The best animated movies on Netflix right now
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For most of 2024, Netflix could boast that it had both of the top-grossing animated movies of 2023. But while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is still hanging around, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is migrating back to Peacock after October 2, so catch it while you still can. That film has had an incredible run on Netflix and spent months on the list of the 10 most popular movies on the streamer.
But as one Illumination movie exits, another arrives. Migration, an animated film released late last year, is now in the library of Netflix. Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation’s Shark Tale is proving to be popular now that it’s also on Netflix. As long as the streamer can keep drawing from those two studios, Netflix will still have one of the best lineups of animated movies you can find … even without Mario.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best movies on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Disney+.
Migration (2023) [New]
Metacritic: 56%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 83m
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings
Directed by: Benjamin Renner
Migration features Kumail Nanjiani as the head of a fine feathered family of ducks, Mack Mallard. And as far as Mack is concerned, there’s nothing more important than keeping his wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), and their children — Dax (Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal) — safe from harm.
But after years of staying in the same place, Pam, Dax, and Gwen want to live a little and migrate to Jamaica. With some coaxing, they manage to get Mack and their Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) to agree to the trip. However, there are complications ahead for this family of first-time migrators. And they may not be entirely clear about how to get to their destination.
Shark Tale (2004) [New]
Metacritic: 48%
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 90m
Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
Stars: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron, Rob Letterman, Vicky Jenson
Shark Tale is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. And while critics never loved it, young fans do seem to enjoy the pairing of Will Smith and Jack Black. Smith plays Oscar, a small wrasse fish indebted to the shark mob. After Don Lino (Robert De Niro) sends his son, Frankie (Michael Imperioli), to collect the debt, the latter somehow winds up dead in a freak accident.
That gives Oscar the perfect opportunity to reinvent himself as a shark slayer, and even Frankie’s estranged brother, Lenny (Black), is willing to go along with the deception if it means he gets a fresh start. But this mismatched pair can’t keep up the pretense forever, especially when Don Lino wants revenge.
Trolls Band Together (2023)
Metacritic: 53%
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 91m
Genre: Animation, Family, Music, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello
Directed by: Walt Dohrn
When DreamWorks Animation picked the name Trolls Band Together for this movie, audiences probably didn’t immediately guess that the band in question was a literal Troll boy band. It turns out that Branch (Justin Timberlake) was part of BroZone with his brothers, John Dory (Eric André), Spruce (Daveed Diggs), Clay (Kid Cudi), and Floyd (Troye Sivan), years before the films. But BroZone went their own separate ways, and the family was fractured.
Now, Branch and his girlfriend, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), discover that Floyd has been kidnapped, and they have to accompany John Dory on a quest to find his other brothers if they want to rescue Floyd. Some hard feelings still remain among the bros, and Poppy is about to have an unexpected family reunion of her own.
The Lorax (2012)
Metacritic: 46%
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 86m
Genre: Animation, Family
Stars: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron
Directed by: Chris Renaud
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax was a personal favorite of the author, and a powerful children’s fable about conserving nature rather than exploiting it. The film of the same name expands the short story to movie-length, with Danny DeVito as the Lorax. He speaks for the trees and he’s the only one who really cares about the forest around him.
A 12-year-old boy, Ted Wiggins (The Iron Claw‘s Zac Efron), convinces an inventor, Once-ler (Ed Helms), to share the story about how the Lorax was driven away. But in the present, Ted has a more pressing problem if he wants to save his town from the corrupt mayor, Aloysius O’Hare (Rob Riggle).
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024)
IMDb: 4.0/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 82m
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Adventure, Family
Stars: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown
Directed by: Liza Johnson
Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) has been a part of the SpongeBob SquarePants show since the very beginning, but she finally gets the leading role in Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. Sandy is a flying squirrel who decided to live underwater years ago. But she’s forced to leave her chosen home, Bikini Bottom, when it is stolen out from under her by someone from the surface world.
To restore Bikini Bottom to its rightful place under the sea, Sandy has to take off her diving suit and return to her original home alongside SpongeBob (Tom Kenny). And if they fail in their quest, they won’t have a home of their own to go back to.
The Imaginary (2023)
Metacritic: 66%
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 108m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Stars: Kokoro Terada, Rio Suzuki, Sakura Ando
Directed by: Yoshiyuki Momose
While most of American animation companies have abandoned the hand-drawn style that used to define the medium, Studio Ponoc’s new anime film, The Imaginary, proves that this artistic approach still has a lot of life in it. Among hand-drawn films, only Studio Ghibli releases have been more visually impressive than The Imaginary. This film is just stunning to look at.
