Since the mid-1990s, 3D animated films have boomed in popularity. It’s not hard to see why: computer animation allows directors to think bigger, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in live-action (and even traditionally animated) movies. This made space for new stories to be told.
If you’re interested in 3D animation as a hobby, a potential job, or just for the love of the genre, here are 15 of the best 3D animation movies you must see. From sci-fi anime-style blockbusters to heartwarming Pixar movies, to classic stories retold in a new medium, there should be something on this list for everyone.
Table of Contents
Top 15 3D Animation Movies
Harlock: Space Pirate
Released in 2014, Harlock: Space Pirate is considered to be one of the most technically impressive CGI movies out there. It’s a reboot of the manga series Space Pirate Captain Harlock. Originally created by Leiji Matsumoto, the character of Harlock is a rebellious, stubborn pirate. He spends this film trying to escape assassination while uncovering a secret that could save the world.
While the story isn’t the best, and the supporting characters are not as interesting as they could be, Harlock: Space Pirate is a visual spectacle, and you can admire it from a production standpoint alone. The space battles are incredible. James Cameron described the ‘magnificent visuals … Harlock leads the way to a world of new ideas.’
Plus, the aesthetics are seriously cool: it’s a must-see for gamers, especially if you’re looking for an animated film like Final Fantasy.
Toy Story
You can’t talk about the best 3D animated movies without mentioning Toy Story. While each film in the series has its own stand-out features (including the emotional rollercoaster of a plot in Toy Story 3), it’s impossible to overstate the impact of the original film. It paved the way for A Bug’s Life, which came along in 1998, and then every incredible Pixar film after that.
Released in 1995, the original Toy Story was groundbreaking, changing the landscape of animation forever. Prior to this, Disney relied on their tried-and-tested, hand-drawn animation style. Disney, in partnership with newly-formed Pixar, took a risk with Toy Story, and there were plenty of skeptics who felt it wouldn’t work.
The rest is history, of course, and it was a journey worth undertaking. The combination of the groundbreaking animation, engaging plot, and charming characters connected with the audience. It’s the first full-length film made completely using computers, it’s the first film Pixar ever produced, and it’s a must-see for anyone interested in the history of film animation.
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Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse is beloved by fans of the spider-verse, but it’s also an interesting case study for budding animators. Brought to you by Sony Pictures Animation, it combines line work with CGI, with artists using rendered frames from the CGI animations and drawing on top of them. It was a complex process, and the end result was unique, l
Like a comic book bursting into life. This effort paid off, as they won an Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature in 2019.
It’s a critically-acclaimed film, with an exciting story, authentic characters, and plenty of charisma. Even if you’re not usually a fan of spider man movies, chances are you’ll enjoy this one.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 4K
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Appleseed Alpha
This is another 3D animated movie similar to Final Fantasy. Appleseed Alpha is a visually stunning movie: the setting is incredibly presented, and some of the elements are almost photorealistic in appearance. The post-apocalyptic landscapes are gorgeous, and you won’t be able to tear your eyes away from the fight scenes.
The story follows Deunan and Briareos. In debt to overlord Two Horns after a failed mission, they stumble upon a resistance faction in the beautifully designed safe area, Olympus. What follows is a classic battle of good vs. evil to save the world, with characters on the search for redemption. The beautiful visuals are accompanied by a fast-paced plot with plenty of character growth, too. A smart, interesting adventure.
Appleseed: Alpha (Blu-ray + UltraViolet)
Left to survive in a post-World War society, two mercenary soldiers - Deunan and her cyborg partner Briareos – are sent on a mission on the outskirts of their war-torn city.
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The Lego Movie
When The Lego Movie was first announced, it had some skeptics. How can you make a movie about Lego? What will it be about? How will it work? Isn’t the point of Lego that it’s an open-ended toy, and if so, how can you attach a meaningful story to it? Luckily, the end result exceeded expectations, and audiences loved it.
Made using a program named Lego Digital Designer, the movie has the feel of stop-motion animation, without the grueling effort of making and remaking structures using millions of real-life Lego bricks. Animators would draw the scene on storyboards, and these would be sent to the studio in Australia to be made in the style of Lego, rather than using just an in-house team.
