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Best Animated Films of 2018

I did not think it possible, but unfortunately it came true. 2018 was an even worse year for animation than 2017 and that one was quite weak overall. I found most of the year’s animations overrated and disappointing which left a lot of room for anime features to fill up my personal list which only includes two of the Academy’s nominees, but thankfully their list was better than the previous year’s terrible slate.

5. Flavors of Youth

The animation in Flavors of Youth is terrific across the board and quite lovely in the background work in particular. This anime is an anthology which is quite weakly interconnected and the shorts vary in their quality, but at least they are all pretty solid. The film’s biggest selling point is its tone which is so light, charming and endearing that it came as a refreshment in this day of darker cinema on every corner. It’s also a solid take on the theme of nostalgia.

4. Ruben Brandt, Collector

The fourth place on my list goes to this Hungarian indie flick directed by Milorad Krstic. This is one very intriguing movie which is a heist flick with a killer premise that has some ill-fitting action scenes and odd character designs, but the overall animation is beautiful and the film is a highly artistic experiment that is both creepy and cool while also being mysterious. I particularly appreciated its memorable imagery and authenticity.

3. Ralph Breaks the Internet

Ralph Breaks the Internet is a mess in its second act which is prolonged and weakly paced plus the supporting characters are quite weak, but the main duo of Ralph and Vanellope continues to be amazing and the heart of the film. It’s a very strong sequel overall which is flawed, but solid in its world building, very entertaining and very funny with the Disney Princesses stealing the show in that department. But its treatment of toxic relationships and fleeting friendships made it a truly sophisticated Disney outing.

2. Modest Heroes

The second feature effort from Studio Ponoc is an animated anthology called Modest Heroes which is aptly titled as its storylines explore heroism on a smaller scale. Still it needed more connections and the runtime is ridiculously short, but I really loved the first Hiromasa Yonebayashi directed film with gorgeous animation, I appreciated the inspirational take on allergy in the second short and I admired the artistry of the third segment. They are all gorgeously animated and so well directed.

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The protagonist in this movie is probably the highlight along with the film’s truly impressive mix of 2D and 3D animation. His relationship with his uncle, father and Peter Parker are the highlights of the film and the heart of it. It’s a chaotic and far from great movie owing to its rushed outcome and weaker supporting characters, but in this weak year for animation it got the first place on this list nonetheless. It’s visually striking and different, the action is so cool and a lot of fun plus the humor and dialogue are both strong. For once the Academy chose a good animated film to bestow upon the gold.

Honorable Mentions:

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms – Maquia is certainly overly ambitious for its own sake and ultimately a rushed effort overall, but its theme of motherhood is well utilized and I found the world building truly amazing.

Mirai – Mirai was a huge disappointment for me which saddened me so much. I love its director so much that I expected great things, but I only got a solid movie made mostly for children with little to no value for the adults themselves.

Seder-Masochism – This is another intriguing effort from Nina Paley whose indie sensibilities once again shine here. It’s much weaker than her previous debut as it’s far from inspired, but still I liked its music and its sly wit.