The 100 best animated movies: animation experts

Daniel Thomas MacInnes

Daniel Thomas MacInnes is the publisher and writer of Ghibli Blog, a webzine dedicated to Studio Ghibli, animation and the movies.

1. Only Yesterday
2. Whisper of the Heart
3. Fantasia
4. Pinocchio
5. The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun
6. Princess Mononoke
7. Gauche the Cellist
8. Night on the Galactic Railroad
9. Yellow Submarine
10. Waking Life

“Isao Takahata’s emotionally overpowering tone poem Only Yesterday is a work of genius, Ozu painted with watercolors. It is a masterwork of a style that literally does not exist in the West, but should: a naturalist animation that blends documentary neorealism, surreal pop art and every director’s trick in the book. The scene of a sunrise peaking over a mountain range, illuminating fields of safflowers, may be the single most beautiful moment in all of cinema. Whisper of the Heart is a stunningly beautiful coming-of-age story, one that treats its characters (and its audience) with respect and honesty. Hayao Miyazaki’s personal touches abound: the value of hard work, the awareness of loss, his romanticism. But director Yoshifumi Kondo is the real star, whose quiet pacing perfectly pairs Miyazaki’s dynamism with Takahata’s realism. His 1998 death remains a tragic loss.’

Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy is the U.K.’s foremost authority on Japanese animation. She founded Anime UK magazine, and her books include The Anime Encyclopedia.

1. My Neighbor Totoro
2. Sleeping Beauty
3. Porco Rosso
4. Tokyo Godfathers
5. The Incredibles
6. Pom Poko
7. Lilo & Stitch
8. King Kong
9. Summer Wars

“I don’t know how anybody ever picks the ‘all-time top ten’—we haven’t seen all time yet, so how do we know? But favorites—that’s something else. I may not know much, but I know what I like. Mostly. Totorohas been my number-one movie since I first saw it in 1989; it’s the greatest film ever made. My father took me to see Sleeping Beauty as a little girl, and Eyvind Earle’s artistry blew me away. Pom Poko is funny, thought-provoking, beautifully animated and very honest; Isao Takahata is in many ways a more interesting and challenging filmmaker than his colleague Hayao Miyazaki. Testicle sight gags aren’t normally part of family animation.”

Marco Pelliteri

Marco Pellitteri is a scholar and author whose works include books on Walt Disney, Pokemon and manga.

1. Akira
2. Allegro Non Troppo
3. Chicken Run
4. Ghost in the Shell
5. 101 Dalmatians
6. Princess Mononoke
7. Rango
8. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
9. Strings
10. The Triplets of Belleville

Chris Robinson

Chris Robinson is artistic director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. He also wrote the screenplay for the animated documentary “Lipsett Diaries.”

1. Consuming Spirits
2. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
3. Persepolis
4. Heavy Traffic
5. Animal Farm
6. Waking Life
7. The Tune
8. Tito on Ice
9. Mary and Max

“In truth, if you really want to find the depth, diversity and all that good stuff about animation, you’re best bet is to look toward short films. There you will find the essence. But since we’re restricted to animation features (none of which have reached the heights of short-form animation), here are nine you should find, watch and breathe.”