8 Most Perfect Animated Movies of the 1990s, Ranked

Published Oct 11, 2026, 12:41 PM EDT

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.

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The 1990s was a golden era for animated films. Disney's Renaissance inspired other studios to try their hands at animation, while television saw groundbreaking cartoons come from the likes of Disney and Nickelodeon. Advancements in CGI technology resulted in new effects that could never have been achieved with hand-drawn animation, which helped propel companies like Pixar and the newly founded DreamWorks to equals of Disney, and would define the experimental landscape of the 2000s.

While there were a plethora of animated films released during this decade, most of them ended up being knockoffs of Disney that were trying to mimic their animated musical format. However, some films rose above them thanks to bold stories, fantastic character writing, and phenomenal visuals, with many of them remaining among the most beloved and influential animated films.

8 'Aladdin' (1992)

Image via Walt Disney Animation

Aladdin (Scott Weinger) is a thief living on the streets of Agrabah with his monkey companion, Abu (Frank Welker), who dreams of one day coming into his fortune and living like the Sultan (Douglas Seale). He is arrested after a chance encounter with the rebellious Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin), but then gets wrapped up in a scheme by the Grand Vizier, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), to go inside the magical Cave of Wonders (Frank Welker). Within is a lamp that contains a wish granting Genie (Robin Williams), whom Jaffar wants to use to usurp the Sultan, but Aladdin uses to become a prince and try to impress Jasmine.

Aladdin is one of the most influential animated films ever made, and it's all thanks to Williams. His performance as the Genie was so well received that studios would begin regularly casting celebrities in animated films, for better or for worse. As for the film itself, it's easily one of Disney's best, boasting catchy songs, a fantastic villain, and a solid story about being true to yourself.

7 'The Prince of Egypt' (1998)

Image via DreamWorks

Moses (Val Kilmer) is the adopted second son of Pharaoh Seti (Sir Patrick Stewart) of Egypt, who learns that he is a Hebrew child spared from a massacre Seti ordered when the slaves of Egypt grew too populated. Disgusted and confused, Moses ends up accidentally killing a soldier who was whipping a slave, and flees into the desert. He is eventually sent back to Egypt after a mystical encounter with God (Val Kilmer) to free the slaves, but by now, his brother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes) is Pharaoh, and their differing goals will strain the limits of their brotherly love.

The Prince of Egypt might be one of the most ambitious animated flms ever made, and was a bold second release for the newly founded DreamWorks. The film is a rather faithful adaptation of the Book of Exodus, while adding even more melodrama through an emphasis on Moses and Rameses' tragic relationship. Kilmer and Fiennes are phenomenal in their roles, capturing every moment of sibling love, quiet heartbreak, and vengeful rage as they are forced to become enemies, giving a beautifully human core to this biblical story.

6 'Toy Story' (1995)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Young Andy Davis (John Morris) celebrates his sixth birthday before moving houses, and gets a Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) action figure. When he isn't around, his toys come to life—led by his sheriff doll, Woody (Tom Hanks)—though Buzz seems to think that he is a real space ranger. Over time, Woody begins to resent how Andy favors Buzz over him, but an accident causes the two to get stranded outside, forcing them to work together to get back to Andy.

Toy Story broke new ground as the first fully CGI animated film, and its success turned Pixar into the beloved animation company they are today. The choice to make the characters sentient toys means that the dated CGI doesn't age too badly, while the clever jokes and lovable characters help to give it a timeless appeal. Woody and Buzz are the archetypical rivals to best friends, and you believe every moment of it thanks to Hanks and Allen's fantastic camaraderie.

Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Iconic Fandom Should You Join? Harry Potter · Lord of the Rings · Star Wars · Star Trek

Eight honest questions about how you actually are: what you put on when you need cheering up, how deep you go into the things you love, what you argue about, what you keep on your shelf. Answer them and we will tell you where you belong. Four of the biggest fandoms on earth are taking new members, and they could not be more different from one another.

⚡Harry Potter(Wizarding World)

💍Lord of the Rings(Middle-earth)

⚔️Star Wars(A Galaxy Far Away)

🖖Star Trek(The Final Frontier)

FIND YOUR PEOPLE →

01

What do you put on when you need cheering up? Nobody is brave about this one.

AThe same thing I have watched a hundred times. BSomething long, slow and beautiful. CSomething big and loud with a great score. DOne clever episode of something hopeful.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

How deep do you go into something you love? There is no shallow end here, only different deep ends.

