The 2010s were a fantastic decade for animation, producing many films now considered among the best of the 21st century. But while some of these movies are still widely celebrated, others didn’t receive as much attention and were largely forgotten, even if they initially received some praise.
The 2010s produced many beloved animated films that continue to resonate with audiences. How to Train Your Dragon was a major success for DreamWorks, taking the studio to new heights. Wreck-It Ralph proved Disney could create more than just princess stories and helped them compete with other animation studios. Inside Out is widely considered a Pixar masterpiece, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse revolutionized animation techniques.
Lots of fantastic movies don’t get the attention they deserve. While films like Coco are popular, others, like another animated movie celebrating the Day of the Dead, are just as good but often overlooked. Similarly, though Wallace and Gromit are well-loved, many people missed Aardman’s 2012 film. Even a superhero movie that won an Oscar has faded from memory, with most people only remembering Spider-Man. These animated films, in particular, deserve more recognition.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
Aardman Studios received an Oscar in 2005 for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, a highly acclaimed stop-motion animated film. The movie was a huge hit and is still considered one of the best animated films of the 2000s. While it finally brought Aardman the recognition they earned, it appears that American audiences primarily know and discuss Wallace & Gromit, and to a lesser extent, Shaun the Sheep.
Back in 2012, the studio released a charming animated pirate film called The Pirates! Band of Misfits. While often overlooked, it’s actually quite good! Hugh Grant brilliantly voices the Pirate Captain, a clumsy adventurer determined to be named Pirate of the Year. His journey leads to hilarious encounters with historical figures like Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. The movie received an Oscar nomination and did okay in theaters, but it’s largely been forgotten over time.
The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Peanuts is arguably one of the most well-known and enduring comic strips ever created. Despite this, the 2015 attempt by Blue Sky Studios to revive Charlie Brown and his friends in a new movie wasn’t very successful – it quickly disappeared from theaters and has largely been forgotten. A key issue was the decision to create the film using full CGI animation, which didn’t capture the charm or familiar feel of the original cartoons.
Despite some noticeable computer animation, the movie tells a wonderful story. The script was written by Charles Schulz’s son and grandson, Craig and Bryan, keeping the beloved characters true to their roots. It centers on Charlie Brown trying to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl, and features Snoopy’s imaginative adventures as the Red Baron. While it did very well in theaters, its heartwarming nature and lack of typical modern sarcasm have caused it to be somewhat forgotten over time.
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Everyone raves about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but it wasn’t actually the first Marvel animated movie of the decade, or even the first nominated for an Oscar. In 2014, Disney released Big Hero 6. Though its marketing didn’t mention Marvel, the film is based on a Marvel comic book of the same name. It tells the story of Hiro Hamada and his journey to create a superhero team with a group of young inventors.
The film was a major hit, earning $657.8 million and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. While it didn’t get a sequel and has since faded from public attention with the popularity of the Spider-Verse films, it remains a fantastic movie and one of the best animated superhero films ever made for the big screen.
Rise Of The Guardians (2012)
DreamWorks’ Rise of the Guardians is inspired by William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood book series. Despite being one of DreamWorks’ most visually stunning films from the early 2010s, it didn’t perform well in theaters – a result that’s still hard to understand. The movie tells an engaging story about Jack Frost learning he’s destined to become one of the Guardians, a team dedicated to protecting children and bringing joy during the holidays.
As a film lover, I have to say the cast in this movie is phenomenal! Hugh Jackman is hilarious as an Aussie Easter Bunny, Alec Baldwin nails Santa Claus, Isla Fisher’s Tooth Fairy is full of energy, and even the Sandman adds something special. It’s the kind of film I think you should watch every year around Christmas – and honestly, maybe even at Easter too! It’s a shame it didn’t really succeed when it came out, despite doing okay globally, because it deserves way more love and repeat viewings. People just seemed to forget about it quickly, which is a real loss.
