“Whisper of the Heart” (1995) directed by Yoshifumi Kondō

Animated by Studio Ghibli, this sweet romance movie is about the joy and complications of a first love and committing yourself to your goals.

The movie focuses on the character Shizuku as she must make the decision of what she wants to do with her life and deal with her first romance at the same time.

Even though the main character is in her last year of middle school, not higher education, as a college student also trying to figure out what I’ll be doing when I graduate, this movie has only become more relevant and comforting with age.

Genre: Romance Rating: PG Available on: Amazon Prime

“Song of the Sea” (2014) directed by Tomm Moore

Any movie from the Cartoon Saloon animation studio can be guaranteed to feature a heartwarming story shown with beautiful landscapes and flawless hand-drawn 2D animation.

“Song of the Sea” is based off of the Irish mythological stories of selkies, and follows a young boy and his sister in their journey to return back to the lighthouse where they live with their father, and the faeries and spirits that they encounter along the way.

This movie is a sweet story that is unexpectedly emotional and is almost certainly guaranteed to make at least one member of your family cry at the ending. 

Genre: Fantasy Rating: PG Available on: Amazon Prime, Hulu

“The Triplets of Belleville” (2003) directed by Sylvain Chomet

This film embraces a traditionally French style of gloomy and odd humor, resulting in a strange but ultimately charming story about a woman and her dog on a search to find her son, a competitive bicyclist who has been kidnapped.

The adventure story introduces a cast of characters so unique and strange that, despite the grey and dull colors the film uses for its scenes, the story cannot be taken completely seriously. “The Triplets of Belleville” is the most bizarre and fascinating film that I have watched in the last year, with its surprising sense of humor and stylistically warped 2D animation style that cannot be forgotten easily. 

Genre: Adventure Rating: PG-13 Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix

“Boy and the World” (2014) directed by Alê Abreu

Out of all the films on this list, “Boy and the World” could be considered the most experimental in style. The vibrant colors that the film is painted in do not undermine the serious subject that the movie tackles, using brilliantly colored animated scenes shown from a child’s perspective to illustrate the impacts that global trade has in places that are not considered first-world countries.

The bright multicolored scenery and lack of understandable words in this movie (all language in the movie is in Portuguese played backwards) make it the perfect movie to watch if you want to watch something new and artsy or even if you just want background noise for creating a new town in Animal Crossing.

Genre: Adventure Rating: PG Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix

“Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016) directed by Travis Knight

An underrated film from Laika Studios, the company that animated “Coraline,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” is a movie that was nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects at the 2016 Academy Awards for its intricate and detailed stop-motion animation.

Based on Japanese mythology, the story follows a young boy who has a magical shamisen (a three stringed instrument) and his quest, accompanied by two talking creatures, to reclaim his late father’s armor and save his village from his grandfather, the Moon King.

You can visit the Laika website to find out more about Laika’s process of putting the film together. 

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy Rating: PG Available on: iTunes

 “Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out” (1989) directed by Nick Park

This is the first film in a four-part stop-motion series featuring Wallace, his dog Gromit and their fantastic inventions. In this movie, Wallace and Gromit create their own spaceship in their home and fly it to the moon in search of the finest cheese they can find.

As a result of both its simple but satisfying humor, the Wallace and Gromit films have become classic movies to watch when you’re feeling a little bit nostalgic or if you want a good laugh. However, it may leave you craving some good cheese.

Genre: Comedy Rating: G Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix

 “Persepolis” (2007) directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

“Persepolis” is a 2D animated film entirely in black and white, based on an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi.

It is a dark film which follows the story of Satrapi as she grows up during the Iranian Revolution and goes through her own teenage rebellion, as well as detailing the horrors that Iran faced at the time.

If you don’t believe that animation can handle serious subjects, look no farther than this movie to prove you wrong. 

Genre: Autobiography Rating: PG-13 Available on: Amazon Prime