My Favorite Animated Films of the Decade (2010's)

Scene from Toy Story 3

With 2019 marking the end of a decade, it's time to commemorate the past 10 years with the help of Listmania Decades. Over this year's 12 months, the series will look at a variety of different styles of film in order to highlight everything that made this period unique and exciting. While this isn't meant as a collection of the greatest films ever released, it's more meant as a highlight of films that I would consider to be among my favorite, or ones that are worth remembering in the future. So please feel free to join me every 19th of the month to highlight a new entry that will highlight 25 films that exemplified a certain field of cinema. There's a lot of great work out there, and this list barely captures the bulk of it. Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments so that we can find more to appreciate before this year is through.

THIS MONTH: One of the key components of any great summer is the great family movie. There have been few styles that cut to the heart of that better than the animated genre. While this isn't entirely G-Rated fare, this is meant to explore the great animated films from around the world as well as more adult fare from the great esoteric artist. While there are a few clear standouts on this list that will likely dominate, this is only a fraction of the many talents out there making a difference in the industry. Here's a list of my favorite films that continue to dazzle years on and make me excited to be a kid again. Special note: this only covers animated movies released before June 19, 2019, so, unfortunately, it doesn't include later releases like Toy Story 4, Frozen II, and others.

1. Inside Out (2015)

Just when it looked like Pixar's output was going to be stuck in the "fine" category, they released their greatest achievement. Inside Out is a film that marked their 20th theatrical anniversary, and it did so with a perfect summation of everything that makes them great. On the surface, it's the analogy of how the studio manipulates our emotions into having joy, fear, anger, anxiety, and sadness. On a deeper level, it's one of the most perfect examples of making the abstract into something plausible. Psychiatrists have used it to explain problems to patients. The world outside of her head is a movie that works on its own. It's also one of Michael Giacchino's finest moments as a composer. There's too much effort put into the film to make anyone thing seem out of place. It's a masterpiece not only of Pixar as storytellers but what they bring to our lives.

2. Moana (2016)

While the decade as a whole was great for Disney, there was something unexpected about taking on the subject of a Polynesian princess. Nobody expected her story aboard the sea to be among the greatest in the studio's history, improved greatly by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina's excellent new songs. The visuals are powerful and Maui is arguably The Rock's most empathetic performance. There's so much to love about the film, and it all blends in the way that classic Disney films do. It's their best film since Mulan and proves that even if they're heading down a path of live-action remakes that don't compare, they still have some fuel in the tank for stories with plenty of personality and heart that will move generations for years to come.

3. How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy (2010-2019)

It is a bit of a cheat to include three films in one spot, but then again it's unfair to two other films to be left off this list. Over the course of a decade, Dreamworks created their defining achievement that never lost sight of its brilliance. The trilogy explores not only the growth of Hiccup as a protagonist but how he learns to empathize with nature. While the first entry is a great discovery and features a powerful score by John Powell, there's plenty of emotional moments scattered throughout the remaining series. It's a journey that feels like a singular journey and also reflects how to create an overall strong series. Many franchises could do with taking a few tips from the excellent animation, storytelling, voice-acting, and music on display here. While it's an outlier for Dreamworks overall, it still proves they're capable at times of being on par, and maybe even better than Pixar and Disney.

4. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

While Laika Studios has always been an exemplary example of stop motion animation, it took a while for them to create a film on par with their first. In some ways, Kubo and the Two Strings is arguably the studio's crowning achievement to date thanks to pushing the boundaries of what the medium can do - including large puppets that are seen being assembled during the credits. The spectacle in every frame makes this one of the greatest films of the decade and in general. It helps that the story of a boy learning the value of storytelling is among their strongest works as well. The action is superb and the finale is visually stunning. So much of the film is masterful that it sets the bar so high for Laika's future. When Kubo says "If you must blink, do it now." you might as well. You won't want to miss a minute of this film.

5. Tangled (2010)

The first decade of Disney's animated films for the 21st century is a fascinating period of failure. It seemed like they would never recover after the Renaissance, but thanks to Tangled, things were back on track. It helps that Rapunzel is one of the most delightful characters and the animation for her hair ranks among the studio's best. With an Alan Menken-penned soundtrack, there's so much about the film that feels like a refreshing restart and resurgence of a juggernaut. It's one of the most delightful films in the studio's entire existence as well as featuring some of their best slapstick humor in quite some time. While it could've been a fluke, it was the start of something special, and it feels that way every time the film starts up again.

6. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

While many of these films push animation by making elaborate worlds, Don Hertzfeldt has done an incredible job of going the other direction. His protagonists are stick figures that wander around questioning the importance of life. It may seem off-putting at first, but once the style connects with the audience, it begins to work as something more, managing to explore depression in a way that is like looking inside our own minds. In there we're nothing but stick figures, no real substance, trying to understand ourselves. It's an experimental film for sure and one that won't connect with everyone. But for those who get it, it will connect on a deeper level and bring some solace to the experience of trying to understand what gets us up in the morning.

7. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

The final film before Isao Takahata is a different kind of princess movie. The Studio Ghibli feature ranks among the most beautiful films ever created thanks in large part to the use of watercolor to bring this epic to life. It follows Kaguya's life as she grows up and begins to understand her place in the bigger world. In some ways it's just as perfectly formed as the folklore that has been told for decades, managing to convey the struggles of characters through smaller parables and experiences that help to shape us. It also helps that there are points in the animation that feel more incredible given how unformed they sometimes are, reflecting something more interpretive. The image of Kaguya running through a forest is something so powerful that it's among the best work to come out of this decade, and more films could do with challenging the medium like this.

8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Since 2010, there have been three different big screen iterations of Spider-Man. One would argue that it's then exhausting to make a film that not only features him once but dozens of times in different forms. That would be the case if the film wasn't such a delightful miracle. With a groundbreaking approach to animation, the story manages to use alternate universes better and more comprehensively than most mainstream movies. It's in part because it was a narrative that suggested that anyone could be Spider-Man, and in the process did so through an Afro-Latino protagonist named Miles Morales whose fight between good and evil in his personal life is the grounded core to a story that could've flown off the rails at several points. It doesn't, even as Spider-Ham pulls a mallet out of nowhere. This is an example of how superhero movies can evolve if they choose to. It isn't just the spectacle but also the story that makes this one of the essential Marvel films of the decade and millennium.

9. ParaNorman (2012)

It was only plausible that Laika Studios would follow up their debut feature Coraline with another horror film. By doing this, they helped to establish them as the outsider franchise for kids, producing films that were offbeat without being too restrictive in themes. In fact, ParaNorman helped prove that they were capable of making stop motion more than a fluke. By mixing in CG animation, the world created in this film is among the most stunning and manages to create a story of children just trying to be heard into something more powerful. It is also one of the most entertaining zombie movies of the decade. It's got a lot going on, but it all builds to one of the most emotional endings of Laika's short filmography.

10. Anomalisa (2015)

It has been a while since writer Charlie Kaufman has released a movie, though nobody would've expected him to create one of the most adult animated movies out there. Not adult in the use of profanity or humor, but in that it paints the struggles of a man in ways that live-action just can't suffice. There are several moments in this that prove why the style allows for existential exploration in a mature manner. It may not seem like much at times, especially as most of it is simply conversation, but the moments that pop proves why this was the only way to make it. Along with a great voice acting job by Jennifer Jason Leigh, this is a powerful film with a lot to say about aging and questioning the value of life. It may not have high spectacle like the other films on this list, but it has the most to say about growing old.

11. Toy Story 3 (2010)

In some ways, this was the end of an era for Pixar. After a flawless 15 year run, this Toy Story film features some of the studio's most heart-wrenching moments yet. Luckily, it also featured plenty of amusing moments amid a third act that borrows influence from The Great Escape and Evil Dead. Yes, some will still be traumatized by what happens, but that is to ignore everything that builds up to it, including the tragedy of feeling useless and about to lose what's most significant to you. For those who grew up with the franchise, it felt like a perfect summation. However, Pixar still thinks there's juice to get from this franchise (including an excellent short called Toy Story of Terror), so who knows. Still, for eight years it felt like this was the perfect big screen farewell to these icons. Even then, it's still one of the best ways for animation to kick off the decade.

12. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

One of the more exciting things that Steven Spielberg did in the past decade was trying his hand at animated movies. It's something that he seems like he should've done a while ago. With that said, he couldn't have picked a better topic than the boy detective to make a transition that was at points some of the best filmmaking he could do. As an action filmmaker, he knew what angles would look best during the audacious chase scenes, and he knew how to draw out humor from dog Snowy's many antics. As a whole, it's one of the few shining examples of motion capture animation and proof that the medium should be taken more seriously. However, the sequel has yet to come after eight years and there's no sign of Peter Jackson taking it on. One can hope that he does because this is one of the best adventure films of the decade and a halfway decent story of a man dealing with alcoholism. It has so much inspiring moments that it would be a shame to make it his sole contribution to the medium.

13. Isle of Dogs (2018)

If there's any standout director of this decade, it's Wes Anderson. After struggling to make films that connected with the audience, his three releases have all matched critical acclaim with solid box office results for the first time. His films have won Oscars, and he has finally made another animated film after the masterpiece Fantastic Mr. Fox. While it's not quite as flawless, this Japanese homage manages to challenge the animation medium in ways that few others have. Through the perspective of dogs and a rebellion, the film plays with language and narrative in a way that's exciting and original, evolving Anderson's style into something grittier than his films tend to be. Most of his live-action films feel like animated films anyway, so it makes sense when this cartoon manages to feel like the full embodiment of his mentality and how much he brings to the film world.

14. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

It does seem like the perfect oxymoron that the best video game movies of the decade weren't actually based on existing games. While there's plenty of familiar icons in this Disney film, the Wreck-It Ralph creation was built from the ground-up and tells a story that works in part because it puts the heart into the gaming experience. It is about the competition while understanding the conflicts that come with having disabilities or being seen as a sore loser. It's full of great gags that show the studio operating in top form with one of its few original properties in this short 21st century. Luckily the voice cast sells a great film that never gets dull and the novelty never wears off. While the sequel reaches a little too far, the original still manages to do the trick of making video games about more than winning a fight. It's about respecting each other as well.

15. The Wind Rises (2013)

There's plenty that was bittersweet about watching Hayao Miyazaki's most recent film. For starters, it was his planned farewell at the time and meant that it was the end of an era for Studio Ghibli. Still, he went out on an incredible note that didn't rely on the world of fantasy that consumed his career, but something that felt more personal. It was about the idea of an artist creating something pure that was inevitably used for evil. It's a simple concept profoundly executed in a way that captures the artist's career in deep and spiritual ways. Whether this is the end for Miyazaki or not, there's no denying that this simple story's use of animation is anything but. It manages to be just as dazzling as Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. It just happens to be his most human story as well.

16. Incredibles 2 (2018)

Over 10 years may have passed since The Incredibles last premiered, but the sequel luckily kept everything intact that made the original so enjoyable. With an updated story that saw director Brad Bird explore what superheroes mean in a society that has outlawed them, the film expertly mixes the struggles of women in the workplace while also being one of the funnier stay-at-home dad comedies in quite awhile. It's got plenty of dazzling action set pieces that show Pixar at their best, and the use of baby Jak-Jak is some of the best visual comedy in any animated film this decade. As a whole, it's just a welcomed return to the series that may even be better and more sincere than the original. If nothing else, it's still tons of fun.

17. Your Name (2016)

There's a good reason that this is one of the highest grossing international films of the modern age. For starters, it has dazzling animation with such rich textures that it puts American animation to shame. Every detail is perfectly in place. However, it's the clever take on the body-swapping genre that likely makes the film something greater. It's full of humor, but soon becomes something more romantic and reflects the best of teenage angst. Add in a third act that has some breathtaking twists, and you get one of those films that understand that sometimes a story soaked in the search for love can be powerful enough. It may play like your average romantic comedy, albeit with a Japanese skew, but that doesn't mean that it still can't move you in unexpected ways.

18. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (201

19. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)

With the modern invention of sound, one has to ask themselves what it takes to make an animated film. By its nature, the medium is full of animation meant to exaggerate and be this big physical experience. However, Aardman Animations is maybe the only ones to realize this on a deeper level. There is no important dialogue in Shaun the Sheep Movie. It's merely about one madcap day in the life of a sheep who leaves the farm to explore the city. It's clever and full of great sight gags that also prove the limitless potential of the medium. If nothing else, it has one of the best use of sheep in any film this decade, and you'll want to spend way more time with them. It's likely why they got a sequel due out later this year.

