The 50 Best Animated Movies of All Time, According to Rotten Tomatoes

If you saw Toy Story 4 (2019) in theaters, there’s a good chance you spotted at least a few kids in the audience. But you may have also seen some grown-ups unaccompanied by younger viewers—maybe you were one of them. It’s long been acknowledged that animated movies, even those aimed specifically at children, are top-notch entertainment for people of all ages. And according to Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story 4 is the best one ever.

The first three films in the Toy Story series all made the top 20, too. Rotten Tomatoes compiled the list using a weighted formula that factors in critics’ scores and the number of reviews, which explains why Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999)—both of which have 100-percent scores—ranked lower than the two later installments. Overall, the list debunks the theory that sequels are always worse than the originals: Paddington 2 (2018), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Finding Dory (2016) all outranked their predecessors.

And while Pixar is definitely an industry giant whose innovative animation methods and storytelling prowess are tough to beat, the studio doesn’t occupy every top spot. Second place went to Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which won the best animated feature Oscar in 2019. And Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disney classic from 1937, came in fifth place. Acclaimed Japanese classics, including Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (2002) and Grave of the Fireflies (1988), are also well represented on the list.

You can peruse the top 50 below—and if you’re wondering why Shrek (2001) is nowhere to be seen, you can find it (and the 2004 sequel) in the top 100 here.

1. Toy Story 4 (2019) // 97 percent
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) // 97 percent
3. Inside Out (2015) // 98 percent
4. Coco (2017) // 97 percent
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) // 98 percent
6. Paddington 2 (2018) // 100 percent
7. Incredibles 2 (2018) // 93 percent
8. Zootopia (2016) // 98 percent
9. Up (2009) // 98 percent
10. Toy Story 3 (2010) // 98 percent
11. Toy Story 2 (1999) // 100 percent
12. Pinocchio (1940) // 100 percent
13. Finding Dory (2016) // 94 percent
14. Finding Nemo (2003) // 99 percent
15. The LEGO Movie (2014) // 96 percent
16. Moana (2016) // 95 percent
17. Toy Story (1995) // 100 percent
18. Isle of Dogs (2018) // 90 percent
19. Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) // 97 percent
20. How to Train Your Dragon (2010) // 99 percent
21. Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) // 99 percent
22. WALL-E (2008) // 95 percent
23. Dumbo (1941) // 98 percent
24. Ratatouille (2007) // 96 percent
25. My Life as a Zucchini (2017) (2017) // 99 percent
26. The Incredibles (2004) // 97 percent
27. Only Yesterday (1991) // 100 percent
28. The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) // 90 percent
29. 101 Dalmatians (1961) // 98 percent
30. Beauty and the Beast (1991) // 94 percent
31. Chicken Run (2000) // 97 percent
32. Onward (2020) // 88 percent
33. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) // 95 percent
34. Fantasia (1940) // 95 percent
35. Monsters, Inc. (2001) // 96 percent
36. Anomalisa (2015) // 92 percent
37. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) // 100 percent
38. Your Name. (2017) // 98 percent
39. The Iron Giant (1999) // 96 percent
40. Spirited Away (2002) // 97 percent
41. Song of the Sea (2014) // 99 percent
42. Tower (2016) // 99 percent
43. The Lion King (1994) // 93 percent
44. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) // 97 percent
45. Waltz With Bashir (2008) // 96 percent
46. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) // 90 percent
47. Persepolis (2007) // 96 percent
48. Yellow Submarine (1968) // 95 percent
49. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) // 95 percent
50. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) // 93 percent