100 Best Anime Movies of All Time, Ranked by Tomatometer

Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

Synopsis: A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: Only Yesterday's long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio's incredibly consistent commitment to quality.

Synopsis: A put-upon 27-year-old Japanese office worker travels to the countryside and reminisces about her childhood in Tokyo and what life could have been.

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Ashley Eckstein, Alison Fernandez

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli's most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.

Synopsis: A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager charged with the care of his younger... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: A heart-pumping, breathtaking, wonderfully crafted manga adaptation, The First Slam Dunk shoots and scores.

Synopsis: Shohoku's "speedster" and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, Shinichiro Kamio, Subaru Kimura

Directed By: Takehiko Inoue

Critics Consensus: As beautifully animated as it is emotionally satisfying, Your Name adds another outstanding chapter to writer-director Makoto Shinkai's filmography.

Synopsis: A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies.

Starring: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Laura Post, Glynis Ellis

Directed By: Makoto Shinkai

Critics Consensus: Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie offers a thrilling, beautifully animated gift for fans of the anime -- and a story that holds up as a standalone effort.

Synopsis: When they were children, Rika Orimoto was killed in a traffic accident right before the eyes of her close friend, Yuta Okkotsu. "It's a promise.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kayleigh McKee, Anairis Quiñones, Allegra Clark, Xander Mobus

Directed By: Seong-Hu Park, Sunghoo Park

Critics Consensus: Demon Slayer's visually stunning animation and masterful action set pieces serve a heartfelt plot that is sure to satisfy fans.

Synopsis: Falling forever into an endless dream... Tanjiro and the group have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, and they arrive to their next... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Zach Aguilar, Abby Trott, Aleks Le, Bryce Papenbrook

Directed By: Haruo Sotozaki

Critics Consensus: Kiki's Delivery Service is a heartwarming, gorgeously-rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world.

Synopsis: In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds, Janeane Garofalo

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: In This Corner of the World offers a unique ground-level perspective on an oft-dramatized period in history, further distinguished by beautiful hand-drawn animation.

Synopsis: As she combats her daily struggles In Hiroshima during World War II, an 18-year-old woman gets married and has to maintain the will to live.

Starring: Non, Megumi Han, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Natsuki Inaba

Directed By: Sunao Katabuchi

Critics Consensus: Soulfully exploring thought-provoking themes through a beautifully animated lens, The Boy and the Heron is another Miyazaki masterpiece.

Synopsis: From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Luca Padovan, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.

Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Suzume sees director Makoto Shinkai falling just a bit short of the bar set by previous outings -- but when the results are this visually thrilling and emotionally impactful, it's hard to find much fault.

Synopsis: 17-year-old Suzume's journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu when she encounters a young man who tells her, "I'm looking for a door." What... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Hakuo Matsumoto II

Directed By: Makoto Shinkai

Critics Consensus: A remarkable story brought to life with dazzling animation, Belle finds writer-director Mamoru Hosoda setting a brilliant new benchmark.

Synopsis: Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kylie McNeill, Chace Crawford, Paul Castro Jr., Manny Jacinto

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: A stunning feat of modern animation, Ghost in the Shell offers a thoughtful, complex treat for anime fans, as well as a perfect introduction for viewers new to the medium.

Synopsis: In this Japanese animation, cyborg federal agent Maj. Motoko Kusanagi (Mimi Woods) trails "The Puppet Master" (Abe Lasser), who illegally hacks into the computerized minds... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Richard Epcar, Mimi Woods, William Frederick Knight, Tom Wyner

Directed By: Mamoru Oshii

Critics Consensus: Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli's reputation.

Synopsis: Arrietty, a tiny teenager, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban home, unbeknown to the homeowner and housekeeper. Like others of her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, David Henrie, Will Arnett

Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom

Critics Consensus: My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.

Synopsis: This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly, Lea Salonga

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: The Red Turtle adds to Studio Ghibli's estimable legacy with a beautifully animated effort whose deceptively simple story boasts narrative layers as richly absorbing as its lovely visuals.

Synopsis: Recounting the milestones in the life of a human being through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Barbara Beretta, Tom Hudson G, Emmanuel Garijo, Maud Brethenoux

Directed By: Michael Dudok de Wit

Critics Consensus: With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, Princess Mononoke is a landmark in the world of animation.

