2023 was another banner year for Animation with many critically acclaimed films and many succeeding at the box office, proving that this medium is just as worthy a storytelling form as any other

Here are our picks for the Top 5 Animated Movies of 2023.

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are no strangers to animation, but Mutant Mayhem shined a light on the teen element in the film. These characters actually felt like teens for the first time, with the core cast having an amazing natural chemistry. Thrown in a star-studded cast around them and incredible unique stylized animation, you have a great addition to this long-running franchise.

– Ashley

4. Elemental

Director Peter Sohn and the team at Pixar have crafted a beautiful personal love story that is always a moving immigrant story, all set in a beautiful new world where the four elements try to co-exist. A really great film that I’m glad more people went and saw in cinemas in the weeks after its initial release.

– Ashley

3. The Boy and The Heron

Hayao Miyazaki returns with one of his greatest films for Studio Ghibli: a rumination on life, art, family and the balance between all things. It feels like a deeply personal film for the writer and director. Starting with a young child losing his mother during WW2, it then ruminates in the trauma under the skin left to develop before diving into a fantasy world with the as-expected odd characters and designs from Studio Ghibli. Although it may not be as fun or accessible for all audiences and ages as some other projects, it does feel like a master of their craft doing one last piece. 

– Dylan

2. Suzume

The world of anime has given us many forms of characters we’ve seen our heroes fall in love with, but I can’t say I’ve seen one fall in love with a chair. Makoto Shinkai continues to be one of the best Japanese directors in animation as he tells this magical road trip story that explores the impact of natural disasters on Japan. With high-level animation, another amazing score by Radwimps and a moving story, Suzume proves that 2D animated films are still a viable art form.

– Ashley

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

After already pushing the medium of animation forward with Into the Spider-verse, Across The Spider-Verse doubles down on showcasing what can be achieved in animation. A beautiful mix of styles that all work in service of this Spider-Man story that explores the core idea of the character. Filled with beautiful set pieces and emotion-tugging scenes, this film is a showcase for what makes animation special.

– Ashley