The 2000s were a defining decade when it came to feature-length animation as a whole. The decade saw the massive rise of 3D computer animation becoming the new standard in studio animation, and the decade as a whole saw more and more filmmakers use animation to experiment and tell their own beautiful stories. At the same time, the decade was also considered the final hurrah for 2D animation as the primary form of animation, acting as a sort of swan song before transitioning into the future of animated storytelling.
With so many groundbreaking and inspirational animated stories to be released during this time, every individual will have their own favorites and biases. Websites such as Letterboxd have been a helpful tool in being able to gather together user scores from their community in order to form a cohesive average ranking for each movie. From this, it is possible to see in finality exactly which animated films from the 2000s are held in the highest regard by the Letterboxd community.
15
‘Mind Game’ (2004)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.19/5
A display of sheer visual madness and absurdism in the medium of anime filmmaking, Mind Game is one of the most distinct and individual animated films out there, balancing insightful storytelling on the fluidity of life while maximizing the goofiness of its story and animation. Director Masaaki Yuasa fills the film with raw, unrestrained personality and charm in every second of its animation and filmmaking, creating an unmistakable work of art that could only work in the realm of animation.
The film follows Nishi, an awkward loser who ends up getting an unlikely second chance at life after he is murdered in an encounter with the Japanese mafia and runs his way back to the world of the living through sheer force of will. With a second chance at life, he acts unrestrained and chooses to never live in fear again, sending him and his friends on a mad car chase that leaves them stuck in the belly of a giant whale. The animation and comedy live up to the absurdity of its premise, making for an unforgettable animated experience that Letterboxd users have fallen in love with.
14
‘Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’ (2000)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.19/5
The original Vampire Hunter D was already an icon of gothic anime filmmaking, yet releasing 15 years after the original film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust expands and elevates the strengths of the original into the legendary digital era with seamless precision. It sees the titular D on yet another vampire-hunting quest, competing with a family of bounty hunters to track down a young woman who has seemingly been abducted by the notorious vampire nobleman Meier Link.
With a masterful visual style and gothic set pieces, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust brilliantly executes upon the concepts and worldbuilding established in the original film, creating a striking masterwork of R-rated anime that has been celebrated as a champion of the art form since its release. The exceptional style of legendary anime director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is arguably at its best in this masterclass of dark anime.
13
‘Coraline’ (2009)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.19/5
The absolute face of stop-motion animation mastery in the 21st century is animation studio LAIKA, whose various works of beauty have been celebrated as some of the best stop-motion movies ever made. The undeniable highlight of their legendary filmography, however, is Coraline, a beautifully dark story of fantastical worlds and the harsh truth of idealized fantasies. The film follows the titular 11-year-old girl as she discovers a hidden door to a strange, alternate version of her own world that seems perfect, yet requires a haunting sacrifice for her to stay.
Coraline is an experience defined by the beauty and sheer impressive stature of its visuals that still hold up tremendously over 15 years after its release. With titan of stop-motion animation Henry Selick at the helm, Coraline is one of the most beautifully crafted stop-motion animated films ever made, which is all the more impactful thanks to the brilliance of its storytelling and the charm of its characters.
12
‘Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest’ (2006)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.20/5
Defined by its beautifully distinct folklore art style and storytelling, Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest is some of the closest that an original film in the 21st century has gotten to recreating the magic and joy of the timeless fairy tales of old. The French film follows the young Azur and his best friend, who was separated from him in childhood, Asmar, as they both independently travel to North Africa in search of the legendary djinn-fairy in hopes of marrying her.
The striking visual style of the film, which utilizes 3D technology to create a wholly distinct 2D world, is the major highlight of the film. However, the brilliance of its timeless story has also played a great deal into the film’s lasting appeal and legacy as one of the best French animated films ever made. It’s a work of art that still feels brilliantly crafted 20 years after its release as an incredibly underrated icon of independent 3D animated films.
11
‘Ratatouille’ (2007)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.22/5
Ratatouille tells the story of Remy, a rat who has extravagant dreams of becoming a great French chef, yet is faced with the obvious hurdle of being a rat, an animal notoriously not allowed in kitchens. However, thanks to a chance encounter and partnership with the kind-hearted Linguini, Remy is finally given his chance to prove himself as a great chef in a restaurant made famous by Remy’s own hero.