Synopsis: A prince becomes involved in the struggle between a forest princess and the encroachment of mechanization.

Starring: Claire Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: The story of an aging movie actress' complicated personal saga unfolds in this sophisticated anime film that deftly blurs memory and make-believe into a meditation on the nature of cinema itself.

Synopsis: In this animated movie, filmmaker Genya Tachibana begins work on a documentary about famed Japanese actress Chiyoko Fujiwara. Now well into old age, Chiyoko has... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Miyoko Shôji, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa, Shôzô Iizuka

Directed By: Satoshi Kon

Critics Consensus: Miss Hokusai illuminates the life and creative legacy of its brilliant subject with a beautifully animated biopic whose absorbing visuals are matched by its narrative grace.

Synopsis: The daughter of a famous artist is constantly overshadowed by him.

Starring: Kumiko Asô, Gaku Hamada, Kengo Kôra, Yutaka Matsushige

Directed By: Keiichi Hara

Critics Consensus: When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn't quite as magical as Studio Ghibli's greatest works.

Synopsis: A tomboy (Hailee Steinfeld) explores a long-abandoned villa and meets a mysterious blonde girl only she can see.

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Kathy Bates, Mila Brener, Ellen Burstyn

Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Critics Consensus: Beautiful and substantive, Tokyo Godfathers adds a moving -- and somewhat unconventional -- entry to the animated Christmas canon.

Synopsis: Middle-aged alcoholic Gin (Toru Emori), teenage runaway Miyuki (Aya Okamoto) and former drag queen Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki) are a trio of homeless people surviving as... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto, Toru Emori

Directed By: Satoshi Kon

Critics Consensus: Exuberant in both its palette and sound, The Colors Within gets the band together to deliver a kaleidoscopic celebration of human connection.

Synopsis: Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sayu Suzukawa, Akari Takaishi, Taisei Kido, Yui Aragaki

Directed By: Naoko Yamada

Critics Consensus: My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising sends fans of the saga on an exhilarating adventure that ends the series on a beautifully animated high note.

Synopsis: Deku and the rest of Class 1-A must save a group of islanders from a villain with an unfathomable quirk.

Starring: Justin Briner, Clifford Chapin, Johnny Yong Bosch, Maxey Whitehead

Directed By: Kenji Nagasaki

Critics Consensus: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.

Synopsis: During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy named Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Noah Cyrus, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Beautifully animated and narratively engaging, Weathering with You further establishes writer-director Makoto Shinkai as a singularly talented filmmaker.

Synopsis: The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu

Directed By: Makoto Shinkai

Critics Consensus: A visually splendid and emotionally resonant anime film that appeals to the child in everyone, The Imaginary is a flight of fancy that audiences won't mind getting swept up in.

Synopsis: Rudger is a boy no one can see, imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz

Directed By: Yoshiyuki Momose

Critics Consensus: Masaaki Yuasa fans will come to Inu-Oh expecting a visual feast -- and this musical animated extravaganza won't leave them disappointed.

Synopsis: From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, hailed by IndieWire as "one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation," comes a revisionist rock... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama, Kenjiro Tsuda, Yutaka Matsushige

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa

Critics Consensus: Akira is strikingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime.

Synopsis: In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tessho Genda

Directed By: Katsuhiro Ohtomo

Critics Consensus: The Boy and the Beast combines familiar parts to create a gripping, beautifully animated adventure with inventive storytelling to match its visual appeal.

Synopsis: Kyuta slips into an alternate universe where he is raised by a bear-man, Kumatetsu. Kyuta is eventually thrust into an adventure which spans both worlds.

Starring: Kumiko Asô, Rirî Furankî, Suzu Hirose, Haru Kuroki

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: Mary and the Witch's Flower honors its creator's Studio Ghibli roots with a gentle, beautifully animated story whose simplicity is rounded out by its entrancing visuals.

Synopsis: Young Mary follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest and discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent

Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Critics Consensus: Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.

Synopsis: Sophie (Emily Mortimer) has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl (Christian Bale), who... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: The Wind Rises is a fittingly bittersweet swan song for director Hayao Miyazaki.

Synopsis: A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki, Gary Rydstrom

Critics Consensus: Following its own brand of logic, Paprika is an eye-opening mind trip that is difficult to follow but never fails to dazzle.

