21 best anime movies of all time you should watch

Hayao Miyazaki famously said during the making of Princess Mononoke that he would finish this movie even if it ruined the studio.

He also said he would retire after the arduous process of bringing this story to life, but neither of those things really happened. Instead, Miyazaki started his own path towards international success with one of his most spectacular, violent and visually stunning movies.

Set in a fantasy version of the late Muromachi period of Japan, Princess Mononoke follows a prince desperate to reverse a course that will kill him and a woman raised by wolves fighting for nature's survival.

Watch now: Netflix

Motoko Kusanagi is one of the most iconic characters in anime history, and Ghost in the Shell's beating robotic heart.

Directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, the movie follows this cyborg public-security agent as she hunts a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master.

Imagining a cyberpunk future where humanity coexists with sophisticated AI technology, the story explores questions of identity and free will with striking melancholy and sheer brutality.

Although it was a box-office disappointment after its cinema release, the movie found its audience through home video, influencing posterior sci-fi hits like The Matrix.

Watch now: ITVX | Funimation

Mari Okada's directorial debut aims right for the heart, so get ready to feel a lot of emotions.

The movie follows Maquia, a young girl member of an ageless race called the Iorph. She is only 15 now, but, as one of these mystical beings, she knows she can live for hundreds of years.

While escaping war, Maquia finds a child that has survived the armed conflict, and decides to adopt him and raise him as her son.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms explores motherhood in a beautiful, heartbreaking way.

Watch now: Prime Video | Sky Store | Apple TV+

One of the most iconic anime movies of all time, My Neighbour Totoro will never stop warming our hearts.

After all, this movie taught us we can scare the shadows away by laughing out loud, and reminded us of the joy of the natural world and the sense of hope even in the worst circumstances.

Deliciously light-hearted and surprisingly deep at the same time, Hayao Miyazaki's movie follows two sisters as they deal with their mother's sickness and discover the wonders that await them in their new rural house.

There's a reason Totoro ended up being Studio Ghibli's official logo beyond how cute it is.

Watch now: Netflix

Satoshi Kon's movies are always walking the line between reality and fantasy, and Perfect Blue is no different.

The story follows Mima Kirigoe, a member of a Japanese idol group who now wants to pursue an acting career. When an obsessive fan starts to stalk her, Mima loses grip on reality, while violent murders happen around her.

Perfect Blue is a stunning psychological horror with a twisty plot and a shattered point of view that turns the story — a critique of celebrity culture — into a terrifying nightmare.

If you see some similarities with Black Swan, it is because Darren Aronofsky was inspired by it.

Watch now: Unfortunately, Perfect Blue is not available to stream in the UK.

Katsuhiro Otomo's adaptation of his own manga, published in 1982, has always been regarded as one of the best anime movies ever, and for good reason.

Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, a futuristic city where chaos and rebellion spark as a young man with incredible telekinetic abilities threatens an entire military complex.

After its release in 1988, Akira changed Western perceptions of what animation was, or who it was aimed for. With a taste for violence, spectacular imagery and a twisty story, the movie has been the focus of numerous interpretations, many seeing it as an allegory of nuclear threat and a warning about where humanity was heading in the late 80s.

Watch now: Unfortunately, Akira is not available to stream in the UK.

One of the most visually stunning movies in this list, The Tale of Princess Kaguya is an animated masterpiece, and a unique title in Studio Ghibli's catalogue.

Isao Takahata's last movie is based on a traditional Japanese tale from the 10th century, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which starts when a humble man finds a small girl inside a bamboo shoot.

The animation blends with the story and Kaguya's emotions in a beautiful way. When the princess furiously escapes the palace after having lost her freedom, the drawing becomes blurry and chaotic, feeling all the pain of the character in each frame.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a marvel.

Watch now: Netflix

Mamoru Hosoda is one of the most fascinating anime directors working today, who went from working in beloved shows like Digimon and One Piece to directing feature film gems like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

The movie follows a teenage girl who finds out she can move through time, so she uses this newfound ability to her advantage without thinking of the consequences.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an excellent coming-of-age fantasy story, light-hearted and devilishly entertaining. It also teaches us an important lesson: the best way to live is to live in the present.

Hosoda, who was enlisted by Studio Ghibli to direct Howl's Moving Castle before creative differences drove him out of the project, is one to remember when talking about the best anime movies of all time.

Watch now: Prime Video

This was supposed to be Hayao Miyazaki's swan song, and what a perfect goodbye it would have been: a perfect combination of his deepest obsessions — flying, wind, war, Italian planes — and a heartfelt story about what compels us to keep on living.

Now we know this was not his last movie, as The Boy and The Heron is out now in Japan, but it is definitely one of his best, as well as one of the best anime movies of all time.

The Wind Rises is loosely inspired by Jiro Horikoshi, a war aircraft designer during World War II. However, as usual, Miyazaki is not interested in hard facts, but rather in transporting us to another time and imbuing us with the thought-provoking notion that the beauty of invention and dreaming can be perverted towards the most evil purposes.

Watch now: Netflix

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of anime movies directed by women, which makes Naoko Yamada's A Silent Voice even more special.

