40 Best Animated Movies for Adults: A Comprehensive List

The best animated movies for adults prove there is no reason to view the medium as just for children. Since the early days of cinema, animation has been a big draw, especially for families, with Disney’s animated projects (as well as their various competitors) bringing wondrous fairy tales to life even before the first color film.

While the best animated movies often appeal to all ages, with parents enjoying the thrilling stories as much as their children, there has often been a misconception that cartoons were only made for younger audiences. Luckily, as with animated adult comedies on television, films fight against those perceptions and deliver brilliant animated movies tailored to an adult audience.

While this sometimes means they include violence and sexuality seen in live-action R-rated movies, it also means there are more mature stories that take adult audiences on a journey. As more animated movies for adults have arrived with ever-increasing budgets throughout the years, the best cartoons that aren’t for kids include some classic films.

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

Waltz with Bashir took the world by storm when it became the first R-rated animated film to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. However, the reasons for the R-rating had to do with the horrors of war, shown in a strikingly realistic depiction of the tragedy.

The movie is a documentary that uses animation except for one segment of archival news footage at the end. Waltz with Bashir is an anti-war movie that features the director (Ari Folman) looking for lost memories of his experience as a soldier during the 1982 Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Showing the psychological and physical damage of war, the film tackles very realistic and complex themes not usually seen in animated releases.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a unique hybrid live-action/animation film that added classically animated characters into a noir world and a detective investigating a murder possibly committed by a famed cartoon rabbit named Roger. However, this is not a film for little kids.

The entire movie was an interesting experiment by Robert Zemeckis, as he took the film noir storyline and placed it in a world where the cartoon characters are actors who often live in debauchery. The biggest controversy was the sexualization of Jessica Rabbit in a movie parents mistakenly thought was safe for their kids.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a massive success, winning three Oscars. It was also added to the National Film Registry in 2016 by the Library of Congress.

Watership Down (1978)

In 1978, the British animated movie Watership Down traumatized an entire generation of children who didn’t know what they were watching until it was too late. The film follows a group of rabbits embarking on a quest, only to discover that the world is a dangerous place. It sounds like a kids’ flick, but it is so much more.

Based on the novel by Richard Adams, which was only published six years before this animated adult movie was made, the story is dark and depressing. The film follows a small group of rabbits who escape the war that destroys their warren, and then they head to the hill of Watership Down looking for safety.

While in no way appropriate for younger audiences, the story is a deep look at the brutal, realistic dangers of nature, and few get as dark as Watership Down.

Paprika (2006)

Paprika is a Japanese anime released in 2006 that was groundbreaking and brought some new ideas to the genre. It is a surrealist fantasy about a dream detective named Paprika who fights a dream terrorist who uses a device that shares people’s dreams and causes intense nightmares.

As a psychedelic animated film with incredible visuals, this is a bit too much for kids, but it offers a fantastic experience for adults. A good comparison is the Christopher Nolan movie Inception, but with animation that allowed director Satoshi Kon to take the movie into wild and unexpected areas.

Paprika went on to win several awards and was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Your Name. (2016)

Your Name. is a 2016 Japanese romantic fantasy film where two high school students who have never met switch bodies unexpectedly and bring chaos into each other’s lives before reverting. After this happens a few times, they decide to find each other.

What really flips the movie on its head is that this is not only a coming-of-age story, but it also involves time travel, making it as much sci-fi as fantasy, and adding a touch of tragedy to the events. Its twist is not only subversive of the genre, but genuinely heartbreaking.

Your Name. was a monster hit when released, breaking Spirited Away’s record as the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. There is a live-action American remake in the works, but this animated adult film is perfect as it is.

Monster House (2006)

2006’s Monster House has become something of a cult gem over the decades since it hit theaters, though it was somewhat overlooked during its initial box-office run. However, the reason for this is also what makes it a great movie for adults – it is, genuinely, quite scary in many places.