Synopsis: Dr. Atsuko Chiba works as a scientist by day and, under the code name "Paprika," is a dream detective at night. Atsuko and her colleagues... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cindy Robinson, Yuri Lowenthal, Michael Forest, David Lodge

Directed By: Satoshi Kon

Critics Consensus: Gentle and nostalgic, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli's sweeter efforts -- and if it doesn't push the boundaries of the genre, it remains as engagingly lovely as Ghibli fans have come to expect.

Synopsis: Yokohama teens try to save their school's clubhouse from being demolished.

Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Jun'ichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Yuriko Ishida

Directed By: Goro Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: A remarkable technical achievement, Metropolis' eye-popping visuals more than compensate for its relatively routine story.

Synopsis: Visually stunning Japanese anime interpretation of Fritz Lang's classic film, also based on Osamu Tezuka's outstanding 1945 illustrations. A Japanese detective and his young nephew... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tarô Ishida, Kousei Tomita, Kei Kobayashi, Yuka Imoto

Directed By: Rintaro

Critics Consensus: Dragon Ball Super: Broly may seem like colorful chaos to newcomers, but for longtime fans, it represents this long-running franchise near its action-packed apogee.

Synopsis: Goku and Vegeta encounter Broly, a Saiyan warrior.

Starring: Vic Mignogna, Christopher Sabat, Jason Douglas, Sean Schemmel

Directed By: Tatsuya Nagamine

Critics Consensus: Perfect Blue is overstylized, but its core mystery is always compelling, as are the visual theatrics.

Synopsis: A mysterious figure stalks a pop star when she becomes an actor on a television show.

Starring: Bridget Hoffman, Stephen Apostolina, Bob Buchholz, Steve Bulen

Directed By: Satoshi Kon

Critics Consensus: Lu Over the Wall can be more fun to watch than to follow, but director Masaaki Yuasa's distinctive visual style offers colorful compensation for an occasionally scattered story.

Synopsis: Kai is a lonely teenage boy who lives in a small fishing village. One day, he meets and befriends Lu, a fun-loving mermaid whose singing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kanon Tani, Shôta Shimoda, Shin'ichi Shinohara, Akira Emoto

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa

Critics Consensus: Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms anchors its colorfully imaginative fantasy setting in universal -- and deeply poignant -- real-world themes.

Starring: Manaka Iwami, Miyu Irino, Ai Kayano, Yuuki Kaji

Directed By: Mari Okada

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yumi Kawai, Mizuki Yoshida

Directed By: Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A fourth-grade student investigates when penguins appear in his village.

Starring: Kana Kita, Yû Aoi, Miki Fukui, Megumi Han

Directed By: Hiroyasu Ishida

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the "Don Glees," an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Adam McArthur, Nick Wolfhard, Jonathan Leon, Victoria Grace

Directed By: Atsuko Ishizuka

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: With dreams of diving abroad, Tsuneo gets a job assisting Josee, an artist whose imagination takes her far beyond her wheelchair. But when the tide... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Taishi Nakagawa, Kaya Kiyohara, Yume Miyamoto, Kazuyuki Okitsu

Directed By: Kotaro Tamura

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Dai Miyamoto's life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. A former high school basketball player, Dai picks up a saxophone and begins... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yuki Yamada, Shôtarô Mamiya, Amane Okayama

Directed By: Yuzuru Tachikawa

Critics Consensus: Storming the big screen with Demon Slayer's most polished presentation yet, Infinity Castle is a stirring beginning to this franchise's bloody climax.

Synopsis: Tanjiro Kamado -- a boy who joined an organization dedicated to hunting down demons called the Demon Slayer Corps after his younger sister Nezuko was... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Directed By: Haruo Sotozaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Nishi travels to heaven and back.

Starring: Koji Imada, Sayaka Maeda, Takashi Fujii, Seiko Takuma

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: When you're a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock 'n roll. Having no skill, money, or... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shintarô Sakamoto, Ren Komai, Tomoya Maeno, Tateto Serizawa

Directed By: Kenji Iwaisawa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: When a dark power enshrouds the Earth after a total solar eclipse, the scattered Sailor Guardians must reunite to bring light back into the world.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kotono Mitsuishi, Hisako Kanemoto, Rina Sato, Ami Koshimizu

Directed By: Chiaki Kon

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: While writing other people’s emotions, she may have neglected her own. Violet Evergarden, the child soldier turned Auto Memory Doll, writes letters that evoke the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Yui Ishikawa, Daisuke Namikawa

Directed By: Taichi Ishidate

Critics Consensus: It may not be the best entry point for newcomers, but One Piece Film Red offers everything fans of the franchise will be looking for.

