15 Best Animated TV Shows And Movies Of 2023
When Guillermo del Toro accepted the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature ("Pinocchio") in 2022, he proclaimed during his speech, "Animation is cinema. Animation is not a genre. Animation is ready to be taken to the next step, we are all ready for it." Well, 2023 certainly heard him, because this year we were gifted an embarrassment of riches — all using the animated medium to push the limits of storytelling and visual artistry. At the same time, animated projects are constantly under attack by powerful millionaires in positions of power who can't or refuse to see the value in animation and instead still operate under the false assumption that it's nothing more than "kid's stuff." And even still, there was plenty of incredible animation this year specifically targeting young audiences, like the "Craig of the Creek" prequel film "Craig Before the Creek," Apple TV+'s "The Snoopy Show," and of course, the undisputed children's champion, "Bluey."
Animation is also one of the few mediums where global cinema is given an equal footing, with artistic visuals serving as a universal language. We were privileged enough to catch some genuine masterpieces out of Japan like "Blue Giant" and "The First Slam Dunk" or "Robot Dreams" from Spain which we will certainly be talking about again next year once the films are easier to access by a larger audience, but for the sake of this list, we focused on titles that you could see here and track down immediately after reading. This is also simply a showcase of 15 of the best animated shows and movies and by no means an exhaustive list.
Attack on Titan
After an epic 10-year run, "Attack on Titan" finally came to a close, ending arguably the biggest anime of the modern era, one that forever changed both the industry and fandom. After an extended "Final Season," this year saw two feature-length "Specials" that covered the final fight against Eren Yeager and his world-ending mass genocide. The specials had everything fans could hope for in an ending to "Attack on Titan," with longtime enemies becoming allies, heartbreaking deaths, huge reveals, and some of the most stunning animated imagery of the year.
Indeed, the team of animators working under Studio MAPPA brought their A-game to this two-part finale, making the scope of the devastation brought upon by Eren's Rumbling feel devastatingly real — especially a horrific Spielberg reference. Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto deliver some of their best musical work yet, paying homage to the entire history of the show while crafting new sounds to mark the poetical end of the journey. Because it's been a journey, for the audience, and for the characters — especially Eren Yeager. The two-part finale cements his place as one of the fascinating characters in modern anime, his heel turn becoming one for the ages. Like Walter White, Eren gets his "I did it for me" moment that bright new insight into the character and his relationship with his former comrades. "Attack on Titan" ended just as it began, with a winning combination of sheer horror, exquisite worldbuilding, and rousing triumph. (Rafael Motamayor)
Blue Eye Samurai
Listen, if living legend Hideo Kojima declares a series the best anime of 2023, you'd be wise to pay attention. While not technically an anime by definition, the Netflix series "Blue Eye Samurai" echoes the revenge action of Toshiya Fujita's "Lady Snowblood" with beautifully violent animation. Created by Michael Green ("Logan," "Blade Runner 2049) and Amber Noizumi, "Blue Eye Samurai" stars Maya Erskine as Mizu ("Pen15" star Maya Erskine), a child born as a result of sexual violence committed against her mother by a white man who invaded Japan during the Edo period. Her blue eyes now mark her face like a Scarlet Letter to those in her community, who consider her to be a "creature of shame." Now as an adult, Mizu is tracking down the four possible men who could have assaulted her mother and plans to take them out one by one, all while keeping her gender and eye color hidden.
The story is certainly not unique to the samurai genre, but most samurai depictions aren't blessed with the breathtaking artistry of Blue Spirit animation house. Every frame of "Blue Eye Samurai" is gorgeous enough to warrant museum curation, and the stylized brutality of Mizu's revenge feels like a choreographed dance of death and not just a blood bath for the sake of shock value. The show is also unapologetically sexual, without ever feeling like shameless hentai. "Blue Eye Samurai" is similar to "Arcane" in that it's downright shocking that an animated series of this caliber was gifted to the masses. But it was, and we should be so thankful. (BJ Colangelo)
The Boy and the Heron
When Hayao Miyazaki, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, announced he was coming out of retirement following his masterpiece "The Wind Rises," expectations were so high it was almost impossible for his next movie to deliver. And yet, "The Boy and The Heron" delivered not only one of the best animated movie experiences of the year, but the perfect coda to Miyazaki's illustrious career. The film may be the weirdest and most esoteric work the legendary animator has made yet, as well as its most macabre — there is at least one scene sure to traumatize children and adults alike. And yet, it is also a tender, poignant story about leaving one's legacy to others and about living with grief.
