Despite what the Oscars may have to say about it, animation is for a far wider audience than just children, and there are plenty of series and movies on Netflix that everyone can enjoy.
Whether you’re about to head into a long weekend with the family or are looking for a nice warm hug of a movie, here are a few of our favourite animated movies and TV series on Netflix.
The Best Animated Movies and Series On Netflix
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
The Mitchells vs The Machines sends the dysfunctional Mitchell family on the road trip of their lives as they attempt to get their daughter Katie to college, only to be interrupted by a swarm of AI robots taking over the world.
The Mitchells vs The Machines may have missed out on the Academy Award but it’s won plenty of other accolades and for good reason — this movie slaps. It has an epic voice cast, an incredible art style and can easily make you cry tears of laughter one minute to tears of emotion in the next. What did you really expect from the makers of The LEGO Movie?
Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines here.
Arcane
Arcane is one of the best animated series to ever grace our screens and it has multiple Annie Awards to prove it.
If you’re turned off by the idea of this being a League of Legends video game adaptation, don’t be, non-LOL fans can easily enjoy this. The series follows the origins of two main League of Legends champions, Jinx and Vi, who grow up as sisters in the oppressive underground land of Zaun which is constantly forgotten by the luxurious Piltover.
Arcane dives into the intriguing mechanics behind this divided nation as well as the bond between sisters to tell one of the most heartwrenching and beautifully animated stories you’ll find on screen. It’ll be a while before we get a resolution to that season 1 cliffhanger but the wait will no doubt be worth it.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
You can debate whether Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland is the better Spider-Man but it’s hard to find a better Spider-Man movie than Into the Spider-Verse.
Into the Spider-Verse follows the adventures of young Miles Morales who is bitten by a radioactive spider and dreams of being a hero. When a multiversal portal opens and he meets the alternate versions of Spider-Man, Miles has to step up and become the hero he wants to be.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse had such an edgy and graphically beautiful animation style that it was already a frontrunner for all the awards. But then it paired that with an epic, funny and actually good story that took the world by absolute storm.
Catch up on Into the Spider-Verse before the sequel drops later this year.
Big Mouth
Dealing with puberty sucks and Big Mouth brings that whole experience to life in such a hilarious and cringe way you can’t help but sympathise with teenagers today (plus feel nostalgic for your own teen years).
Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg bring this edgy animated comedy series to life which isn’t afraid to dive into the touchy subjects of adolescence like sexual awakenings and all those physical changes. Not to mention it feels relevant for teens today who have to deal with all the added influences of social media and the internet.
Love, Death & Robots
A lot of the best animations are shorts and Netflix’s animated series Love, Death & Robots takes full advantage of the medium. The anthology series of short animations spans the genres of sci-fi, fantasy and horror with all different takes on the ideas of robots and their impact.
You’ll go through a whirlwind journey of different animation styles and genres with everything from tyrannous yoghurt to gladiator robot beasts on offer. If one short isn’t for you, try the next one — there’s something for everyone.
Check out Love, Death & Robots here.
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman was one of Netflix’s earliest originals and it helped put the streaming services on the map. The adult animation takes a darkly comedic look at Hollywood where BoJack Horseman is a washed-up sitcom star attempting to make a comeback.
Featuring the voice talent of Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul and more, BoJack Horseman is one of those animated series that will go down in history as one of the best.
Shrek
If we’re looking at classic animated movies on Netflix, Shrek is easily a highlight. The 2001 movie spawned a number of sequels (perhaps too many) but the original is still the best. It also has a boss level soundtrack.
For those unfamiliar, Shrek is an ogre living happily in his swamp, but when a crowd of outcast fairytale characters take up residence there he embarks on a mission to rescue the princess from a tower in order to appease the lord of the land and regain his swamp.
There’s never a bad time to rewatch Shrek, so check it out here.
As you can see Netflix has more than enough animation that will please anyone and everyone. If you’re looking for some other great titles on Netflix check out our favourite thrillers or the best titles as ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.
Leave a Reply