Synopsis: Uta -- the most beloved singer in the world. Renowned for concealing her own identity when performing, her voice has come to be described as... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi

Directed By: Goro Taniguchi

Critics Consensus: Visually dazzling and narratively exhilarating, Promare is a colorful thrill ride that should entertain adult anime enthusiasts as well as the teens in its target audience.

Synopsis: Thirty years has passed since the appearance of Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Kametz, Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld

Directed By: Hiroyuki Imaishi

Critics Consensus: Revving up the carnage while maintaining a perversely sweet emotional core, Chainsaw Man's big screen debut is a bloody feast rendered in eye-popping animation.

Synopsis: For the first time, Chainsaw Man slashes his way onto the big screen in an epic, action-fueled adventure that continues the hugely popular anime series.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kikunosuke Toya, Shiori Izawa, Tomori Kusunoki, Shōgo Sakata

Directed By: Tatsuya Yoshihara

Critics Consensus: With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli's unique strengths.

Synopsis: Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this entrancing tale by renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, World War I flying ace Marco Pagot mysteriously turns from a man into a pig... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Keaton, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, Cary Elwes

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in "Nyallywood," the movie-making capital of the world. Although she's known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hiroya Shimizu, Konomi Kohara, Rinka Otani, Ai Kakuma

Directed By: Takayuki Hirao

Critics Consensus: Blending beautifully animated action with fresh character development, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is everything fans of the franchise will be looking for.

Synopsis: The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kyle Hebert, Sean Schemmel, Robert McCollum, Christopher Sabat

Directed By: Tetsuro Kodama

Critics Consensus: As beautifully crafted as it is powerfully written, A Silent Voice looks at teen bullying from a soberingly hard-hitting perspective that's uncommon for the animated medium.

Synopsis: After transferring into a new school, a deaf girl, Shoko Nishimiya, is bullied by the popular Shoya Ishida. As Shoya continues to bully Shoko, the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Megumi Han, Yui Ishikawa

Directed By: Naoko Yamada

Critics Consensus: Featuring visually striking CGI animation of its famed characters, Lupin III:The First is a charming and old-fashioned adventure romp.

Synopsis: A master thief and his underworld companions race against time to uncover the secrets of a dark diary.

Starring: Doug Erholtz, Laurie Hymes, Kanichi Kurita, Lex Lang

Directed By: Takashi Yamazaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this animated feature, Arsene Lupin III, the world's most daring thief, pulls off a heist at a Monte Carlo casino. But, when he discovers... View Full Synopsis

Starring: David Hayter, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Ivan Buckley, Bridget Hoffman

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: Wolf Children is a singularly lyrical anime that blends naturalistic details and nostalgic sentiment to craft a beautifully complex exploration of the joys and trials of parenthood.

Synopsis: College student Hana falls in love with a "wolf man" and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family's happy... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kumiko Asô, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Miyazaki, Tadashi Nakamura

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Based on the manga with the same title, this animated film follows Shizuku, an inquisitive young girl and a voracious reader, who longs to be... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brittany Snow, David Gallagher, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Cary Elwes

Directed By: Yoshifumi Kondo

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Hoping to be the best hero he can be, high school student Izuku Midoriya confronts a villain who imitates the hero he's long admired.

Starring: Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Ayane Sakura, Yuki Kaji

Directed By: Tensai Okamura, Kôhei Horikoshi

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: He's a spy. She's an assassin. Together, Loid and Yor keep their double lives to themselves while pretending to be the perfect family. However, their... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Takuya Eguchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Saori Hayami, Kenichirou Matsuda

Directed By: Takashi Katagiri

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Starring: Yûichi Nagashima, Hiroaki Hirata, Katsuhisa Hoki, Akemi Okamura

Directed By: Takashi Otsuka

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Surf-loving college student Hinako must find joy and purpose in life again, after a terrible tragedy results in the death of her firefighter boyfriend Minato.