If you're not very familiar with Miyazaki's work, this is still a fantastical piece of animation with some of the most gorgeous images ever drawn, featuring a fantastic cast (even the dub, which includes Robert Pattinson at his weirdest). It also has one of Joe Hisaishi's best scores in years. But if you're remotely familiar with the history of Studio Ghibli and the three men who founded it, "The Boy and the Heron" becomes a heartbreaking ode to friendships long gone, as Miyazaki does his own version of "The Fabelmans" — but with more talking parakeets. This is the ultimate statement from Miyazaki, a deeply personal yet still whimsical film that both dares and challenges the next generation to pick up the creative mantle and do something better with this world. (Rafael Motamayor)
Elemental
Pixar's "Elemental" is one of the biggest box office success stories of 2023, and it deserved to be. This is Pixar's first romantic comedy, following every trope from the initial meet-cute down to the triumphant climactic first kiss and a funny cast of supporting characters. The film features a stunning and detail-rich world of anthropomorphic elements (just four though: earth, wind, fire, and water) living in a sprawling metropolis, and a stunning departure from the studio's usual character design style. Its voice cast is also fantastic, with the two leads — Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie — having great chemistry.
But where the film truly shines is in its exploration of the second-generation immigrant experience. Ember Lumen's story of feeling the immense pressure of wanting to appease her parents to repay their enormous sacrifice while simultaneously giving up on her own happiness is not only poignant and heartbreaking, but one of the most relatable things Pixar has done in years. Pixar movies have always been complex, but "Elemental" — much like "Turning Red" — has a specificity to its themes that makes it mature and impactful. (Rafael Motamayor)
Fired on Mars
Did you watch "Fired on Mars" on Max? Probably not, because despite many animation analysts screaming for the last six months about it, one of the best animated shows of 2023 has largely gone unnoticed. Based on the short film of the same name, "Fired on Mars" is an adult science fiction comedy from Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey about a man named Jeff (Luke Wilson) who gave up his entire life to take a job on the Mars.ly colony. Tragically, the new setting doesn't change the capitalist machine of American industry, and after "some bean counter on Earth" determines his role as a graphic designer to be "redundant," he's fired and left with nowhere to go. His family, friends, and girlfriend are still on Earth, and Jeff is stuck on Mars until his former employers can get around to sending him back.
Despite the spacey setting, "Fired on Mars" pulls you in not with promises of aliens or intergalactic travel, but with the painful reality that even the pie-in-the-sky future we often imagine will be better than our current existence is still going to suck for most people. "Fired on Mars" shares a lot of spiritual energy with a show like "Bojack Horseman," where characters aren't just complicated, they're sometimes broken beyond repair. And yet, we love them and can't help but root for them, because doing so feels like we're rooting for ourselves. Because he's stuck on this commune, Jeff also has no escape from anything. His whereabouts are monitored, there's no way to avoid people he's had a conflict with, and free will is – more than it ever was on Earth – just an illusion. (BJ Colangelo)
Invincible
The original covers of Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley's "Invincible" boldly declared the pages inside comprised, "The best superhero comic in the universe." It's now the animated TV adaptation's responsibility to live up to this braggadocio. "Invincible" debuted with a barnstormer first season in 2021, and after leaving fans with bated breath, season 2 finally premiered at the tail end of 2023. Thanks to a bifurcated structure, the year saw only the release of an abbreviated season (the second half will be coming in 2024) — was it worth the wait?
