Top 10 Animated Movies for Adults

Script written by Peter Sotiriou.

Top 10 Animated Movies for Adults

Just because a film is animated doesn’t necessarily mean it’s family friendly. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Animated Movies for Adults.

For this list, we’ve chosen animated movies with adult themes and mature subject matter. They may showcase violence, coarse language, and sexual content and are therefore aren’t necessarily appropriate for kids – and we’ve based our choices on a mix of how memorable and/or iconic they are as well as their overall popularity and recognition.

#10: “Waking Life” (2001)

A film that will surely make you think, Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” is a deep, trippy animated drama that deals with concepts such as spirituality, love, dreams, life and death. It relates the simple story of a man who dreams of various encounters with peculiar characters offering deep philosophical conversations. Much like Linklater’s later film “A Scanner Darkly,” the movie is animated using rotoscope, a technique where animators trace over actual footage of the actors and scenes. With its intellectually stimulating dialogue and original animation style, “Waking Life” is a one-of-a-kind movie going experience.

#9: “Coraline” (2009)

While “Coraline” is rated PG and was marketed towards kids, there is something deeply disturbing about the story of a little girl who discovers another world in her home that mirrors her own. Crawling through a small door in her new house leads her to the “Other World”, which is inhabited by the Other Mother, a nicer version of her mom with buttons as her eyes. There is more than meets the eye to this shady world, as things aren’t as perfect as they seem. This gorgeous fantasy film offers psychological horror that will surely scare some younger children, but that’s also what gives it some adult appeal.

#8: “Ghost in the Shell” (1995)

Based on the critically acclaimed manga series, “Ghost in the Shell” is an intricate sci-fi tale that takes place in a futuristic society where cyborg police officers and computer hacking are the norm. With gruesome violence and dark undertones, the story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi as she sets out to stop The Puppet Master. This assignment to capture the mysterious hacker will make Kusanagi question her identity and role as an artificial creation in a technologically advanced world. With blood, cursing and nudity, this adult animated movie achieved high praise.

#7: “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999)

The television show’s popularity logically led to a showing on the big screen, with “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” relating how Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny fight back when their parents wage war against Canada. With clever writing and unparalleled comedy, the movie serves as a satire and a social commentary about censorship, media and youth. Catchy musical numbers populate the foul-mouthed, raunchy comedy, and even earned it an Oscar nomination for the song “Blame Canada”. Beyond its record-breaking profanity in an animated movie and sub-plots of homosexual evil dictators loving Satan, the movie also stands as a charmingly hilarious work of crude art.

#6: “Les Triplettes de Belleville” (2003)

This odd yet charming French animated musical film follows Madame Souza as she seeks to find her missing grandson who was kidnapped during the Tour de France. Her search takes her to the town of Belleville, where three unusual yet friendly elderly women help her to find Champion. While children can certainly appreciate the quirkiness of the film and its exaggerated artistic style, including grotesque and ugly characters – and even a fat Statue of Liberty – this delightfully quaint comedy is meant for a more mature viewer.

#5: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009)

This delightful little gem by director Wes Anderson tells the story of a suave fox who gets himself and his community of animals in trouble after he raids the produce of three farmers who then seek to retaliate. Though it’s based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is not your typical animated movie, as the humor and vocabulary make it seem like it's more appropriate for an adult. The director’s trademark peculiarities and eccentricities also make an appearance, meshing beautifully with its stop-motion animation aesthetic. And while the film can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike, to truly appreciate every little remark and quirk, it seems one would have to be a little more advanced in age.

#4: “Grave of the Fireflies” (1988)

Set during WWII, “Grave of the Fireflies” is a tragic film that follows a boy and his younger sister as they struggle to survive in war-torn Japan. This heartbreaking tale of two orphans serves as a social commentary, criticizing the effects of war on civilians and on society and with loss, destruction and death at its core. It’s a difficult movie to view, even for adults, as we witness the children lose their mother and their home, but not their hope. Eloquent, mature and deeply depressing, this beautiful film serves as a prime example of an animated movie geared towards an older audience.

#3: “Watership Down” (1978)

Who would have thought that a movie about cuddly little rabbits would make for such a gruesome, bloody tale? “Watership Down” follows several rabbits as they seek out a new home after their community is destroyed. It proves to be a difficult task as they must defend themselves from humans and other warrens of rabbits. With frightening scenes of rabbits getting shot and torn apart by dogs, as well as gruesome fights among the animals, this brilliant film adaptation of the acclaimed book is certainly not geared towards children.

#2: “Princess Mononoke” (1997)

Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece follows the young warrior Ashitaka as he ventures to find help from the Great Forest Spirit. He seeks to cure himself of a curse that corrupted him after he killed a demonically possessed boar god. In the process, he unwittingly becomes the mediator between the humans cutting down forests and the nature gods trying to protect them. Mature themes of natural preservation versus industrial development take a central role in the film, with bloody action sequences and a smidge of romance anchoring the dark storyline. Visually spellbinding, “Princess Mononoke” remains an epic in the grandest tradition.

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are some of our honorable mentions:
- “Waltz with Bashir” (2008)
- “Persepolis” (2007)
- “Mary and Max” (2009)
- “Heavy Metal 2000” (2000)
- “The Animatrix” (2003)

#1: “Akira” (1988)

Offering a complex and twisted narrative, “Akira” relates the dark story of Tetsuo, a biker gang member who loses his mind when he develops psychic powers, while his best friend, Kaneda, teams up with a group of rebels to stop the secret military project endangering the futuristic world of Neo Tokyo. With scenes of attempted rape, coarse language running rampant, intense action with gory details and brutal violence, and of course a mature storyline befitting the post-apocalyptic setting, “Akira” is the quintessential adult animated movie. With its cynical view of humankind and the future that awaits us, it’s nowhere near being a kids’ movie, but the cult flick has certainly earned its rep as an anime landmark.

Do you agree with our list? Which adult animated movies you would include on your list? For more awesome Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.