Starring: Ryôta Katayose, Rina Kawaei

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The line between human and animal starts to blur after a girl transforms herself into a cat.

Starring: Mirai Shida, Natsuki Hanae, Hiroaki Ogi, Koichi Yamadera

Directed By: Junichi Sato, Tomotaka Shibayama

Critics Consensus: While it could stand to be a lot more enlightened in its treatment of its protagonist, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is also a sensitive and refreshingly honest look at adolescence.

Synopsis: Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shinobu Ôtake, Cocomi, Natsuki Hanae, Ikuji Nakamura

Directed By: Ayumu Watanabe, Kenichiro Akimoto

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world's ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This final movie version was created as an alternative ending to the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION TV series, remaking the final two episodes from the series.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi

Directed By: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The Urashima Tunnel can grant any wish... for a price. High school boy Kaoru, plagued by a troubled past, teams up with Anzu, a girl... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Oji Suzuka, Marie Iitoyo, Tasuku Hatanaka, Arisa Komiya

Directed By: Tomohisa Taguchi, Kanji Miyake

Critics Consensus: Inventively animated, boldly creative, and refreshingly ambitious, The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl should resonate deeply with fans of outré anime.

Synopsis: A young girl embarks on an insanely long night of partying where she interacts with an increasingly eccentric cast of characters.

Starring: Kana Hanazawa, Gen Hoshino, Hiroshi Kamiya, Ryûji Akiyama

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this anime film, Jubei, a highly skilled ninja, is coerced into slaying his own clan of warriors. After begrudgingly killing his fellow swordsmen, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gôri

Directed By: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The arrival of a pretty transfer student from Tokyo sets in motion a change in the relationship between two best friends.

Starring: Nobuo Tobita, Toshihiko Seki, Yoko Sakamoto, Yuri Amano

Directed By: Tomomi Mochizuki

Critics Consensus: Sweetly charming and beautifully animated, The Cat Returns offers anime adventure suitable for the very young and young at heart.

Synopsis: High school student Haru rescues a cat that was about to be run over by a truck and discovers the cat is actually a prince... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Kristen Bell, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle

Directed By: Hiroyuki Morita

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A collection of nine short films features stories related to The Matrix.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, James Arnold Taylor

Directed By: Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike

Critics Consensus: Fun for newcomers and existing fans alike, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission is an entertaining interlude between seasons of the series.

Synopsis: Japan's greatest heroes must track down the mastermind behind a deadly chemical attack.

Starring: Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuki Kaji, Tetsu Inada

Directed By: Kenji Nagasaki

Critics Consensus: An imaginative and thoughtfully engaging anime film with a highly effective visual design. This coming-of-age comedy drama has mad inventiveness to spare.

Synopsis: Makoto is a typical teenage girl who spends most of her days slacking off with friends. One day while rushing to meet her aunt, she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Shape-shifting raccoons band together to save their forest homeland from the bulldozers of greedy land developers.

Starring: Kokondei Shinchou, Makoto Nonomura, Yuriko Ishida, Norihei Miki

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Poupelle of Chimney Town is the story of young Lubicchi living among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town, yearning to see... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Masataka Kubota, Mana Ashida, Shinosuke Tatekawa, Eiko Koike

Directed By: Yusuke Hirota

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Gokû (Masako Nozawa) and Vegeta (Ryo Horikawa) must protect Earth from the resurrected Frieza and his army of soldiers.

Starring: Masako Nozawa, Ryo Horikawa, Koichi Yamadera, Masakazu Morita

Directed By: Tadayoshi Yamamuro

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Batman, along with his allies and adversaries, finds himself transported from modern a Gotham City to feudal Japan.

Starring: Roger Craig Smith, Tony Hale, Tara Strong, Grey DeLisle

Directed By: Junpei Mizusaki

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Best friends in their last year of high school realize there is no such thing as being together forever.

Starring: Atsumi Tanezaki, Nao Tōyama, Miyu Honda, Konomi Fujimura

Directed By: Naoko Yamada

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Mari Illustrious-Makinami pilots Provisional Unit-05 to defeat the excavated Third Angel. Asuka Langley-Shikinami and EVA-02 defeat the Seventh Angel. The Eighth Angel appears and attacks... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura

Directed By: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki

Critics Consensus: Family drama mixes with virtual online action in the breezy and entertaining Summer Wars.

