Summary

• The best animated movies on Netflix offer a wide range of stories for viewers of all ages, from light-hearted adventures to more intimate and grounded tales.
• Netflix's animated movie selection is diverse, featuring films from different countries and animation styles, ensuring a varied viewing experience.
• Animated movies on Netflix, such as Trolls and Boss Baby, may surprise audiences with their catchy songs, A-list voice casts, and heartfelt stories that appeal to both kids and adults.

The best animated movies on Netflix show off the wide variety of stories that can be told in the format. Animation is a unique art form dating back to the dawn of motion pictures, and many of the earliest color films were cartoons. Animated movies continue to be among the most profitable to this day, so it's little surprise that streaming powerhouse Netflix always ensures it has an ample selection available for subscribers, from hand-drawn and stop-motion classics to modern CGI blockbusters.

Netflix has a solid portfolio of animated movies, but the best on the platform truly stand out. While cartoons are often unfairly dismissed as being primarily for younger audiences, the animated movies on Netflix offer something for viewers of all ages — from silly and light-hearted adventures to more intimate and grounded stories. The titles available aren't just limited to films made in the US either, as the stock of animated movies available on Netflix is just as internationally varied as its live-action titles.

25 Trolls (2016)

Most known for the catchy Oscar-nominated song "Can't Stop the Feeling," Trolls stands on its own as a fun and light-hearted animated adventure that will particularly appeal to younger viewers. However, the A-list cast, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and catchy musical numbers in Trolls will ensure most Netflix subscribers find something they enjoy regardless of age.

The Trolls movie takes audiences into the colorful and musical world of the adorable trolls in the story of two mismatched friends who set out to save their friends when their home is invaded. Featuring the voice talents of Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, and James Corden, it has a much more rounded plot than the overly twee visuals suggest — and is full of hilarious moments that put it on par with most other DreamWorks movies, even the studios' original properties.

24 Entergalactic (2022)

The eye-popping animation style popularized in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is put to great effect in the more grounded and intimate animated movie that is 2022's Entergalactic. This Netflix special comes from the mind of Kid Cudi who lends his voice as Jabari, a streetwear artist on the cusp of finding success. However, once he strikes up a connection with a new neighbor, he begins to reevaluate what he wants. The visual aesthetic of Entergalactic is engaging, but it is also a relatable and compelling look at modern love and its complications. Certainly, it is one of the more unique animated movies on Netflix.

23 Wendell & Wild (2022)

Many have pointed out the similarities between The Nightmare Before Christmas and Wendell & Wild. There's a key reason — the animated Disney classic and the 2022 stop-motion movie on Netflix are both directed by Henry Selick. Wendell & Wild's cast is led by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as two trouble-making demons who trick a young orphan girl. She inadvertently allows them into the living world with the promise of bringing her parents back, and in doing so threatens the balance between the worlds of the living and the dead. With a creepy style yet family-friendly humor, Wendell & Wild is an animated movie on Netflix that's especially suited for Halloween.

22 Nimona (2023)

Fairy tales with brave knights and grand adventures have always been popular in the animation genre, but Netflix's original movie Nimona finds a new approach to these tropes. Based on the 2015 graphic novel of the same name by ND Stevenson, the fantasy movie follows a shape-shifting young girl who sets out to help a knight who has been accused of a crime he did not commit. Featuring the voice talents of Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed, Nimona was praised by critics for its fun characters, beautiful animation, and thoughtful themes that helped to set it apart.

21 Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood (2022)

Director Richard Linklater has worked with the rotoscope animation style on projects like Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly. He returned to the format in 2022 with the charming and fun coming-of-age story, Apollo 10 ½. The movie is set in 1969 and imagines the young life of a boy who, along with experiencing all the joys of youth, is selected by NASA to undergo a test mission to the moon before the iconic Apollo 11 mission. Linklater mixes the silly space adventure with a grounded story of nostalgia in a surprisingly effective way. The movie was a hit with critics, earning several Best Animated Feature nominations from various critics associations.

20 Hotel Transylvania 2 (2012)

Another animated gem with a bit of a ghoulish tone on Netflix is the second of the movies of the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Hotel Transylvania 2. Adam Sandler returns to lend his voice to the classic character of Dracula, who runs a secret exclusive hotel that caters to all his monster friends, like the Wolfman and Frankenstein. The sequel finds Dracula attempting to bring out the monster side in his half-human grandson. Sandler's goofy and lovable energy translates in the animated role and Hotel Transylvania 2 ends up being another successful entry in the franchise that combines the spooky characters with a genuine sweetness.

19 Boss Baby (2017)

Animated movies allow for the most absurd ideas to be embraced by audiences in a way that allows them to tell worthwhile stories. On the surface, The Boss Baby seems like a one-joke gag as it follows a young boy who discovers that his new baby brother is a secret agent. The hijinks that ensue with this baby's double life are entertaining and funny, but the movie also has a lot of heart. The movie kickstarted a popular franchise including a sequel and spinoff TV series, and it earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

18 Back To The Outback (2021)

Netflix allows for animated movies to gradually be discovered over time as young audiences stumble onto underpromoted titles that become new favorites. That seems to have been the case for the Australian animated adventure Back to the Outback. The movie follows a group of supposedly dangerous animals at a zoo who are tired of being viewed as monsters and decide to return to the outback. After a limited release in theaters failed to gain much attention, Back to the Outback was released on Netflix, where it landed in the Top 10 in more than 60 countries.

17 The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Netflix is always a great place for audiences to find movies that were initially overlooked and give them a new appreciation. The Road to El Dorado was a disappointment at the box office and with critics when it was released in 2000. However, appreciation for the DreamWorks animated movie continues to grow as a nostalgic cult classic that harkens back to an exciting era of 2D animated movies. The musical adventure follows two con artists who come upon a map that supposedly leads to the legendary city of El Dorado.

16 Minions: The Rise Of Gru (2022)

The Despicable Me franchise continues to be a hugely popular animated series, and the prequel Minions: Rise of Gru remains a highlight of the despicable villains adventures. The movie tells the origin story of Gru meeting his adorable henchmen and beginning his path to becoming the world's greatest supervillain. Fans of the franchise will fund a welcome return to these characters and the light-hearted fun of the series. The movie proved there was still life in the franchise, with it being called an improvement over Minions by many critics and becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of 2022.

15 The Sea Beast (2022)

Netflix's animated original movies don't often get a lot of attention, as evidenced by The Sea Beast being largely overlooked. The animated adventure follows a young orphan girl who sneaks aboard the ship of a famous monster hunter as he heads out on the high seas in search of dangerous beasts. Viewers have noted similarities to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and the comparisons have only helped the underrated gem, as it has a similarly grand and exciting premise with stunning sequences and a touching story at its center. The Sea Beast cast is led by Karl Urban of The Boys fame, and the movie earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

14 The Adventures of Tintin (2011)