From Heavy Metal To Loving Vincent: The 10 Best Animated Movies For Adults

Far too often, people assume that just because a film is animated that means that it must only be for children. Even a quick glance through the history of animated film, however, shows that there have been plenty of them that were very much geared toward adults.

Sometimes, their adult orientation is due to the material that they choose to depict. Other times it’s just the nature of the images themselves. All of them, however, show just how flexible the animated film is and how adept it can be in exploring the darker parts of the human psyche.

10 Heavy Metal (1981)

This is, in many ways, the ultimate adult animated film. It has a little bit of everything: risqué humor, sexuality, and some truly graphic violence. It is actually an anthology film, with several separate stories connected by the presence of a malevolent stone known as the Loc-Nar.

To be fair, some of the sequences are better than others. The two best are, arguably, the one in which the stone appears and reanimates a group of dead World War I soldiers and the final sequence, which sees the ominous stone turn a group of outcasts into a murderous army. This is an animated film that is not for the faint of heart.

9 Watership Down (1978)

Watership Down is what happens when you mix a quasi-Celtic mythology with an animal universe akin to that seen in The Wind in the Willows. The film follows a group of rabbits as they try to find a new home for themselves. Sounds simple enough, but then the cute bunnies start getting brutally murdered by the elements and other bunnies.

There are some truly disturbing and bloody scenes that occur later in the film, as two rabbit tribes go to war with one another. The film definitely doesn’t shy away from some of the grittier and more visceral parts of the natural world and is both chilling and exciting in equal measure.

8 Fritz the Cat (1972)

This is, without a doubt, one of the strangest animated films ever made. The film focuses on Fritz, an anthropomorphic cat who drops out of college and becomes involved with various aspects of life in 70s America.

The film is, arguably, one of the most controversial animated films ever made, precisely because it openly discusses so many issues that are typically avoided by animation, such as drug use, sex, and race relations. Despite this, it became something of an instant classic, with both financial success and a legacy that persists to this day.

7 The Black Cauldron (1985)

This is one of those Disney movies that has received far too little appreciation. Though it is in many ways a deeply flawed film, it nevertheless deserves some recognition for the ways in which it took Disney animation in some new and unexpected directions.

Admittedly, the story is a bit incoherent, as if the filmmakers weren’t quite sure how they wanted to adapt the Lloyd Alexander novels on which it is based. The highlight of the film is its chief antagonist, the Horned King, and his undead army that he brings to life with the aid of the titular cauldron.

6 The Lord of the Rings (1980)

For many years before the release of Peter Jackson’s famous film trilogy, Tolkien fans who wanted to see The Lord of the Rings on-screen had to rely on either the Rankin Bass adaptation or Ralph Bakshi’s flawed by ambitious adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers.

Though the film does, admittedly, have some goofy moments, overall it’s a rather thoughtful and remarkably faithful adaptation of Tolkien’s famous masterwork, with some genuinely frightening moments. It would go on to have a substantial influence on Jackson’s films, which have since become the gold standard for Tolkein adaptations.

5 The Secret of NIMH (1982)

In the annals of films made by Don Bluth, this one arguably ranks right at the very top. Though its narrative—about a mother mouse seeking a new home for her children—may seem intended for children, the film is actually quite mature. The animation is truly spectacular, with several sequences that are unlike anything produced before or since.

The film is also rather disturbing in some of its sequences, particularly the rose bush that is the home of the rats. For their part, the rats range from the comedic to the imposing, a testament to Bluth’s unique artistic vision.

4 Loving Vincent (2017)

Loving Vincent is one of those truly astounding works of cinematic art that, once seen, it is impossible to forget. The entire film was designed to look like one of the famous artist’s paintings, and as you watch it you can’t help but feel yourself swept up in the gorgeous image.

In addition to its visual beauty, the film also features a moving storyline, one that explores weighty issues such as death and mortality, the nature of artistic genius, and the complex and often vexing nature of human relationships.

3 Persepolis (2007)

This film, rendered in a style reminiscent of the graphic novels on which it is based, is about Marjane, a young Iranian girl living in that country both before and after the Iranian Cultural Revolution. As life becomes more and more repressive under the new regime, she struggles to adapt to the new way of life sweeping her country.

Visually, the film is nothing short of stunning, both haunting and evocative, particularly since it is all in black-and-white. This sparseness allows for an exploration of the political themes that are such an essential part of the film’s narrative.

2 The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson has established a reputation as something of a quirky director, excelling at films that are just slightly off-beat. That is definitely true of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, a light-hearted comedy with the inimitable voices of such Hollywood luminaries as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Michael Gambon.

Though the film can, of course, be appreciated and enjoyed by children, like so many other excellent stop-motion films, the razor-sharp wit and humor of the film can only be truly appreciated by adults. And besides, what adult doesn’t want to watch a film with George Clooney literally playing a fox?

1 Animal Farm (1954)

George Orwell’s allegorical novel about the dangers of communism is one of his most famous works. Given the book’s anti-communist message, it’s not really surprising that it would be made into a film during the 50s, when both the United States and the United Kingdom were obsessed with the Soviet Union and its growing influence.

One of the most noteworthy things about this film is the dramatically altered ending, which features the animals joining together to take back from the pigs. It’s a very violent sequence, and it is a testament to the anti-communist atmosphere of the 50s.

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