Rango (2011)
Released in 2011, Rango stood out from most animated films. Directed by Gore Verbinski, known for Pirates of the Caribbean, the movie tells the story of Rango, a chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp, who accidentally becomes the sheriff of a small desert town after getting lost. It was also a groundbreaking film as the first animated feature from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and its visuals were remarkably unique and impressive.
The animation in the film Rango was incredibly realistic and detailed, setting it apart from the typically sleek style of movies from studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. It cleverly paid tribute to classic Westerns, offering jokes that both adults and children could enjoy. Despite winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, many kids today aren’t familiar with the film.
Klaus (2019)
Despite being a great Christmas film, Klaus isn’t very well-known. It originally came out on Netflix in 2019 and got lost among all the other content on the platform, which is why many people haven’t seen it.
The animated film Klaus tells the story of how Santa Claus came to be. It follows a self-centered postal worker stationed in a cold, remote town who becomes friends with a lonely toymaker named Klaus. As they connect, both discover the true spirit of Christmas, and the legend of Santa begins. Jason Schwartzman voices the postman, and J.K. Simmons voices Klaus. Remarkably, Klaus was the first animated movie from Netflix to receive an Oscar nomination, despite not being widely known.
The Book Of Life (2014)
Pixar’s Coco was a highly acclaimed musical film from the 2010s, deeply rooted in the traditions of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. However, its popularity overshadowed another movie with similar themes, The Book of Life, which was released three years prior. Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez in his first feature film and produced by Guillermo del Toro, The Book of Life features Diego Luna as Manolo, a bullfighter who longs to be a musician.
The film boasts a strong supporting cast, including Zoe Saldaña, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, and Ron Perlman. The story centers on Manolo and his journey through vibrant afterlife worlds inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead. What really sets it apart is its distinctive animation style—the characters look like handcrafted wooden puppets, giving the film a unique, folk-art feel you won’t find in other major studio productions.
Missing Link (2019)
Laika is well-known for its beautifully made stop-motion films, like the outstanding Kubo and the Two Strings, which many consider the best animated movie of the 2010s. While the studio has a history of success, not every film has been a hit. Missing Link, unfortunately, didn’t perform well in theaters and was a box office failure.
Mr. Link, a friendly and talkative Sasquatch voiced by Zach Galifianakis, teams up with British explorers Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) and Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldaña) on a journey to the Himalayas. Their goal? To find Mr. Link’s Yeti relatives. Although the beautifully made stop-motion animated film cost $100 million to produce, it only earned $26.6 million at the box office. Despite this, it received an Academy Award nomination and made history as the first stop-motion animated film that wasn’t computer-generated to win a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
Abominable (2019)
I absolutely loved Abominable, which came out in 2019! It tells the story of Yi, this awesome teenager living in Shanghai, who discovers a little Yeti on her roof. She calls him Everest and then embarks on an incredible journey to help him get back home to his family on Mount Everest. Knowing it’s from DreamWorks makes sense – they really know how to tell a great story! And the director, Jill Culton, is a pioneer; she was one of the first women to direct a full-length animated film for a major studio with Open Season, which I also enjoyed.
Despite a $75 million production cost, the film earned $188 million at the box office. It’s a deeply moving story about dealing with loss, as the main character, Yi, grieves her father. With its Chinese setting and predominantly Asian cast, this animated film from a Western studio is truly special and deserves wider recognition.
Megamind (2010)
Many critics initially overlooked Megamind because of its voice cast, but it was a truly excellent animated film that started the decade off strong. DreamWorks Animation’s superhero movie features Will Ferrell as Megamind, a blue-skinned supervillain who surprisingly takes center stage, and Brad Pitt as the seemingly perfect hero, Metro Man.
The story centers on Megamind, who finds himself at loose ends after finally defeating his superhero rival, Metro Man. He attempts to create a new hero named Tighten, but things go awry when Tighten becomes a villain, unexpectedly forcing Megamind to play the role of the good guy. While initially successful in theaters, Megamind was quickly overshadowed by the release of Despicable Me just months before, causing it to fade from public memory. Despite this, the film developed a dedicated fanbase and ultimately led to a sequel released on streaming services 14 years later.
2026-07-19 16:52