I’m Surprised That Two Of My Favorite 2025 Movies Were Animated, And There Are Four More That Nearly Made The List

This year is quickly coming to an end, but before we jump into the 2026 movie calendar, I wanted to take a look back at the past 12 months to see what I’ve enjoyed and what I’ll remember about this era of entertainment. It’s funny how certain trends can become clear when viewed in hindsight, and that’s what happened to me when going through the 100 new releases I watched in 2025. Of all of the different genres I ingested, I was surprised at how many animated movies were amongst my favorites.

I wouldn’t even count myself as a huge fan of animation. My children are in the pre-teen/teen stages, and if I never see another Minion, it’ll be too soon. Of course, I’m not against any movie — children’s or otherwise — that is smart and entertaining, but I was still pretty shocked that two of my absolute favorite flicks this year were animated — KPop Demon Hunters and Love Me. Let’s discuss those and what I think were some of the other best animated movies of 2025.

KPop Demon Hunters

This movie (streaming with a Netflix subscription) was hands-down my biggest surprise of the year. As I’ve written before, I was not a fan of K-pop music or fantasy in general, and I popped KPop Demon Hunters on in the living room one night for the sole purpose of supporting my daughter’s newfound love of the music genre. I was immediately hooked, and I wasn’t alone. Not only were people obsessed with the music, but the movie also has a powerful message about self-acceptance.

The movie and its soundtrack have broken records, and its popularity even led to a limited run of a sing-along version in theaters (my girls and I went twice). Even six months after its release, I don’t think KPop Demon Hunters has left Netflix’s Top 10. Inevitably, a sequel has been ordered, and fans are already theorizing about what’s next for Huntr/x as we endure the excruciatingly long wait to its planned 2029 release.

Love Me

Love Me is the sole non-children’s offering on this list, but younger audiences could probably still benefit from its message about social media’s influence on love and development. The movie takes place in a world where humans have long been extinct, when a weather buoy (Me, voiced by Kristen Stewart) makes contact with a satellite (Iam, voiced by Steven Yeun) that’s been left in orbit to greet any lifeform that happens upon Earth.

The two develop what they think a relationship should be based on watching social media videos of influencer couple Deja and Liam (also Stewart and Yeun), which starts off as amusing but becomes complicated pretty quickly as Iam tires of the monotony.

It didn’t get much attention in theaters, but I think Love Me is very much worth checking out with your Paramount+ subscription. I found it charming, heartbreaking and thought-provoking, and while its message about social media may not be entirely new, it’s still an important one. Also, the evolution of both the world and Me and Iam’s lives are depicted in such a creative and unique way using various forms of animation and CGI.

Zootopia 2

It should come as no surprise that the long-awaited sequel to the Oscar-winning Zootopia was a delight. They really got me with all of the puns (I can’t wait to rewatch it to catch even more), and I’m sorry, how do Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have so much chemistry? I actually teared up when both of them said the other was the most important person in their lives, and of course, I teared up again when Nick (Jason Bateman) delivered the movie’s message:

The moral that someone being “different” doesn’t mean “bad” isn’t the most original message, but it’s definitely as poignant as ever.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Honestly, when have Wallace and Gromit ever steered us wrong? Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was pretty much a shoo-in for this list, having won the BAFTA for Best Animated Film and being nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe in the equivalent categories. Award recognition doesn’t mean everything, though.

The claymation, as always, was second-to-none in Vengeance Most Fowl, the title characters as charming as ever, and featured plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to accompany its cautionary tale of relying too strongly on technology. This one can be streamed on Netflix.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

It seems strange that the first fully animated theatrical release in the Looney Tunes universe would neglect to include Bugs Bunny, but maybe that’s just the Space Jam fan in me talking. Either way, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig proved they can hold their own in The Day the Earth Blew Up. I was a little concerned that maybe the 2025 movie wouldn’t hold up to the raucous good times of the cartoons I grew up with, but it was all for naught.

The silliness of the sci-fi plot about gum-chewing aliens was a riot, causing explosions of laughter and even some surprisingly emotional moments. You can stream it with an HBO Max subscription.

Elio

I’m not sure why Elio bombed at the box office. Was it because it was an original story, rather than a sequel or established IP? Is it too expensive to go to the theaters, so parents waited to watch it with their Disney+ subscriptions? Either way, the Pixar flick got good reviews (CinemaBlend’s review gave Elio 3.5 out of 5 stars), from both critics and audiences.

Admittedly, a story about an orphaned child hoping to get abducted by aliens because no one on Earth loves him sounds like exactly the kind of animated sobfest I typically run away from. I promise it’s really not as sad as its premise would suggest.

It’s worth a watch for the gorgeous animation alone, and it’s super imaginative in showing Elio’s quest to find where he belongs. It also carries a strong message for parents about trying your best and loving unconditionally, even if you make mistakes or don’t understand your child’s path.

Animated movies may not be my first choice, because as a parent, I’ve seen my share of the terrible ones, but this year served as a good reminder that there are plenty of people still making smart kids movies with messages that even adults could stand to be reminded of.