Summary

• Stylized 3D animation is on the rise, but 2D-animated movies are still effective at telling heartrending stories.
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron are likely to win awards at the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
• Nimona is a compelling and hilarious movie with a great dynamic between the main duo.

2023 saw many amazing animated movies come to theaters. Stylized 3D animation has been on the rise for the past few years and 2023 included several animated movies rendered in 3D while incorporating elements of various artistic styles. Yet 2D-animated movies still appear and are no less effective at telling heartrending stories.

This year, animated movies depicted coming-of-age stories for humans and Krakens alike, friendships and romances enduring dangerous adventures, and hilarious moments in every genre. The 2024 Golden Globes nominations for Best Animated Motion Picture have been announced, and the Oscars will soon follow. Two very different movies, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron, are the most likely winners at both awards shows.

10 Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Ruby and her friends have fun designs in this sweet coming-of-age story.

Dreamworks' latest flick focuses on Ruby Gillman, an awkward teenager who discovers that she is a descendant of the royal Krakens responsible for protecting the seas. As Ruby learns to harness her Kraken powers, she continues to grapple with high school drama and anxieties, as well as her strained relationship with her mother. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken relies on a well-used storyline of familial discord and reconciliation, with a Regina George-style subplot in the form of the evil mermaid Chelsea. Despite Ruby Gillman's box office failure, the story is sweet, and the animation is charming. Ruby, her family and friends, and the Ariel-inspired Chelsea all have cute and quirky designs.

9 Unicorn Wars

Cuddly bears go to war with "evil" unicorns.

Animator Alberto Vázquez cites (via 20minutos) a combination of Bambi and Apocalypse Now as the inspiration for Unicorn Wars. In Unicorn Wars, an army of teddy bears has waged a bloody war on the unicorns for generations. This bizarre premise is used to satirize war and religion. The movie's biggest weakness is its focus on the unlikable main characters as they venture into the dreaded "Magic Forest," animated differently from the bears to set them apart. While the teddy bears are reminiscent of Cartoon Network, the unicorns and their home are created with graceful watercolors. Unicorn Wars is a disturbing yet contemplative movie.

8 The Super Mario Bros. Movie

A movie made for Super Mario Bros. fans that is tons of fun.

What The Super Mario Bros. Movie lacks in substance it makes up for in plain fun. Average plumber Mario is launched into a strange world of talking mushrooms and villainous turtles, finding himself on a mission to save his brother and the independent Princess Peach. The movie is mostly fan service with a lot of cute references to the Mario Bros. and Mario Kart games woven in, but they come together in a coherent narrative. Mario, Toad, and the others are also surprisingly funny. Additionally, the Super Mario characters and world translate well into this style of animation.

7 Elemental

Pixar tells a heartfelt story in a vivid world of water, earth, air, and fire.

In Element City, Firetown resident Ember Lumen is working hard to take over her father's shop. Ember's parents emigrated from Fireland to Element City to build a better life for their daughter. Ember's plans go awry when she meets Water guy Wade Ripple, who makes her think more about what she wants for herself. Yet Pixar's strength is not in romances but in families. While Ember and Wade's romance is awkward at times, the storyline about Ember's dedication to her family is well-written. Characteristic of Pixar's movies, Elemental includes a heartwarming story with a beautifully designed setting and characters.

6 Leo

Adam Sandler voices a lovable lizard in a fifth-grade classroom.

Adam Sandler's new movie follows Leo, a fifth-grade class pet who learns that he (allegedly) only has a year left to live. Yet his plans to escape become secondary to helping each of the students with their fifth-grade struggles. Leo has some great recurring gags, such as the school's adorable but chaotic kindergartners. More importantly, Leo himself is an endearing protagonist. After accidentally revealing that he can talk to the first two kids, Leo its defeat and starts offering advice every time a student takes him home for the weekend. He sarcastically references past students from his 74 years in the classroom but demonstrates how he genuinely cares about the kids.

5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Gorgeous animation and much better writing than past TMNT movies.

While the story is moderately predictable, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem captures a great dynamic between Leo, Raph, Donny, and Mikey. The Turtles have fun in their adventures while making fun of each other, characteristic of teenagers and brothers. References to recent pop culture such as Avengers: Endgame and Attack on Titan also help emphasize the "teenage" part. The enjoyable and hilarious story is augmented by gorgeous animation, melding comic books with 3D graphics. It is no surprise that Mutant Mayhem 2 is on its way, which was announced before the first movie was even in theaters (via Variety).

4 Suzume

The heartrending and healing trials of school girl Suzume.

Suzume was released in Japan at the end of 2022 and debuted internationally in 2023. Makoto Shinkai's new movie follows Suzume, a teenager who was orphaned at a young age and raised by her aunt. Suzume sees a beautiful stranger on the road one day and is inadvertently drawn into his mission of protecting their world from the forces escaping the "Ever-After." Along the way, Suzume addresses the tensions in her relationship with her aunt while forging new bonds, against some beautiful backdrops. Suzume's ending is a tearjerker, powerfully conveying love, loss, desperation, and reconciliation.

3 Nimona

Nimona and Ballister are an incredibly compelling duo.

Nimona endured a long journey before making its way to a Netflix release. The story follows an outcast shapeshifter who allies with a disgraced knight, the latter of whom has been framed for murdering the queen of their futuristic feudal kingdom. The movie's great cold opening is followed by a story with unconventional narrative pacing that still works, featuring a great dynamic between the main duo. Nimona and Ballister are compelling and their struggles heartbreaking, while Nimona's antics hilariously keep Ballister on the edge of his seat.

2 The Boy And The Heron

Hayao Miyazaki's beautiful and profound last Studio Ghibli movie.

At times, The Boy and the Heron is so evocative it is claustrophobic. The Boy and the Heron's protagonist Mahito dives into an alternate world as he struggles to cope with the death of his mother and his father's marriage to her younger sister. The movie is filled with references to Miyazaki's past Studio Ghibli movies and delivers a compelling story of Mahito coming to love his aunt as a mother.

The beautiful cel animation has progressed from the early days of Ghibli, while the coming-of-age story is mystifying if a bit confusing. As Dan Schindel (via cutest creatures in any Ghibli movie.

1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Miles Morales returns for another epic adventure in the Spider-Verse.

In 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dazzled audiences with stunning animation, great humor, and larger-than-life yet relatable characters. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse delivers all of that and more. The Spider-Verse writers continue to develop Miles Morales' relationships with Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker, without falling into the clichés of love-interest and mentor storylines. New, instantly beloved characters are introduced, including Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India and Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk, among others.

Additionally, Across the Spider-Verse's high-stakes story is Hollywood's first two-part animated theatrical event. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse's release date is currently unconfirmed. The cliffhanger is frustrating like all cliffhangers are, but also thrilling. Miles meets an alternate version of himself while Gwen recruits old and new Spider-People to help in the finale. Across the Spider-Verse is not just a fantastic movie but a milestone for Hollywood animation, making it the best animated movie of the year.

Source: 20minutos, Variety, Hyperallergic