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2023 will surely go down in infamy, depending on how you look at the animation scene. On the one hand, we got one of the highest-grossing foreign animated films with The Boy and the Heron. On the other hand, we also got Disney with one of their worst-performing years in history and their big 100-year celebration film Wish underperforming at the box office. It was a changing of the guards, a real case of the tides changing, and that needed to happen. Not one studio can or should be on top all the time, and with filmgoing becoming more expensive, large film releases feel less special than ever before. How nostalgia and IP are no longer safe bets, we are seeing a sudden rough shift and it’s going to get bumpy. With all that said, there are still going to be great movies made and released during this time. 2023 had a lot of fantastic animated movies, and I wish I could put them all in my top 10, but these were my favorites of last year. Honorary mentions go to The First Slam Dunk, The Inventor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Elemental.
10. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
The fact of the matter is while this will never be the first film, it doesn’t mean Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a bad film. It’s honestly one of the rare sequels to come out that matches the first film in tone, humor, heart, and enjoyment. The voice cast controversies aside, Aardman continues to revel in their strengths to be consistently appealing on a universal scale with their films, and this one is no different. It’s got great action set pieces, vibrant visuals, a likable cast both old and new, and is the funniest film I have seen in 2023. That’s saying something, since this was a rather crackerjack year for comedies and films with fantastically witty dialogue. It’s on Netflix, and while I don’t envy them partnering up with the service, since this is how more people see their films due to the cruel fact that no one was going to the theater to see them, I still wish folks were able to see this film in theaters like I was. Still, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.
9. Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Giberritia
While it would be tough to top the acclaim and impact left by the first film, A Trip to Gibberitia continues the fascinating journey of Ernest & Celestine by tackling the complicated theme of familial drama and finding the freedom to express yourself in a world that wants to limit those artistic voices. It’s a franchise that makes you feel good, and if you loved the previous film, then you will love this one. There is a reason why this film won the grand prize at the NYICFF 2023, because it’s just an incredible journey through the world of animation.
8. Blue Giant
It feels so rare that we get films like Blue Giant in animation. It is a bittersweet, enthralling musical drama about three friends who try to make it through the world of jazz. It feels special in a way that most films never truly earn that distinction. I like some films more than this one this year, but Blue GIant holds a special place in my heart in similar ways that Children of the Sea does, where it brings you into its world to let you swim along the spiritual stream that only jazz can give you. Its story isn’t anything groundbreaking and new, but if you love films like The Commitments, then you should get the Blu-ray of this film when it’s released. It’s a truly lovely experience.
7. Suzume
A stellar new film from Makoto Shinkai. A somber yet gorgeous experience of dealing with grief, broken relationships, remembering the people/memories of the past, and the connections and found family we make in our life. Honestly, Suzume is my new favorite Makoto Shinkai film experience. Seeing it on the big screen helped, but even on the smaller screen, this film feels the most focused on relationship dynamics between characters as they journey through the challenging world of relationships and find connections with those close to them. It helps that he has indeed moved away from what he has done in the past, and in interviews said he is done with making certain types of films that people love from him to branch out and craft new and exciting tales. It’s what’s fun when you journey through a director’s filmography to see how they change and grow as time goes on, from their art style to what kind of stories they like to tell. It’s why animation is such a fun medium of storytelling. You can do anything with animation, and the only limits you have are the ones you put on yourself.
6. Deep Sea
If you need an example of how incredible China’s animation scene has gotten, Deep Sea is right here. An animated feature that almost becomes too much in the visual overload department, it shows off a wholly unique visual style with some of the best CGI animation of all time. The dynamic sequences that truly illustrate where we can go with CGI animation show how animation is still growing and evolving with time and talent. It also helps that this film is also an emotional powerhouse in the story department, combining dream logic with a story about overcoming tough times and keeping moving forward. I have been so amazed at how the Chinese animation scene has blossomed into crafting some of the best films of recent years.
5. Nimona
While it has some predictable story beats that you can see coming a mile away, Nimona is a truly delightful experience that could have been lost to time, due to corporate greed and a lack of love for the medium of animation. Nimona is a beautiful bombastic punk rock fantasy journey through discrimination, broken relationships, and mending said dynamics with compassion and taking down the system. It’s truly a miracle this film was able to be revived and made, to be put out into the world, and as such, I hope everyone watches it. If you love animation with flair, and love a good comeback story in the world of animation production, then you need to check out this film. It makes me happy that a chunk of the people who worked on the original project were able to finish the project and see it blossom into a truly rockin’ journey.
4. Robot Dreams
Robot Dreams is a beautifully woven tale of friendships past, present, and future, where we gain and lose those bonds that we make along our journey through life. You might have lost friends or loved ones from past relationships, but that doesn’t mean you won’t move on to make new ones. With a dialogue-less script, almost cruelly placed bits of dark comedy, and a lot of pure unbridled beauty in the visual storytelling, Robot Dreams is one of those film festival flicks that is worth the hype from start to finish. I wish Neon was able to put the film out sooner than later in May of this year, but if you can find a way to watch it, please do. It’s such a splendid and perfect movie that shows you the power of not only filmmaking, but animation.
3. Titina
Titina is a brilliant globe-trotting wonder of animation. It’s a human journey of what can happen when one’s pride gets in the way of an experience that was meant to be a positive one for the world in which they live. Of course, we see all of this through the eyes of one of the cutest animals in history, Titina, and how what can get us through turbulent times is love, compassion, and connection.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
There has been a talk about superhero fatigue that has also bled into the world of movies in other avenues, like other big tentpole franchises and even other major movies and some smaller releases. It’s not really fatigue towards superhero movies. It’s fatigue towards films that were either not given enough time to craft their stories or they came up with stories that weren’t great at investing you in the characters that are on screen. People like seeing flashy things and big names, but if the writing isn’t there, if the people in the audience aren’t getting something new or something that feels refreshing and original, then people won’t show up. Spider-Man: Across the Universe is a checklist of how to make not only a good sequel, a better sequel, but an amazing film. Miles and Gwen are put through the wringer as their worldviews are challenged, and these challenges are thrown at them through some of 2023’s best animation and visual storytelling. You have animation that is an awe-inspiring rollercoaster of sights and flair unlike anything else out there, characters that are complex to the core of the human experience of isolation and stress of living up to the way people see you, writing that is whip- smart and continually engaging, action set pieces that should give the animators, artists, and visual effects people all the raises in the world, and it’s only part one! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a monumental web-slinging time at the films as 2023’s most exciting cinematic experience.
1. The Boy and the Heron
Whether this is the last film we will see of the acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki or not, The Boy and the Heron is a wonderful and heartfelt journey through animation. It is a tale of a boy overcoming loss, dealing with grief, and learning to move on with the world. There is a reason why it has been showing up in almost every single Best Films of 2023 list and won a massive amount of awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It should have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Score, but I digress. If you have yet to see this film, as of right now, it’s going through a theatrical re-release, and if you feel a little confused by it, go watch it again. It is one of those films that gets better the more times you watch it, and it’s already amazing when you see it once.
The Other Side of Animation 