The story follows Rudger, an imaginary boy who was created by a young girl named Amanda to be her companion for made-up adventures. And while Rudger loves being with Amanda, he’s all too aware that as an Imaginary, his existence could be fleeting. Rudger eventually discovers that imaginary beings like himself could find sanctuary at The Town of Imaginaries. However, something unspeakable is preying upon the Imaginaries that live there, and Rudger may be the next target.
Ultraman: Rising (2024)
Duration: 121m
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Animation, Family
Stars: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita
Directed by: Shannon Tindle
Ultraman is a Japanese superhero who has been around for nearly six decades. And the latest film in the franchise, Ultraman: Rising, veers off into some unexpected territory. Ultraman still grows to giant sizes and fights monsters, but now he has to raise a monster as well.
Ken Sato (Christopher Sean) is the latest Ultraman, and he defeats a female kaiju early in the film. But rather than harm the kaiju’s infant child, Ken adopts the baby and attempts to raise it himself. Now, Ultraman has an adoptive son. And bringing up this baby is going to require some new superheroic feats.
Flushed Away (2006)
Metacritic: 74%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 84m
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Sam Fell, David Bowers
Despite maintaining the art style of Aardman Features’ previous stop-motion animated features, Flushed Away was the company’s first CGI animated film because it would have been too difficult to make any other way. Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Hugh Jackman lends his voice to Roddy St. James, a pet rat who lives a life of luxury … as long as he doesn’t mind living in a cage.
A sewer rat named Sid (Shane Richie) takes over Roddy’s pampered life and flushes Roddy down a toilet. In the sewers, Roddy makes an enemy out of the Toad (Ian McKellen) before turning to another rat, Rita Malone (Kate Winslet), for help returning to his family. In order to get back home, Roddy and Rita will have to defeat the Toad and prevent him from destroying the city that the rats created for themselves in the sewers.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
Metacritic: 62%
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 97m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Stars: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey
Directed by: Sam Fell
In animation, time can stand still in a way that simply isn’t possible in the real world. That’s why Chicken Run: The Dawn of the Nugget can seamlessly take place a short time after the original Chicken Run despite 23 years between the two films. In the previous story, Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) were able to lead their chickens on a grand escape from the Tweedy farm. And now, Rocky and Ginger have a daughter named Molly (The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey).
But just as the chickens are settling into their new peaceful lives, their old owner, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), has some vile plans for them. In order to secure their future, Rocky and Ginger are going to have to stage a break in to discover Tweedy’s secrets and defeat her once and for all.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Metacritic: 50%
IMDb: 5.7/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 91m
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy
Directed by: Kirk DeMicco
Life’s not a beach for the title character of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. In fact, Ruby (Lana Condor) isn’t even supposed to get in the water due to a rule imposed by her strict mother, Agatha Gillman (Toni Collette). Ruby only discovers the reason why after she saves the life of a boy that she likes named Connor (Jaboukie Young-White). The ocean water triggers a transformation that turns Ruby into a giant Kraken.
This is the legacy that Ruby has inherited from Grandmamah (Jane Fonda), and she also discovers that her people, the krakens, have a long-standing feud with mermaids. But the only mermaid that Ruby knows is Chelsea Van Der Zee (Annie Murphy), who is eager to be friends with her. However, there are secrets under the sea that Ruby doesn’t know yet, and they could prove to be devastating for her family and the world.
Orion and the Dark (2024)
Metacritic: 75%
Duration: 91m
Genre: Family, Comedy, Animation, Fantasy
Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett
Directed by: Sean Charmatz
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind screenwriter Charlie Kaufman may seem like an odd choice to adapt Emma Yarlett’s children’s novel Orion and the Dark, but Kaufman and director Sean Charmatz have delivered one of Netflix’s best original animated films to date. There’s also a very good chance that it could be a contender when next year’s Oscar season comes around.
The film follows Orion (Jacob Tremblay), a kid who is frightened out of his mind by just about everything, especially the dark. Over time, this becomes very annoying to Dark (Black Bird‘s Paul Walter Hauser), the literal embodiment of darkness. In a conciliatory gesture, Dark not only reveals himself to Orion but also offers to help him conquer his fears by taking him on an unforgettable adventure that may change both of their lives.
Minions (2015)
Metacritic: 56%
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 91m
Genre: Family, Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton
Directed by: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
All the Minions want to do is serve the most evil humans alive. Is that so wrong? Well, it is the way they do it! Minions is a Despicable Me spinoff that reveals just how lucky Gru has been over the years because almost all of his predecessors were killed by the incompetence of these little yellow nincompoops (all of whom are voiced by Pierre Coffin).
In 1968, three Minions — Kevin, Stuart, and Bob — go out and search for a new master to serve. They soon settle on Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world’s first female supervillain. Regardless, the trio of Minions soon wreck things by making an enemy out of Scarlet herself, and she’s not the forgiving type.
Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild (2021)
IMDb: 5.1/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 58m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Stars: Dante Basco, Brando Eaton, Erica Lindbeck
Directed by: Steve Yamamoto
Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild is a prequel to the Capcom video game Monster Hunter: World, and a primer for this universe where humanity and monsters co-exist, but not without conflict. The story follows a teenager named Aiden (Dante Basco), whose life is saved by a veteran Monster Hunter named Julius (Brando Eaton).
Julius also carries a warning for Aiden and his village that a massive Elder Dragon is heading their way, and it may destroy everything that they hold dear. Rather than retreat, Aiden rallies the village to battle the dragon as he and Julius look for additional allies to join the fight.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Metacritic: 46%
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 93m
Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Directed by: Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath
2023’s biggest animated hit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is making the leap to Netflix, at least for the next few months. In this reimagining of the titular brothers, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are struggling plumbers in Brooklyn who accidentally discover a pipe that takes them to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Luigi is separated from Mario and captured by the evil King Bowser (Jack Black). Fortunately for Mario, he partners up with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) on a mission to rescue his brother and rally support for the Princess in the coming war against Bowser.
Leo (2023)
Metacritic: 66%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 102m
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Stars: Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong
Directed by: Robert Smigel, Robert Marianetti, David Wachtenheim
If you’re old enough to remember Adam Sandler’s animated film, Eight Crazy Nights, rest assured that Leo is a much better movie. Sandler stars as the voice of Leo, a tuatara who has lived as a fifth-grade classroom pet for 74 years. But when Leo learns that his life expectancy is only 75 years, he decides that he needs to be free for his last year.
What Leo doesn’t realize is that the students in his classroom really do care about him. And once Leo accidentally exposes the fact that he can talk and understand English, the students embrace him as a key part of their lives. Now, Leo can either embrace their love or escape as he originally planned to do.
Wish Dragon (2021)
Metacritic: 59%
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 99m
Genre: Animation, Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars: Jimmy Wong, John Cho, Constance Wu
Directed by: Chris Appelhans
If you think that Wish Dragon seems suspiciously like Aladdin, then you aren’t wrong. They share very similar stories, but they are not exact copies. The film is set in modern Shanghai, and follows Din Song (Jimmy Wong), a struggling college student who discovers an all-powerful wish dragon named Long (John Cho). And it turns out that as Long’s tenth and final master, Din can set him free by making three wishes.
All Din really wants is to reconnect with his childhood flame, Li Na Wang (Ahsoka’s Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and win her heart. Yet the temptation of three wishes means that some very bad men want to take Long away from Din, by any means necessary.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Metacritic: 86%
IMDb: 8.7/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 140m
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers
In the highly-anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) find themselves at turning points in their lives that could have grave consequences for the entire multiverse. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t just up the stakes, it also features the best superhero story of 2023.
Without meaning to, Miles has antagonized a would-be supervillain, The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), into becoming a genuine threat to the Spider-Men and Spider-Women from across all of the worlds. However, the most alarming revelation is that Miles faces a personal tragedy if he can’t prevent The Spot from fulfilling his destiny.
The Angry Birds Movie (2016)
Metacritic: 43%
IMDb: 6.3/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 97m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride
Directed by: Fergal Reilly, Clay Kaytis
After spawning a wildly successful video game series, the Angry Birds get cinematic in The Angry Birds Movie. This animated film acts as an origin story for Red (Ted Lasso‘s Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), and Bomb (Danny McBride), as their collective anger issues have left them as outcasts on Bird Island.
The birds’ quiet life on the island is interrupted by the arrival of Leonard Mudbeard (Bill Hader) a.k.a. King Pig. Despite Red’s warnings that Mudbeard and the pigs can’t be trusted, his predictions are ignored. And if you thought that Red was angry before, just wait until he learns what the pigs really want to do to Bird Island.
A Whisker Away (2020)
Metacritic: 6%
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 104m
Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Stars: Mirai Shida, Natsuki Hanae, Koichi Yamadera
Directed by: Junichi Sato, Tomotaka Shibayama
It should never be forgotten that many of the best animated movies in the world come from Japan. The anime film, A Whisker Away, was released in the U.S. as a Netflix original, and it really does stand out among the more family-oriented films on this list. In this movie, Miyo “Muge” Sasaki (Mirai Shida) is a young Japanese girl who is hopelessly in love with her classmate, Kento Hinode (Natsuki Hanae).
Miyo is heartbroken when Hindode doesn’t return her feelings, which is why she accepts a magic mask that transforms her into a cat named Tarō. As Tarō, Miyo finally receives the love and affection that she desires from Hinode. But if Miyo isn’t careful, she may be trapped as a cat for the rest of her life.
