Top 50 Obscure Animated Movies
Note: This list was last updated Apr 18, 2012. See my newer list.
These are my favorite animated feature-length films with less than 1000 votes. All of the non-English language films on this list have been subbed or dubbed into English. If you need help finding any of them, send me a PM.
I excluded some sequels, so I'll list my top 5 sequels here:
Unico in the Island of Magic
Kara no Kyoukai 5: Paradox Spiral
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Adieu Galaxy Express 999
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
I included Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer because you can understand it without watching the TV show (but you should at least know the premise of the TV show).
This list is also available on iCheckMovies.
These are my favorite animated feature-length films with less than 1000 votes. All of the non-English language films on this list have been subbed or dubbed into English. If you need help finding any of them, send me a PM.
I excluded some sequels, so I'll list my top 5 sequels here:
Unico in the Island of Magic
Kara no Kyoukai 5: Paradox Spiral
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Adieu Galaxy Express 999
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
I included Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer because you can understand it without watching the TV show (but you should at least know the premise of the TV show).
This list is also available on iCheckMovies.
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- DirectorRintarôStarsMasako NozawaMasako IkedaYôko AsagamiThe adventures of a brave young boy who travels from planet to planet in a determined quest to avenge his mother's death.
- DirectorKarel ZemanStarsLudek MunzarJaroslav MouckaChristian BrücknerA young boy becomes an apprentice for a mysterious sorcerer, working at the sorcerer's strange and sinister mill where secretive black magic is being taught and performed at a very heavy price.
- DirectorMasami HataStarsHitoshi TakagiMinori MatsushimaAkira KamiyaAn innocent lamb learns about life and death when he seeks revenge upon the wolf who slaughtered his mother.Japanese
- DirectorToshio HirataOsamu TezukaStarsKatsue MiwaRyouko KitamiyaKazuko SugiyamaWhen Unico, a young unicorn, is taken from his family by evil gods, his powers of joy and happiness are put to the test. Can Unico's power triumph the darkness?
- DirectorWan LaimingCheng TangStarsYue-Feng QiuRun-Sheng FuHans AlfredsonSun Wukong, the King of the Monkeys, sets off on his first adventure to gain a worthy weapon. This earns the attention of the Jade Emperor of Heaven.
- DirectorOsamu TezukaStarsYuzuru FujimotoMasaru IkedaKazuhiko InoueTezuka Osamu's tale of a genetically engineered pink American Mountain-lion named Bagi and the friendship she develops with Ryo, a lonesome bike gang member.Japanese
- DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsFumi HiranoToshio FurukawaAkira KamiyaThe night before the school festival, things seem to be repeating themselves. Gradually, all the world functions come to a stop, the only ones that are not affected are a select group of student friends.
- DirectorAurel KlimtVlasta PospísilováStarsOta JirákJan WerichA farmer who takes to drink and meets the devil; a young boy who has to spend the night in a haunted pub; a man who grows horns overnight; a man who bets and argues with his wife; and a blacksmith who is perhaps too trusting of his young and sexy wife.Czech stop-motion
- DirectorKimio YabukiStarsKeiko TakeshitaTarô ShigakiAsao KoikeA prince falls in love with a princess cursed to change into a swan by day, but their love is threatened by the sorcerer who keeps her imprisoned.Japanese
- DirectorEiichi YamamotoStarsAiko NagayamaChinatsu NakayamaMasaya TakahashiAfter being raped by an evil feudal lord and subsequently getting banished from her village, a peasant girl makes a pact with the Devil to gain magical powers and take her revenge.
- DirectorLeonid NosyrevStarsEvgeniy LeonovYuriy VolyntsevAnatoliy BarantsevAn old fisherman tells stories about Pomors. A collection of fairy tales about the Russian North, full of folk humor and wisdom.Soviet
- DirectorMichael SchaackStarsUlrich TukurMario AdorfHelge SchneiderA cat must investigate brutal murders of other cats in a neighborhood he has moved into with his owner.German
- DirectorKimio YabukiStarsShinobu ÔtakeAi KanzakiTokuko SugiyamaA young girl meets the Spirits of the Twelve Months when she is sent out during a winter snowstorm to collect galanthus, a flower that blooms in April.
- DirectorMasami HataStarsTôru FuruyaMami KoyamaIkue SakakibaraA prince of the sea and a child of fire engage in a tragic forbidden romance.
- DirectorJohn HubleyStarsAlvin EpsteinJudith CoburnRay HubleyShow is an animated tracing of the eight stages of life, from infancy to old age, as they have been described in the works of psychoanalyst Erik H. Erikson.
