10 Most Timeless Animated Movies, Ranked

Critics often use the word “timeless” to describe stories of high quality, but what does it actually mean? To put it simply, a timeless story transcends all barriers of culture, age, sex, race, and background to tap into the universal human experience. This allows the stories to remain relevant long after they are initially told, because no matter the era, the themes they preach will always find relevancy and help audiences connect with their fellow humans over the joys and sorrows of life.

The world of animation is no stranger to timeless stories, as the medium allows creatives to bring to life any world or character that they can imagine and draw. Filmmakers in particular have used animation to produce many timeless stories, ranging from family films to gritty and violent stories for adults. Regardless of whether they came out in the 1930s or the 2000s, these stories continue to resonate with any who experience them, and likely will continue to do so well into the future.

10

‘The Land Before Time’ (1988)

Directed by Don Bluth

As the landscape dies around them, hundreds of dinosaurs migrate in search of the Great Valley, a sanctuary paradise with bountiful food. However, an earthquake separates several young dinosaurs from their parents, forcing them to try and get by on their own. A young Apatosaurus named Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon) tries to lead them using landmarks taught to him by his mother (Helen Shaver), but he and the other dinosaurs have to survive starvation, predators, deadly landscapes, and the prejudice that exists between dinosaur species.

The Land Before Time is a once-in-a-generation film, combining the talents of creative juggernauts like Don Bluth, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas in their prime, with a powerful story about faith and the younger generation overcoming the hatred of their predecessors. The characters feel relatable and authentic thanks to strong writing that always makes it clear through dialogue and emotional swings that they are young children, which makes the story more poignant and timeless. It’s also one of the best films that explores the pain of losing a loved one, told through the double whammy of the death of Littlefoot’s mother and his conversation with an elderly dinosaur named Rooter (Pat Hingle) about how to keep the deceased in your heart.

9

‘Fantasia’ (1940)

Directed by Samuel Armstrong, James Algar, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen, David D. Hand, Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, Ford Beebe, T. Hee, Norman Ferguson, and Wilfred Jackson

With the rising popularity of Donald Duck and Goofy, Walt Disney noticed that his star character, Mickey Mouse, was falling out of the public eye. To fix this, he decided to make an animated adaptation of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice set to the titular music by Paul Dukas. When the price of the short became too much to justify, Walt expanded the short into an anthology film with seven more segments set to classical music.

Fantasia is a unique artistic experience, blending the transformative power of music with Disney’s expressive and vibrant animation, creating a truly magical experience. Some sequences, like Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, ​​​​​​are depicted as abstract images and rolling colors, while others, like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, tell narratives and hilarious slapstick in time with the music. It might not be a traditional animated film with a three-act structure, but its unique premise sets a very high bar for the creative possibilities with animation, and when people hear these classic songs today, chances are they imagine scenes of dinosaurs, dancing hippos, and Chernabog summoning the spirits of the dead.

8

‘The Prince of Egypt’ (1998)

Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells

Moses (Val Kilmer) is the adopted son of Pharaoh Seti (Sir Patrick Stewart) and is best friends with his brother, Prince Rameses (Ralph Fiennes). Things change when he learns that he is a Hebrew baby who was spared from one of Seti’s purges, and after accidentally killing a slave driver to save a Hebrew slave, Moses flees Egypt to wander the desert. He forges a new life as a humble shepherd in Midian, but is sent back to Egypt by God (Val Kilmer) to free his people from bondage.

The Prince of Egypt is an animated epic, with a star-studded cast that helps to bring to life this story of literal biblical proportions. It enhances the story of Exodus by placing more emphasis on Moses and Rameses’ relationship, highlighting how these two brothers wrestle with their love for one another and their respective goals. Kilmer and Fiennes both kill it in the roles, capturing the love, confusion, pain, regret, and anger as things continue to escalate.

7

‘Akira’ (1988)

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo

The city of Neo-Tokyo is a dystopian society built decades after a mysterious explosion destroyed Tokyo, where corruption is ever present and gangs consisting of teens battle one another in the streets. During one battle, Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki/Jan Rabson/Joshua Seth) collides with a mysterious child, which unlocks his latent psychic powers. As the government tries to kill Tetsuo before his powers grow too powerful, his best friend, Shōtarō Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata/Cam Clarke/Johnny Yong Bosch), joins forces with a resistance movement to save him, while Tetsuo attempts to track down a powerful psychic named Akira.

Akira changed the world’s perspective of Japanese animation by showing some of the most beautiful, fluid, and detailed hand-drawn animation ever made. From a story perspective, Akria tells a story with timeless themes such as the corrupting nature of power, government corruption, teenage rebellion, and the cycle of creation and destruction, allowing people from all walks of life to watch the film and come away with something different. It has had a huge impact on the science fiction genre, and the iconic image of Kaneda sliding on his motorcycle has been referenced and parodied in countless other media.

6

‘Toy Story 2’ (1999)

Directed by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and Lee Unkrich

Woody (Tom Hanks) is left behind when Andy (John Morris) goes to Cowboy Camp due to a torn arm and is later stolen during a yard sale by toy collector Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight). While Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) leads a team to rescue him, Woody is introduced to Jessie (Joan Cusack), Bullseye, and Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer), fellow characters from the popular cowboy show, Woody’s Roundup. Al plans to sell them to a toy museum in Tokyo, offering Woody the chance to be forever remembered by children, but never played with again.