The Monkey King (2023)
Metacritic: 59%
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 92m
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure, Family, Comedy
Stars: Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport
Directed by: Anthony Stacchi
Netflix never lets a summer go by without a few blockbusters of its own. The Monkey King is Netflix’s big animated movie of the season, and it takes a very famous Chinese novel and adds new life to it. Jimmy O. Yang stars as Monkey, the brash young monkey who defies the Dragon King (Fire Island‘s Bowen Yang) and steals a weapon from him in order to face a demon and win the adoration of his tribe.
After Monkey declares himself the Monkey King, a young girl named Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) volunteers to work as his assistant. However, Lin has a dark secret and the Dragon King is out for revenge on Monkey for stealing from him. And if Monkey isn’t careful, he may find himself alone during the fight of his life.
Nimona (2023)
Metacritic: 75%
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 102m
Genre: Animation, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: Chlo? Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang
Directed by: Troy Quane, Nick Bruno
Nimona is an animated film that escaped cancellation in the wake of the Disney and Fox merger. It’s widely believed that the movie’s LGBT themes made Disney reluctant to go forward with the movie after the merger. However, Netflix had no problem with a leading man, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), who is in love with another man, or a non-conforming heroine like Nimona (Chlo? Grace Moretz).
In a futuristic medieval world, Ballister is framed for murdering Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint). While forced to go on the run, Ballister is befriended by Nimona. She may be Ballister’s last ally in the kingdom, but Nimona is more than she seems. And her secret could destroy her newfound friendship with Ballister.
The Magician's Elephant (2023)
Duration: 99m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Stars: Noah Jupe, Mandy Patinkin, Brian Tyree Henry
Directed by: Wendy Rogers
The Magician’s Elephant adapts Kate DiCamillo’s novel of the same name, and it tells the story of a young orphan named Peter (Noah Jupe). Peter’s only wish in life is to find his missing sister, Adele (Pixie Davies), Through a fortune teller, Peter is told that he has to find a Magician (Benedict Wong), who will summon an elephant.
The Summit of the Gods (2021)
Duration: 95m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Mystery
Stars: éric Herson-Macarel, Damien Boisseau, Elisabeth Ventura
Directed by: Patrick Imbert
This gorgeously animated French-language film from director Patrick Imbert chronicles a Japanese photojournalist’s quest for the truth regarding a mysterious mountain climber and his connection to one of the first teams to attempt to climb Mount Everest.
A Cannes Film Festival darling praised for its beautiful visual achievement and compelling story, The Summit of the Gods is the rare adaptation of a Japanese manga series that does right by its source material — which was itself based on a 1998 novel by Baku Yumemakura. Fascinating and emotional, the film makes it tough not to be pulled along on the characters’ epic journey.
The Sea Beast (2022)
Duration: 115m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Stars: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris
Directed by: Chris Williams
Chris Williams, the co-director of Disney’s Big Hero 6 and Moana, takes the helm on this animated high-seas adventure about a young girl who stows away on a famous monster-hunting ship, only to discover that everything she thought she knew about monsters and hunters might be wrong.
Zaris-Angel Hator portrays aspiring monster-hunter (and stowaway) Maisie, while Karl Urban voices legendary hunter Jacob Holland in this all-ages feature that’s exciting, funny, and much deeper than its premise suggests.
Bubble (2022)
Duration: 101m
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars: Jun Shison, Riria, Alice Hirose
Directed by: Tetsuro Araki
This animated feature from Attack on Titan director Tetsuro Araki is set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo where a mysterious event has affected the laws of gravity, leaving strange bubbles and urban debris floating throughout the city. Skilled racers compete in parkour-like competitions for food and supplies, and when one gifted young man encounters a strange girl while exploring the epicenter of the gravity-twisting “bubble event,” their relationship changes the lives of everyone around them.
A gorgeous spectacle of sights and sounds, Bubble begs to be seen on a high-end entertainment system, as it delivers remarkably detailed scenes of the characters traversing the city and a powerful score that accentuates its most thrilling — and quietest — moments.
The Willoughbys (2020)
Metacritic: 68%
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 92m
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Stars: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara
Directed by: Kris Pearn
A family tale made for those who wish they could get away from their family, The Willoughbys is a Netflix original that has gone somewhat under the radar.
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must adapt to the contemporary world. Their old family was very old-fashioned, and now they have one mission in life: become the ultimate modern family.
Klaus (2019)
Metacritic: 65%
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 96m
Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure, Comedy
Netflix’s first original animated feature film, Klaus is an alternative and entertaining Santa Claus origin story. When a selfish young postman is assigned to a remote Scandinavian town, his unlikely friendship with a recluse leads to the accidental creation of an incredible (and familiar) toymaker.
Klaus features the voice talent of Jason Schwartzman (who really carries the film), J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Norm MacDonald, and Joan Cusack. The film earned a 2020 Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.