10 Essential Action Movies Everyone Should See At Least Once

Movies are for everyone, with a wide range of genres and stories appealing to kids and adults. The beauty of films is that every genre can be either a kid's or adult film. However, there is a stigma that animation is only for children and unable to appeal to an older demographic. Whether the stories are for kids or not, animated movies bring out a well of creativity and imagination, perfect for all ages, including Sleeping Beauty and Perfect Blue.

As the genre becomes increasingly popular and technology becomes more advanced, better-animated movies appear every year. This makes finding the perfect watch reasonably difficult. However, these ten films are essential must-watch films to simplify that burden. Whether they are critically acclaimed, pushing the boundaries, defining/redefining the genre, revolutionizing filmmaking, or just beloved by fans, everyone must watch these animated movies.

10 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' (2018)

Directed by Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, and Rodney Rothman

A still animation image from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, featuring Miles Morales swinging through the city. — Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Every fan knows Spider-Man's origin, and with the story being repeated so much, it has even gotten a bit boring. While Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has a similar origin, it reinvents it with alternate dimensions and epic consequences. When a radioactive spider bites Miles Morales and inadvertently causes Spider-Man to die, he must take up the mantle with the help of Spider-Men from other realities, including Spider-Noir, who is set to receive his own spin-off starring Nicolas Cage.

Time helps many movies, which is why most essential movies are older ones. However, as the newest movie on this list, Into the Spider-Verse provided fans with a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the peak of animation. The story is emotional and inspirational, but the world-class animation was the best part. Mixing hand-drawn and rendering, this movie had an imaginative animation style that redefined the standards of modern-day animation.

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9 'The Lion King' (1994)

Directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers

Timon Pumba and Simba walking across a log in the moonlight in The Lion King — Image via Disney

Many fans consider Disney to be the king of animation, with many movies on this list from their main studio and bought ones. It should come as no surprise that The Lion King would be another hit for the company, even though there was little faith in the project during production. When his evil uncle murders his father, Simba escapes, reappearing years later as an adult to reclaim his rightful throne.

While the story is essentially Hamlet, the film still offers teachable moments and delivers heightened emotional scenes that a wider audience can relate to. The animation and musical aspects highlight this perfect film, which won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. The Lion King was the highest-grossing animated film of its time and is still the highest-earning traditional animated film, making this original movie better than any remake.

8 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993)

Directed by Henry Selick

Jack and Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas — Image via Disney

It is a common misconception that Tim Burton directed The Nightmare Before Christmas. While he conceived it and significantly influenced the film, Henry Selick directed this classic animated film. When Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, gets bored with the yearly spooky routine, he discovers Christmastown, a jolly and warm place where he takes control, stealing Santa's job to deliver presents and joy.

As a former Disney animator, Burton brought his A-game to this film, delivering a unique claymation movie. This style revolutionized animation by introducing claymation for feature films and proved its popularity, also earning an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Outside its innovative animation, the songs, themes, and creativity bolster this film's cult status. It is a must-watch Halloween movie that is also perfect for the holiday season.

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7 'Akira' (1988)

Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo

Kaneda sliding to a stop on his bike in Akira — Image via Toho

While COVID was one of the worst times for humans in recent history, it could have been a lot worse, according to Akira, which takes place in 2019, 31 years after a nuclear bomb detonated over Tokyo. The now disfigured city is in chaos, with bike gang leader Kaneda on a mission to save his friend from experimentation. Battling corruption in every facet, his friend's psychic powers go out of control, creating a relentless and wild ride.

Akira is one of the best movies to prove animation isn't just for kids. It delivers a stellar story and stunning animation in a dark world. The hand-drawn animation isn't its only achievement; it inspired countless other sci-fi movies and put anime on the map. Akira shaped modern-day sci-fi and cyberpunk, also defining animation for that era. It brought anime to the West and proved its influence, creating one of the best cult classic animated movies.

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6 'WALL-E' (2008)

Directed by Andrew Stanton

WALL-E the robot marvels at space dust in 'WALL-E'. — Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Even in the bleakest situations, individuals can find purpose and life, a message the iconic animated film WALL-E teaches. A lone robot cleans a forgotten Earth, collecting scraps which he calls treasure, but his life is given a new purpose when the high-tech robot EVE finds signs of life. The two travel up to a ship carrying most of civilization, trying to prove the existence of life to the captain while avoiding evil AI.

