97
Spirited Away review
A sulky ten-year-old wanders into a world of spirits, loses her name, and has to work for a living. Miyazaki's most complete film and his most quietly…
★★★★★ 5.0/5
Animation films, reviewed
Animation is not a genre; it is a medium, and the best films in it are proof that the distinction matters. What unites the films here is that they use the freedom of drawn or rendered images to build worlds that could not exist in live action, and that they treat their audiences as capable of handling real emotion. The assumption that animation is for children has always been a marketing decision rather than an artistic one.
What we look for in animation
- Worlds that could only exist in animation
- Emotional honesty rather than protective sentimentality
- Craft in the drawing, rendering, or design
- Writing that respects the audience's intelligence
This hub currently collects 2 reviews. Our library is curated rather than comprehensive, and every genre page grows as we publish.
Every animation film we have reviewed
Ordered by our score, highest first.
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97
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93
Toy Story review
A cowboy doll and a space ranger learn to share a boy's affection. The first fully computer-animated feature and still one of the best-written.
★★★★½ 4.8/5
Animation index
Year, director, runtime and score for every film in this genre.
| Film | Year | Director | Runtime | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirited Away | 2001 | Hayao Miyazaki | 125 min | 97 | ★★★★★ |
| Toy Story | 1995 | John Lasseter | 81 min | 93 | ★★★★½ |
Frequently asked questions
Is animation a genre or a medium?
A medium. Animation encompasses horror, drama, comedy, and documentary. Treating it as a genre is why so many animated films are wrongly assumed to be for children.
Why do we only have two animated films in this collection?
Because our current library is deliberately curated rather than comprehensive. This section will grow as the collection expands.
Which animated film is the best introduction to the medium?
Spirited Away for the range of what animation can do emotionally, and Toy Story for how tightly an animated film can be structured.
Read around animation
Our ranked lists place these films against each other within a decade or a genre, and explain the ordering.