Toy Story 2 survived almost being deleted to become one of those rare sequels held in even higher regard than the original film. Everything great about the original Toy Story is improved: the jokes are funnier, the side-characters are given a more active role in the story, and it continues to present mature, timeless themes in a way that impacts both children and adults. In this case, the central theme is about the finite nature of relationships and whether it is better to love even if you know it will end, or close yourself off from relationships to spare the heartbreak.

5

‘The Lion King’ (1994)

Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) is the son of King Mufasa (James Earl Jones), making him the future heir to the Pride Lands. Unfortunately, his uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), covets the throne for himself and allies himself with a clan of hyenas, promising them hunting rights in exchange for their help. They succeed in killing Mufasa, but Simba, who blames himself for his father’s death, flees into the desert and grows up trying to avoid his past.

Given how much of a cultural juggernaut it is today, it’s hard to believe that The Lion King began life as a film to tide audiences over until Pocahontas. The animation is phenomenal, with vibrant colors, expressive animal characters, and impressive camera angles that make the African Savannah look and feel truly epic. Its story touches on themes of responsibility and the need to confront your past to grow, and its songs by Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice rank among some of the most well-known and beloved in Disney’s impressive catalog.

4

‘Up’ (2009)

Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Rather than be evicted from his home, Carl Fredrickson (Jeremy Leary and Ed Asner) uses hundreds of balloons to float it to South America to fulfill the dream of his deceased wife, Ellie (Elie Docter). However, he accidentally picks up Russell (Jordan Nagai), a young wilderness explorer trying to get his merit badge for aiding the elderly. Their journey to Paradise Falls leads them to discover a new species of bird, dogs who can speak thanks to special collars, and Carl’s childhood hero, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), who might not be as friendly as he once thought.

Up is a beautiful example of how less is more: the cast of characters is very small, allowing the writers to give each of them the time and care they need to become fully three-dimensional people, which went a long way in earning it a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Feature. Its first ten minutes have been universally praised for how perfectly it not just captures Carl and Ellie’s life together, but the human experience of growing up, adapting to life’s many changes, the joys of love, and the inevitable heartbreak of death. This is further highlighted by choosing to make its protagonist a geriatric, which helps to remind audiences of all ages of the importance of honoring the past while still living for the present.

3

‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Sisters Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka/Lisa Michelson/Dakota Fanning) and Mei Kusakabe (Chika Sakamoto/Cheryl Chase/Elle Fanning) move into a new house with their father to be closer to their mother, who is recovering in the hospital. As the girls explore their new surroundings, they discover that the house and nearby woods are full of friendly spirits. The most notable of them are an enigmatic furry creature called Totoro (Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker), and Catbus (Naoki Tatsuta/Carl Macek/Frank Welker), a cat-like spirit who can transport others inside its body.

My Neighbor Totoro was the movie that put Studio Ghibli on the international stage, and remains one of their most beloved films. The best way to describe this film is childhood innocence: the sisters’ explorations of the forest and interaction with the spirits evoke the same nostalgic feeling of looking under every rock to see what is hiding there, and creating beautiful stories from the wonders of nature. The film also forgoes villains or traditional conflict, focusing instead on the dynamic between the sisters and how each of them reacts to the spirits and their mother’s situation.

2

‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

When her father, Maurice (Rex Everhart), goes missing while travelling to the fair, Belle (Paige O’Hara) follows his trail and finds him imprisoned in an enchanted castle. She bargains with the castle’s master, a ferocious Beast (Robby Benson), and agrees to take Maurice’s place. Unknown to Belle, the Beast is actually a prince placed under a spell until he learns to love and be loved in return, and though their relationship starts understandably rocky, it develops over time into something beautiful.

Beauty and the Beast has gone down in history as one of the greatest fairy tale films of all time, the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, and the only one to be nominated when there were only 5 nominees instead of 10. Everything about the film works, from the pacing of Belle and Beast’s romance to its larger-than-life villain, Gaston (Richard White), and the phenomenal animation that captures every emotion perfectly. Then there are the songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, which are full of Broadway flair, capture the attention while furthering the story and character, and evoke powerful emotions to make this film truly a tale as old as time.

1

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937)

Directed by David Hand, Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben Sharpsteen

When her magic mirror (Moroni Olsen) tells the Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) that her stepdaughter, Snow White (Adriana Caselotti), is the fairest in the land, the Queen tasks her huntsman (Stuart Buchanan) to kill her. However, he can’t bring himself to do it, and instead tells Snow White to flee into the woods and never come back. She finds shelter in the cottage of seven dwarfs, but the Queen soon learns of her survival and turns to black magic to end Snow White herself.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a timeless masterpiece and perhaps the most important film in animation history. Even after decades of advancements in character design and animation technique, the film never fails to delight new and old audiences thanks to its strong emphasis on emotional storytelling, charming characters, fun songs, and a simple but effective story about the virtues of kindness and love. Like many of the best family films, it’s also not afraid to get dark at times, such as Snow White’s fear transforming the surrounding woods into horrible monsters, or the Evil Queen’s transformation into an old hag.

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