Best animated films that are not made by Disney or Pixar

Since the release of ‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs’ in 1938, Disney had aced the game in the animation genre. Later the corporation got Pixar on board and together they dominated the market for a long time. While their movies pioneered the field of animation films and given us gems like ‘Beauty and The Beast’, ‘Toy Story’, ‘Moana’, ‘Inside Out’ and many more, there are equally good films outside the mega production house as well. 

Here’s a list of successful animation films that won the hearts of the audience and moved the lines of animation beyond Disney/Pixar:

Shrek

‘Shrek’ by Deamworks Animation, was loosely based on the 1990 fairy tale picture book of the same name by William Steig. The film premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, making it the first animated film since Disney’s ‘Peter Pan’ (1953) to receive that honor. It was widely praised for its adult-oriented humor and themes, while catering to children at the same time. ‘Shrek’ won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay The film’s success helped establish DreamWorks Animation as a prime competitor to Pixar.

The Land Before Time

‘The Land Before Time’ is an American franchise of animated adventure films by Universal Pictures centered on dinosaurs. The series began in 1988 with the eponymous ‘The Land Before Time’, directed and produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.    The first film spawned a franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels and a television series and merchandise, none of which had Bluth, Spielberg or Lucas’ involvement.  

Persepolis

Persepolis is a 2007 adult animated film based upon the Marjane Satrapi autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Satrapi in collaboration with Vincent Paronnaud. The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution.  It premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it co-won the Jury Prize, alongside Silent Light. It earned universal praise by critics post its commercial release. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Disney’s ‘Ratatouille’.

Isle of Dogs 

‘Isle of Dogs’ is a 2018 stop-motion animated, science-fiction comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Wes Anderson. Set in a dystopian near-future Japan, the story follows a pack of banished dogs, led by street dog Chief (Bryan Cranston), who helps a young boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin) search for his own dog . A US–German co-production, Isle of Dogs was produced by Indian Paintbrush and Anderson’s own production company. The film won Anderson the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. The film received nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, 72nd British Academy Film Awards, and two nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score.

Spirited Away

‘Spirited Away’ is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli.  It tells the story of  a 10-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighbourhood, enters the world of Kami (spirits) of Japanese Shinto folklore. ‘Spirited Away’ received universal acclaim and is frequently ranked among the greatest animated films ever made. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, making it the first (and, to date, only) hand-drawn and non-English-language animated film to win that award. 

Spiderman: Into The Spider Verse

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film featuring the Miles Morales incarnation of the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The first animated feature in the Spider-Man franchise, the film was directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman . 

The film was dedicated to the memories of the creators of Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who both died in 2018. The film received praise from critics and won numerous awards, including Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards, and 76th Golden Globe Awards. It was the first non-Disney/Pixar film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature since ‘Rango’ (2011), as well as the first non-Disney/Pixar film since ‘Happy Feet’ (2006) to win that award when a Disney or Pixar film was also in contention.