Top 15 Animated Movies Of 2025

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15. Mononoke the Movie: The Ashes of Rage

What hits first is the visual aggression: shapes, colors, and motion layered until it feels like the film is daring you to keep up. Mononoke the Movie: The Ashes of Rage leans into that density on purpose, using symbolism and unease as its primary language rather than tidy exposition. The best stretches feel like horror told through design textures and rhythms that make the screen itself feel hostile. It can be emotionally distant, though, especially when the style stays so dominant that character beats have to fight for oxygen. Still, even skeptics tend to concede the craft is singular, and the movie’s willingness to be abrasive is part of why it sticks. | © EOTA / Crew-Cell

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14. Endless Cookie

It plays like a family story that keeps interrupting itself, not because it’s unfocused, but because real memories don’t line up neatly. The humor comes fast and weird, and then without warning it turns into something tender or bruised, the kind of shift that makes you laugh and feel guilty about it in the same minute. The animation style matches that energy: handmade, loose, sometimes chaotic, always personal. If you need a clean narrative spine, you might get itchy, because the movie prefers texture over momentum. But when the portrait finally snaps into focus, it’s hard not to respect how honestly Endless Cookie lets messiness stay messy. | © Scythia Films

13. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle

This is the kind of theatrical anime entry that behaves like a finale bell: it wants you arriving already invested, already braced for escalation. The action direction is the headline fast, readable chaos staged with the confidence of a series that knows exactly what its audience craves. Where it can stumble is the stop-and-go rhythm, because late-arc storytelling sometimes insists on pausing to restate stakes right when adrenaline wants to sprint. For committed fans, those reminders can feel like emotional tightening; for others, they can feel like speed bumps. Even with that wobble, the spectacle in Infinity Castle is hard to dismiss, and the intensity is very much the point. | © Ufotable

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12. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

The movie’s biggest victory is that it understands timing the kind where a pause is a punchline and a reaction shot is half the joke. It’s proudly built around gag momentum, with the sci-fi setup mostly serving as a trampoline for Daffy and Porky to ricochet off each other. Not every bit lands, and the story can feel like a string holding sketches together rather than a plot you’re meant to care about deeply. But the animation has snap, the energy doesn’t get sanded down into “polite family content,” and it rarely overstays a joke. When The Day the Earth Blew Up is in full swing, it feels like a reminder that a cartoon can just be a cartoon and still be good. | © Warner Bros. Animation

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11. Lost in Starlight

Neon melancholy does a lot of the heavy lifting, and the film knows it: mood, lighting, and quiet longing are treated like the main characters. Lost in Starlight looks gorgeous often enough that you can forgive a few familiar romantic beats, but those beats are also where some viewers bounced because the premise hints at sharper turns than the script always takes. It’s at its strongest in the in-between moments, when silence and distance say more than dialogue, and weakest when big emotional pivots arrive a little too neatly. I wouldn’t call it bad; it’s more like a beautiful postcard that occasionally wishes it had a messier, riskier story behind the image. If you’re here for atmosphere, it delivers just don’t expect the narrative to cut as deep as the visuals do. | © Climax Studio / Netflix Animation

10. Predator: Killer of Killers

Three different time periods, three different fighting styles, and one very familiar problem dropping out of the sky: Predator: Killer of Killers is basically an anthology built to answer “yeah, but what if a Yautja fought this kind of warrior?” The violence is the point, but it’s staged with real clarity more like a brutal animated action showcase than a lore-heavy franchise entry. Reviews tended to like how lean it is, especially compared to messier sequels, though some critics weren’t sold on the look and felt the animation could be stiff in places. The best segment depends on your taste (Viking grit, ninja precision, WWII aerial terror), but the format keeps it moving even when one story doesn’t fully land. As a whole, it’s not “deep,” yet it’s smarter than it needs to be about pacing and payoff, and it feels like the series having fun again. | © 20th Century Animation

9. Ne Zha 2

The wild part isn’t just how massive the box office got in 2025 it’s how confidently the movie throws you into mythic chaos and expects you to surf it. The sequel goes bigger in every direction: more characters, more battles, more worldbuilding, and a runtime that doesn’t pretend this is a quick popcorn sprint. That scale is why some Western reviews call it overwhelming or convoluted, even while praising the sheer visual muscle and the “how did they animate that?” ambition. Once Ne Zha 2 locks into its emotional core identity, loyalty, the burden of destiny it’s genuinely stirring, but it can also feel like it’s trying to win three finales at once. If you’re in the mood for maximalist animated spectacle, it’s a blast; if you want tidy storytelling, it can be a lot to process in one sitting. | © Beijing Enlight Pictures

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8. The Legend of Hei II

Instead of chasing the loudest possible sequel energy, the film leans into refinement cleaner visuals, bigger action, and a story that plays like it wants to graduate from “cute fantasy adventure” into something a little more grown-up. The Legend of Hei II keeps Luo Xiaohei’s charm intact, but it’s more interested in conflict this time: factions, power structures, and the cost of choosing sides when the world stops feeling small. Audience reactions in China were notably strong, and even the promotional messaging around international releases emphasized how well it played at home. The action sequences are the clear crowd-pleaser, with choreography that feels sharper and more confident than the first movie’s calmer stretches. It’s not the year’s most daring narrative, but it’s a sequel that knows exactly what to improve and then actually improves it. | © Hanmu Chunhua (HMCH)

