
The top-rated non-franchise animated film according to Rotten Tomatoes is Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter. It’s Pixar’s fourth Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature on this list, and it was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Inside Out takes a very interesting look inside the mind of a young girl named Riley and her various emotions.
Beyond just the exploration of the emotions and their unique effects, there are genius portrayals of “the train of thought,” how dreams happen, and why we remember some things more than others. It’s a truly imaginative and inspirational film, and it’s no surprise it tops this list.