It’s done well. The bricks are satisfying to look at, almost tactile, with structures exploding and being rebuilt constantly. You won’t want to miss a single frame, thanks to the vibrant colour scheme and fast-paced editing. The unexpectedly funny story makes it stand out as the kind of film parents enjoy alongside their kids. (You should also check out Lego Batman afterward if you loved this one, it’s very much on the same level in terms of humor.)
Resident Evil: Vendetta
Videogame adaptions are tricky to get right, and the pressure was certainly on for this Resident Evil film. Beloved by fans, the videogame series is incredibly popular, and fans flocked to see Resident Evil: Vendetta when it premiered in 2017. While the plotline is hotly debated by fans, and it had mixed reviews from audiences, you can’t deny it looks good.
Vendetta makes the list for the high-quality visuals. It captures the action and horror of the games incredibly well. The action scenes are great, but it’s the slower, dialogue-based scenes that really highlight the skill involved: note the facial expressions and Easter eggs in the scenery. Props to the production for putting their heart and soul into these small details.
![Resident Evil: Damnation / Resident Evil: Degeneration / Resident Evil: Vendetta - Set [Blu-ray]](https://vertexmode.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/vendetta_br.jpg)
Resident Evil: Damnation / Resident Evil: Degeneration / Resident Evil: Vendetta - Set [Blu-ray]
Resident Evil Vendetta Soldiers battle hordes of zombies while trying to prevent a madman from unleashing a deadly virus in New York.
Finding Nemo
Another entry from Pixar, Finding Nemo captured the imagination of children and adults across the globe. The visuals stand the test of time – they were incredible back in 2003, and they still look beautiful now. Finding Nemo pushed the boundaries of what can be done with 3D animation in terms of water, and the lighting is particularly stunning.
Animators studied the way underwater creatures move, spending time in aquariums to try to capture the movement in a realistic way. This effort paid off, with the final result being charming, fun-filled, and technically impressive.
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol has to make the cut when it comes to best 3D animation movies. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it’s a retelling of the classic story, with a typically vibrant performance by Jim Carey, and makes for a cosy (if spooky) festive film.
The 3D animation is stunning. The snow-drenched scenes are atmospheric, and it’s a truly cinematic movie. They used motion capture to recreate Carey’s expressive performance while staying true to the design of the character. The ghosts are grotesque and scary, creating a wonderfully dark and absorbing movie. It’s definitely worth a watch in a movie theatre if you can catch it at Christmas time.
Beowulf
Beowulf was designed to be seen in 3D. You can tell from the number of objects that come hurtling towards the viewer. It’s still an epic spectacle in 2D, however, even without the constant illusionary threat of being poked in the eye. The motion capture works well, although it has an element of the ‘uncanny’ about it: the characters closely resemble their actors, and this can feel a bit strange given the fantasy land they’re living in.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it’s a wild and epic adventure, featuring excellent voice acting and intricate detail, blurring live-action and animation for a breathless end result. It’s never easy to bring a fantasy world (complete with dragons) to life using special effects, but Beowulf does it well.
The Adventures of Tintin
How do you bring a beloved cartoon character into a 3D landscape? Look no further than The Adventures of Tintin. Directed by Steven Spielberg, with an incredible cast and crew, it set a new precedent in terms of stunning visuals. It’s bright, colourful, and cartoon-like, creating a totally absorbing world that you will happily get lost in.
Combining motion capture and skilled 3D animation, it’s impossible to write a best 3D animation movies list without including The Adventures of Tintin. It’s a stunning example of how 3D animation has evolved over time. Let’s just hope they get a move on with the sequel.
Steamboy
An interesting hybrid of hand-drawing and 3D animation, Steamboy is the story of Rei, a talented young boy living in the nineteenth century. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, the visionary director behind Akira, it has a Howl’s Moving Castle sort of spirit about it. It’s an interesting and absorbing story, but the animation really makes it worth a watch.
Set in London, the city is beautifully rendered, with incredible depth of field created by moving layers, which suits the steampunk theme perfectly. It’s an excellent example of how traditional animation methods can merge with CG.
