While some animated films are catered to a younger audience and others are more for adults, there is something for everyone in the pantheon of animated movies. These may include anything from superhero films to romantic comedies, and beyond. Many animated movies gain a ton of recognition in the box office and with fans, occasionally leading to franchises and continuations. Bringing together the development, production, direction, and voice acting of animated films is a lengthy and involved process proving why we should cherish these movies, even if they are not as popular as other styles of films.
The 2010s in particular were a great time for the animated movie genre, where studios were trying out new techniques, revamping stories, and creating characters that resonated hard with viewers. Films like How to Train Your Dragon, Wreck-It Ralph, The Lego Batman Movie, and even the Studio Ghibli movies, have loyal followings and have been successful financially. But what about the movies that aren't epic franchises or don't do as well in the revenue aspect — should they just be ignored and forgotten? We don't think so. In that vein, these are the animated films from the 2010s that deserve to be noticed just a bit more.
11 Your Name (2016)
The 2016 Japanese romantic fantasy film, Your Name, was directed by Makoto Shinkai and tells the story of two high school students, Taki and Mitsuha, in Japan who start to swap physical forms even though they have never met before. As one can imagine, this leads to a slew of chaos within their lives, where they eventually learn how to communicate and grow closer. Depending on the version of the film the viewer chooses to watch Taki is voiced by either Ryunosuke Kamiki (Japanese) or Michael Sinterniklass (English) and Mitsuha is voiced by either Mone Kamishiraishi (Japanese) or Stephanie Sheh (English).
Prior to the film's release, Shinkai published a short novel version of the story, also titled Your Name, which readers will enjoy. And, per Collider, a live-action adaptation is in development from Paramount Pictures in association with Bad Robot Productions, with Raya and the Last Dragon director Carlos López Estrada set to direct the film.
10 The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
The 3D animated film The Pirates! Band of Misfits, which was titled as The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! in the UK, used stop-motion animation to tell the story of a crew of beginner pirates who are trying to win the "Pirate of the Year" competition and impress Queen Victoria (voiced by Imelda Staunton). The film was directed by Peter Lord and written by Gideon Defoe and was based on the first book in Defoe's Pirates! series also titled The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! published in 2004.
The remaining voice cast included big names such as Hugh Grant, David Tennant, Martin Freeman, and Jeremy Piven. And The Pirates! Band of Misfits is the first Aardman Animations stop-motion film since Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was released in 2005, marking over a five-year gap between projects of this nature for the studio.
9 The Book of Life (2014)
Marketed specifically towards children, the computer animated film The Book of Life shows what happens to a bullfighter on "The Day of the Dead," who goes on an adventure to accomplish the goals his family and friends have set out for him. The tale the film weaves takes us as the viewers on a journey that teaches the lesson that we all can make our own way in this world, essentially by being the authors of our own stories, giving hope to those who may struggle in life.
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez and written by Gutierrez with Doug Langdale, The Book of Life features the voices of an all-star cast, including Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, and Kate de Castillo. This film is a masterpiece in the animation genre that, despite earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film, often gets overlooked for similar films, like Coco, which were released after it.
8 The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
The computer animated action adventure film The Adventures of Tintin (sometimes labeled as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) was based on the comic books of the same name by George Prosper Remi writing under the penname Hergé. Directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg, produced by a team which included Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and Kathleen Kennedy, and written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish, this movie should have been more than successful.
In the film, the characters of Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell), pet dog Snowy, and Captain Haddock (voiced by Andy Serkis) are searching for a ship called the Unicorn believed to have been captained by Haddock's ancestor, Sir Haddock (also voiced by Serkis). The three have a series of run-ins with Haddock's archenemy, Ivan Ivannovich Sakharine (voiced by Dainel Craig), the descendant of the dangerous, Red Rackham.
The classic pirate tale is re-imagined in this animated film which will appeal to those looking for a never-ending action packed adventure. Despite winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Award, people seem to forget the amazing talent that brought The Adventures of Tintin to life. According to Screen Rant, a sequel was announced way back in 2013, but has since spent the past 10 years in limbo, while IMDb (at the time of this writing) lists the Untitled The Adventures of Tintin Sequel with a 2027 release date. Perhaps they are all being optimistic — we'll have to wait and see.
7 ParaNorman (2012)
Getting a bit spookier is the animated stop-motion comedy horror film, ParaNorman, which tells the tale of a boy named Norman (voiced by Cody Smit-McPhee) who communicates with ghosts (i.e. Melinda in Ghost Whisperer), including his dead grandmother (voiced by Elaine Stritch) and the other ghosts in his small town. When Norman gets information that a witch has cursed the city 300 years ago, he must fight to protect his home and those both living and beyond the grave.
Directed by Sam Fell and Christ Butler, ParaNorman show us the importance of sticking up for oneself and how society can impact our lives. Per Rotten Tomatoes, critics seemed to enjoy the film, giving props for the animation itself, the script (which was written by Butler), and the humorous aspects of the movie. Nominated for both an Academy Award and BAFTA Award, ParaNorman should be one of the animated films from the 2010s that everyone sees at least once.
6 Big Hero 6 (2014)
One of the superhero-themed films on this list, Big Hero 6, eventually did get a bit of recognition, but we think it deserves even more. Telling a heartfelt tale of overcoming adversity and standing up for those you love, Big Hero 6 is about Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter), a young boy who is good with robotics, who teams up with Baymax (voiced by Scott Asdit), a healthcare robot previously owned by Hiro's brother, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), to investigate the masked villain who is responsible for Tadashi death. Loosely based on the Marvel Comics of the same name, the Big Hero 6 film is directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams using a script written by Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson.
