There’s more to animation thanAmerican cartoonsandJapanese anime. Given the popularity of shows likeSpongeBob SquarePantsand movies likeSpirited Away, it’s easy to think that the medium is that binary. Some audiences may forget that incredible animated films are being made worldwide.
Animated movies made around the world do far more than expand cultural perceptions. They’re just as experimental with storytelling and visuals, pushing animation to new heights of filmmaking.
Expand your perspective on animation by streaming these 10 animated films from outside of America and Japan.
1973
Runtime
1 hour 14 minutes
Johnny Corncobis an animated adventure of music, romance, and danger. Based on the classic poem by Sándor Petőfi, the soldier Jancsi longs for his girlfriend Iluska. Reuniting with her will require the soldier to rise to the occasion and travel across strange and dangerous lands for his one true love.
As the first Hungarian animated film,Johnny Corncobis delightfully trippy with big-limbed characters and wildly shifting environments worthy of a movie likeYellow Submarine. The story is simple enough to follow, favoring folk tales suitable for this loose animation style. It was a strong start for Hungarian animated films and is still a delight for the eyes.
Johnny Corncobis a weird and wonderful animated film from Hungary.
2023
1 hour 55 minutes
Every frame is literally a painting in the historical drama ofThe Peasants. Based on the novel by Władysław Reymont, the film takes place over an entire year in the 12th-century Polish village of Lipce. Divided into seasons, the young Jagna finds herself conflicted in a village bound by tradition and business, complicating her freedom when forced into marriage and shunned by the community.
Similar to how directors DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman approached their previous animated film,Loving Vincent, every shot ofThe Peasantswas developed as an oil painting on top of live-action footage. With the scenes painted at studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Serbia, the film feels like an oil painting coming to life while offering a unique depiction of old Polish life. Plenty of artistic beauty is placed in a story that gets rather ugly in its criticism of the village mindset.
Netflix
The Peasantsuses oil paintings to convey the traditions of Polish village life.
2021
1 hour 30 minutes
In the biographical animated filmFlee, Amin Nawabi recounts his struggles as an Afghan refugee. He relays the dark nature of departing from his homeland and struggling to find a safe place to call home. What makes his journey even more challenging is his concealment of being gay, something he keeps hidden for several years before finally being comfortable with his sexuality in a culture that will accept him.
Danish director Jonas Poher Rasmussen lets Nawabi tell his own story authentically while using traditional animation to paint a more vivid picture of his history. There are some darkly beautiful moments in this film, such as the expressionism of a few lines conveying the dangers of refugees fleeing in water, but also some sweet moments of Amin gently conversing with his boyfriend, Kasper. The film brilliantly uses animation to convey the tale of refugees and queerness, garnering Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature.
Tubi
Fleemerges the autobiographical tale of a refugee with colorful animation and vivid storytelling.
2008
Ari Folman helms this autobiographical animated film about his experience as a soldier during the war with Lebanon in the 1980s. Despite being present for one of the most brutal massacres of that era, his memory is hazy, forcing him to seek out insight on that chaotic period. His interviews with those in Beirut, journalists, and psychologists reveal how hard it is to recall a dark history of conflict.
As the first Israeli animated film in over 40 years,Waltz with Bashircombines comic-book-style animation with documentary filmmaking. The animation alone is mesmerizing, existing between rotoscoping and Flash animation, but the truthful tales of Middle Eastern conflict make for an engaging and essential piece of filmmaking. With its earnest take on war and a devotion to replicating its effects through animation, the movie was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Amazon Prime Video
Waltz with Bashirexplores the nature of trauma and war through animation.
2003
1 hour 20 minutes
The Triplets of Bellevilleis a wondrous and weird odyssey from the winding roads of France to the cluttered streets of America. The squat Madame Souza finds herself supporting her grandson Champion’s bike obsession, but his latest race finds him being kidnapped by dangerous folks. Souza follows these mysterious men to New York City, where she befriends the elderly performance trio, the Triplets of Belleville.
Director Sylvain Chomet’s distinct animation style relied on warm colors and highly exaggerated features. Champion is ridiculously lanky, Souza is small enough to ride a tricycle, and the hitmen are such towering black slabs they meld together. Infused with intoxicating storytelling and action, Chomet’s film was nominated for an Academy Award, and its style was distinct enough to garner a couch gag onThe Simpsons.
