10 Greatest Animated Movie Endings of All Time, Ranked

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Published Apr 19, 2026, 5:42 PM EDT

Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.

A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.

Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.

Animation isn't a genre, it's a medium with artistic and creative capabilities all of its own. That's why, over the years, animation has provided audiences around the world with some of the most powerful and unforgettable stories that cinema has ever seen. But of course, a film can only be as great as its conclusion. Thankfully, there are many animated masterpieces out there with endings that are among the best in movie history.

There are many things that can make a movie's conclusion great, largely depending on the nature of the story itself. From bizarre endings charged with surrealism, to deeply emotional ones that could make even a stone-hearted cynic cry, to ones that leave you pondering the significance of everything you just saw, animation's best endings ever are further proof that this is a medium deserving of more respect.

There are spoilers ahead!

10 'Anomalisa' (2015)

Ever since he made his impressive debut with his Oscar-nominated Being John Malkovich, perhaps the most original script ever written for the big screen, Charlie Kaufman has been one of the most talented screenwriters working in Hollywood. His journey led him to Anomalisa, a 2005 audio play that explores the Fregoli delusion, a rare mental disorder which causes people to believe that different people are in fact a single person changing appearance. Kaufman was originally opposed to turning the play into a movie, but he eventually started warming up to the idea—and the rest is history.

Anomalisa is one of the best R-rated animated movie masterpieces of all time, a consistently jaw-dropping stop-motion-animated gem permeated by the surrealist atmosphere that characterizes Kaufman's entire oeuvre. Its conclusion sees protagonist Michael returning home to his wife and son after his connection with Lisa falls apart, while Lisa writes a letter to him saying that she hopes they'll meet again. It's a poignant and deeply meaningful conclusion, largely open to subjective analysis. This is the peak of what adult animation can achieve.

9 'The Lion King' (1994)

Simba and Nala from the ending of The Lion King (1994).

No list of animated films could possibly be complete without at least a mention of Disney; and when it comes to animated movie endings, one has to refer back to what many still consider the House of Mouse's best animated film, The Lion King. It would be one of the most essential faces on a hypothetical Disney movie Mount Rushmore, an essential Disney Renaissance classic that people still love today with the same intensity that they did over 30 years ago.

The movie's conclusion is simple, but oh so emotionally stirring. With Scar and the hyenas defeated, Simba takes his place as king with Nala by his side. Rafiki presents the couple's newborn cub to the assembled animals, thus continuing the circle of life with Elton John, Hans Zimmer, and Tim Rice's "Circle of Life" playing in the background. It's a rousing symbolization of redemption that brings the narrative full-circle, closing off one of the best Hero's Journey movies of modern times.

8 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023)

Not only is Hayao Miyazaki one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers in history; not only is he a master of anime cinema; not only is he a pro at making some of the most beautiful, downright perfect animated films imaginable; he's also an unparalleled expert at saying he'll retire and then backtracking to make one more film. It's not like anyone's complaining, since it's that little practice of his that gave us his best film since 2001: The Boy and the Heron.

Only a few animated films from the 2020s can be considered true masterpieces, and this one's definitely among them. Having refused to inherit the magical world by acknowledging his own malice, Mahito accepts his mother's death and chooses to return to the real world, in spite of all its imperfections. It's a beautifully bittersweet and perfectly life-affirming way of ending this story. It feels like Miyazaki rejecting the idea of legacy being an obligation, encouraging the younger generations to forge their own path and find their own ways of making the world worth living in—even if it will forever remain imperfect.

7 'Pinocchio' (1940)

Gepetto with real boy Pinocchio in 'Pinocchio' (1940)

After he revolutionized the film industry with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, one of the first animated features in history, Walt Disney put out Pinocchio next. It, too, is one of the best animated movies of all time, with visuals that have aged like fine wine, a beautiful score, and some wonderful voice performances. There's nothing wrong with a sweet, old-school, happily-ever-after fairy tale ending, and Pinocchio demonstrates that better than any other classic Disney film.

After having saved Gepetto from Monstro, Pinocchio dies. Having proven himself courageous and unselfish, however, he's brought back to life and turned into a real human boy by the Blue Fairy, so everyone celebrates as Jiminy Cricket thanks the Fairy and becomes an official conscience. After some surprisingly intense and dark stakes for a children's movie, it's a delight to see this joyous emotional payoff. After 86 years, Pinocchio's ending still has the same emotional potency that it surely had back in 1940.

6 'Soul' (2020)

Joe coming out of the door during the ending of 'Soul' (2020)

It should go without saying that 2020 was a pretty bad year for cinema, just as much as it was for the rest of the planet; but that's only in terms of output and industry problems, not in terms of quality. As far as that went, audiences had little to complain about. Case in point: Soul, which still remains the last masterpiece that Pixar have made—at least up to this point. It is, without a doubt, one of the most essential movies of 2020.

After having realized that a strong desire to live is a soul's sole purpose, Joe accompanies 22 down to Earth. Prepared to enter the Great Beyond, he's instead interrupted by Jerry, who offers him another chance at life. In no way does this feel like a deus ex machina—on the contrary, it feels like an entirely earned and gorgeously life-affirming happy ending that places a perfect bookend on one of the best stories Pixar has ever told.

