Animation is a form of filmmaking that is often related to second-tier status, something just for kids. This is by both the organisations giving out the awards and the guilds that are meant to promote their member’s work. However, they are not second-tier films, and in many ways, it is the animated films that push the frontiers of filmmaking and what is possible, and they should be championed for the work they do.     

Animated films can be hand-drawn, stop/clay motion, computer-generated, it does not matter, but all of them show unique techniques of hundreds of artists that bring the work to life.

So without further ado, these are the animated films that showed us the glory of animation in 2021. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers ahead for the films in question. Also, click on the banners/titles to go to the full reviews of each of the films 

Encanto

A delightful exploration of family dynamics as the world starts to collapse around them

Directed by – Jared Bush & Byron Howard
Story by – Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse & Lin-Manuel Miranda
Screenplay by – Charise Castro Smith & Jared Bush

Luca

Those unlikely bonds we make as children, but also sea monsters

Directed by – Enrico Casarosa
Story by – Enrico Casarosa, Jesse Andrews & Simon Stephenson
Screenplay by – Jesse Andrews & Mike Jones

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

A family road trip through the robot apocalypse.

Directed by – Mike Rianda
Written by – Mike Rianda & Jeff Rowe

And the Winner is!!!!! – Luca

One area that suffered for me in 2021 was animated films, which I just did not see enough of, which should have made this an easy pick. But no, Luca and The Mitchells vs. the Machines had to go and be straight up gems. It was difficult to separate the two for a while, which I am mostly going to blame Maya Rudolph for. But after some thought, I think Luca just came out on top for me. I think this one hit was just a touch closer to home than I was expecting. Contrasted with a stunning depiction of the Italian countryside and some real heart in the story, well, you get a film for the whole family.                     

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

What are your favourite cinematic moments from 2021?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images used were created by the respective studio and artists of each film