Let’s end the year by watching the best animated movies of 2022 again and reliving a different side of cinematic excellence that can never be achieved in live-action executions. Here are some of the best mind-bending or hilariously tickling animated visuals of the year that we couldn’t get enough of!
Dig into our curated list and let us know which one of these titles left you awestruck, so much so, that you’d watch it again and again.
Best Animated Movies of 2022 That Were a Vision to Behold
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
The Oscar-winning filmmaker brings out a new version of the classic story we all first familiarised ourselves with during our childhoods. The stop-motion fantasy musical on Netflix pushes for del Toro’s finesse to see the light of the day as he intermeshes the dark tones of the story with its bubbling charm, rendering it a unique standout as opposed to older Disney renditions.
DC League of Super-Pets
Unleashing 3D computer animation on the superhero front, DC League of Super-Pets available on Prime Video, puts the focus on Superman’s (voiced by John Krasinski) pet dog, Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and another shelter dog Ace (voiced by Kevin Hart), and makes for a jolly good ride for kids especially. Adults find their fun in the movie in the form of puns and witty remarks, especially with Johnson and Hart’s explosive chemistry being the cherry on top even if only their voices can be heard.
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Minions: The Rise of Gru
Streaming on Prime Video, our favourite gang of Minions joins the teenage Gru for the first time to face-off against the Vicious 6 in their signature entertaining package of comedy and action sequences. Being a carefree watch, it doesn’t let you down in comedy arena and knows just how to keep up with the fun factor.
Turning Red
Possibly one of the most heartwarming family movies in general as well, Turning Red, now available on Disney+ Hotstar is the perfect coming of age story Pixar has ever come out with. The name as well as the 13-year-old Meilin Lee’s transformation into a giant red panda is taken on as creative liberty by the film to represent the shifts experienced by young girls during puberty. Plus, the plot of the story is driven largely by the relationship shared between Meilin and her mother, yet another affectionate fuel that makes the film as poignant as it is.
My Father’s Dragon
Led by Jacob Tremblay’s voice as Elmer and Gaten Matarazzo’s as Boris the dragon, this Netflix adventurous animation turns back the clocks with its 2D visuals, reminding us all of the old cartoons we grew up with. Elmer sets out in search of Dragon on Wild Island, but his journey grants a lot more than he could’ve ever imagined. Based on the 1948 novel by Ruth Stiles Gannett, this adaptation has been directed by Nora Twomey, and its leading duo has to be its soulful charm.
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Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
With an overt live-action countenance, Marcel, one-inch-tall shell catches you off guard. Living with grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan, they’re now the last standing survivors after a tragedy struck down their entire shell community. A documentary filmmaker comes across this small family and shoots a short films of their life, attracting major attention to Marcel. In this adventure of self-discovery as well finding connections in the the improbable nooks of life, Marcel’s story bursts open tons of emotions.
Inu-Oh
Based on the book Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa, the Japanese fantasy musical film is set in the 14th century and builds up a friendship between Inu-Oh, a dancer with peculiar physical traits and Tomona, a blind musician. Bringing on an innovative daring style of storytelling and visuals, the film centers around the coming together of the eccentric duo that leaves the audience mesmerised with its performance that combines hard-rock elements with history in the most colourful manner possible.
Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood
Ever wanted to walk on the moon when you were a child? Well, in this Netflix fictional coming-of-age space saga set in 1969, history is reset as a fourth-grader accomplishes the dream of secretly training to reach the Moon.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
In this spin-off of the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots finds footing again after delivering previous okay-ish instalment. Puss has already lived out eight out nine of his lives, and sets out an adventure of a lifetime in search of the Last Wish myth to regain his nine lives once more. Dreamworks delivers the kitty folk hero’s dark side in this hilarious and introspective conquest that makes for a top-notch sequel.
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe
Out on Paramount+, yet another 2D animation sentences the titular duo to a space camp, who when met with a black hole are thrown 24 years into the future of iPhones, eventually becoming targets of the Deep State. Never leaving a single boring moment, this one will make you laugh harder than you could’ve anticipated.
The Sea Beast
Karl Urban steps aside from The Boys to dive into Netflix’s computer animation as a renowned sea monster hunter alongside a young girl as they head into unfamiliar territories and come face to face with a beast, forming unlikely friendship ties.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie
Streaming on Apple TV and based on the TV series Bob’s Burgers, the 2022 animated musical comedy shows the efforts put in by the Belchers to save their restaurant from shutting down due to a major setback on their path. The kids, however, are out on a different mission to solve mystery to attain the same goal. Even if you haven’t watched a single episode of the original show, it still makes for a breezy watch that’ll leave you with enough puns and funny moments.
Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Making the most of the live-action and animated fusion, Chip and Dale return to make “a comeback” thirty years post their show’s finale. One of the cast members vanishes and now it’s all up to the evergreen duo join forces again and save their friend. Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, John Mulaney and Andy Samberg lend their voices to the eponymous chipmunks in this nostalgia blockbuster bursting with numerous cameos that take you back to your childhood while the movie works its magic as a laughter riot.
Wendell and Wild
Key and Peele reunite for Netflix’s stop motion animated horror comedy, which isn’t necessarily dripping with the horror element and but the movie stands as a testament to the visual brilliance of stop motion when done right. The titular characters are two demon brothers who plot a scheme by reeling in 13-year-old Kat’s help to summon them to the Land of Living. The reason why this movie made it to the list despite it having an underwhelming storyline is its visual appeal.
Entergalactic
Netflix’s adult animated movie is actually a music TV special created by musician Kid Cudi, who also voices the main character in the film. The visual style of the TV event is quite similar to what we’ve witnessed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. On the surface, it leads with a romantic comedy storyline between Jabari and Meadow, one that we may be familiar with, but inherently it pops off as refreshingly creative owing to its imaginative soundscape and colourful spectacle on screen.
Have you watched all of these animated movies released in 2022? Which one of these stands at the top of your must-watch list? Would you recommend any of these titles to your contacts? Is there any other film that we should’ve added to the list, but may have missed out on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.