‘Cartoons are for kids’ is the take of someone who hasn’t watched animation since Saturday mornings in 1998. If you’re asking what are the best animated movies for adults to enjoy, you’re in for a revelation: the medium’s greatest works are made with adult emotional depth, tackling grief, identity, and mortality with a freedom live-action rarely attempts.
I converted a skeptical friend with a single double feature (Spider-Verse + Coco), and he’s now the one recommending Ghibli films at dinner parties. Here’s the canon, from essential masterpieces to hidden gems.
What are the best animated movies for adults to enjoy: The Short Answer
The best animated movies for adults: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (visual revolution), Spirited Away (Miyazaki’s masterpiece), Coco (grief and family, bring tissues), Inside Out (emotions made literal, devastatingly smart), WALL-E (near-silent sci-fi poetry), Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (dark, political, gorgeous), Persepolis (graphic memoir of revolution), Anomalisa (stop-motion midlife crisis), and Your Name (anime romance epic). Start with Spider-Verse or Spirited Away.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Animation frees storytellers from physical reality — emotions can be visualized literally (Inside Out’s memory orbs), worlds can defy physics (Spider-Verse’s comic-panel dimension), and difficult subjects become approachable (Persepolis on revolution, Grave of the Fireflies on war). Rotten Tomatoes’ animation ratings That’s why the medium attracts auteur directors: del Toro, Wes Anderson (Isle of Dogs, Fantastic Mr. Fox), and Miyazaki all chose animation deliberately, not as a compromise. The ‘for kids’ label is a marketing accident, not an artistic one.
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Spider-Verse: the visual big bang
‘Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018) didn’t just raise the bar — it relocated it. Every frame is a comic panel in motion, with different characters animated at different frame rates as a storytelling device. It’s also genuinely moving: Miles Morales’ hero journey earns every beat. The sequel ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ goes further. Watch on the biggest screen you own.
Miyazaki: start with Spirited Away
A girl trapped in a bathhouse for spirits is the entry point to Studio Ghibli’s worldview: no villains, only complicated people; nature as sacred; childhood as profound. ‘Princess Mononoke’ (environmental epic) and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (anti-war romance) are the follow-ups. All on Max. These films operate on dream logic — surrender to it.
Pixar’s adult masterpieces
‘Inside Out’ is the smartest film ever made about emotions — adults cry harder than kids at Bing Bong. ‘Coco’ handles death, memory, and family with more grace than most live-action dramas. ‘WALL-E’ is a silent-film romance and environmental warning in one. ‘Up’s’ first 10 minutes remain the most efficient emotional devastation in cinema.
For the adventurous: international animation
‘Persepolis’ (France/Iran) — Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir of growing up during revolution, stark black-and-white, essential. ‘Your Name’ (Japan) — body-swap romance that becomes something transcendent; the highest-grossing anime film for years. ‘Wolfwalkers’ (Ireland, Apple TV+) — folklore and colonialism through breathtaking hand-drawn art.
Stop-motion for grown-ups
Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ (Netflix) reimagines the tale against Mussolini’s Italy — dark, political, handcrafted, Oscar-winning. ‘Anomalisa’ (Charlie Kaufman) uses stop-motion puppets for the most painfully human midlife-crisis film ever made — not for kids, not remotely. ‘Isle of Dogs’ brings Wes Anderson’s symmetry to a canine dystopia.
Where to stream the canon
Max hosts Studio Ghibli + Pixar-adjacent DC animation. Disney+ has all Pixar. Netflix has Klaus, Pinocchio, and Mitchells vs. the Machines. Crunchyroll ($8/month) is the anime deep catalog. Start with what’s on your current subscriptions before adding new ones.
My Favorite Tools and Brands
For independent reviews and current availability before you spend any money, Variety’s animation coverage is a solid reference.
- Max / Disney+ / Netflix — Between the three, nearly the entire adult-animation canon is covered.
- Crunchyroll — ~$8/month — For going deep on anime beyond the famous titles.
- Letterboxd (free) — The animation community’s lists (‘best animated films for adults’) are excellent.
- A big screen + good sound — Animation’s visual craft deserves full attention — phone watching wastes it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Dismissing animation as kids’ stuff. The medium’s masterpieces deal with death, war, and identity. The label is wrong, not the films.
- Starting with the most challenging titles. Ease in with Spider-Verse or Coco before Anomalisa or Grave of the Fireflies. Build the palate.
- Watching dubbed when subbed is better. For Ghibli and anime, the original Japanese with subtitles preserves the performances. Try both; most converts prefer subs.
- Skipping the shorts. Pixar shorts, ‘World of Tomorrow’ (Don Hertzfeldt, Netflix) — animated shorts are a whole art form worth 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animated movie should adults watch first?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse if you want dazzling and modern; Spirited Away if you want profound and dreamlike; Coco if you want emotional. Any of the three converts skeptics.
Are anime movies good for non-anime fans?
The great ones transcend the label: Your Name, A Silent Voice, and Miyazaki’s films work for anyone who likes good movies. You don’t need anime literacy — just openness.
Why do adults cry at Pixar movies?
Because Pixar writes about universal adult experiences — aging parents (Coco), lost dreams (Soul), childhood’s end (Toy Story 3) — using animation’s emotional directness. The tears are a feature, not a bug.
The Ghibli Watch Order
If Spirited Away hooks you (it will), here’s the optimal Ghibli watch order: My Neighbor Totoro (gentle, perfect), Howl’s Moving Castle (romantic, dazzling), Princess Mononoke (epic, intense), Nausicaä (the blueprint), then The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (devastating, gorgeous). Save Grave of the Fireflies for when you’re emotionally prepared — it’s a masterpiece you watch once and remember forever. Five films in, you’ll understand why Miyazaki is discussed alongside Kurosawa.
Spider-Verse, Spirited Away, Coco, Inside Out — animation’s masterpieces earn their place beside any live-action canon. The medium isn’t a genre; it’s a universe. For more screen gems worth your time, check out feel-good movies to lift your mood, find local events happening in my city this weekend, and make a small backyard feel like a party venue.
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