Receiving critical acclaim for basically every aspect of the film, WALL-E is a true animated masterpiece that can entertain people of all ages while delivering profound messages and themes. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for five more, including Best Original Screenplay. WALL-E is the most charming silent character since Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp, conveying intense emotion in an animated movie with intrigue, wonder, and romance. It is no stretch to say WALL-E is Pixar's best movie ever.

5 'Fantasia' (1940)

Directed by Samuel Armstrong, James Algar, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen, David Hand, Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, Ford Beebe, T. Hee, Norman Ferguson, and Wilfred Jackson

Fantasia all started as a dream for Walt Disney, which, after some rough patches, was released as an anthology movie containing multiple different animated segments. The number of directors is daunting, but that is because each segment had a different director, with many hands working on this project. With so many segments, Fantasia became one of the longest-animated movies, also earning a lot for the time.

Fantasia is easily the best anthology movie and one of the first of its time, paving the way for other animated movies to do the same. However, this film did more than just revolutionize anthology movies; it also reinvented the iconic Mickey Mouse, who was dropping in popularity, cementing his legacy with this outstanding movie. If that wasn't enough, Fantasia also invented Fantasound, a revolutionary sound system to make it feel like an orchestra is inside a theater, proving this movie to be an essential groundbreaking classic.

4 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991)

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Robby Benson as the Beast and Paige O'Hara as Belle holding hands in Beauty and the Beast (1991) — Image via Disney

Based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's 1756 fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast is an animated musical full of romance and memorable songs. After an evil prince and his subjects are turned into a beast and inanimate objects, respectively, the curse can't be lifted until he falls in love and is loved. When he captures the king, the princess arrives, possibly being the one to turn the cold beast into a loving man.

While most animated Disney films are spectacular, Beauty and the Beast might be their best work. It perfectly blends romance, music numbers, enjoyability, and stunning animation to deliver an experience the entire family can enjoy. This perfect fantastical romance is beautifully written and defines the animation genre. It was the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and has won several other awards.

3 'Toy Story' (1995)

Directed by John Lasseter

Buzz Lightyear holding Woody while they hover on the air in Toy Story — Image via Pixar Animation Studios

There isn't a movie fan who doesn't know of Toy Story, Pixar's biggest franchise and the most recognizable animated movie series. When a young boy buys a brand new fancy toy, his old trusty one, Woody, gets jealous. However, after the rude kid next door steals the toys, Woody and Buzz must work together to find Andy, who has moved far away. This leads to a grand journey full of laughs and friendship.

While later films would earn more Oscar nominations, the first Toy Story is the most iconic movie of the franchise and arguably the best. This was Pixar's first movie, landing them on the map to deliver countless other popular animated films. While Toy Story is known for its touching story, excellent voice acting, fantastic music, and creativity, it was also the first animated movie to be entirely CGI, ushering in a new age of animation which would change the medium forever.

2 'Spirited Away' (2001)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Chihiro standing among flowers and looking up in 'Spirited Away'. — Image via Studio Ghibli

Outside of Pixar, Studio Ghibli is the most renowned animation studio, with almost every one of their movies considered a masterpiece. However, standing at the top is widely agreed to be Spirited Away, the iconic story of a girl who encounters a new world when moving into her new house. When her parents turn into pigs, she must work at a supernatural hot springs hotel to free them and herself from this curse.

In countless whimsical and wonderous worlds, Spirited Away manages to create something bigger, one of the most creative and adventurous worlds fans can't help but explore with every watch. The film was the first hand-drawn, Japanese anime and foreign film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film. With universal appeal, delivering a relatable film with impactful messages and gorgeous animation, Spirited Away is the greatest animated movie of all time.

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1 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937)

Directed by David Hand, Ben Sharpsteen, Perce Pearce, Wilfred Jackson, William Cottrell, Larry Morey

Based on the 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a legendary animated Disney feature set to receive a live-action remake in 2025. Jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty, an evil, wicked queen orders her death, but when she discovers she is still alive, holed up in a cottage with seven dwarfs, she turns into a hag and offers Snow White a poison apple, only to be cured by the kiss of a prince.

Snow White is known for many things: its Oscar nomination and massive box office, which, with inflation, still makes it the highest-grossing animated film and will define animation for years to come. It was the first feature-length animated film, setting the standard for animation going forward and inspiring the formula of using classic fairy tales. Animation wouldn't be where it is today without Snow White innovating the medium, becoming a perfect Disney movie that every movie fan needs to watch.

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Deathscythe66

Deathscythe66
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For a second I thought they were trying to say the plot of the movie has a King the Beast captures. I’ll assume the original fairytale had that plot, because to call the movie Beast an “evil” Prince is a stretch if not

2024-11-17 04:05:12