Ratatouille is a symbolic representation of all the best aspects of Pixar’s core filmmaking attributes and style wrapped up in a singular near-perfect package. The film’s powerful yet simple message of “anyone can cook” is as timeless as it gets, and the film’s emotional beats and humor still connect with audiences over 15 years later. In the eyes of the Letterboxd community, Ratatouille is one of the greatest films that Pixar has made, and it will be a long time before a film is able to come close to its overwhelming quality.
10
‘Persepolis’ (2007)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.23/5
Persepolis tells the story of Marji, a young woman growing up in the harsh environment of 1970s Iran, firsthand experiencing the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the new Islamic rulership. While Marji and her family have high hopes for the possibilities of the revolution and a new leadership, they soon come to realize that the new rulers have become a new form of repressive tyranny in itself.
Adapted directly from the famous graphic novel series, Persepolis is able to perfectly translate the original visual style of the graphic novel into animation while still keeping its core adult themes and messages. The film uses its stylized animation style as an excellent low barrier to entry for the harsh and powerful coming-of-age story at its center, allowing its important tale to be reached and more accessible across the world.
9
‘Millennium Actress’ (2001)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.24/5
Millennium Actress follows the story of legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who vanished at the height of her career but has now been tracked down by a documentary filmmaker looking to tell her story to the world. As her story unfolds, the line between fiction and reality becomes blurrier and blurrier as her real-life experiences are told through the movies that were a part of her extensive career. Her story reveals a great deal of secrets about why she went into hiding, why she began acting in the first place, and even an unexpected connection to the documentarian’s past.
Millennium Actress uses an incredibly unique and unexpected method of telling its mature and multilayered story of legacy and love, as it plays with visuals and locations constantly in a way that perfectly fits the character of Chiyoko. Even with the scattered way that it tells its story, it all converges perfectly in the end in a glorious sendoff that tells the power and drive that love can have in your life, and how life gives back into that love. The film is a genuine work of art that is frankly nothing more than the standard for legendary director Satoshi Kon.
8
‘WALL-E’ (2008)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.24/5
WALL-E tells the story of Wall-E, the last remaining robot left on Earth tasked with cleaning up all of the garbage that has been left behind after humans fled to the far reaches of outer space 700 years ago. When a brand-new ship arrives on Earth containing a new, more modernistic robot, Wall-E believes that he may have finally found his first real friend in 700 years.
Pixar’s track record in the 2000s cannot be overstated, yet Wall-E still stands as one of the studio’s greatest artistic accomplishments, telling a beautiful, heartwarming story of romance and the environment. The film holds an outstanding and everlasting legacy 15 years later, even standing alone as the only Pixar movie to earn a spot in the Criterion Collection.
7
‘Tokyo Godfathers’ (2003)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.26/5
Satoshi Kon‘s Tokyo Godfathers tells the story of a trio of homeless people living in Tokyo on Christmas Eve: the middle-aged alcoholic, Gin, the former drag queen, Hana, and the runaway girl, Miyuki. The trio soon faces a conundrum when they discover an abandoned newborn baby while searching through the garbage, and with only a handful of clues at their disposal, they decide to search the city for the infant’s parents.
Despite its darker premise, Tokyo Godfathers is perfectly able to conjure the magical feelings of the holiday season, and the power and strength of familial bonds that can come from anywhere. The charming connection and chemistry between all three of the leads create an infectious feeling of warmth that can’t help but envelop audiences in its sense of comfort. Even 20 years later, the film still has a lot of powerful notions to say about the holidays and the importance of being interconnected even under the worst of conditions.
6
‘Mary and Max’ (2009)
Letterboxd Average Rating: 4.27/5
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Mary and Max tells the tale of friendship between the unlikely pen pals of Mary, a lonely eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, an obese 44-year-old man living in New York. While their friendship started from humble beginnings, with Mary picking a name out of a phone book and writing a letter, their friendship would soon go on to last 20 years, with both of their lives changing drastically in that time.
Sporting a beautiful clay animation style, Mary and Max is able to use its childish and seemingly simplistic visual style to tell a highly mature and powerful tale of friendship and the human spirit. The acclaimed claymation film also accomplishes this thanks to its all-star casting of Toni Collette as Mary and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max, who both bring their A-game and bring life to the characters of Mary and Max.
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