20 Anime Movies That Are Better Than Studio Ghibli

While anime as a medium is most often recognized and popular in serialized and episodic form, there have been a multitude of groundbreaking feature films in the anime world since the genre's beginning. Easily the most critically acclaimed and recognizable name when it comes to anime films is Studio Ghibli, the legendary animation studio with iconic titles like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and so many more under their belt.

While the studio is one of the first names that come to mind in the world of feature-length anime, they are far from the only studio creating such high-quality films in Japanese animation, with many films even surpassing Ghibli's gargantuan standard for quality. Whether it be other classics of the genre that were deeply inspirational alongside early Ghibli films, or more modern films that took inspiration from Ghibli classics yet transformed and modernized in execution, there are a lot of great offerings for non-Ghibli anime films.

20 'In This Corner of the World' (2016)

Anime filmmaking, especially the works of Studio Ghibli, has not been shy about providing more approachable yet undeniably harrowing portrayals of the lead-up and difficulties of WWII and the results of the nuclear bomb attacks. While Ghibli masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies will certainly come to mind first for many, In This Corner of the World is another, widely compelling film of similar emotional pain deserving of widespread praise.

The film's cutesy artstyle and pleasant visuals in its first acts do an exceptional job of lowering the audience's guard before subjecting them to the sheer pain and hardship of the Hiroshima attack and its widespread destruction. While it would certainly be effective enough to make the film and its portrayal of such an important event in Japanese history, it utilizes this to tell a larger story about the consequences of warfare and how it lays waste to innocent everyday people.

19 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' (2000)

The original Vampire Hunter D was already a deeply impactful and memorable anime experience that elevated the concepts of blending horror and action into the animation style seamlessly and prolifically. However, released 15 years after the original film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust would improve upon the original film in nearly every way, with striking visuals and a heightened sense of atmosphere and grace with its storytelling. The film easily stands out as the pinnacle of vampire storytelling in anime, with its hand-drawn style still looking beautiful 25 years later.

The film continues the ventures of the legendary vampire hunter known as D, as he finds himself competing with a family of bounty hunters in order to track down the missing Charlotte Elbourne, a woman kidnapped by a notorious vampire nobleman. The gothic iconography and aesthetic that the franchise as a whole presents is at its absolute height throughout Bloodlust, easily being the quintessential chapter of the story and a defining standalone experience that further elevates the film.

18 'The First Slam Dunk' (2022)

Sports anime continues to be one of the most widely explored and effective genres when it comes to flashy visuals and capturing the adrenaline and fleeting moments of raw, unfiltered competition. While many different anime movies and series have found success in the genre over the years, the evolution made throughout The First Slam Dunk is enough to forever transform and change the genre's future for the better. The film follows a high school basketball team's intense game during the championship finals while also showing the progression of each member of the team and how they were formed.

Most prominently, the film features a beautifully styled 3D animation style that blends together the flair and personality of 2D animation with the finesse and high production of modern 3D animation. It creates a seamless style that feels as if the animation was taken directly off the pages of the original manga, serving to further amplify the film's already exceptional emotional core and high-stakes moments. The film hopefully acts as a turning point for what major anime films are capable of, with more exceptionally styled 3D anime films sure to follow in its footsteps.

17 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' (1985)

A spiritual and somber anime experience that follows a similar style of calm melancholy as early Ghibli films, the allure of Night on the Galactic Railroad makes it a perfect yet underrated animated movie. The film follows young feline boy Giovanni, who lives a draining life due to being often ridiculed by his peers at school and emotionally distant from those at his work and home. Just as his isolation seems to be getting the worst of him, a mysterious train traveling far across the universe arrives, so he hops on the train accompanied by his school acquaintance, Campanella.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is a film that is massively elevated by its alluring energy and distinct vision for childlike whimsy and innocence. Seeing a wide variety of different people and societies through the lens of Giovanni and Campanella makes for a simple yet deeply gratifying experience, even if it certainly leans on the stranger side of things. While it may be based on a children's book, the film may be too surrealist and abstract for young audiences to fully appreciate, yet its unique vision for filmmaking, especially for the era it was released, makes it a true anime hidden gem.

16 'Redline' (2009)

A wild, high-octane racing film that feels more action-packed and pumped with adrenaline than most live-action racing films could ever hope to achieve, Redline is a perfect example of the type of wild action that can only be accomplished in the realm of animation. The unrestrained sci-fi racing film follows a daredevil racer competing in a massive, underground racing prix that spans across the cosmos, having to run not only to beat his fellow racers, but also to escape the mafia, government forces, and for the affection of his peers.