Synopsis: Kenji is a shy, part-time moderator for OZ, the virtual reality world that powers everyday life, until pretty and popular Natsuki recruits him to be... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: Sweet, sad, and visually striking, A Letter to Momo is a hand-drawn experience for animation fans to savor.

Synopsis: Momo is recovering from her father's death and her mother's decision to move their family from Tokyo to a remote island when she discovers a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nishida Toshiyuki, Yoshisada Sakaguchi, Koichi Yamadera, Yuka

Directed By: Hiroyuki Okiura

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Adolescents called the Kildren fight a war for fun.

Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shôsuke Tanihara, Ryô Kase

Directed By: Mamoru Oshii

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Four talented alien musicians are kidnapped by a record producer who disguises them as humans. Shep, a space pilot in love with bass player Stella,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Romanthony, Todd Edwards, Thomas Bangalter, DJ Sneak

Directed By: Daisuke Nishio, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Leiji Matsumoto, Hirotoshi Rissen

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Two brothers wage an ongoing battle to protect their decaying city from villains.

Starring: Yû Aoi, Kazunari Ninomiya, Yusuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô

Directed By: Michael Arias

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High's volleyball club to be like his idol, a former Karasuno player known as the "Little Giant." But, Hinata soon finds... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ayumu Murase, Kaito Ishikawa, Fumiyoshi Shioya, Hiroshi Kamiya

Directed By: Susumu Mitsunaka

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Patema and Age leave their community's tunnels to find out why gravity was reversed by an energy experiment.

Starring: Yukiyo Fujii, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Shintarô Oohata, Shinya Fukumatsu

Directed By: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's tale of the adventures of a hobbit on a quest to regain a dwarf king's gold.

Starring: Orson Bean, John Huston, Otto Preminger, Cyril Ritchard

Directed By: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Critics Consensus: Vampire Hunter D's gothic charms may be lost on those unfamiliar with the anime series that spawned it, but the crisp action and nightmarish style will satiate horror aficionados' bloodlust.

Synopsis: In a dark and distant future, when the undead have arisen from apocalyptic ashes, an original story unfolds. Ten thousand years in the future, vampires... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andrew Philpot, John Rafter Lee, Pamela Adlon, Wendee Lee

Directed By: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A daredevil driver falls for an alluring woman as he tries to win a race that occurs only once every five years.

Starring: Patrick Seitz, Michelle Ruff, Mark Allen Jr., Cutter Mitchell

Directed By: Takeshi Koike

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Kosuke and Natsume have been friends since childhood, but as time goes on the relationship between the two sixth graders seems strained as they keep... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mutsumi Tamura, Asami Seto, Daiki Yamashita, Kana Hanazawa

Directed By: Hiroyasu Ishida

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Mars is under siege! Just before Halloween 2071, a terrorist bomb destroys a tanker truck on Highway One, close to a densely populated crater city.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada

Directed By: Tensai Okamura, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Shinichirô Watanabe, Yoshiyuki Takei

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A young girl dreams of a world called Heartland, a place where she has magic powers. When her events in Heartland begin to parallel her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mitsuki Takahata, Yosuke Eguchi, Rie Kugimiya, Shinnosuke Mitsushima

Directed By: Kenji Kamiyama

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A Hobbit faces the powers of darkness as he tries to destroy the Ring of Doom. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels.

Starring: William Conrad, Orson Bean, Theodore Bikel, Paul Frees

Directed By: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Critics Consensus: The animation is lovely, but the plot is complex to the point of inscrutability, leaving Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence both original and numbing.

Synopsis: A mostly mechanical cyborg and his human-looking partner track robotic sex dolls that have murdered their masters.

Starring: Akio Ôtsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, Koichi Yamadera, Tamio Ôki

Directed By: Mamoru Oshii

Critics Consensus: An animated adventure perhaps best appreciated as a visual experience, Children of the Sea is strikingly lovely if less than satisfying on a narrative level.

Synopsis: When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Ashida Mana, Hiiro Ishibashi, Uragami Seishuu, Morisaki Win

Directed By: Ayumu Watanabe, Ken'ichi Konishi