Animation’s greatest strength is its ability to take audiences to worlds bounded only by the limits of a filmmaker’s imagination.
Hayao Miyazaki has been a master of this craft, establishing an international reputation as one of the best animators in history. His dazzling Spirited Away is an animated movie that takes the audience to a fantastical realm full of beauty, adventure and hope.
1. The Land of the Dead
The fourth and final film in director George Romero’s zombie series, this socially conscious horror movie offers a gruesome take on class hierarchies. It also delivers a hefty helping of the splatter-fest that has made Romero’s films so iconic.
Land of the Dead follows a crew of resourceful scavengers in a lock-down city where they’re forced to eke out a hardscrabble existence on the streets. They’re under the command of Kaufman (Dennis Hopper, “Knockaround Guys”), a one-percenter who runs everything.
2. Kubo and the Two Strings
Kubo and the Two Strings is a gorgeous and melancholy animated adventure about a young boy’s quest to protect himself from evil ancestral spirits. It is the latest from Laika Studios and features a stellar voice cast including Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey.
The story revolves around a young boy named Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) who lives with his mother and entertains the villagers of a fictional medieval Japan. His peaceful existence is threatened when he accidentally summons a vengeful spirit from the past.
3. Minions
The Minions are the main draw of Illumination’s Despicable Me trilogy, which has accumulated more than $3.7 billion in worldwide box office sales. They’re a huge influence on the animation industry, too, with their kawaii aesthetic and American slapstick humor drawing audiences of all ages.
The Despicable Me series is a cultural phenomenon that’s attracted a global audience, especially in the 2010s, when globalization has become increasingly politicized. In this era of xenophobia and a global populist backlash, Minions offer a uniquely clumsy and internationalist way to make sense of political conflict.
4. The Secret Life of Pets
Like Disney’s Zootropolis and Pixar’s Toy Story, Illumination Entertainment’s The Secret Life of Pets revolves around a pair of wisecracking animals living in a large city. They bond over a shared love of all things cute and cuddly.
Max and Duke become lost, and Max must team up with his new canine friend to find a way out of the city. Along the way, he encounters a series of humorous and exciting challenges.
5. Finding Dory
Finding Dory, the sequel to the 2003 hit Finding Nemo, is one of the most powerful animated movies ever. It is a box office smash and a film that has impacted the animation industry in many ways.
It is a story about a blue tang fish who suffers from short-term memory loss. This typically does not upset her but she starts to have flashbacks of her life with her parents and struggles to remember details.
Finding Dory is available on Hotstar so you need to subscribe to a premium VPN to enjoy Finding Dory on Hotstar in Australia. Throughout the movie, Dory is often seen as an isolated, socially excluded character. Despite this, her friendship with her friends, and their support for her, helps her overcome her impairment.
6. The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur may not be Pixar’s most prestigious or successful movie, but it is a remarkably powerful piece of animation that still remains a strong contender for its place in the industry. Parents will appreciate its gorgeous visuals, a plethora of moments of clever humor, and a few strong messages about loyalty and bravery.
A young Apatosaurus and an unlikely human friend embark on an epic journey through stunning yet dangerous landscapes in The Good Dinosaur. Throughout their journey, they meet many different creatures from different worlds and learn important lessons about the importance of friendship.
7. Finding Nemo
Taking place in the colorful waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Finding Nemo tells the story of an overly protective clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) who lives with his son, Nemo, born from only one egg. After his wife and eggs are eaten by a barracuda, Marlin becomes overly cautious about the ocean.
When Nemo swims too close to a boat and is captured by scuba divers, Marlin sets out to find him. Along the way, he meets Dory, a cheerful blue tang with a short memory who joins him on his adventure.
8. The Lion King
“The Lion King” is a timeless animated classic that has captured the hearts of audiences of all ages. Released in 1994, the movie tells the story of a young lion prince, Simba, and his journey to reclaim his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands.
The movie features an all-star cast, including the voices of Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, and Nathan Lane, and an unforgettable soundtrack featuring songs by Elton John and Tim Rice. The movie’s stunning animation, memorable characters, and universal themes of love, loss, and redemption have made it one of the most beloved animated films of all time.
One of the standout features of “The Lion King” is its timeless storytelling. The themes of identity, family, and the circle of life are woven seamlessly into the narrative, making it a movie that appeals to