Not Only 'KPop Demon Hunters': 5 Best Recent Animated Movies That Won an Oscar
These are the Oscar winners that are definitely worth paying attention to.
The Best Animated Feature Film award was not introduced at the Oscars until 2002. Before then, animated movies had to compete with live-action films or settle for special prizes.
Over the past two decades, this category has seen triumphs for Pixar, scandals, and unexpected victories for relatively unknown works.
1. 'The Boy and the Heron', 2023
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
Mahito's mother dies during the bombings. He moves to the countryside with his father but struggles to fit in at his new school. He also doesn't know how to deal with his stepmother, Natsuko.
Soon, he encounters a strange heron. The heron claims that Mahito's mother is still alive and can be reached through a tower built by Mahito's ancestor.
In 2013, Hayao Miyazaki released The Wind Rises, which many considered the great animator's final movie. However, ten years later, he returned with a new film that reimagines the author's life story and legacy.
2. 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio', 2022
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
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Unable to come to terms with losing his son in the bombing, Geppetto carves a wooden boy named Pinocchio. Miraculously, Pinocchio comes to life.
Pinocchio is curious and restless, he asks awkward questions in church and ends up at the circus. It soon becomes clear that the wooden boy has caught the attention of the military because he would be the perfect soldier.
Guillermo del Toro transformed the fairy tale into a dark social commentary on the fascist era in Italy. Furthermore, del Toro filmed the movie using stop-motion animation rather than 3D graphics, giving it a realistic look.
3. 'Coco', 2017
IMDb Score: 8.4/10
Young Miguel dreams of becoming a musician, but his family considers this profession shameful. One day, he discovers a mysterious connection to a famous deceased singer and travels to the land of the dead to meet his idol. His departed ancestors help him on his journey.
To depict the underworld, Pixar animators worked hard. They made the skeletons in the movie slightly different from real ones to make them appear more lifelike and appealing.
The creators also completely redesigned the clothing creation program because fabric looks different on bones than on a normal human body.
4. 'Soul', 2020
IMDb Score: 8.0/10
Joe Gardner, a music teacher, has dreamed of performing on the big stage for years. When he finally gets the chance to join a band, an accident causes his soul to separate from his body. Now, he must find a way to return to Earth.
With its touching moral message and two types of animation, Soul deservedly won an Oscar. Sadly, because of its win, Irish animator Tomm Moore's equally elegant Wolfwalkers lost.
5. 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse', 2018
IMDb Score: 8.4/10
Miles Morales lives in a world where everyone adores Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man. After the superhero's death, however, the teenager must become the city's new protector. He'll be aided in his fight against evil by other Spider-Men from different worlds.
This vibrant superhero story from Sony Pictures is the first animated movie since 2011 to break Disney and Pixar's monopoly on the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Spider-Man's victory was well-deserved – the studio introduced new technology that brought comic books to life on screen.