Based on the manga of the same name by Yoshitoki Ōima, the story follows Shôko Nishimiya, a high school student with impaired hearing who begins suffering bullying in her new school, which forces her to transfer somewhere else. Years later, one of her bullies, Shôya Ishida, tries to make amends.

A Silent Voice explores a diverse number of topics — bullying, growing up, living with a disability, mental health struggles, forgiveness — with sublime sensitivity.

Oh, yeah, you might end up crying, so bring some tissues.

Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+

Masaaki Yuasa is one of today's most untamed, free-spirited anime directors, as he's proved with movies like Inu-Oh, Night is Short, Walk on Girl, and the moving Ride Your Wave.

Perhaps it's not his craziest movie, but it's a great entry point for those unfamiliar with his style. Yuasa's creativeness shines through with gorgeous animation and unique characters.

An exploration of grief and trauma, Ride Your Wave follows a surf-loving college student who struggles to find purpose after her firefighter boyfriend is killed in a terrible and unexpected accident.

Watch now: Prime Video | Sky Store | Apple TV+

If you love Christopher Nolan's Inception, you might want to have a look at the absolutely riveting Paprika.

Satoshi Kon's movie is a vibrant, mind-twisting masterpiece that cannot be explained, only enjoyed.

We'll just say: the story follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba, scientist by day / dream detective by night. With a device called the DC Mini, she is able to get into her psychiatric patients's minds.

Kon creates a surreal world full of colour, energy and outlandish imagery, exploring the bizarre nature of dreams as the protagonist juggles between her duties and who she wants to be.

Watch now: Netflix

While Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata's movies shine brightest among Studio Ghibli's catalogue, there are other anime gems to be found.

Whisper of the Heart was the very promising directorial debut of Yoshifumi Kondō, who was meant to be Miyazaki's successor. However, Kondō died a few years after the release of this movie, which ended up being his last love letter to dreaming big, no matter the circumstances.

Based on Aoi Hiiragi's manga, adapted to the screen by Miyazaki, the story follows a headstrong teenager who wants to be a writer, so she decides to prove herself by writing her first novel.

The Japanese version of John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' will forever make us happy-cry.

Watch now: Netflix

Prepare some tissues, because this might be one of the saddest movies of all time. Once watched, there's no going back to it.

Grave of the Fireflies is Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata's most widely acclaimed movie, as well as one of the most devastating pieces of animation ever created.

Set in Kobe (Japan) in June 1945, the story follows two siblings who, after becoming orphans due to the destructive bombings in their hometown, struggle to survive in utter poverty.

Based on the novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is equally gorgeous and traumatic.

Watch now: Microsoft Store | Prime Video | Apple TV+

Possibly Mamoru Hosoda's most ambitious movie, Summer Wars is wonderfully creative sci-fi adventure that successfully combines teenage comedy, cute romance and thrilling action.

The story begins when a high school student, who happens to be a math genius, solves a complex equation which was sent to him anonymously. Turns out he inadvertently offered a powerful AI system the last key it needed to destroy Earth.

Closely connected to the also highly-recommended Belle, one of Hosoda's latest films, Summer Wars is a heartwarming adventure that never gets dull, shining with glorious imagination.

Watch now: Unfortunately, Summer Wars is not available to stream in the UK.

There's never been a better movie about burnout than Kiki's Delivery Service, a movie that hides in plain sight a heartbreaking coming-of-age story despite her light-spirited appearance.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and based on Eiko Kadono's beloved book, the movie follows a 13-year-old witch as she travels from her parent's rural paradise to a big coastal city in order to learn how to survive by herself. Since flying is her passion and greatest talent, she opens a delivery service, which will teach her the joys and sorrows of being freelance.

Beyond its charming characters — Jiji the cat is a fan favourite — and the beautifully explored themes, Kiki's Delivery Service was also the first box-office hit for Studio Ghibli, granting the studio's survival and setting the tone for many Miyazaki films to come.

Watch now: Netflix

This might not be what you expected of a Christmas movie, but you'll want to add Tokyo Godfathers to your holiday's watchlist nonetheless.

Satoshi Kon's movie is exceptionally unique and unconventional in the Christmas movie genre, as it is for the Japanese director filmography. No, there's no fantasy here, only a heartwarming and surprisingly moving family dramedy.

Inspired by John Ford's 3 Godfathers, Tokyo Godfathers follows three homeless people — middle-aged alcoholic Gin, teenage runaway Miyuki and former drag queen Hana — who find a baby in a trash bin on Christmas Eve, and decide to return it home.

Next Christmas, give It's A Wonderful Life a break and put this one on.

Watch now: Microsoft Store | Apple TV+

Directed by Rintarô, Metropolis is a sci-fi mystery thriller that surprised at the time for its astonishing visuals and compelling futuristic story.

Loosely based on Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis, which shows similarities — although it wasn't a direct inspiration — with 1927's Metropolis, the movie follows Shunsaku, a private investigator who discovers a sinister plan which threatens humanity.

Rintarô didn't shy away from the comparisons to Fritz Lang's movie, expanding its exploration of class struggle in a dystopian society, as well as delivering thought-provoking ideas about the relationship between humans and robots.

Watch now: Apple TV+