Season 2 continues to follow the story beats of the original comic, and a lot of the narrative is pushed forward in just four hours. However, plot isn't everything. "Invincible" demonstrates how much medium matters in storytelling. Plenty of scenes play even better with a superb voice cast reciting them, instead of simple letters in a textbox. One of the series' additions — the opening montage of episode 4, "It's Been A While," where a depressed Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) flies through space set to the song "Avalanche" — is an emotional gut punch a comic, by nature, couldn't replicate.
An unexpected highlight of the season was the special episode starring Atom Eve/Samantha Eve Wilkins (Gillian Jacobs). Released ahead of season 2 in July 2023, the episode broke from the ongoing narrative to explore Eve's origin story and delivered raw emotion to rival the father and son battle that closed season 1. (Devin Meenan)
Nimona
"Nimona" had an arduous journey to the big screen. Canceled by Disney when 10 months away from completion, the movie was picked up by Netflix and saved from being a development hell footnote.
The film adapts ND Stevenson's graphic novel of the same name, set in a world that mixes medieval fantasy and modern technology. Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a shapeshifter with the default appearance of a young girl — she mostly transforms into animals colored the same shade of red as her hair. She invites herself to be the sidekick of outlaw knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), who was framed for killing the queen. "Nimona" is about friendship and this unlikely pair is the cornerstone of that.
Co-directed by Blue Sky alums Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, "Nimona" roughly follows Stevenson's character designs but, rather than his two-dimensional cartoony style, renders them in 3D cel-shaded CGI animation. The animation stuns the most during breakneck chase sequences when Nimona shifts back and forth from animal to different animal.
The archetypal fantasy story is about a hero slaying a dragon, but "Nimona" suggests that such myths are just another construct of control. The message of accepting those deemed outsiders by the powerful is an important one; the subtext here is so apparent to be just text. For one, Stevenson is trans and his breakout hit, "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," has plenty of queer characters/themes. In the film itself, Nimona is androgynous and her ability to shapeshift has trans-coding, a welcome addition to this year's animated offerings.(Devin Meenan)
Pluto
Part "Blade Runner," part "Silence of the Lambs," and part "I, Robot," Toshio Kawaguchi and Studio M2's adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's legendary manga "Pluto" is a true masterpiece and Netflix's best anime production since "Devilman Crybaby." This is a dark reimagining of a story arc from the legendary "Astro Boy" by the Father of Manga, Osamu Tezuka. The story is a dark and gritty crime drama that touches on everything from artificial intelligence, hatred as an intrinsically human emotion, the horrors of war, racism, and rather blunt allegories for the Iraq War. "Pluto" works on its own as a fantastic sci-fi thriller, and the issues raised in the show are fascinating on their own, but it is when mixed with the timeless iconography and world of Tezuka's classic that "Pluto" gets an added layer of relevancy by showing how its themes can still work in such a foundational work as "Astro Boy."
Like the other adaptation of a Urasawa masterpiece, "Monster," this show has fantastic character design, with characters (and noses) of so many shapes and sizes. It is also, beyond its poignant themes, just a very well-made and thrilling show, with action worthy of the "Astro Boy." Like "Monster," this is also a fantastic drama built as a prestige TV show — down to having hour-long episodes. There's intrigue, and an exquisite ensemble of characters, but also an emotionally heavy story, with every single episode having at least one scene that might bring tears to your eyes. (Rafael Motamayor)
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
I've joked for years that "if a man in a band T-shirt has ever compared you to Ramona Flowers, you may be entitled to compensation," but I could have never predicted that the real payback would be "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off." Developed by "Scott Pilgrim" creator Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski for Netflix, "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" incorporates just about every incarnation of the franchise, including casting all of the original actors from Edgar Wright's beloved "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" live-action feature to lend their voices to this anime series. /Film's Rafael Motamayor rightfully called the series a "remix" rather than a "remake" in his review, twisting everything you thought you knew about the series and giving you something better than you could have ever imagined.