There are few animated movie trilogies where every film is a masterpiece. The How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is at the very top of that very exclusive list. The first movie's a modern classic, the second film is a wonderful sequel, and as for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World? It's the most perfect way imaginable to bring the moving story of Hiccup and Toothless to a cathartic conclusion.

It feels like a sad surprise to see Hiccup and Toothless part ways. That's not the end of it, though.

This trilogy was never afraid of being genuinely heartbreaking, but it still feels like a sad surprise to see Hiccup and Toothless part ways. That's not the end of it, though. A decade later, Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and the Light Fury—all of them now parents—meet again at the edge of the Hidden World, taking another flight together. With Hiccup's vow that the dragons will stay hidden until humans are ready to co-exist with them, we cut to credits. Visually stunning, touching, funny, perfectly scored by John Powell, and—yes—irresistibly cry-worthy, this finale feels like the only right way to bring the best animated movie trilogy ever to an end.

4 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' (2013)

Princess Kaguya returns to the Moon in The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

When it comes to Studio Ghibli, it's not all Hayao Miyazaki. It's not like there's a competition for poster boy of the leading anime filmmaking studio, but if there were, the clear runner-up would be the late Isao Takahata. He directed several of Ghibli's best and most mature films over the course of his illustrious career, and it's hard to pick a favorite among his body of work. But if a Takahata film had to be named his magnum opus, it would have to be his final film as director: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Based on the 10th-century Japanese story The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, this is one of the best fantasy movie masterpieces of the last 15 years. At the end of Princess Kaguya, a procession of celestial beings led by Buddha comes down from the Moon, offering Kaguya the robe that will erase her memories of Earth. She embraces her family one last time and leaves with the celestial beings, returning to the Moon. It's an undeniably sad ending for an undeniably sad movie, reframing the whole film as a tragedy about the human condition. But with the beautifully unique animation style, the gorgeous music of the scene, and the poetic feel of the whole thing, there's also a strange soul-filling beauty to it.

3 'The Iron Giant' (1999)

A close-up of The Giant (voiced by Vin Diesel) leaning forward in The Iron Giant

It's not all Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks in American animation, and no more proof should be needed than The Iron Giant. It's one of those '90s movies that have aged like fine wine, a potent critique of Cold War paranoia and xenophobia that also celebrates the power of empathy and love. Anti-violence and anti-war to its core, it should count as essential viewing for all those who would say they love animation.

If The Iron Giant famous for anything, however, it's for having an ending as sad as that of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Determined to save the town of Rockwell from an incoming missile, the Iron Giant flies into the exosphere and collides with the missile in midair, saving the town. In the very last scene, he's revealed to have survived the blast, but that doesn't feel like it cheapens his sacrifice in the slightest. Instead, it's a perfectly bittersweet conclusion that's sad without being cruel, celebrating the power of sacrifice and courage in the name of love.

2 'Ratatouille' (2007)

Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole) enters a flashback of his childhood after eating ratatouille in 'Ratatouille' (2007).

Praised by many as the greatest Pixar movie ever made, Ratatouille is pure movie magic in animated form. Hugely imaginative, visually flawless, beautifully scored by Michael Giacchino, and perfectly directed by The Iron Giant's Brad Bird, it's a breathtaking tale about the democratization of talent and the responsibility to pursue one's passion regardless of the odds.

And of course, what arguably makes Ratatouille so famous and so widely beloved is the fact that it has one of the best Pixar movie endings ever. After Remy's ratatouille leaves Ego speechless by evoking fond memories of his mother's cooking during his childhood, Ego asks to meet the chef and is left even more speechless when he sees that the chef is a rat. The next day, though, he writes a glowing review, which costs him his job and reputation after Gusteau's is found out and shut down. The movie concludes with Remy, Linguini, and Colette opening a bistro where Ego is a regular, which the rat colony has made their new home. Thematically profound, emotionally stirring, and downright perfect in virtually every way, it's one of the most iconic endings of any 21st-century Hollywood movie, animated or otherwise.

1 'Toy Story 3' (2010)

The bittersweet final scene featuring the toys in Toy Story 3 (2010)

If people tend to say that the Toy Story franchise should have concluded with Toy Story 3, it's largely because it possesses the single most perfect and emotionally powerful ending in the history of animated cinema. It's downright one of the best movie endings of the 21st century, bringing the third (and thus far, latest) animated movie ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar to a conclusion that's nothing if not immensely cathartic.

From Andy handing off his beloved childhood toys to Bonnie, to him finding Woody at the bottom of that box and deciding to gift him to Bonnie as well, to the toys bidding a beautiful farewell to their beloved former owner, it's impossible to watch Toy Story 3's ending and not sob like a little kid, regardless of one's age. The reason the whole sequence works as well as it does is because it feels entirely earned. At no point does it feel like director Lee Unkrich is manipulating us into shedding a tear; it's a character moment that feels entirely genuine and irresistibly beautiful.