10 Best Netflix Animated Movies Ever, Ranked (KPop Demon Hunters Isn’t #1)

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Netflix had a huge win in 2025 with the animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. It was so popular on Netflix that the company even gave it a limited release in theaters. But Netflix isn’t a newcomer to animation; KPop Demon Hunters, while a standout film of the 21st century, isn’t the only brilliant animated movie they’ve produced. Several other releases are just as creative and well-made.

Here’s a list of the top 10 animated movies created by Netflix, including the one that surpasses even KPop Demon Hunters in quality.

10) I Lost My Body

I was absolutely captivated by I Lost My Body when it came out on Netflix in 2019. It’s a French animated film directed by Jérémy Clapin, and the story is just… incredible. It’s based on a novel and follows a detached hand as it makes its way across Paris, searching for its body, all while we get glimpses into the life of the young man it belongs to. Before Netflix picked it up, it actually won a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival! It was even nominated for an Oscar. What really struck me was how unique the idea was, and how beautifully and subtly it was brought to life. It really proves that animation can be a fantastic medium for mature, dramatic storytelling – it’s a truly special film, and currently boasts a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

9) Wendell & Wild

Okay, so I just saw Wendell & Wild, and if you loved Henry Selick’s previous work like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline, you’re in for a treat. This stop-motion animated film, which he directed and co-wrote with Jordan Peele, is a wonderfully weird horror-comedy. Peele and Keegan-Michael Key are absolutely hilarious voicing the demon brothers at the center of the story, and they really target a troubled teen, Kat, hoping she can help them out. It’s been a while since Selick’s last feature, and he’s delivered something special – a genuinely spooky but clever film that feels aimed at older teens and young adults, with that signature Key & Peele comedic timing woven throughout.

8) The Sea Beast

Released in 2022, The Sea Beast is a fantasy adventure film from Netflix directed by Chris Williams, known for Big Hero 6. The movie features the voices of Karl Urban as a seasoned monster hunter and Zaris-Angel Hator as a young orphan who sneaks onto his ship. The Sea Beast tells the story of an ancient sea creature and explores the idea that maybe hunting monsters isn’t the answer – that peace might be a better path. It became Netflix’s most popular animated film ever within its first month. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature but lost to another animated movie released by Netflix that same year.

7) The Willoughbys

Released in 2020, The Willoughbys is a funny and quirky animated movie directed by Kris Pearn. It’s based on a book by Lois Lowry and tells the story of four kids who try to find better parents. The voice actors include Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, and Ricky Gervais, among others. Critics praised the film’s distinctive, handcrafted look – like it was made from yarn and felt – and its heartwarming story, which feels similar to the imaginative tales of Roald Dahl, focusing on children finding their own sense of family.

6) Over the Moon

Released in 2020, Over the Moon is a beautifully animated musical fantasy film directed by Glen Keane, a renowned animator known for his work on Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The film tells the story of Fei Fei, a young Chinese girl who builds a rocket to travel to the moon and prove the existence of the moon goddess, Chang’e. Inspired by a traditional Chinese myth, Over the Moon was a critical and popular success, earning nominations for Best Animated Feature at both the Oscars and Golden Globes. At its heart, it’s a touching story about a child coping with the loss of a parent.

5) Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Netflix won its first Oscar for Best Animated Feature with the 2022 film Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. This musical dark fantasy, created using stop-motion animation, is a reimagining of the classic 1883 story by Carlo Collodi, and is set against the backdrop of Fascist Italy between World War I and World War II. It’s the longest stop-motion animated film ever made, and the first of its kind to win an Oscar since Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in 2006. Critics have praised the film’s emotional depth, music, and stunning visuals, giving it a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This version of Pinocchio is notably darker and more somber than Disney’s familiar adaptation.

4) Klaus

In 2019, Netflix released Klaus, a beautifully animated Christmas film that quickly became a standout hit. Created by Sergio Pablos using traditional hand-drawn animation—a refreshing contrast to the prevalence of CGI—the movie offers a fresh take on the origin of Santa Claus. It tells the story of a self-centered postman (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) and a lonely toymaker named Klaus (J.K. Simmons) who form an unlikely friendship in a town plagued by conflict. Klaus received an Academy Award nomination and boasts a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, cementing its place as a modern Christmas classic thanks to its stunning 2D animation and heartfelt story.

3) Nimona

Released in 2023, Nimona is an animated fantasy film adapted from ND Stevenson’s 2015 graphic novel. The story follows a teenage girl who can shapeshift and joins forces with a knight wrongly accused of a crime to prove his innocence. Originally developed at Blue Sky Studios, the movie was picked up by Netflix after Disney closed the studio. Nimona quickly became a hit on Netflix, earning a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. It’s a groundbreaking, openly queer story within a major animated film, blending medieval fantasy with futuristic cyberpunk aesthetics.

2) KPop Demon Hunters

The animated musical KPop Demon Hunters was a massive hit when it came out in 2025. The story centers around three K-pop stars – Rumi, Mira, and Zoey – who secretly fight demons to protect their fans. After Sony sold the rights to Netflix, the movie quickly became the platform’s most-watched original title, racking up over 500 million views by the end of the year. The soundtrack was also incredibly popular, achieving a rare feat with four songs landing in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a platinum certification. The film won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Golden”), and remarkably, it was released in theaters after its success on Netflix – a very unusual move for the streaming service. While KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix animation’s biggest cultural phenomenon to date, it’s worth noting that it isn’t necessarily the platform’s highest-quality film.

1) The Mitchells vs. the Machines

I truly believe The Mitchells vs. the Machines is Netflix’s best animated film! It’s this hilarious, action-packed road trip movie about the Mitchells, a wonderfully quirky family, whose college drop-off turns into a mission to save the world from a robot uprising. Mike Rianda directed it alongside Jeff Rowe, and it’s produced by the brilliant minds behind The LEGO Movie and Project Hail Mary – Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Seriously, everyone loved it – it has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the highest for any Netflix animated movie! And it completely dominated the Annie Awards, winning eight awards, including for Best Animated Feature, Direction, Writing, and pretty much every other category you can think of. It’s just such a heartwarming and uniquely funny family story – unlike anything else Netflix has put out!

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2026-05-25 22:21