Rolling Stone’s 40 Greatest Animated Movies Ever is a critics’ selection, not an objective measure or industry consensus. Its top three are Fantastic Mr. Fox, Spirited Away and Fantasia. The list ranges from hand-crafted stop-motion and Japanese fantasy to computer animation, adult satire and shorts—making it a useful watchlist for anyone asking what animated films are worth seeing, rather than a definitive verdict on the medium.
What this ranking is—and what it includes
Rolling Stone’s list argues that animation is a filmmaking medium, not a genre confined to children’s entertainment. It includes features and “a handful of key shorts too good not to include,” selecting works that expand what drawn lines, computer-generated images and manipulated puppets can do. The ranking was written by Sam Adams, Charles Bramesco, Tim Grierson, Noel Murray, Jenna Scherer, Scott Tobias and Alissa Wilkinson. Read Rolling Stone’s full list.
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Its choices move between western comedy, stop-motion horror, war drama, experimental shorts, Japanese anime, studio features and adult satire. Because the source uses “movies” broadly enough to include shorts, not every entry has the same format or viewing experience. Treat the positions as the publication’s editorial judgments, not as award results or a universal ranking.
The 40 films, in Rolling Stone’s order
- Fantastic Mr. Fox — Tactile stop-motion detail, meticulous design and dry wit give this Roald Dahl adaptation an adult-leaning voice.
- Spirited Away — A child’s journey through a dreamlike world of spirits anchors this Japanese fantasy.
- Fantasia — An experiment in bringing classical music and animation together.
- The Lego Movie — Toy-based world-building meets self-aware comedy.
- Toy Story — An assured Pixar debut and a landmark in computer-animated features.
- Howl’s Moving Castle — Hayao Miyazaki’s antiwar fantasy, adapted from a novel by Diana Wynne Jones.
- Up — A life-spanning opening montage leads into a story of friendship and adventure; Rolling Stone notes its Best Picture nomination.
- Coraline — Henry Selick’s stop-motion fantasy leans into unsettling, horror-inflected imagery.
- Rango — An offbeat animated western starring a lizard.
The list runs from Rango at No. 40 to Fantastic Mr. Fox at No. 1. The entries above are selected examples; consult Rolling Stone’s linked article for all 40 titles and their original placements.
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How to choose a film from the list
- For a distinctive animation technique: Start with the stop-motion craft of Fantastic Mr. Fox or the unnerving puppetry of Coraline; Toy Story offers a landmark computer-animated feature.
- For fantasy: Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle offer very different Miyazaki visions, while Fantasia foregrounds the relationship between music and animated imagery.
- For comedy: Try the dry humor of Fantastic Mr. Fox, the self-aware toy comedy of The Lego Movie, or the western oddity of Rango.
- For a darker mood: Coraline is the entry to consider if you want animated fantasy with horror elements.
- For a feature-versus-short distinction: Check the format of the particular entry in Rolling Stone’s list. The ranking includes both, and a short is not directly comparable to a feature by runtime or narrative scope.
What the awards and history add
The Academy’s profile identifies Toy Story, released in 1995, as the first computer-animated feature film and Pixar Animation Studios’ debut feature release, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. That historical milestone helps explain the film’s importance, but it does not by itself establish its position in an all-time ranking. Academy profile of Toy Story.
Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Animated Feature at the 2002 ceremony. The award is independent recognition, not evidence that a critics’ ranking is objectively correct. The Academy describes its awards database as the official record of winners and nominees, complete through the 98th ceremony, held March 15, 2026. At that 2026 ceremony, honoring films released in 2025, KPop Demon Hunters won Animated Feature Film; that later result does not change Rolling Stone’s list. Academy 2002 ceremony record · Academy Awards database · Academy 2026 ceremony record.
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Where to watch
Viewing availability depends on country, date and the service’s catalog. No current streaming, rental or purchase availability is established here for all 40 films, so check a region-specific listing before deciding where to watch. The ranking is best used as a discovery guide; it is not a guarantee that every title is currently available on a particular platform.
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