20. Coco (2017)

The recent evolution of Disney and Pixar films have gone through an interesting transition on a narrative standpoint. Not only have they evolved to be more culturally diverse, but they have begun to explore the past in interesting ways. There isn't a better example of this than Coco, which takes a look at how the family views a defamed father figure in their life. With excellent animation as protagonist Miguel explores the land of the dead and finds several secrets lying underneath. It's a story of how we remember what came before, and how narratives can be altered by those willing to manipulate them. It's more than a film that captures Dia de Los Muertos in its true sense (if you want a comedic take, watch the much lesser The Book of the Dead), it's one that understands the value of truth and honesty among family, and how it helps the world to see you differently. 

21. The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)

The modern legacy of LEGO is extremely ridiculous. It's become more than a toy, having spawned several crossover video games with the likes of Jurassic Park, Marvel, and Batman. It makes sense given its infinite possibilities, but what exactly does that mean for the brand's identity? The may be why the Ninjago franchise is so appealing. It's free of any ties to a pop culture extension, instead stemming from a TV show that explores a mythical art called Spinjitsu. It allows the film to be more focused on character and produces one of the most entertaining films that they've produced yet. With a strong family dynamic and plenty of solid action set-pieces (no pun intended), it shows what the future of LEGO can be on the big screen. It goes beyond the manic gags that plague the other films and is the ability to tell a creative story while using its bricks in exciting and original ways. It may not be going that way yet given the absurdity of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, but one can hope there's a shift coming soon.  

22. Frozen (2013)

It would be easy to outright dismiss this movie because of the phenomenon that followed. Not since The Little Mermaid or The Lion King has a Disney film felt so vital to the public conversation, leading to endless "Let It Go" jokes. However, it was more than a franchise starter that would produce TV specials, Tony-nominated Broadway shows, appearances in other Disney movies (Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet) and a sequel (due this Fall). It was a turning point for mainstream American animation in how it presented two sisters who found solace in each other instead of the long-held trope of a boyfriend. It may be messy and rushed at points, but its place in pop culture is undeniable, and Elsa is quite possibly one of the studio's greatest characters for her unique exploration of depression in a sea of characters meant to entertain children. It's a bolder film than it has any right to be, but it makes sense why you don't want your child to ever watch it again.

23. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)

Along with the great stop motion work of its competitors, Ardman Animation has had a knack for decades in the even more difficult claymation format. Among their most entertaining work of the decade is this madcap pirate story in which they set for the high seas and only find mischief. Some of it is caused by others, but mostly it's British humor where those with power try to excuse away their many faults. It's a charming little film full of memorable characters that show how friends can come together and make a difference. 

24. The Boxtrolls (2014)

To some extent, this is a film doomed to be the black sheep of the Laika Studios brand. It's easy to understand why. It's gross. There's an extensive plot where cheese allergies lead to one of the most macabre images in any family movie (animated or otherwise) that only adds to the disturbing layers. With that said, it's another story about nuclear families that just o happens to have a great hook in the titular Boxtrolls. While they don't speak a discernable language, they have some of the greatest physical movements of any Laika character and happen to use great voice acting to make their growls empathetic. It's a silly film that may not have the uniform nature of its cohorts, but as a story of an outcast trying to make it in upper society, it's an entertaining tale full of heart, humor, action, and more evidence that stop motion is evolving alongside CG animation and it should be recognized as something more.

25. The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

As far as franchises go, Batman is hanging in there at a lean 80 years. From comic books to TV and film, there have been endless adaptations of the character that continue to resonate with audiences. It's partially what makes it hilarious to take one of the most iconic heroes and turn him into a toy. The film works as a lengthy analysis of what the caped crusader has meant to American media throughout the past century as well as his relation to his various villain, especially The Joker. This may not be the only Batman we've had this decade, but the choice to make him a lonely hero looking for family gives him depth and sympathy that goes beyond the capabilities of the darker, more brooding takes. It's a look back and forwards while making an essential take on someone who felt like he had been sucked dry at this point. Also, because of his LEGO affiliations, he has the best merchandise no question.