On that note: Steamboy cost over $20 million to make, and for a long time it was the most expensive anime film ever made, thanks to the CGI-hand-drawn combo. This was later eclipsed by Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which cost an eye-watering $53 million.
Despicable Me
Released in 2010, Despicable Me gave the world a lot of things: a lovable villain-turned-hero, cute and funny children, a heartwarming story, and an excellent soundtrack. It also gave us Minions, happy, mischievous little kings of chaos. You can’t escape Minions: they’re everywhere, popping up on cereal boxes, on clothing, in passive-aggressive Facebook memes. There’s something adorably comforting about them.
Despicable Me hits the right note in terms of story and style, and the animators nailed the characterization of Dru, his new daughters, and the Minions themselves. The world they inhabit is vibrant, colourful, and recognizable (helpful for soon-to-follow sequels, and the Minions spinoff movie). It’s a memorable movie, and it set the precedent for the best 3D animation movies with a sharper, edgier sense of humour for little ones and adults alike.
Zootopia
Why animate one type of animal when you can animate all of them? Zootopia presents a menagerie of creatures, from enormous fluffy leopards to droopy, slow-moving sloths.
Each creature has its own personality, thanks largely to the animation team. So much of the humor comes from the movement and facial expressions, and you can tell a lot of love (and many hours) have been put into making them just right.
In fact, the animators took this so seriously that they observed various creatures at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as in Kenya and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They also went to the Natural History Museum in LA to observe the way fur looks under a microscope in different lighting conditions.
Thankfully, it also has a heartwarming, delightful, and funny story, making it a treat for adults and kids alike. Zootopia’s world is bright and beautiful, and the attention to detail (including the irresistibly fluffy fur) gives it a well-deserved place on this list of the best 3D animation movies.
Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive
Final Fantasy XV is an open-world videogame with plenty of lore for the player to discover. Kingsglaive is designed to go alongside it, plugging some of the gaps left by the story. When I say deep lore, however, I mean really deep.
You’ll need to follow this one closely to understand what’s happening, and it does get complicated, so accept the fact that you might have to rewind it a few times.
It is a stunning technical achievement by VFX studio Imagine Engine and Square Enix. The landscapes are gorgeous and almost eerily realistic at times. Humans are hard to animate well, but they’ve knocked it out of the park in that respect.
The fight scenes are a spectacle, with dizzying non-stop movement, exciting weapons, and awesome superpowers. Fans will enjoy how authentically ‘Final Fantasy‘ it feels, especially in terms of the setting and the characters.
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV 4K UHD
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the sacred Crystal, and the menacing empire of Niflheim is determined to steal it. King Regis of Lucis (Sean Bean) commands an elite force of soldiers called the Kingsglaive.
Rango
Have you ever seen a reptile as lovingly rendered as Rango? It’s a Western-style comedy film, directed by Gore Verbinski, with a cast of desert creatures including tortoises, armadillos, and Gila monsters. It doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. It’s funny, whimsical, and entirely unique.
Like Zootopia, much of the humour comes from the animation. A quivering eye here, a slithering tongue there. These are not characters that happen to be animals; the physicality of the creatures is part of their personality. Set in the Mojave desert, the backdrop is technically impressive, with some atmospheric lighting effects on the dry, dusty earth. Rango may not have the same ‘little-kid-friendly’ vibe as the Pixar movies, but it brings something unique to the table instead.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this has helped you in your search for ‘must-see’ movies. To be frank, we’re only scratching the surface when it comes to this medium.
A Note on Pixar
Pixar alone has produced 25 feature films, and you can easily get lost in those when it comes to studying incredible 3D animation – we didn’t have space for A Bug’s Life, The Good Dinosaur, Up, Monster’s Inc, and many more. It felt fairer to include movies from different studios, focusing on the most groundbreaking Pixar entries instead.
Your Thoughts
Do you agree with this list of the best 3D animation movies? Are there any crucial entries we’ve neglected, or are there any smaller gems we’ve overlooked? Let us know your thoughts.
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Megan is a freelance writer based in Somerset, England. She writes about videogames, books, and pop culture.