The goofy humor and pop culture-infused charm of the live-action film is still well on display, but the massive twist at the end of episode 1 certainly makes a case for best animated TV moment of the year. In an entertainment landscape obsessed with repurposing already-popular IP, "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" set the bar of how to take something familiar and make it fresh again. Whether you grew up loving Scott Pilgrim or are meeting these characters for the very first time, "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" is the best of it all – and I'm not just saying that because they treated Ramona Flowers dying her hair like a Magical Girl transformation sequence. The show is a thrilling achievement in animation and as I already noted on Twitter, a masterclass in killing your darlings to let them live. "You ... I choose you." (BJ Colangelo)
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
The best superhero movie of the year, by far, is "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse," a jolt of pure audiovisual kinesis. The first film, "Into The Spider-Verse," threw together clashing animation styles (see the black-and-white Spider-Man Noir and the anime-themed Peni Parker), but "Across The Spider-Verse" makes this collage-style approach the whole package. These contrasts aren't just stylistic rendering, they're diegetic differences from one universe to the next.
The film starts on a high note: Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) in her pink-filtered home dimension fights a Vulture from a Renaissance-inspired universe (with brown coloring and jerky animation like pages of paper flipping). This mixing of different art styles captures the artistry of comic books. The real charm of Marvel's superhero books isn't the load-bearing lore or constant crossovers, it's seeing how a rotation of artists/art teams reinterpret the same characters and settings.
Speaking of lore, "Across The Spider-Verse" carries the first film's theme that "anyone can be Spider-Man" (read: you're the main character of your own story) to metatext. Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac) insists that homogenous "canon events" must play out in each Spider-Man's story and hates Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) for upstaging the role of Spider-Man. How much can you change Spider-Man before he's no longer Spider-Man? That question, which weighs on every adaptation's mind, is at the heart of "Across The Spider-Verse." Miles Morales is the hero of this story because his existence (in-universe and the real world) as a non-Peter Parker Spider-Man proves how flexible the Spidey canon can be. (Devin Meenan)
Star Trek: Lower Decks
There's no better Trekkie comfort food being cooked right now than "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Set on the U.S.S. Cerritos in the "Next Generation" era, the show is a comedy, but not a parody — it takes "Trek" storytelling seriously and when it does laugh, it is with the ins-and-outs of "Trek" canon, not at it. Being animated, it can also stretch its imagination with alien designs and fan-favorite cameos in ways live-action "Trek" can't compare to.
"Lower Decks" continued to prove itself in season 4. Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) is officially one of the great "Star Trek" characters, especially after this season delved into her backstory, while T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz), the Cerritos' new Vulcan ensign, is the ensemble's much-needed straight woman.
Some of the highlights of the ten-episode season were episode 6 "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" (featuring the Cerritos visiting Ferenginar and meeting some old faces from "Deep Space Nine") and episode 8 "Caves," the clip show that's not actually a clip show. The two-part season finale — "The Inner Fight" and "Old Friends, New Planets" — resolved a season-long mystery with the definition of a deep cut, building on the "Next Generation" episode "The First Duty." "Lower Decks" may be animated, but it's no less "Star Trek" than its live-action brethren. (Devin Meenan)
Suzume
Released stateside in 2023, "Suzume" is the latest picture from anime auteur Makoto Shinkai. The director has made his name on sweeping fantasy romance movies; see his last two pictures, the body-swapping "Your Name" and "Weathering With You," about a boy who falls for a weather-manipulating girl.
"Suzume" is another in this ilk, though the fantasy is more abstract and out-there than before. Teenager Suzume Iwato meets Souta Munakata, who is charged with closing doors to another realm throughout Japan. If he doesn't, earthquakes will lay waste to the land. A cat sneaks out through one of those doors and turns Souta into a wooden chair, forcing him and Suzume to follow it across Japan so he can be restored. If "Suzume" burdens itself with lore, it makes up for it with the small moments. This is Shinkai's road trip movie; Suzume travels all across Japan and meets new friends at every stop in an episodic story structure. As the cliche goes, it's the journey, not the destination.
