Since the dawn of Hollywood, animated cinema has given kids a wealth of iconic movies, from Peter Pan and Snow White to Scooby-Doo and The Incredibles. When they were created, these films gave viewers a way to experience magical stories in a way that live-action films simply couldn’t achieve. Using fairy tales, science fiction, superheroes, and mysteries as inspiration, these movies have been bringing families together for a century.
Animated movies often punch well above their weight, with films aimed at kids earning the respect of adults and critics alike for compelling storytelling. With many of these movies still enjoying iconic status decades after their release, they’re timeless classics perfect for any audience. From fairytale comedies to science fiction adventures, the family genre has an endless string of animated masterpieces, always perfect for everyone to enjoy.
Shrek Reinvented the Fairytale Genre
Shrek takes place in a fairytale fantasy land, where an ogre named Shrek sets out to reclaim his swampy home from the tyrannical Lord Farquard. The would-be king offers to return his land if he takes on a quest to find and rescue a captive princess, Fiona, from the clutches of a terrifying dragon. Along with a talking donkey, he sets out on his mission and begins to fall for the beautiful woman when he finds her.
When it was released, Shrek was nothing short of a cultural sensation, winning a massive fan base overnight as it set new heights for 3D animation. The movie doubles as a great parody of classic Disney fairytale movies and a touching fantasy in its own right. If Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy’s banter wasn’t enough, watching the reinvention of the genre made it perfect.
The Iron Giant is a Love-Letter to Science Fiction
The Iron Giant begins when a giant robot falls to Earth outside a small town in Maine, where he heads to find sanctuary. While there, he’s discovered by a young boy, Hogarth Hughes, who lives with his widowed mother. As a paranoid government agent snoops around town, Hogarth keeps his friend a secret, teaching him to become a superhero of sorts.
The Iron Giant is a combination of retro 1950s-style science fiction and a reinvention of the Superman origin story, following a machine that refuses to be used as a weapon. A film sure to remind viewers of the soul of ’90s 2D animation before 3D took over, the film is a cult classic in the truest sense of the word, earning love as the years passed by. With a fantastic Cold War story as its backdrop, watching Hogarth inspire the Giant to heroism will always be perfect.
Ice Age Reimagines a Classic Western Movie
Ice Age begins in the midst of Earth’s last ice age, when a pack of saber-toothed tigers attacks a human settlement, forcing a woman to jump into a river with her baby. Eager to eat, the pack sends Diego out to hunt her. When he tracks her down, he finds the baby in the care of a woolly mammoth, Manny, and Sid the Sloth. Careful not to reveal his intentions, he joins them, forming an uneasy trio of protectors as they set out to return the child to its people.
A retelling of the Western classic 3 Godfathers, Ice Age is a touching story of belonging and friendship, following its unlikely herd of animals as they form an iconic friendship. From its treasured characters to its adventurous soundtrack, the film remains a piece of pure nostalgia and has one of the greatest voice casts in the genre.
The Wild Robot is a Heartwarming Tale of Friendship
The Wild Robot takes place in the near future, where a robot dubbed “Roz” is lost on an abandoned island. When she’s activated, she finds kinship with the island’s creatures, adopting a parental role as she cares for them and finds community there. However, when the company that built her comes looking, she’s left terrified by the prospect of losing her new friends.
Earning a reputation as one of the greatest animated movies of the 21st century, The Wild Robot fits in alongside films like WALL-E in its exploration of finding love in unlikely places. A movie sure to move viewers to tears, it’s a warm, tender look at nature and friendship, and is one of the best-looking animated films ever made.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Gave Batman a Perfect Mystery
Since his 1939 creation, Batman has been one of the greatest heroes in comics, becoming the face of DC in the last few decades. In 1993, he received his greatest animated movie, Mask of the Phantasm, which fits into the DCAU’s continuity for the character. The story follows the arrival of a vigilante, Phantasm, who targets the city’s crime bosses for murder, forcing Batman to step in.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm cast the hero in a mystery befitting the World’s Greatest Detective, and it remains one of the finest superhero films ever made. Embracing the thriller side of Gotham City, it gives viewers a chilling crime story, one that tests the limits of the “family-friendly” side of the DCAU. Showing everything great about the Caped Crusader, it’s a must-see classic for DC and animated fans alike.
