Animated movies come in all shapes and sizes, but the best are designed to restore a bit of faith in humanity. Going back to the earliest days of cinema, filmmakers have been using animation to tell a wide variety of stories. Western audiences mostly view animation as a children’s medium, but other parts of the world take a different approach.
Animation isn’t a genre, but more of a platform for stories. Because of this, there are animated films in every genre, from the most frightening horror tales to the most family-friendly comedies. However, a trend emerges in the field of animation that seems to be universal. Cartoons are often best when they uplift the audiences in some way or another.
Because films are an expression of the human experience, animated movies use their unique approach to plumb the depths of humanity. Unburdened by the shackles of reality, many animated films can get to the heart of the matter and tell stories that restore faith in the world. However, these uplifting movies approach that goal in wildly different ways.
Anomalisa (2015)
In his own weird way, writer/director Charlie Kaufman often weaves stories about the persistence of hope in the face of loneliness, and Anomalisa fulfills that theme. A lonely public speaker who sees everyone with the same face, meets a woman at a hotel who has unique features. Symbolic and strange, Anomalisa is a wholly adult stop-motion film.
It intentionally contrasts animation with adult themes, which effectively gets its point across. Using pitch-black humor, Anomalisa showcases the idea that hope is always worth holding out for in the long run. Its complex storytelling is anything but black-and-white, but viewers leave with a little bit more than they came in with.
Robot Dreams (2023)
With its flat, 2D animation style, Robot Dreams has an unassuming exterior that hides a truly fascinating inner world. In a version of New York City inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, a dog befriends a robot, but the duo are separated, which leads to hard lessons about loss and friendship. While being charming in equal measure, Robot Dreams is heartbreaking.
Despite not actually containing any human characters, Robot Dreams restores faith in humanity by showing that sadness and change aren’t always bad. The film reinforces the idea that even trying times can produce positive results. It never tips its hand too far in the direction of family film or adult animation, and that helps make its messaging more pointed.
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2021)
Blending live-action and animation together, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On mostly flew under the radar back in 2021. The film concerns a documentarian who meets a talking shell who lives with his grandmother and dreams of reuniting with his family. Quirky and warm, Marcel the Shell snagged yet another Oscar nomination for A24.
The film hits all the right beats, including the importance of family and the dangers of hubris. It warns viewers about the fickle nature of the world, but does so without being entirely hopeless. Instead of relying on nostalgia, Marcel the Shell is uniquely modern, so it has even more impact on 21st century viewers.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Satoshi Kon only made a handful of films in his career, but each one pushed animation in new directions. Tokyo Godfathers follows a trio of homeless people who find an abandoned baby and go on a whirlwind adventure. Noted for its kindness to marginalized groups like the trans community and the unhoused, the film is an underseen Christmas classic.
The beautiful anime-style drawing captures a whimsical version of Tokyo, and it creates an inviting atmosphere for the story to play out. Though tense, dramatic, and sometimes downright shocking, Tokyo Godfathers is a hopeful story through and through. It shows the best in all of its complicated characters, something many great uplifting films struggle with.
Persepolis (2007)
There aren’t too many biographical war dramas in the animation sphere, and Persepolis remains a unique addition to this day. Marjane Satrapi recounts her experience growing up in Iran with the political turmoil of the ’70s and ’80s raging behind her. The simplistic animation imbues every moment with ripe symbolism, and it’s a darkly engrossing ride.
Though the film is bleak from start to finish, Marjane’s story is one of hope and survival. The fact that the story even exists is a miracle, and the film celebrates that to the fullest. Persepolis is uplifting because it shows just how persistent humanity can be even in the face of truly horrible circumstances.
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Studio Ghibli is one of the most respected producers of animated films in history, and My Neighbor Totoro helped put them on the map. Two sisters befriend a forest spirit after they move to the countryside to be with their ailing mother. From its bucolic setting to its boundless imagination, the film was designed to be as uplifting as possible.
Perfect for younger viewers, it is funny, dramatic, and a little scary. The story might not be particularly deep, but the sheer beauty of its execution is a triumph in itself. Like a lot of Studio Ghibli movies, My Neighbor Totoro has a restorative power that comes from the simple fact that such a wonderful film even exists.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Often considered one of the greatest cult classics of the 1990s, The Iron Giant has stood the test of time. A young boy discovers and befriends a giant robot at the height of the Cold War, and must protect him from the government. Arrestingly rendered and perfectly scripted, The Iron Giant rivals many of its live-action contemporaries in complexity.
The film is summed up by the quote “You are who you chose to be“, and it has lessons for all ages. Heroism is a common theme in animated films, but The Iron Giant shows that heroism exists within anyone who chooses to do the right thing. The film uplifts because it aims to inspire the viewer to be themselves.
Up (2009)
Pixar was on a roll in the Aughts, and the studio ended the decade with one of their greatest films. A widower concocts a plan to fly his house to South America via balloons, and accidentally takes along a young hitchhiker. Opening with the saddest scene in Disney/Pixar history, the film then reinvigorates the spirit for the next 90 minutes.
Despite being tinged with sadness, Up restores faith in humanity because it shows that it’s never too late to go on one last adventure. Carl is a one-of-a-kind hero because he is quite prickly, and the audience watches him open himself up to happiness as the film progresses. Viewers learn through Carl that hope is never truly out of reach.
Wall-E (2008)
Perhaps Disney/Pixar’s most ambitious film ever, Wall-E is a restorative cinematic experience from start to finish. A trash-collecting robot left on Earth finds a plant and goes on an interstellar adventure on a ship containing the last of humanity. Most of the film is entirely without dialogue, but it tells a better story than even the wordiest films in history.
Wall-E’s plucky spirit and hopeful demeanor is an inspiration, and the movie subverts many of the worst traits of humanity. The film imparts its lessons while empowering the viewer to make positive changes, and that is its greatest strength. Add in a cute love story and an exciting climax, and Wall-E puts most other movies to shame.
Spirited Away (2001)
Animation may have peaked with Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, and the supernatural adventure story continues to thrill decades later. After her parents are turned into pigs, a young girl must delve into a magical underworld that exists just outside of view. With its surreal plot and stunning visuals, Spirited Away is a masterpiece.
Instead of giving the viewer a rigid track to follow, Spirited Away engages the audience to think hard about what’s most magical about real life. The film perfectly recreates the whimsy and mystery of growing up, and each rewatch reveals something new. It’s impossible not to feel uplifted after seeing an animated movie like Spirited Away.
