While most animated films are designed with computers today, it wasn't always this way.
Much earlier in movie history, animated films were created by assembling a series of hand-drawn frames. While this technique is still used at times, the current era of animation in North America is dominated by CGI.
The big shift from traditional animation to computer animation began to take place after Pixar released the first-ever fully computer-animated film in 1995, Toy Story. As great as this film is, there were many strong traditionally animated films that came before (and even after) it that should not be overlooked.
Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list entitled “Top 100 Animation Movies." Each film's place on the list is determined by its Tomatometer Score (the number of negative and positive critic reviews), the number of ratings it has, and the year it was released. While the list also includes computer-animated films, we’ll be sharing the best films that were fully or mostly traditionally animated.
With that said, it’s time to rewind the time and look back at the best hand-drawn features of all time.
Your Name (2017): 98%
The newest film to make the lineup is 2017's Your Name.
This Japanese romantic fantasy tells of a big-city high school boy and a small-town teen girl whose souls begin to randomly enter each other's bodies. Not long after this event starts happening, the pair decides they should meet in person.
Spirited Away (2002): 97%
Another popular Japanese anime film to make the list is 2001's Spirited Away.
This fantasy catches up with 10-year-old Chihiro, who must figure out how to turn her parents human again after they are transformed into large pigs. Along the way, Chihiro meets a mysterious figure named Haku, who explains that her parents' souls have been taken to a resting place.
The Iron Giant (1999): 96%
Far before Brad Bird was creating The Incredibles, he was directing this '90s sci-fi action feature.
Set during the Cold War, The Iron Giant has the young Hogarth Hughes coming across a friendly robot that has fallen from space. Teaming together with a beatnik artist, Hogarth tries to keep the robot safe from the U.S. military, which aims to destroy him.
101 Dalmatians (1961): 98%
Is there such a thing as too many puppies? This classic Disney animation doesn't seem to think so.
101 Dalmatians tells of a bachelor Dalmatian, Pongo, who ends up falling for a dog named Perdita after their owners meet. Thankfully, the owners end up getting married, so Pongo and Perdita can stay together as well.
The two are happy caring for their litter of 15 puppies. However, their quaint life gets interrupted after the evil Cruella De Vil plots to steal the dogs for their fur.
Yellow Submarine (1968): 97%
This British animation brought The Beatles to the big screen.
Yellow Submarine, which is based on the music of The Beatles, sees the residents of Pepperland dealing with hate from the Blue Meanies due to their music-loving nature. Because of the tension, The Lord Mayor of Pepperland recruits John, Paul, George, and Ringo to ride a submarine to the location and win over the Meanies with song.
Beauty And The Beast (1991): 94%
While Beauty and the Beast featured some computer-generated backgrounds, the hand-drawn characters remain centric, hence the reason it's getting a shout-out here.
The 1991 romantic fantasy tells of a young French maiden who stumbles into an enchanted castle one evening. While she becomes a prisoner of the Beast who lives there, it's not long before she realizes there could be a man behind the monster.
Only Yesterday (1991): 100%
The highest-rated Japanese film to make the list is the 1991 drama Only Yesterday.
The movie catches up with a 27-year-old woman, Taeko, who works in Tokyo but remains unmarried. While visiting her sister in the countryside, she ends up having flashbacks to a childhood that make her reconsider whether her current life is what she wanted all along.
Dumbo (1941): 98%
Did you ever see an elephant fly?
1941's Dumbo follows a young circus elephant who is teased for his giant ears. However, the titular character soon learns that he can use his ears to soar through the sky. While everyone becomes impressed by Dumbo's special talent, he himself tries to use it for something bigger.
Pinocchio (1940): 100%
In Pinnochio, wood-carver Geppetto creates a puppet that is brought to life by the Blue Fairy one night. She gives him the wise Jiminy Cricket as a conscience and tells him that he can become a real boy if he proves that he is "brave, truthful, and unselfish."
Unfortunately, Pinnochio must first escape the glitz and terror of Pleasure Island.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937): 98%
The first-ever full-length hand-drawn animated film also happens to be the greatest. While Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a marvel at the time of its release, the film's story and characters remain beloved today.
Based on the Grimm fairytale of the same name, the musical fantasy sees the wicked queen growing jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty. Because of this, she plots a murder.
While the kind Snow White makes it out alive, she must stay in hiding. She finds an escape at the cottage of seven dwarfs who work as miners.