Image credit: Adam DeZayas Pictures, Studio 4°C, NTV, ARTE, TBS, CNC, Xilam, Gainax, Aniplex, Filmax Entertainment, Melodrama Pictures, Madhouse, Canal+
The 2000s: an era when animation broke its own mold, boldly stepping out of the kiddie pool and diving into the deep end of storytelling.
Forget the sugar-coated narratives; these tales come with a bite, a punch, and a twist. Intrigued?
These aren't your Saturday morning cartoons; they're Friday night revelations. The animation? Top-notch. The scripts? Sharper than a samurai's blade. And the emotional impact? Off the charts.
1. "Sita Sings the Blues" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, interwoven with the narrative of an artist's own troubled marriage.
2. "Mind Game" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
After a bizarre encounter and a brush with death, a young man is thrust into a wild, psychedelic adventure of self-discovery and escape from the underworld, filled with eccentric characters and experiences.
3. "Waltz with Bashir" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service during the conflict, resulting in a striking animated documentary.
4. "Persepolis" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
This film is an autobiographical account of Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution, showcasing her struggles with her identity in a turbulent society.
5. "Mary and Max" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
The film follows the pen-pal relationship between two very different people: Mary Dinkle, a lonely 8-year-old girl living in Melbourne, and Max Horowitz, a 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in New York.
6. "The Triplets of Belleville" (2003) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
When her grandson, a Tour de France cyclist, is kidnapped, Madame Souza and her dog Bruno team up with the aging music hall trio, the Triplets of Belleville, to rescue him from the French mafia.
A documentary filmmaker interviews a legendary actress about her career and the history of her life, blending reality and cinema as she relives her roles and personal experiences.
Three homeless people in Tokyo – a middle-aged alcoholic, a former drag queen, and a runaway girl – discover a baby in the trash on Christmas Eve, leading them on a journey to find the child's parents.
9. "The Secret of Kells" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
In medieval Ireland, young Brendan embarks on an adventure to complete a magical illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, encountering mythical creatures and a fairy girl along the way.
10. "L'illusionniste" (also known as "The Illusionist", 2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A French illusionist, finding limited work in his home country, travels to Scotland, where he meets a young woman. Their ensuing adventure changes both their lives forever.
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior.
12. "Paprika" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
A psychotherapist uses a device that allows therapists to enter patients' dreams. When the device is stolen, she must recover it before it is used to blur the lines between the dream and waking worlds.
13. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A high school girl gains the ability to time travel and relives various moments in her life, leading to unintended consequences and learning about the importance of time.
14. "Nocturna" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
In a magical world of Nocturna, an orphan boy who fears the dark discovers the night has many creatures and secrets, including the stars that are disappearing mysteriously.
15. "A Town Called Panic" (2009) Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
An eccentric stop-motion film about a toy cowboy, Indian, and horse who embark on a series of absurd adventures, including underwater sea creatures and a journey to the center of the earth.
A young math prodigy accidentally solves a complex mathematical equation, putting a virtual world's artificial intelligence in a position to cause real-world catastrophe.
In the fictional Treasure Town, street orphans Black and White fight to keep control of their territory from the yakuza, exploring themes of violence, urban decay, and the loss of innocence.
18. "Wonderful Days" (also known as "Sky Blue", 2003) Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
In a post-apocalyptic world where the elite live in a city of luxury, a soldier from the city discovers the harsh reality of life outside his utopia, leading to a struggle against the ruling class.
19. "Appleseed" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%
In a post-apocalyptic world, a female warrior and her partner are recruited to join the utopian city of Olympus, where they uncover secrets that threaten the existence of human and bioroid populations.
20. "Kaena: The Prophecy" (2003) Rotten Tomatoes score: 7%
Kaena, a young woman, embarks on a quest to find the World Tree, which is dying, threatening her world with annihilation, defying her tribe's chief and the ancient gods.