When it comes to the best animated movies for adults, the majority are clearly not made for younger viewers. However, there is also of course some overlap, with movies that were intended to be family-friendly actually appealing less to kids than they do to grown-ups, and Monster House sits comfortably in this category.

Monster House focuses on a trio of kids who, after investigating disappearances in their neighborhood, discover that the creepy haunted house on their block isn’t actually haunted in the traditional sense, but is in fact a house-shaped monster possessed by a vengeful spirit.

The movie is peppered with jokes that go over younger viewers’ heads, and the horror aspects of the dark animated film are done so well that many adult horror fans cite it as a valid example of how well the horror genre can work in animation (even with no gore to be found).

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

While it’s rated as a PG-13, The Simpsons Movie still stands as one of the best animated movies for adults for many of the same reasons the show appeals to older viewers. The 2007 feature film takes everything that makes The Simpsons so great and perfectly packages it for a longer runtime.

What’s more, the creative team makes full use of the opportunity to include jokes that would never be allowed on the small screen due to the stricter regulations around broadcast television. Moments like Bart skateboarding naked through Springfield make The Simpsons Movie stand out from the show itself.

However, even if viewers aren’t Simpsons superfans, The Simpsons Movie works as a great animated movie for adults in its own right. The plot is incredibly coherent and doesn’t require much knowledge of the show, meaning that both established fans and newcomers alike will find plenty to enjoy from the biting humor that definitely isn’t suitable for children.

Ronal The Barbarian (2011)

There are many great international adult animated movies, with many territories outside the U.S. exploring themes that aren’t suitable for kids in the medium many mistakenly believe only appeals to younger viewers. A great example is the 2011 Danish movie Ronal the Barbarian from directors Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen, Thorbjørn Christoffersen, and Philip Einstein Lipski.

Ronal the Barbarian is a parody of fantasy movies, animated or otherwise, and much of the humor comes from its satirical elements as much as it does from its adult themes. The more adult humor also stems from the movie’s various nods to traditional heavy metal, a genre of music that went hand-in-hand during the peak of its popularity.

There’s plenty for adult fans of animation to enjoy with Ronal the Barbarian, both in terms of its many jokes that definitely aren’t suitable for kids, and its surprisingly deep fantasy plot.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Searchlight Pictures

Much like Monster House, 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox is an animated movie that many adults will enjoy, which was perhaps mistakenly marketed toward younger viewers. There aren’t really any jokes in the quirky Wes Andersen adaptation of a Roald Dahl story that are inappropriate for younger viewers.

However, many of the themes are definitely so nuanced that only an adult audience could truly appreciate them. Much of the plot is driven by themes like trying to relive the carefree attitude of young adulthood, and fears around leaving a lasting legacy as old age approaches – ideas that younger viewers will struggle to understand.

What’s more, the subtle humor really shines during moments like the titular Mr. Fox (George Clooney) arguing with his accountant, a struggle younger viewers won’t fully be able to relate to, but adults will find hilarious. All in all, while Fantastic Mr. Fox works as a family movie, it’s arguably much more suited to older viewers.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Many animated DC movies fall into the category of being for adults only, despite being focused on superheroes. If there was to be one that stood out for being inarguably for adult viewers only, the 2016 adaptation of Alan Moore’s Batman graphic novel The Killing Joke is most worth considering for fans of adult animated movies.

Batman: The Killing Joke is a dark and gritty Batman tale that pits him against his arch-nemesis, The Joker, but is a harrowingly realistic interpretation of both characters. Joker in The Killing Joke is the kind of maniacal villain he would be in real life, kidnapping Barbara Gordon and subjecting her to a host of tortures, including implied sexual assault.

The Killing Joke definitely isn’t a superhero story for children, and as far as the animated movie goes, both the quality of the animation itself and the vocal performances of Kevin Conry as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker make it worth watching even if viewers aren’t necessarily Batman fans.