Anime has become very popular around the world and anime fans are increasing tremendously , especially now because it is available on famous platforms such as Netflix and on television or streaming websites that broadcast subbed and dubbed anime series and films. There are mobile apps as well and so many social media accounts of fans like myself who share their favorite shows.
Personally, I didn’t have access to anime series as a kid other than watching it on tv, and I would feel so sad if I napped too much and missed my favorite show. What specifically distinguishes anime is the diversity of genres that you can choose from. Such as (romance, action, shonen, slice of life, comedy, harem etc.) whatever suits your boat.
If you would like to explore more, I have prepared for you a list of all the anime films that you will not regret watching and which are among the highest rated of all time. All of them are great for beginner anime fans who enjoy interesting story plots with a fantasy twist!
Note: This list was created a while ago, so many new awesome movies have been released since then. A new updated list will be published soon.
1- Your Name
The film received tons of praise for its story, animation, music, visuals, and emotional connection to the viewer. Grossing over US$400 million worldwide, it became the third highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.Your name is a 2016 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film directed and written by Makoto Shinkai.
In short, it is a story of high school students named Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu, who swapped bodies despite having never met, which caused chaos in each other’s lives. The film was inspired by the frequency of natural disasters in Japan.
2- Spirited Away
It was first aired in 2001 and is still one of the best films to this day. This film won an Oscar Award in 2002. It achieved the largest revenues in the history of Japanese cinema and ranked second in the highest-grossing anime films of all time.
The main character of the film is a young girl named (Chihiro). Her story began when she moved with her parents to a new city. On their way, her father missed the path that leads to the new house and they went from another path that they thought was a shortcut, which led them to a great adventure in a world full of magic and fantasy.
3- My Neighbor Totoro
It was aired in 1988 and received numerous awards, including the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize, the Mainichi Film Award, and Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film in 1988. It also received the Special Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in the same year.
The film tells the story of two girls (Satsuki and her sister Mei), daughters of a university professor, and their adventures with the imaginary forest spirits, where they meet (Totoro). The family moved to a country house to be close to the mother who was sick and stayed at a nearby hospital.
4- Howl’s Moving Castle
It was aired in 2004, the film was nominated for an Oscar Award and it generated more than thirty billion yen (292 million US dollars) in revenues in Japanese cinema.
The heroine of the story is a young brown-haired girl named Sophie who works in a hat shop in the magical kingdom of Angari. Unfortunately, during one dark night, she met an evil witch who stole her youth and turned her into a ninety-year-old old woman. Sophie decided to look for someone to help her break the magic, and during her search she found Howl’s Moving Castle.
5- Kiki’s Delivery Service
Produced in 1989, the film stars Kiki and her black cat, Gigi. There is a custom that witches follow when they reach the age of 13. During a full moon night, they leave their homes for a whole year and go to another city to learn magic and gain experience.
Kiki took her magic broom and flew to the city in search of a place to live and work. She found a bakery in the city that needed delivery service to customers and began working there.
6- The Cat Returns
It is a 2002 movie, the story of the film revolves around a high school girl named Haru. The story starts when she was going to school, she came across a cat carrying a gift while trying to cross the road during a traffic stop. The gray cat was not fast enough and was about to be run over by a truck, so Haru saved it before it’s too late.
Little did she know that the cat she helped is called Luon, and he is the son of the King of the Cat Kingdom. The king thanked her and later sent a messenger to invite her to come to the Cat Kingdom to marry the Crowned Prince. Before answering the invitation, she heard a voice calling her to go to the office of Baron the cat, who is trying to free her from the dilemma of forced marriage.
7- Ponyo on the Cliff
It was published in 2008, won the Film of the Year award, and its profits reached $204 million, where it was listed as the eighth best successful film.
The story of the film revolves around a goldfish called (Ponyo), who escaped from home and was swept away by a fishermen’s ship. The five-year-old boy (Sousukei) found her, saved her and promised to protect her. Ponyo’s father is a magician who travels the ocean in his private submarine and was trying to retrieve the fish Ponyo because he believes that humans have kidnapped it.
8- Suzume’s Locking Up
It was aired in 2022, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as the best animated film in 2024. The profits have reached $316 million worldwide.
The film tells the story of Suzume, a seventeen-year-old high school student who lives with her aunt. One day, while she was going to school, she met a young man looking for deserted places, so she informed him about the abandoned Onsen Spa. He thanked her and headed to the place she described to him.
Then curiosity overcame her and she followed him. When she entered, she discovered a door standing without walls. She opened the door to see a beautiful field illuminated by the stars, but she could not enter it. During her attempt, she stumbled upon a statue of a cat, so she carried it and it turned into a real cat and escaped.
9- Mary and the Witch’s Flower
It was published in 2017, received many positive reviews from critics, and the film estimated earning from the box office was $42.2 million.
The story revolves around a red-head girl named Mary Smith, who moved to northern England to live with her great-aunt, Charlotte. Mary is alone, without friends, and always tries to help with the housework, but she fails a lot in every task assigned to her. The boy (Peter) lives nearby and always provokes her when she fails and insults her because of her red hair. He has two cats named Tib and Gib, one of them directed Mary to mysterious, glowing blue flowers.
The gardener informed her that the flower was used by witches to give them magical powers. Later, Gib disappears without a trace, and Tib leads Mary to an old broomstick. By chance, Mary was carrying the magic flowers in her hands. While she was carrying the broom, the flowers merged with the broom and moved, causing Mary to ride the broom and fly like a witch. The magic broom flies away above the clouds, leading her to the Endor College of Wizards.
10- Arrietty the Borrower
It was aired in 2010, was praised by critics, and earned $145 million worldwide.
The story is about a tiny girl whois as small as a finger . Her name was Arrietty, she lived with her parents, who are considered the last generation of the (Borrowers) family. They live below the house of a boy called Sho, who lives with his aunt and the housemaid.
When Arrietty reached the age of 14, she went with her father on a “borrowing” mission to collect a piece of sugar and a piece of paper tissue. They succeeded in getting the sugar cube from the kitchen and went to Sho’s bedroom to get a piece of tissue. While she was trying to take out the paper tissue, Sho saw her, naturally she got frightened and dropped the piece of sugar, so Sho called her, but she ran away with her father.
In conclusion, this was a short recommendation list of the best classic anime movies of all time in terms of success and viewer’s approval. There are a lot more newer films that were not mentioned but will be included in the near future.
Feel free to share the best anime movies you have ever watched in the comments below.