AI know every character and all the gossip. BI have read the appendices and studied the maps. CI have a ranked opinion on every instalment. DI want to know how the world actually works.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

What do you and your friends actually argue about? Every fandom has one argument it has been having for years.

AWhich one of us is which type. BWhether the adaptation got it right. CWhether the new stuff ruined the old stuff. DWhether the right thing was actually done.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

How do you feel about a room full of strangers? Every one of these comes with a very big room.

AGreat, and I will know everybody by the end. BFine, as long as they take it seriously. CBrilliant, especially if there is something to dress up for. DHappy, provided the conversation is interesting.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

Where would you rather spend a week? Pick on instinct rather than on budget.

AAn old castle somewhere rainy. BMountains, long walks, no phone signal. CA desert with an unbelievable night sky. DA city built around a university.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

What do you believe about people, mostly? All four of these stories have an answer, and they disagree.

AMost of them turn out better than expected. BThe smallest ones decide the biggest things. CAnybody can change, even very late on. DWe work it out if we keep talking.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

What is actually on your shelf? Look over at it before you answer.

AEverything I owned when I was twelve. BHardbacks, in order, read more than once. CFigures, posters, and a few things still boxed. DBooks about how things work, plus a model or two.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

What do you actually want from a story? Eight questions in, this is the one that picks your fandom.

AA place I can go back to whenever I need it. BA world complete enough to get lost in. CSomething huge I can share with everybody. DAn idea that changes how I think.

REVEAL MY FANDOM →

Membership Confirmed Your Fandom Is…

Four of the largest communities on the planet, and four completely different reasons to belong to one. Here is yours, what it would give you, and the argument you would be having within a week.

Harry Potter

You belong to the fandom that is really about comfort. Hogwarts works on people because it is a place rather than a plot, and the pull is not the wizard war so much as the corridors, the food, the weather and the sense that somebody is expecting you.

• You are drawn to belonging, which is why this fandom sorted itself into houses within about five minutes and has never stopped.
• This is the most social of the four, and the one most likely to know which type every single person in your life would be.
• The books are built to be reread rather than analysed, and rereading is exactly what you do with things you love.
• The new HBO series is bringing the whole thing back one book at a time, which means the arguments are about to start all over again.

Lord of the Rings

You belong to the deepest fandom on this list, the one where somebody has always read further than you and is quietly delighted to say so. Middle-earth rewards patience more than any other world in popular culture.

• You like the sense that the story you are reading is only the visible part of something enormous, which is precisely how Tolkien built it.
• This fandom takes adaptation seriously to a degree that other fandoms find slightly alarming, and it has good reasons for that.
• Your favourite thing about the books is probably the bit that is not action at all, which is the walking, the songs and the long goodbyes.
• Nobody here thinks heroism belongs to the powerful, and the whole story exists to make that argument.

Star Wars

You belong to the loudest and largest tent of the four, the one where three generations are all watching the same thing and none of them agree about any of it. That disagreement is not a flaw in this fandom, it is the main activity.

• You want something you can share with absolutely everybody, from a six year old to a grandparent, and this is the only one on the list that really does that.
• Nobody argues like Star Wars fans argue, and the argument has been running since roughly 1980 with no sign of resolution.
• The pull here is sensory before it is narrative, since it is the sound design, the score and the look of a used and dented galaxy.
• You would be first in the queue, in costume, with strong opinions and a genuinely good time.

Star Trek

You belong to the thinking fandom, the one that turns up for the argument rather than the explosion. Trek has always been a series of ethical problems in space, and the people who love it love being asked what they would have done.

• You are an optimist in a way that is currently unfashionable, and this is the only major franchise still willing to say the future might be better.
• The best episodes are the ones where nobody fires anything, which is a sentence that makes perfect sense to this fandom and to nobody else.
• Starfleet Academy brought the franchise back to a classroom in 2026, which is appropriate, because Trek has always been a bit of a seminar.
• You would want the conversation afterwards more than the episode itself, and here you will always find somebody willing to have it.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Toy Story 2' (1999)

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

One year after moving, Andy accidentally tears Woody's arm before heading to Cowboy Camp, which makes Woody fear that Andy will throw him away one day. While saving another toy named Wheezy (Joe Ranft) from getting sold at a yard sale, Woody is stolen by toy collector Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), prompting Buzz Lightyear to lead a rescue mission. Meanwhile, Woody learns that he is a collectible from an old show, and meets up with the other characters: his horse Bullseye (Frank Welker), deputy Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer).