The film was produced by Roy Conli in conjunction with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and is the 54th film by that studio to be released, and the first with Marvel characters. The movie also inspired multiple television series, including Big Hero 6: The Series, which carries on the storyline from the movie, as well as Baymax Dreams and Baymax! that focus more on the healthcare robot. While Big Hero 6 did become the highest-grossing animated film of 2014, many don't seem to enjoy the story being told and seem to throw this film to the wayside, and we'd like to rectify that oversight by including it on this list.
5 Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Essentially a spin-off of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, by being based on the Peabody's Improbable History segments that aired within that show, Mr. Peabody & Sherman tells the story of a very smart anthropomorphic dog named Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) and his adoptive human son, Sherman (voiced by Max Charles) who use a time travel machine to go on adventures. When Sherman uses the machine to impress a girl, Penny Peterson (voiced by Ariel Winter), he accidently rips a whole in the fabric of reality causing history and the future to go haywire. Along with Mr. Peabody, Sherman must fix his mistake and correct the natural flow of time.
Directed by Rob Minkoff, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a unique experience that deserves to be showcased for its humor, animation, epic soundtrack, voice acting, and action packed sequences of animation, even if critics were a bit unhappy with the plot and use of source material. While not as popular as other films of 2014, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is worth the watch, and despite the lack of recognition its received, the film even spawned its own television series, The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show, which aired on Netflix in 2015.
4 Megamind (2010)
A very different sort of superhero, Megamind tells the story from the perspective of an alien super-villain, aptly monikered as Megamind, due to his large blue head and supreme intelligence. After defeating his long time arch enemy Metro Man, Megamind gets the idea to create a new hero he can defeat. But this creation goes horribly wrong, and he ends up manufacturing a villain worse than himself, forcing him to become a hero and save the city. Megamind was directed by Tom McGrath and utilizes an epic cast of voice actors, which include Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt.
Following the films release a small franchise was created that included three video games based on the movie, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown, Megamind: Mega Team Unite, and Megamind: The Blue Defender, as well as a short film entitled Megamind: The Button of Doom. Although the Megamind movie is one of Dreamwork's Animations lowest-earning CGI animated films (per Box Office Mojo), it is an amazing story of good versus evil and what it means to be a hero in a world full of villains.
3 Rango (2011)
Directed by Gore Verbinski, Rango, an animated western comedy film is full of laughter and heart. Starring Johnny Depp as the lead character, Rango, a pet chameleon who accidently ends up in a small town called Dirt that needs a new Sheriff, when his terrarium falls out of his human's car in the Mojave Desert in Nevada. Chaos ensues as Rango meets the townsfolk and learns why Dirt has no water.
Alongside voice actors Isla Fischer, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, and Timothy Olyphant, Depp brings to life a colorful, flawless animated tale. Telling a story of the true meaning taking care of the people you choose to make your family and protect, Rango is a wonderful-animated film that should not be overlooked. Despite winning a number of awards and accolades, people seem to forget about this tiny lizard who stands tall against the persecution of a place he comes to love.
2 Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Despite being nominated for a Golden Globe and Annie Award, Rise of the Guardians did not do so well commercially. Leading to DreamWorks Animation making job cuts (per The Guardian) and labeled a box office disappointment, Rise of the Guardians only made the studio around $74.9 million once the $145 million budget and around $87 million in distribution and marketing costs were removed from the revenue of $306.9 million the film actually made. Bringing together all the magic of every Holiday, Rise of the Guardians, is one of those films that you either love for the nostalgic feelings it brings or hate for trying too hard.
Another 3D computer animated fantasy film, Rise of the Guardians, directed by Peter Ramsey, tells the story of a team of Guardians including Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and the Sandman (does not speak). This team recruits Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to help them stop the evil Pitch Black (Jude Law) from taking over the world and enveloping it in darkness using people's dreams. Although this film did not do well in the monetary sense, it is still a great animated movie that delves into what makes something real and how just a thought can change lives, earning a place on this list.
1 Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Perhaps people take issue with the stop-motion style or the Japanese setting, but either way, Kubo and the Two Strings deserves so much more hype. Directed by Travis Knight, this film is an action packed adventure fantasy that tells the classic tale of good vs. evil in a whole new way. Set during a waring Japan, the movie shows what happens when Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson), a boy who had an eye stolen as a baby, and who can play a magical Japanese guitar, must go on a dangerous quest. Tasked with defeating his evil twin aunts (both voiced by Rooney Mara) on his mother's side and his even more evil grandfather, the Moon King (voiced by Ralph Fiennes), after his mother's health deteriorates, Kubo embarks on a journey alongside an anthropomorphic snow monkey (voiced by Charlize Theron) and a large beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) to bring peace to the land he calls home.
Bringing a depth of wonder and imagination hardly seen in animated films, Kubo and the Two Strings is a delightful lesson on never giving up hope, even when things seem most dire. The A.V. Club's reviewer, Jesse Hassenger, said, "No American animation studio is better-suited to dreamlike plotting than Laika, and the animation of Kubo is truly dazzling, mixing sophistication and handmade charm with inspired flow." Despite being nominated for two Academy Awards and receiving tons of acclaim, people seem to overlook Kubo and the Two Strings when they shouldn't and that is why we feel it deserves a place on this list.