Image credit: NTV, CNC, CBC, TVE, Canal+, Toho Company, Shogakukan, Eurimages, Filme de Papel, Genco, Studio Babelsberg, Warner Bros., Ruben Brandt, Bilibaba, Focus Features, Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej, StudioCanal, Aniplex
The 2010s were like a treasure trove of animated movies, and while some flicks grabbed the spotlight, a bunch of gems remained hidden in the shadows, waiting to be rediscovered.
These 30 lesser-known animated masterpieces are like those quiet kids in class who turn out to be insanely talented when you finally pay attention to them.
1. "Away" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% A wordless story of a boy who crash-lands on a mysterious planet and must find a way back home, embarking on a journey across a dangerous landscape, relying on his ingenuity and the help of a little bird to survive.
2. "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% Based on a 10th-century Japanese folktale, a tiny girl found inside a bamboo stalk grows rapidly into a beautiful young woman courted by suitors but ultimately yearns for her celestial origins.
3. "Song of the Sea" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 99% A young Irish boy discovers his mute sister is a selkie who must find her voice and free supernatural creatures trapped in the modern world, leading them on a journey through folklore and family healing.
4. "My Life as a Zucchini" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 99% After his mother's sudden death, a young boy nicknamed Zucchini navigates life in a foster home, forming new friendships and learning to trust and love as he searches for a new family.
5. "Ernest & Celestine" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 98% In a world where bears live above ground and rodents underground, a young mouse named Celestine befriends a bear named Ernest, challenging their societies' norms and prejudices.
6. "Your Name" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 98% Two teenagers, Mitsuha and Taki, inexplicably start switching bodies intermittently and form a connection by leaving notes for each other, leading to a quest to meet in person and avert a disaster intertwined with time, memory, and fate.
7. "In This Corner of the World" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% Set in Hiroshima during World War II, this anime portrays the life of Suzu Urano, a young bride, as she navigates the daily struggles and joys amidst the horrors and hardships of war, maintaining a resilient spirit.
8. "I Lost My Body" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% In this French animated film, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, embarking on a perilous journey through Paris to reunite with its body, while recounting the life of Naoufel, a young man who has lost his love and his hand.
9. "April and the Extraordinary World" (2015) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% In an alternate steampunk 1941 Paris, a young girl, April, goes on a quest to find her scientist parents who disappeared, uncovering a conspiracy involving a serum for immortality and a world deprived of technological advancements.
10. "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% A young boy named Kubo embarks on a magical quest with a sentient monkey and beetle to retrieve his late father's armor and defeat a vengeful spirit from his family's past, uncovering his own mystical heritage.
11. "Promare" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% Set in a futuristic world where a group of mutants called the Burnish cause massive fires, a firefighter and his team must confront and understand the Burnish, leading to a high-octane battle with political and ecological undertones.
12. "Wolf Children" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% A young mother struggles to raise her half-wolf children after their werewolf father's death, moving to the countryside to keep their secret, as the children grow and choose their paths between human and wolf life.
13. "The Breadwinner" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, an 11-year-old girl, Parvana, disguises herself as a boy to provide for her family after her father's unjust arrest, revealing the resilience and strength of children in the face of tyranny.
14. "The Secret World of Arrietty" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% Based on "The Borrowers," this film follows a tiny girl named Arrietty who lives secretly in the walls and floors of a human household and forms a forbidden friendship with a human boy, risking her family's hidden existence.
15. "The Rabbi's Cat" (2011) Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% In 1920s Algeria, a rabbi's cat gains the ability to speak after swallowing a parrot and debates his owner about religion, faith, and morality, leading them on a whimsical journey through the Jewish community of Algiers.
16. "The Boy and the World" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% A Brazilian boy, Cuca, leaves his village to find his father, embarking on a vibrant and kaleidoscopic journey that depicts a clash between village life and urbanization, exploring themes of family, culture, and globalization.
17. "Ride Your Wave" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% A surf-loving college student falls in love with a firefighter, but after his sudden death in an accident, she discovers she can summon him in any body of water she sings their song, exploring themes of love, loss, and moving on.
18. "Weathering with You" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% A high school boy runs away to Tokyo and meets a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather, leading them into a complex relationship marked by magical phenomena, environmental change, and the challenges of youth.
19. "When Marnie Was There" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Sent to the countryside for health reasons, a lonely girl, Anna, befriends Marnie, a mysterious girl from an abandoned mansion, unraveling a story of friendship, family, and self-discovery, with supernatural twists.
20. "The Little Prince" (2015) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% A young girl living in a strictly regimented life discovers the story of The Little Prince, told by her eccentric neighbor, leading her on an imaginative and philosophical journey that teaches her the essence of life, human connections, and the universe.
21. "The Red Turtle" (2016) Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% This dialogue-free film tells the story of a man stranded on a deserted island, his encounter with a mysterious red turtle, and the unfolding of his life in a unique interaction with nature and the cycle of life.
22. "Mirai" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% A young boy named Kun feels forgotten when his parents bring home his new baby sister, Mirai; but magical encounters with an older version of Mirai and family members from different eras lead him on an adventure through time and family history.
23. "Isle of Dogs" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% In a dystopian future Japan, dogs are exiled to a garbage island due to a "canine flu"; a young boy arrives on the island to search for his dog, Spots, leading to an epic journey with a pack of misfit dogs to find him and expose a government conspiracy.
24. "Mary and the Witch's Flower" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89% A young girl, Mary, discovers a flower that grants magical powers and is whisked away to a school for magic, where she must use her newfound abilities to uncover a sinister plot and save a friend.
25. "Chico & Rita" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87% Set in the late 1940s to early 1950s, this animated film captures the romance and dreams of young pianist Chico and singer Rita, from Havana to New York, in a vibrant journey through jazz, love, and ambition.
26. "From Up on Poppy Hill" (2011) Rotten Tomatoes score: 87% Set in 1960s Japan, this coming-of-age story follows high school students Umi and Shun as they rally to save their school's clubhouse from demolition, uncovering family secrets and developing a budding romance along the way.
27. "Loving Vincent" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 84% An animated film composed of oil paintings, it explores the life and controversial death of Vincent Van Gogh through the eyes of a young man who delivers Van Gogh's final letter, uncovering the artist's troubled life and the circumstances of his death.
28. "Ruben Brandt, Collector" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% Ruben Brandt, a psychotherapist, is plagued by nightmares inspired by famous works of art, leading him to become an art thief accompanied by his patients, who help him steal 13 paintings from the world's renowned museums to "cure" him.
29. "White Snake" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 70% In this Chinese animated fantasy, a young woman with amnesia and a dark past as a snake demon falls in love with a snake hunter, leading them into a battle against dark forces and a journey of redemption and self-discovery.
30. "Children of the Sea" (2019) Rotten Tomatoes score: 62% A young girl, Ruka, befriends two boys raised by dugongs and shares in their mystical connection to the sea, leading her on an aquatic adventure that reveals the mysteries of the marine world and a cosmic event.
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