Here are the top 10 animated movies of 2021 released by MovieWeb.
Over the past 20 years, the animation industry has undergone a modern renaissance with the resurgence of animated films. More and more studios are realizing that there is a growing demand for animated films, and the importance and popularity of the animation media has become very obvious. It also makes sense: animated films are vital to the film industry and have been one of the main genres that audiences love to watch throughout film history.
The 2020 pandemic lockdown and ongoing global pandemic have made it difficult for audiences to get to cinemas. Still, studios and filmmakers are determined to make their work visible, so the number of films throughout 2021 surges. Of course, the release of a large number of films is gratifying, and there are ten feature films in the animation genre that stand out.
10 Dragon Quest Legends
The Legend of the Dragon Seeker tells a story of seeking common ground while reserving differences, with a free exploration of cultural commentary and social consciousness. Although the story takes place in a gorgeous fantasy country, the real country and cultural background that inspired the dragon kingdom are undoubtedly indispensable. Southeast Asian regions such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines clearly had a significant impact on The Dragon Quest. The film is gorgeous and engaging, and the many details that give the film its charm are complex and subtle, while also showing the power of animation in the mainstream media. Given that Disney likes to tell the same type of story with the same type of characters, the film is particularly refreshing.
9 Batman: The Long Halloween (Part 1 & Part 2)
Screenwriters Jeff Loeb and Tim Shar have scaled back the original comic book story and traced some established plots to highlight Batman's strong emotions. Compared with the previous live-action version of Batman, Batman: The Long Halloween more specifically shows the detective image of Bruce Wayne, faithfully following the comic book classics, but also getting rid of the copy and paste of previous Batman animations. This two-part film combines the familiar suspenseful murder and crime themes through the mature superhero animation of the play, and it is fascinating from beginning to end. "Batman: The Long Halloween" (Part 1 and Part 2) is carefully crafted and carefully interpreted, raising the level of the DC Animation Universe.
8 Intelligent Counter-Offensive
Even if you watch it many times, "Smart Strike Back" will still make you happy, and there is an interesting and warm moving family affection throughout, lingering. "Smart Strike Back" is full of creativity, brilliant animation is dazzling, funny and crazy funny. The insane rhythm, excellent use of color and vivid imagination make this fun film even more pleasing to the eye. The parent-child interaction method that collides with reality also makes this film resonate with any audience. Adhering to the cute production style, "Smart Counterattack" has become a masterpiece through weird and wild funny interpretations.
7 Demon Hunter: Wolf's Nightmare
When asked if Western culture should continue to create anime, Demon Hunter: Nightmare of the Wolf answered resoundingly in the affirmative. In this dark fantasy world full of brutal and terrifying monsters, Demon Hunter: Wolf's Nightmare switches the perspective from Geralt in Livia to Visemire, giving us a deeper understanding of this chaotic universe. The themes of the story are full of pain and moral ambiguity, which is why the Demon Hunter series is both fascinating and complex. The combination of creepy gore violence and compelling animation style may have weakened the impact of Demon Hunter: Nightmare of the Wolves in the Demon Hunter series, which conveys a disturbing experience. But for fans waiting for the second season of Demon Hunter, it's certainly an exciting spin-off movie.
6 Dragons and Freckled Princesses
This ultra-modern version of Beauty and the Beast measures the impact of cyberbullying from a more modern perspective, and then explores an important issue that continues to affect the mental health of Internet users. Director Shoda Mori presents the inclusiveness of "The Dragon and the Freckled Princess" by optimizing the aesthetic, firmly grasping the pulse of today's pop culture scene. While occasionally a little chaotic, Dragons and The Freckled Princess succeeds in maintaining its own vivid character, impressively combining an ancient story with unimplemented technology in the real world. The free-spirited creativity is enough to make the unique Dragon and the Freckled Princess stand out.
5 Magic full house
"Full House of Magic" is warm and cultural, full of family reconciliation, telling the audience to accept themselves as they are, without having to force themselves to be what kind of person they should be. Full House is visually pleasing to the eye, using colorful characters and the use of color to show the charm of the animation, which is also important to the theme of the film. Although it feels a bit similar to Disney's other animated works of the same year, the story does exude deep emotion and leave a deep impact. Changing the traditional Disney model from a more diverse perspective can undoubtedly create a series of stories and even appeal to audiences outside the target audience.
4 Sunny summer days
While "Sunny Summer" may not have much ambition compared to Pixar's previous works, the minimalist style of enjoying everyday life throughout the film is very comfortable. The film tells a touching story of praising friendship, finding brilliance from simplicity, and full of sincere and generous beautiful tones from beginning to end. The inquiry into identity, while criticizing the negative energy of prejudice, also projects a warmth, a warm sympathy for the weak and the abandoned. "Sunny Days in Summer" will make the audience recall their childhood with joy and immerse themselves in the joy of childhood. This charming, cute animated feature is undoubtedly a summer treat.
3. The Wang Wang team makes a great contribution to the movie
"Wang Wang Team Great Achievement Movie" is an excellent traditional G-class family movie that even a small child can watch. In the film, these rescue dogs demonstrate the selflessness of the profession they represent and continue to encourage preschoolers to do good whenever and wherever they want. Frankly, we don't expect much from this kind of animated TV movie, but in fact this harmless but entertaining movie will never let you get bored. Easy-to-char, The Great Movie is appealing to audiences of all ages, and conveys the message of self-acceptance, mental health, and teamwork.
2 Heavenly Gifts
"Divine Spirit Machine" still shows the dialectical relationship between human beings and the situation that artificial intelligence is about to overwhelm the world in the field of science and technology. The film has a clear understanding of its own era, and although the imagination in it may be controversial, it is better than the witty humor and thematic style. This fun animated film reflects the way children grow up in the digital age today, but without overly complicating it, successfully ingraining the message it aims to evoke awareness into the story. The quirky style presented by the creators underscores the film's charm and sparks a lot of reflection on how the public views big tech companies.
1 Batman: Dragon's Soul
Compared to other conventions of Batman stories, Batman: Souls of dragons expands on superhero genre films in a way that breaks the norm. This DC Animation deviates from the plot line that has been repeated over the past few decades, and enriches the Batman genre with originality. The film's atmosphere is clearly inclined towards the style of 1970s films and comes with a strong voice cast. More intense fight scenes add to the thrill of a superhero movie, while Batman: Dragon Soul pays homage to kung fu movies that have had a major impact on it, and is full of nostalgia from beginning to end.