Shinkai's films always excel at depicting the natural beauty of Japan, both rural and urban; no one does wide shots of the sky better. In "Suzume," the abandoned, half-flooded dome (the site of the film's first set piece and poster) boasts such detail and tactility you feel as if you can walk through it with Suzume. Even though Shinkai's films pay much mind to natural disasters and how they shape our lives, the worlds he builds are still ones you just want to dive into. (Devin Meenan)
TMNT: Mutant Mayhem
As the co-director of one of the best animated films in recent years, "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," it should come as no surprise that director Jeff Rowe's take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an absolute triumph. Co-written with longtime comedy duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as well as "Detective Pikachu" and "Koala Man" writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem" is a radical reboot of everyone's favorite heroes in a half-shell. The voiceover performances have a frenetic energy thanks to recording the actual teenage stars in the booth together, and Mikros Animation captured that vibe with absolute perfection. The film provides yet another origin story for the turtles, their meeting with April O'Neil, and their rat-daddy Splinter. Still, it is bursting with so much personality it allows you to feel like you're falling in love with the characters all over again.
I'll go on record and admit that "TMNT: Mutant Mayhem" was my personal #1 animated feature of 2023, and it has nothing to do with the fact my last name is already four-fifths of the name of my favorite turtle teen. The needle drops are boss, the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross absolutely rips, the jokes all land, the incorporation of different animation (and live-action) styles are perfection, and every character feels so lived-in it's hard to remember that they're not real. Give us at least two more movies. Please. Turtle power is real, y'all. (BJ Colangelo)
The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart
The worst thing to happen in 2023 is that "The Venture Bros." came to an end after 20 years, but at least the finale, the film "The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart," was the perfect ending. As I wrote in my post-mortem of the series/review of the film, "This movie truly doesn't give a flying rat's ass about accommodating freshman viewers ... no, this is a film interested in bringing years of 'The Venture Bros.' full circle, and ensuring the characters in crisis are given a resolution, whatever it may mean for them — emphasis on 'for them.' This isn't 'Avengers: Endgame' for Team Venture, but rather the movie that these characters need it to be."
There's something to be said about a franchise's swan song catering exclusively to the audience that has been with them since the very beginning, especially in an entertainment landscape where we can almost hear some studio exec screaming "Make it more accessible to newcomers" in the background. But that's not how "The Venture Bros." has ever operated, and it certainly wasn't going to be how they went out. "Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart" is the furthest thing from a funeral march, instead a giant middle finger to the people who don't value animation as "content" and a warm embrace to those who love it, and that's why it's here on this list. Go. Team. Venture. (BJ Colangelo)
Vinland Saga
"Vinland Saga" season 2 is not just an incredible payoff for every theme and every plot of season one. It is not just the best-acted anime of the year. It is not even just one of the most visually stunning pieces of animation this year. "Vinland Saga" season 2 is a masterclass in storytelling and the kind of show that best exemplifies Guillermo del Toro's message about animation as a medium, not a genre. Where the first season followed a familiar (yet still nuanced and complex) tale of revenge starring your recognizable angry anime protagonist, season 2 took a prestige TV drama route. This is mostly thanks to a slow pace that allows for meticulous character work and a bigger focus on supporting characters — while allowing the animators to make the character acting shine. All while raising the tension by teasing the inevitable arrival of violence in an otherwise peaceful and quiet setting.
And when that violence does arrive, "Vinland Saga" accomplishes one of the best and biggest changes in tone of a modern anime. If the first season's fight scenes were exhilarating and fun, this season turns that on its head to deliver truly horrific and repulsive displays of violence. This is to serve the character arc of Thorfinn, the main character. He undergoes the kind of transformation we normally associate with live-action prestige dramas like "The Sopranos" and "Breaking Bad." By the time Thorfinn finally remembers his father's words to him and recognizes he has no enemies, he ascends to the pantheon of great TV protagonists. There is simply no other show like "Vinland Saga." (Rafael Motamayor)
How this list was made
This ranking was decided by assembling /Film's writers and editors who are experts on the subject. They discussed their selections in private conversation before submitting a ranked ballot with their choices for the list. Each list was then compiled, with higher ranked titles carrying more weight than lower ranked titles. Ties were broken by calls made by the editorial team, with discussion from the larger group. The final list reflects a general consensus, and therefore, the larger recommendations and opinions of the /Film team. Favorites were left off, darlings were killed, and intense debates were had in determining the best of the best. But by God, we did it.