Best Anime Movies Ever

by KennyWhiterussian | created - 16 Sep 2013 | updated - 16 Sep 2017 | Public

The greatest anime movie ever seen!

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1. Akira (1988)

R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama

68 Metascore

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.

Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda

Votes: 205,074 | Gross: $0.55M

2. Spirited Away (2001)

PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

96 Metascore

During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi

Votes: 848,607 | Gross: $10.06M

3. Princess Mononoke (1997)

PG-13 | 134 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

76 Metascore

On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Billy Crudup

Votes: 433,401 | Gross: $2.38M

4. Paprika (2006)

R | 90 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy

81 Metascore

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.

Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tôru Furuya

Votes: 96,766 | Gross: $0.88M

5. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Not Rated | 89 min | Animation, Drama, War

94 Metascore

A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara

Votes: 310,108

6. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

TV-14 | 115 min | Animation, Action, Crime

62 Metascore

A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up to the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.

Directors: Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Tensai Okamura, Hiroyuki Okiura, Yoshiyuki Takei | Stars: Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest, Kôichi Yamadera

Votes: 53,102 | Gross: $1.00M

7. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

102 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

72 Metascore

A dashing thief, his gang of desperadoes and an intrepid cop struggle to free a princess from an evil count, and learn the secret of a treasure that she holds part of the key to.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue

Votes: 33,542

8. Tekkonkinkreet (2006)

R | 111 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

65 Metascore

Two boys defend Treasure Town and Yakuza try to take over and clear it for new development.

Directors: Michael Arias, Hiroaki Andô | Stars: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yû Aoi, Yûsuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô

Votes: 14,548

9. Ghost in the Shell (1995)

TV-MA | 83 min | Animation, Action, Crime

76 Metascore

A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

Directors: Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera

Votes: 156,778 | Gross: $0.52M

10. Castle in the Sky (1986)

PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

78 Metascore

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada

Votes: 182,212

11. Memories (1995)

PG-13 | 113 min | Animation, Sci-Fi, Thriller

An animated science fiction anthology from the visionary anime director, Katsuhiro Otomo.

Directors: Kôji Morimoto, Tensai Okamura, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Marc Swint, Robbie Daymond, Frank Todaro, Laura Post

Votes: 21,350

12. Porco Rosso (1992)

PG | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

83 Metascore

In 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Shûichirô Moriyama, Tokiko Katô, Bunshi Katsura VI, Tsunehiko Kamijô

Votes: 101,983

13. The Sky Crawlers (2008)

PG-13 | 122 min | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi

The Kildren, a group of eternally young fighter pilots, experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds.

Director: Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Ryô Kase, Shôsuke Tanihara, Megumi Yamaguchi

Votes: 5,908

14. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

PG | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi

86 Metascore

Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda, Gorô Naya

Votes: 182,418 | Gross: $0.50M

15. Perfect Blue (1997)

R | 81 min | Animation, Crime, Drama

67 Metascore

A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.

Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura

Votes: 95,214 | Gross: $0.78M

16. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

PG-13 | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

75 Metascore

On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.

Directors: Shôgo Furuya, Satoshi Kon | Stars: Tôru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto, Shôzô Îzuka

Votes: 46,712 | Gross: $0.13M

17. The Wind Rises (2013)

PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Biography, Drama

83 Metascore

Jiro Horikoshi studies assiduously to fulfill his aim of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As WWII begins, fighter aircraft designed by him end up getting used by the Japanese Empire against its foes.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura

Votes: 98,655 | Gross: $5.21M

18. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

86 Metascore

When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi

Votes: 379,893 | Gross: $1.11M

19. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

G | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

80 Metascore

The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter Arrietty is discovered.

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi | Stars: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida

Votes: 104,258 | Gross: $19.20M

20. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

PG | 119 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

82 Metascore

When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa

Votes: 448,740 | Gross: $4.71M

21. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)

R | 102 min | Animation, Action, Drama

59 Metascore

A traumatized member of an elite para-military police force falls for the sister of a female terrorist courier who died in front of him on duty.

Directors: Kenji Kamiyama, Hiroyuki Okiura | Stars: Michael Dobson, Yoshikazu Fujiki, Sumi Mutoh, Moneca Stori

Votes: 18,735 | Gross: $0.09M

22. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)

PG-13 | 98 min | Animation, Action, Drama

66 Metascore

The fate of the world is threatened by seemingly monstrous entities known as Angels. NERV is an organization set up to counter this threat and it is up to young pilots to protect Earth but exactly what are the real motives behind NERV?

Directors: Hiroshi Haraguchi, Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno, Kôbun Shizuno | Stars: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi, Yuriko Yamaguchi

Votes: 27,615 | Gross: $0.11M

23. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)

TV-14 | 112 min | Animation, Action, Drama

46 Metascore

In the face of increasingly bizarre and powerful Angel attacks, Shinji Ikari and his partner Rei Ayanami are assisted by two new pilots: the fiery Asuka Langley Shikinami and the mysterious Mari Illustrious Makinami.