Toy Story 2 began life as a home-release sequel, but was shifted to a theatrical release, forcing Pixar to work their asses off to bring it up to quality. The result of their blood, sweat, and tears, is one of the greatest sequels ever made: it's hilarious, gives the side characters from the first film a more active role, and expands the franchise's primary themes of change by exploring the uncomfortable reality of things coming to an end. Woody's interactions with the new characters bring up profound discussions about whether it is better to forge relationships with the knowledge that they will come to an end, or better to cut yourself off from the world to avoid the pain of loss.

4 'The Iron Giant' (1999)

Image via Warner Bros.

In the midst of the Cold War, an alien robot (Vin Diesel) arrives on Earth near the town of Rockwell, Maine. It meets a young boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), who helps to hide the giant and teach it about morality through Superman comics. Meanwhile, government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) arrives in Rockwell to investigate sightings of the giant, fearing that it could be a communist super weapon.

The Iron Giant sadly underperformed at the box office due to poor marketing, but has retroactively received universal praise for its story and characters. It's a beautiful homage to classic sci-fi films, and tells a compelling story about the dangers of giving into fear and the importance of deciding your own fate. The giant is also a fantastic character: the decision to bring it to life using CGI helps him feel alien to the world while also allowing for some great expressions, while Diesel's performance embraces the character with sincerity and life.

3 'The Lion King' (1994)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Simba (Johnathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) is a lion cub born to King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) of the Pride Lands, whose future destiny as king gives him quite the cocksure ego. Unfortunately, his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) covets the throne for himself, and attempts to lure Simba into traps with the help of a clan of hyenas. Mufasa rescues his son, so Scar changes his plan to kill them both, though Simba survives and flees into a life of exile.

The Lion King began life as a B film meant to tide audiences over until the release of Pocahontas, but it blew all expectations and became the highest grossing 2D film of all time. A big reason for this is its epic scale: the African savannah feels larger than life thanks to bright colors and dynamic camera angles that play around with the foreground, not to mention Hans Zimmer's fantastic score. Its story is equally epic, drawing inspiration from Hamlet to craft a narrative about the importance of fulfilling one's duty and learning from past mistakes.

2 'Princess Mononoke' (1997)

Image via Studio Ghibli

Prince Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda/Billy Crudup) of the Emishi kills a demon that used to be a boar god named Nago (Makoto Satō/John DiMaggio), but is afflicted with a curse that grants him super strength but will ultimately kill him. He follows Nago's trail to an ancient forest full of animal gods, which is currently at war with a mining settlement led by a woman named Lady Eboshi (Yūko Tanaka/Minni Driver). As Ashitaka tries to remain neutral, he meets a young woman named San (Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes), who was raised by the wolf tribe and fights to defend the forest.

Princess Mononoke is one of the best films to come from legendary Japanese director Hayaou Miyazaki. The animation alone is phenomenal, with realistic backgrounds, fluid character movements, and clever use of CGI to represent the more unnatural aspects of the world, such as the demons. As for the story, it takes a more nuanced look at an environmental conflict by presenting neither the humans nor the animal gods as good or evil, but two groups trying to survive and coexist in an ever-changing world.

1 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Belle (Paige O'Hara) is the daughter of an eccentric inventor named Maurice (Rex Everhart) living in a provincial French town who longs for a more exciting life. She gets her wish when her father fails to return from the fair, and her quest to find him takes her to an enchanted castle owned by a horrible beast (Robby Benson). Belle offers to become the beast's prisoner in her father's place, which the beast sees as a chance to learn to love and be loved, which will break the curse upon him and his servants.

Beauty and the Beast is a legendary film that became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture—back when the Oscars had five nominees instead of ten—and is easily the best of Disney's fairy tale movies. The biggest strength is the romance between Beast and Belle: both characters are given fully realized personalities that grow and change over the course of the film, and the romance is paced beautifully to make each next step in the relationship feel earned. Beyond that, it's easily got some of Disney's most iconic songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, a host of memorable side characters, and beautiful animation, such as the iconic ballroom dance that makes great use of CGI for dynamic camera angles.

Beauty and the Beast