WALL-E is a Warning to Treat Nature With Respect
WALL-E takes place in a future where, after centuries of pollution, Earth has been rendered uninhabitable for humans, who have taken to space to survive. In their wake, machines inhabit the world, including a quirky robot named Wall-E, who treats the world and its remaining treasures and creatures with love. While there, he meets a fellow robot named EVE, striking a romantic attachment as they work together to care for the world.
Wall-E is one of the greatest “ghost in the machine” movies ever made, exploring the idea of a machine with a soul. A warning against environmental destruction, the film doubles as a message to both care for the planet and treat its wildlife with respect. Through Wall-E, the story shows that even a machine is capable of appreciating the world, so humans should be too.
The Incredibles is a Celebration of Silver Age Superheroes
The Incredibles takes place in a world modeled after old-school comic books, and begins with the marriage between renowned superheroes Mr Incredible and Elastigirl. When public sentiment turns against heroes, the pair go into a relocation program, where they raise a family and ease into middle-class suburban life. However, 15 years later, Mr. Incredible seizes the opportunity to return to his super activities, unknowingly walking into a trap, forcing his family to come to the rescue.
Made just as the superhero genre was beginning to find new life, The Incredibles is a wonderful celebration of the genre, reimagined as a family-centered adventure. Created for fans of The Fantastic Four and Silver Age comics, it emerged as the greatest animated superhero movie of all time for good reason. Reorienting the genre around the importance of family, it doubles as a story about finding meaning in life and heroism.
The Lion King is the Ultimate Family Story
The Lion King brings viewers to the African jungle, where Mufasa reigns over the animal kingdom. Frustrated by his son Simba’s immaturity, he hopes to shape his cub into the inheritor of his throne. After a shocking betrayal, Simba is forced to finally accept responsibility, driven into the wild to return and avenge his father.
Representing the pinnacle of Disney’s already impressive ’90s roster, The Lion King remains an epic story of family, legacy, and friendship three decades after its release. From its terrifying villain to Simba’s journey to adulthood, it’s the definition of family cinema, bringing unparalleled depth to its story. Perhaps the greatest G-rated Disney film, the movie is the quintessential animated film.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island Revitalized the Franchise
Since 1969, Scooby-Doo has been a treasured franchise, defining the kid-friendly horror genre for decades. However, after it experienced a slump during the ’80s and early ’90s, Scooby and the gang were given their greatest story to date in Zombie Island. The movie follows the gang as they reunite after pursuing careers, getting back to their mystery-solving days. When their latest case leads them to Louisiana’s Moonscar Island, they stumble into a story involving zombies, monsters, and ghosts.
As the film that officially revived the Scooby-Doo franchise, the movie remains the single creepiest and spookiest Mystery Inc. movie of all time. The gold standard of horror-friendly family cinema, it gave kids a great supernatural mystery that captivated ’90s kids. After twenty-seven years, no film series has come close to understanding the balance between a good scare and family entertainment as well as this revival.
Toy Story Made Family Cinema More Meaningful Than Ever
Toy Story takes place in a world where toys are, unknown to humans, living beings, and have their own lives when their owners are away. The film focuses on the toys owned by a young boy named Andy, including the sheriff, Woody, a friendly T. rex named Rex, and Hamm, a piggy bank. Things are turned upside down for Woody when Andy is gifted a Buzz Lightyear, a maverick astronaut, and the year’s most popular new release. When he tries to get Buzz left behind as the family moves away, the toy lawman is forced to team up with his rival to get back home.
When the movie was released, it was nothing short of a revolutionary family film, ushering in a new wave of 3D CGI animation that wound up defining the subsequent decade, and all family films since. Giving audiences a deep, heartfelt story, lovable characters, and a great premise, Disney’s Toy Story has been the defining masterpiece of family entertainment since its 1993 creation.
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