Directors: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno, Joe Fria | Stars: Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yûko Miyamura

Votes: 24,864 | Gross: $0.13M

24. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy

85 Metascore

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi

Votes: 165,333

25. Aachi & Ssipak (2006)

R | 90 min | Animation, Action, Comedy

In a future where energy is made from fecal matter, the government rewards defecation with "juicybars". Small-time hustlers try to get rich while fending off the mutated Diaper Gang.

Directors: Jo Beom-jin, Zack Keller, Ed Skudder | Stars: Nick Ainsworth, Yang Jeong-hwa, Zack Keller, Gyu-hwa Lee

Votes: 1,843

26. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

PG | 91 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama

71 Metascore

A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Director: Gorô Miyazaki | Stars: Sarah Bolger, Chris Noth, Anton Yelchin, Christina Hendricks

Votes: 51,954 | Gross: $1.00M

27. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

TV-PG | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

66 Metascore

A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi

Votes: 70,830

28. The Boy and the Beast (2015)

PG-13 | 119 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

65 Metascore

When a young orphaned boy living on the streets of Shibuya stumbles upon a fantastic world of beasts, he's taken in by a gruff warrior beast looking for an apprentice.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shôta Sometani, Suzu Hirose

Votes: 26,908 | Gross: $0.45M

29. Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2010)

TV-14 | 90 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A gunfighter with a strict no-kill policy, Vash the Stampede arrives in a town full of bounty hunters competing to collect the reward for catching a robber he saved 20 years ago.

Director: Satoshi Nishimura | Stars: Masaya Onosaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Satsuki Yukino, Show Hayami

Votes: 5,884 | Gross: $0.06M

30. The Animatrix (2003)

Unrated | 100 min | Animation, Action, Sci-Fi

A collection of nine short films featuring stories related to The Matrix (1999).

Stars: James Arnold Taylor, Julia Fletcher, Dwight Schultz, Kevin Michael Richardson

Votes: 82,025

31. Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)

TV-14 | 116 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

A coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.

Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Hisako Kanemoto, Miyu Irino, Kazuhiko Inoue, Junko Takeuchi

Votes: 16,992

32. Ninja Scroll (1993)

Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Stars: Kôichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Osamu Saka

Votes: 40,698

33. Sword of the Stranger (2007)

Not Rated | 103 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.

Director: Masahiro Andô | Stars: Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Kôichi Yamadera, Akio Ôtsuka

Votes: 18,284

34. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (I) (2004)

PG-13 | 100 min | Animation, Drama, Mystery

68 Metascore

In the year 2032, Batô, a cyborg detective for the anti-terrorist unit Public Security Section 9, investigates the case of a female robot--one created solely for sexual pleasure--who slaughtered her owner.

Directors: Naoko Kusumi, Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Akio Ôtsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, Tamio Ôki, Kôichi Yamadera

Votes: 40,290 | Gross: $1.04M

35. Millennium Actress (2001)

PG | 87 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy

70 Metascore

A TV interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career.

Directors: Satoshi Kon, Kô Matsuo | Stars: Miyoko Shôji, Shôzô Îzuka, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa

Votes: 32,021 | Gross: $0.19M

36. Horus: Prince of the Sun (1968)

Not Rated | 82 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

A boy with a mythical sword wants to protect a Norse village from an evil ice wizard and his minions, who destroyed his family's village. However, the villagers don't fully trust him and a mysterious girl with a dark secret befriends him.

Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Mikijirô Hira, Etsuko Ichihara, Eijirô Tôno, Masao Mishima

Votes: 2,499

37. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)

R | 103 min | Animation, Action, Drama

62 Metascore

A legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to return a young woman, who has been seemingly abducted by a vampire, to her family.

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Stars: Andrew Philpot, John Rafter Lee, Pamela Adlon, Wendee Lee

Votes: 35,783 | Gross: $0.15M

38. Space Adventure Cobra (1982)

Not Rated | 99 min | Animation, Action, Fantasy

After two years in hiding, a famed space pirate with a "psychogun" for a left arm joins a bounty huntress on a quest to save her world, only to find himself battling an old enemy.

Director: Osamu Dezaki | Stars: Shigeru Matsuzaki, Akiko Nakamura, Toshiko Fujita, Yoshiko Sakakibara

Votes: 2,308

39. Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)

Not Rated | 68 min | Animation, Adventure, Music

A continuation of the story told in the Daft Punk music videos "One More Time," "Aerodynamic," "Digital Love," and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."

Directors: Daisuke Nishio, Hirotoshi Rissen, Leiji Matsumoto, Kazuhisa Takenouchi | Stars: Romanthony, Thomas Bangalter

Votes: 15,559

40. Metropolis (2001)

PG-13 | 108 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

75 Metascore

Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban must find the mystery behind robot girl Tima.

Director: Rintarô | Stars: Toshio Furukawa, Scott Weinger, Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi

Votes: 22,601 | Gross: $0.64M

41. Summer Wars (2009)

PG | 114 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

63 Metascore

A student tries to fix a problem he accidentally caused in OZ, a digital world, while pretending to be the fiancé of his friend at her grandmother's 90th birthday.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Takahiro Yokokawa

Votes: 31,771 | Gross: $0.08M



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