Words truly don't do justice to the level of wild, colorful, and infinitely creative action that Redline consistently provides in its filmmaking. It's a film that consistently delivers the most electrifying and wild animation possible, massively ahead of its time for its era and still holding up over 15 years after its release. While the film may have sadly bankrupted the studio that animated it, many anime films now consider the film one of the best action anime of all time.

15 'Wicked City' (1987)

Anime movies as a whole tend to focus much more on exceptionally well-crafted hand-drawn visuals, giving them a distinct edge as some of the most beautiful and mesmerizing experiences out there. Wicked City is a film that takes these notions to heart, being filled to the brim with beautifully crafted set pieces that conjure up all sorts of emotional responses, from awe-inspiring and beautiful to deeply disturbing and dreadful.

The film's deeply original worldbuilding and mythos also go hand in hand with its visual style, able to create highly creative concepts that could only be possible in the world of animation. It isn't afraid to shy away from deeply disturbing and unsettling material, lending way to an array of different controversies since its release, yet these shocking moments directly play into its memorability factor and unyielding legacy and influence over the years. Rarely are animated films so directly adult and sexual with their material, yet Wicked City revolutionized the type of dark and adult storytelling that the medium could provide.

14 'Summer Wars' (2009)

A wildly creative mixture of a high-stakes virtual world action movie and a romantic family drama, Summer Wars balances these two completely different stories in a seamless and effective way. The film follows young student Keiji, who acts as a part-time moderator in the massive online virtual world of "OZ" as he ends up being framed for hacking the world by a high-end artificial intelligence known as "Love Machine". At the same time, Keiji ends up being invited by a classmate to act as her fiancé on her grandmother's 90th birthday.

Summer Wars makes the most of director Mamoru Hosoda's experience with other anime stories filled with creative character designs, like Digimon and One Piece, to create a perfect mixture of wonder and emotional weight. While the clear draw comes from the deeply expressive world of OZ, the mellow rom-com-styled side plot of the large family gathering and fake dating adds some much-needed variety to the pacing and story.

13 'I Want to Eat Your Pancreas' (2018)

Despite its incredibly silly and seemingly non-serious title, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is actually one of the biggest tearjerkers that anime filmmaking of the past 10 years has to offer. The film follows an average high schooler whose entire perspective on life is shattered when his crush is diagnosed with a terminal pancreatic disease. With only so much time left in her life, he decides to do everything that he can to make sure that her final days are as fruitful as possible.

Any film that is going to tackle the emotional hardships and difficulties of terminal illness is sure to be a tearjerker, with I Want to Eat Your Pancreas standing as easily the best example of this story structure in the world of anime. The film does a great job of making its primary characters and their friendship feel real and compelling, making it all the more painful that their time together is fated to end so quickly after they began to connect with one another.

12 'Ghost in the Shell' (1995)

One of the most influential and widely acclaimed sci-fi movies of all time, animated or otherwise, it's difficult to imagine the state of modern sci-fi filmmaking without the masterful storytelling of Ghost in the Shell. The film's brilliant story of autonomy and humanity in an era of cybernetic enhancements and going beyond the confines of the human mind made for one of the most compelling and instantly engaging sci-fi experiences of all time. The film's legacy and influence are still felt throughout the entire sci-fi genre, especially through its direct inspiration to franchises like The Matrix.

However, it's more than simply a unique original concept that made Ghost in the Shell such a major success, as its utilization of exceptionally beautiful animation and deeply engaging characters further compounded the film's core thesis. It is widely considered one of the most iconic and celebrated cyberpunk films of all time, ushering in a new era of exceptional cyberpunk storytelling in both anime and live-action in the wake of its major success.

11 'The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' (2010)

Adapted from the fourth light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya directly follows the events of the previous television series for its enthralling Christmastime sci-fi mystery. The film follows the SOS Brigade setting up plans for a Christmas-time festival among friends, yet only a few days later, one member of the brigade, Kyon, has his entire world flipped upside down. Kyon arrives at school one day to see that Haruhi Suzumiya has gone missing; none of his classmates remember anything about her, him, or the Brigade, and Kyon is the only one who remembers Haruhi.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya manages to accomplish the near-impossible by not only acting as an effective finale to a fan-favorite series but also effectively standing on its own merits without requiring a viewing of the original series. Its simple yet enthralling premise of widespread disappearance as if they never existed instantly gets the audience invested and intrigued in the overarching mystery. It easily makes for one of the best anime movies of the 2010s, made that much better for those already familiar with these beloved characters.