10 Underrated Epic Animated Movies, Ranked

2 days ago 6

Published Feb 9, 2026, 12:05 PM EST

Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada.

Making a movie is a very tricky thing. Between pitching ideas, convincing investors, finding the right cast and crew, marketing, and creating the dang thing, it's a miracle that any movie makes it from concept to theaters. It makes it even more devastating when the movie fails to make an impact, especially if the movie's quality is actually good and just failed for one reason or another.

Animated movies are no stranger to this, and many animated movies go by the wayside. Thankfully, with how easy it is to see movies via streaming, these hidden gems can be re-discovered.

10 'Missing Link' (2019)

Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), is an adventurer who specializes in studying cryptids, which has made him a laughingstock among the Society of Great Men. He makes a deal with the head of the society, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Sir Stephen Fry), that will allow him admittance if he can prove the existence of the North American Sasquatch. When Lionel does find the Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), he learns that not only can he talk, but he would like Lionel's help to find his Yeti cousins.

Missing Link is the black sheep from Laika's animated catalog, and while not as dark as something like Coraline or ParaNorman, it's still a ton of fun. The movie is a love letter to classic adventure stories, with plenty of fantastical locations to explore, villains to outwit, and lovable characters with strong interactions. It also looks gorgeous, with breathtaking stop-motion animation that moves fluidly and pulls off some of Laika's most impressive action sequences.

9 'Titan A.E.' (2000)

Cale Tucker and Akima Kunimoto in Titan A.E.

An alien race called the Drej destroy Earth and force humanity to become refugees among the stars due to their fear of humanity's mysterious Titan Project. 15 years later, Cale Tcker (Alex D. Linz and Matt Damon), the son of Professor Sam Tucker (Ron Perlman), is tracked down by an associate of Sam's named Joseph Korso (Bill Pullman). He reveals that Cale holds the map to the Titan in a ring given to him by Sam, and if they can find it, they can create a new home for humanity.

Titan A.E. is an oft overlooked sci-fi film whose failure helped spell the end of 2D animation in Western theaters, but it's got a few things going for it. For one, the film is very creative with its worldbuilding, offering numerous aliens with creative designs and a fascinating mystery regarding the abilities of the Titan project. It also makes good use of early CGI to showcase the beauty of space, as best seen when the characters have to navigate their way through an ice field.

8 'Fire and Ice' (1983)

Humanity is fighting a losing war against Queen Juliana (Susan Tyrrell) and her son Necron (Stephen Mendel), who use powerful magic to expand glacial ice southward. Soon, only the volcanic kingdom of Firekeep is left to oppose them, and Juliana has their princess, Teegra (Maggie Roswell), captured to be Necron's bride. She escapes into the wilds and receives aid from two warriors: Larn (William Ostrander), whose village was destroyed by Necron's glaciers, and Darkwolf (Steve Sandor), a mysterious figure with his own reasons to see the sorcerers dead.

Fire and Ice is an overlooked gem of 1980s fantasy from the beautifully bizarre mind of Ralph Bakshi. For one, it looks amazing: the background art is vibrant and striking, while the characters are animated using rhotoscoping to give them realistic movements and proportions, leading to brutal action sequences and expressive body language. The story is admittedly a little basic as far as fantasy movies go, but even that has its charm and makes the movie a perfect pulp-fantasy endeavor.

7 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron' (2002)

Stallion of the Cimarron tries to break free

Spirit (Matt Damon), is a wild Mustang living in the wilds of 19th century America, who is captured one night by US cavalrymen. The fort's leader, the Colonel (James Cromwell), attempts to break him, but the stallion proves to be too resilient. When the soldiers capture a Lakota warrior named Little Creek (Daniel Studi), the two are able to escape and form a strong friendship as Spirit tries to make his way back to his herd.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron made the bold decision not to have any of the animals talk, with only the occasional narration by Matt Damon offering any insight into Spirit's thoughts. Instead, it relies on its detailed facial animation to convey the character's emotions, all set against beautiful backgrounds that capture the wild majesty of nature. This makes the movie one of the most unique animal-led films, and keeps the levels of anthropomorphization at a minimum, which plays well into the themes of man vs nature and freedom.

6 'The Lord of the Rings' (1978)

During the Second Age of Middle-earth, the Dark Lord Sauron forged the One Ring, an artifact that gave him the power to dominate the free peoples of the world, but it was lost in battle. Now, it has resurfaced in the possession of a hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Christopher Guard), who inherited it from his uncle, Bilbo (Norman Bird). Guided by the wizard Gandalf (William Squire), Frodo and his friends set off to the elven city of Rivendell, where they will gather allies for a perilous journey to destroy the ring before Sauron can reclaim it.

Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings was an ambitious project that was sadly only able to adapt two-thirds of the story, but it's amazing how close it sticks to the books despite the limited runtime. This makes it an interesting movie to compare to the iconic Sir Peter Jackson trilogy, especially because several scenes, such as the hobbits hiding from a Nazgul, inspired Jackson when he made his films. It's also got a very strong voice cast, with the standout being Sir John Hurt as Aragorn.

5 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' (2001)

Milo James Thatch (Michael J Fox) is a linguist and cartographer working at the Smithsonian who dreams of proving his grandfather's theory regarding the existence of Atlantis. One day, he is approached by eccentric billionaire Preston B. Whitmore (John Mahoney), who was a friend of Milo's grandfather, and helped him find the Sheppard's Journal, which contains directions to the lost city. Milo is recruited to join an expedition to find Atlantis, but nobody is prepared for what they encounter along the way.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is one of the standout movies to come from Disney's Post-Reneissance Era. The film is a really solid adventure movie with plenty of mysteries regarding Atlantian culture, and some of Disney's best side-characters in the fellow members of the expedition. Its art style came from Hellboy creator Mike Migola, and gives the film an older, more mystical appearance compared to other Disney movies, which helps it stand out more and add majesty to the locations and various Atlantian constructs.

4 'Fantastic Planet' (1973)

The Draag and Om together in Fantastic Planet.

On the planet Ygam, gigantic psychic-aliens called Draags subjugate the human-like Oms, either treating them like pets or pests to be eliminated. One pet Om, named Terr (Eric Baugin/Mark Gruner and Jean Valmont/Barry Bostwick), uses a defect in his collar to listen in on his owner's school lessons and gain an understanding of Draag technology. One day, he escapes into the wilds and unites other Om in rebellion.

Fantastic Planet is a movie that really makes you feel like you've been transported to an alien world. With its stylistic animation, eerie soundtrack, psychodelic images, and bizarre animal designs, nothing about Ygam seems familiar, which makes you feel as lost and helpless as the Oms. This also plays into the movie's major themes, which touch on heavy topics like genocide, eugenics, and oppression.

3 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1996)

Judge Claud Frollo attacks Quasimodo and Esmerelda as Paris burns

Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) is the hunchbacked bell ringer of Notre Dame cathedral who wishes for nothing more than to live among the people of the city. When he sneaks out to attend the Festival of Fools, he is attacked and humiliated before receiving help from a Romani woman named Esmeralda (Demi Moore). This endears her to Quasimodo, but also incurs the wrath of his master, Judge Claud Frollo (Tony Jay), who has made it his mission to purge Paris of the Romani, who he views as sinful.

While not as dark and bleak as Victor Hugo's novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is still one of the darkest Disney movies. It touches on heavy themes of prejudice, ostracization, abuse, and obsession without talking down to its audience, resulting in a mature narrative with some of the company's strongest heroes and villains. The animation and cinematography capture the size and scale of Notre Dame, while the music utilizes the Latin choir and church bells to ensure everything sounds grand and epic.

2 'The Secret of NIMH' (1982)

A small mouse is flung back by an ominous black rat in 'The Secret of NIMH' (1982)

As farmer Fitzgibbons (Tom Hatten) prepares to plow his fields, widowed field mouse Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman) is unable to move her family on account of her son Timmy (Ina Fried) getting sick with pneumonia. Desperate for help, she seeks out the Great Owl (John Carradine), who tells her to go to the rats who live in the farmer's rosebush. This leads to Mrs. Brisby learning about the rat's mysterious past and how it links to her deceased husband, Johnathan.

The Secret of NIMH is the first film in the illustrious career of Don Bluth, and is widely considered his best. The animation is gorgeous, with detailed facial animation so precise that you can read their lips, and technical effects that help add magic and mystery, especially concerning the rats and their creations. The characters are varied and enjoyable, but the best has to be Mrs. Brisby thanks to Hartman's sincere performance and for how perfectly she demonstrates the power of motherhood.

1 'The Iron Giant' (1999)

Hogarth standing on the Iron Giant's hand in 'The Iron Giant' (1999).

During the Cold War, an Iron Giant (Vin Diesel) crash lands outside a small town in Maine. A young boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) discovers and befriends the giant, keeping him hidden from the populace while teaching him about heroes like Superman. However, the giant's presence attracts government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald), who fears that it could be a Soviet weapon, and does everything in his power to capture and or destroy it.

The Iron Giant bombed at the box office due to a limited marketing campaign from Warner Bros., but has since been recognized as one of the greatest animated films ever made. It's a powerful story regarding the dangers of paranoia and the importance of choice and free will, shown through the giant's attempts to define himself as more than just a weapon. Speaking of the giant, Diesel's performance infuses him with such heart, and the choice to use CGI to animate him helps him stand out against the human characters.