7. Arco

Time travel stories usually show off their mechanics, this one shows off its heart, letting wonder and anxiety sit in the same frame without forcing a wink. The setup is simple enough to grab an encounter that reshapes a kid’s life yet the movie is oddly specific in its emotional texture, like it’s pulling from real memories rather than generic sci-fi beats. Critics at major festivals tended to highlight how visually rich and imaginative it is, while also noting that the script sometimes over-explains connections that were already landing through mood and imagery. Arco feels like a gentle film that keeps catching you off guard with how thoughtful it is about hope, responsibility, and what we pass forward. It’s not perfect, but it’s the kind of animated feature that makes you want more originals like it to get real distribution space. | © Remembers

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6. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Rom-com chemistry shouldn’t work in a story this soaked in blood and bad decisions, yet that contrast is exactly why the movie pops. The tone swings hard sweetness, violence, awkward teen longing, sudden terror and it mostly pulls it off because the direction never treats Denji’s feelings like a joke, even when everything around him is absurd. You can feel the craftsmanship in the set pieces and pacing, but what surprised a lot of reviewers is how bittersweet the emotional spine gets once the “Bomb Girl” arc fully turns. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc also arrived as a genuine theatrical success for an anime expansion, with strong buzz on film social platforms and solid box office numbers in multiple markets. It’s messy in the way the series is messy, but the mess has shape and by the end, it’s weirdly hard not to care. | © MAPPA

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5. The Colors Within

A girl who literally sees people as colors is such a risky premise that it could’ve turned into a gimmick fast, but the movie plays it like a quiet emotional truth instead. What many reviewers responded to was the gentle, musical coming-of-age vibe: three teens forming a band, trying to understand themselves, and letting small moments carry the weight rather than big plot twists. The animation is consistently lovely in a soft, luminous way, and the sound/music angle gives the story a pulse that keeps it from drifting. The main knock you’ll hear is that the drama can feel intentionally low-key, like it’s more interested in atmosphere than sharp conflict, which may leave some viewers wanting a stronger narrative hook. Still, when it’s in its element, The Colors Within feels like a warm, carefully observed sketchbook of adolescence. | © Science Saru

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4. I Am Frankelda

Mexico’s first stop-motion feature arrives with the energy of a gothic pop-up book that doesn’t care if it’s being “too much,” and honestly, that’s the point. The film’s big sell is the handcrafted look textures, lighting, and character work that feel lovingly made paired with a story steeped in spooky folklore and theatrical flair. A lot of reactions praised the imagination and ambition, even while admitting the script can be crowded, like it’s trying to fit three movies’ worth of ideas into one. Where it shines is mood: creepy but playful, macabre without turning miserable, and visually distinct enough that you remember images more than individual plot beats. If you’re open to maximalism, I Am Frankelda is a blast; if you need tight, minimal storytelling, it can feel overstuffed. | © Cinema Fantasma

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3. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

The story lives in a child’s head, which means the “plot” is really a series of discoveries taste, language, small humiliations, sudden wonder filtered through a perspective that’s both funny and brutally sincere. Critics have largely been kind to the film’s emotional intelligence, especially how it conveys big feelings through small gestures without turning sentimental. The visuals are deceptively simple, but they’re used with precision: color and rhythm do the work of memory, so scenes land like snapshots you didn’t know you still had. There’s a calmness to the pacing that might read as “slow” if you’re expecting a big narrative engine, yet that gentleness is also why it hits so hard when the emotion crests. By the time Little Amélie or the Character of Rain is done, it feels less like a story you watched and more like one you briefly inhabited. | © Maybe Movies

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2. 100 Meters

Competition movies usually give you clean motivation speeches and tidy arcs, but this one is more interested in obsession the kind that turns a 10-second sprint into a whole identity. The running sequences are the main attraction, often singled out for their visual intensity and physical detail, and the film’s style makes speed feel almost spiritual. That said, some reviews have pointed out that the character psychology can be blunt at times, with emotions explained a little too directly when the visuals were already saying enough. It’s still gripping because the rivalry and drive have a raw, desperate edge, and the movie understands how athletics can become both escape and trap. When it’s at full stride, 100 Meters feels electric; when it slows down to spell things out, it can lose some of that charge. | © Rock ’n’ Roll Mountain

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1. K-Pop: Demon Hunters

A K-pop girl group fighting demons sounds like a joke pitch until you see how confidently the movie commits to the bit: idol glam, supernatural lore, and action choreography that moves like a music video with teeth. The reception has been largely positive on the “popcorn joy” side bright animation, catchy songs, and a pace that keeps tossing new ideas at you before you can get bored. Where opinions split is depth: some viewers wanted more breathing room for character arcs, because the film’s momentum can bulldoze quieter emotional beats. Even with that criticism, the craft is hard to deny, and the soundtrack-driven energy gives it a personality that feels distinct rather than factory-made. The result is that K-Pop: Demon Hunters earns the top spot here not because it’s the most profound, but because it’s the most purely successful at being exactly what it promises. | © Sony Pictures Animation