The Triplets of Bellevilleis a weird adventure in which one grandma rescues her grandson from the mafia.
2020
1 hour 43 minutes
Set in 1600s Ireland,Wolfwalkerscenters around a community that has learned to despise and hunt wolves. Robyn Goodfellowe is a young girl seeking to prove herself as a hunter, but her perceptions are challenged when she befriends the wolf-raised feral girl Mebh. Robyn soon discovers that wolves and humans might have more in common through a magical ability to transform into wolves of the night.
While this isn’t the first animated film from Irish cartoon studio Cartoon Saloon, it is one of the studio’s best feature films. The animation, inspired by 17th-century woodcuts, is beautifully intoxicating, and the central story of acceptance and challenging authoritarianism is rousing enough for any age audience. For being such a wondrous fantasy, Wolfwalkers was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Apple TV+
Wolfwalkersuses Irish folklore to tell a story of magical wolves and learning differences.
1981
Based on Hungarian poetry and ancient legends,Son of the White Mareis a trippy fantasy about a hero saving princesses. Fanyüvő isn’t an ordinary hero, though, as he was born from a divine horse. Tasked with saving three princesses, he must fight the most dangerous dragon to prove himself among his brothers.
Son of a White Mare’sexpressionism and colorful style make it one of the most eye-popping pieces of Hungarian animation, especially with a fitting stew of mythology for the script. The wild embrace of contrast and scenes that look more like paintings than cartoon cels makes this a truly remarkable animated film. It’s been highly regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made and has inspired many animators, including Roger Allers (The Lion King) and Peter Chung (Æon Flux).
2007
1 hour 36 minutes
Marjane Satrapi composed an autobiographical graphic novel about her life and brought it to the big screen withPersepolis. The animated film, staying true to the limited colors of the book, documents how Marjane came of age amid the Iranian Revolution of the late 1970s. Her story is filled with key historical and cultural events, but also personal moments of growth as she experiences music, dating, and becoming comfortable with her body.
Although technically a co-production between France and the United States,Persepolisportrays a uniquely personal glimpse of Iranian life, especially with Marjane co-directing the picture. The story remains true by reflecting the era’s struggles while embracing some of the simple charms and essential doses of levity. The traditional animation works well for the subject matter, and the strong storytelling garnered the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Persepolisis the enthralling story of a young woman coming of age during the Iranian Revolution.
2024
1 hour 25 minutes
Flowtakes place on an Earth free of dialogue and humans. A lone cat tries to survive when the planet floods, avoiding drowning by finding a boat. The boat soon becomes occupied by many animals trying to outlast the water overflow and the predatory nature of the more vicious creatures lurking on land and in the ocean.
Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis composed one of the most remarkable films for the dazzling use of CG animation through the free tool Blender. With colorful cel-shaded visuals and seamless animal behavior, it’s easy to get lost in the lush nature of this compelling picture about wildlife trying to get along in a cruel world. The film was so beautiful that it beat out Disney and DreamWorks at the Academy Awards.
HBO Max
Flowtells the story of animals surviving a flood with wondrous CGI animation.
1 hour 12 minutes
In a strange world,Fantastic Planetsees humans as small pests and pets for the towering blue inhabitants known as the Oms. One orphaned human escapes their captor and joins up with a human resistance living in the dangerous wilderness. They must survive this bizarre planet and defeat the giant Oms with their surreal mind powers.
Fantastic Planetfeels like a trippy dream with its usage of cut-out animation techniques, weird designs, and a funky soundtrack by Alain Goraguer. Director René Laloux crafted a film that looks like no other, either before or since, with its creative conception of an alien planet. Every time I watch it, I’m always in awe of the inspiration flowing out of every frame. It’s truly one of the best animated films to come out of France.
Fantastic Planetdepicts a strange world of giant blue aliens and small humans rebelling against their towering oppressors.
The many international animated films highlighted in this article have their own voice. Rather than replicate what America and Japan have composed with the medium, these films have aimed to be something more, be it a biographical tale of growing up or an insightful folk tale of the culture. So maybe giveThe Simpsonsa night off, take a rain check on that new anime, and take a trip to some place new.
