'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Animated movies are an ideal addition to plans for enjoying the holidays with friends and family. Technological innovation combined with the desire to produce compelling tales has led to 2022 being another fantastic year for fans of animated film.
From Pixar's Turning Red, to Toei Animation's One Piece Film: RED, and Netflix's Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, there were some very top-notch animated films produced this year.
Check out this list of the best animated films released in 2022, that range from action to comedy to heartfelt and dark.
Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the author's opinions.
Turning Red, DC League of Super Pets, and 5 other 2022's animated movies that you should definitely watch
1) Turning Red
Directed by Domee Shi in her feature directorial debut, this CGI-animated fantasy comedy is the first Pixar film solely directed by a woman. The hit movie was released on Disney+ on March 11.
The highly relatable coming-of-age film is set in Toronto, Ontario, in 2002 and follows the life of a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian eighth grader Meilin “Mei” Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), who comes to terms with a hereditary family curse that transforms her into a giant red panda whenever she experiences any strong sign of emotion.
The movie received widespread critical acclaim for its accurate and nostalgic portrayal of the lives of 13-year-old children in the early 2000s. The unconventional film featuring a multicultural cast was also hailed for dealing with the criminally underrepresented theme of feminine puberty.
The voice cast of the film also features Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
2) One Piece Film: RED
Directed by Gorō Taniguchi, this Japanese animated fantasy adventure film is the fifteenth feature film in the One Piece film series, which is based on Eiichiro Oda's manga of the same name.
The film commemorated the 25th anniversary of One Piece and was released theatrically on August 6 in Japan.
It is set on Elegia, the Island of Music and revolves around a pop star named Uta, who possesses the power of the Sing-Sing Devil Fruit. The film starts with The Straw Hat Pirates attending Uta's first live concert, where Luffy climbs onto the stage at one point and reveals that Uta is Shanks' daughter and his childhood friend.
Problems arise when the pop star reveals that she wishes to end world violence by trapping people in the dreamworld through her singing, but if she dies, everyone will be trapped there indefinitely. The rest of the movie follows Straw Hats' efforts to keep this from happening.
3) DC League of Super-Pets
Directed by Jared Stern, this 3D CGI-animated superhero comedy is based on the DC Comics superhero team Legion of Super-Pets. Released on July 29, it is one of the most prominent releases by DC Entertainment in 2022.
The film tells the story of a team of animal companions attached to classic DC comic book characters such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
It follows the journey of Superman's pet dog Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and the shelter dog Ace (voiced by Kevin Hart), who work with other animals to save the captured superheroes from Lex Luthor (voiced by Marc Maron) and Lulu (voiced by Kate McKinnon).
The star-studded cast of the film also boasts some other big names such as Keanu Reeves, John Krasinski, Jameela Jamil, and Lena Headey.
4) Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a recently released Netflix film directed by the gifted and creative Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson.
Written by del Toro and Patrick McHale, this stop-motion animated musical fantasy reimagines Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. It had a limited theatrical release in select cinemas on November 9 and premiered on Netflix on December 9.
The film takes place in 1930s Fascist Italy and explores Carlo Collodi's famous fairytale about a wooden puppet who is brought to life and dreams of becoming a real boy. The musical deals with the themes of identity, family, love, and the true meaning of life.
The voice cast of the film features Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton. The background score and songs have been composed by the legendary French composer Alexandre Desplat.
5) My Father's Dragon
Directed by Nora Twomey, this animated adventure fantasy movie is based on Ruth Stiles Gannett's 1948 children's novel of the same name. Produced by Irish-based studio Cartoon Saloon, the Netflix original film was released on November 11.
The movie follows the journey of Elmer Elevator (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), who struggles to adjust after moving to the city with his mother and runs away in search of a captive dragon named Boris the Dragon (voiced by Gaten Matarazzo) on the mysterious Wild Island. During his adventure, Elmer experiences ferocious beasts and wild adventures, as well as a friendship of his lifetime.
The star-studded voice cast of the movie features Whoopi Goldberg, Ian McShane, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O'Dowd, Judy Greer, and Alan Cumming.
6) The Bad Guys
Directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut, this CGI-animated heist comedy is the best film produced by DreamWorks this year. Loosely based on Aaron Blabey's children's book series of the same name, it was released in the United States on April 22.
The film tells the story of a pickpocket and robber Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell) and his group of criminal anthropomorphic animals who, upon being caught, pretend to attempt to reform themselves as model citizens in order to escape imprisonment for their many thefts, cons, and other crimes.
They later realize that their leader is genuinely drawn to changing his ways while a new villain hatches his own plans.
The voice cast of this unique film also includes Marc Maron, Awkwafina, and Craig Robinson.
7) Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Directed by Stephen Donnelly, this animated supernatural musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol is another addition to Netflix’s ever-growing list of animated Christmas movies.
The musical had a limited theatrical release on November 18 and began streaming on Netflix on December 2.
It is set on Christmas Eve and revolves around the selfish and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Luke Evans), who has just one night left to go back in his past and correct his mistakes in order to change the course of his depressing and gloomy future.
Apart from Evans, the musical also features the voices of Olivia Coleman, Johnny Flynn, Jonathan Pryce, and Jessie Buckley.