- DirectorHisayuki ToriumiStarsRyoko SanoAtsuko TakahataIkuko TaniCountry girl Ginga leaves her home in hope of becoming one of the Emperor's Wives.Japanese
- DirectorGisaburô SugiiStarsMayumi TanakaChika SakamotoJunko HoriTwo kittens go on a metaphysical journey on a magical railroad train.
- DirectorMario PilusoStarsRay BradburyLeonard NimoyAnnie BarkerFour children learn the origins of Halloween customs while trying to save the life of their friend.American
- DirectorShuchen WangJingda XuDing Xian YanStarsKe BiBanjô GingaDaisuke GôriTells the fable from Chinese mythology about the young warrior Nezha who takes on a group of evil dragons.
- DirectorShin'ichi TsujiStarsMîna TominagaBin ShimadaNachi NozawaAfter two-month-old kitten Chibi-neko is abandoned by her former owners, she is found by 18-year-old Tokio. Although his mother is allergic to cats and has a great fear of them, she agrees to let him keep the kitten because she fears he is becoming too withdrawn after failing his university entrance exams. Chibi-neko soon falls in love with Tokio. In her own mind, Chibi-neko is a small human who speaks in human words, although people only ever seem to hear her meow, and she believes that all humans were once kittens like her. A stray cat tells Chibi-neko of a paradise called Cottonland, where dreams can come true.Japanese
- DirectorIvan Ivanov-VanoBoris ButakovStarsJim BackusAleksey GribovMariya VinogradovaEnthrallingly and fervently, colorfully and directly narration about the surprising adventures of little Ivanushka and his true friend - magic Horse, outwitting a foolish and greedy tsar.Soviet
This is a remake of the 1947 film (by the same director). I haven't seen the original because it's not available with English subtitles. - DirectorSatoshi DezakiTsuneo TominagaStarsAkira KamiyaMichiko KawaiHideyuki TanakaCosmo Academy has set a test for ten of its applicants to survive on a spaceship for 2 months. But there is an eleventh member aboard.Japanese
- DirectorJirí TrnkaMilos MakovecStarsHelena PatockovaJaromir SobotoaDetsky pevecky sbor Jana KuhnaA Chinese emperor prefers the tinkling of a bejeweled mechanical bird to the song of a real nightingale. When the Emperor is near death, a nightingale's song restores his health and teaches him to revolt against his glittering but shallow world.Czech stop-motion
Based on H. C. Andersen's fairy tale. - DirectorIsao TakahataStarsChinatsu NakayamaNorio NishikawaKiyoshi NishikawaChie Takemoto is a small dependable girl who lives in Osaka with her dad. She has two goals - to get her troublesome father, who runs a tavern, some work and then get him to make up with her mother who left him.Japanese
Same director as Grave of the Fireflies. - DirectorMarcell JankovicsStarsGyörgy CserhalmiVera PapGyula SzabóIn this dreamlike Hungarian folk myth, a horse goddess gives birth to three powerful brothers who set out into the Underworld to save three princesses from three evil dragons and reclaim their ancestors' lost kingdom.Hungarian
- DirectorDave FleischerStarsKenny GardnerJack MercerTedd PierceThe happy tranquility of Buggsville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.
- DirectorPer ÅhlinStarsAllan EdwallRobyn CarlssonOlle SarriWhen a ship sinks during a storm, a slave from the industrial island of Plutonia is washed up on the beaches of paradise island Melonia, where the "all-powerful" wizard Prospero and his strange friends reside.
- DirectorR.O. BlechmanChristian BlackwoodStarsMax von SydowDusan MakavejevGalina PanovaA soldier, returning home from war, chances upon a stranger who offers to buy his violin, the stranger is none other than the devil.
- DirectorTaku SugiyamaOsamu TezukaStarsKaneto ShiozawaKeiko TakeshitaHiroshi ÔtakeIn the distant future, a young cadet is sent to find and capture "Cosmozone 2772", a mystical universal Phoenix which possesses the power to rejuvenate the drained Earth.Japanese
Based on Osamu Tezuka's manga "Phoenix." It's not as good as the manga but still good (the manga is a masterpiece). - DirectorMakoto ShinkaiStarsHisako KanemotoMiyu IrinoKazuhiko InoueA coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.Japanese
- DirectorLev AtamanovStarsVladimir GribkovA. GlushchenkoAnna KomolovaThe film is a cautionary tale about the need to develop good work habits, personal responsibility and conscience in life.Soviet
Same director as The Snow Queen. - DirectorJózsef GémesStarsAdrienne CsengeryGyula SzabóThe tragic medieval tale of a man of inhuman strength, fierce temper and a desire for noble knighthood. While on the run as a murderer, he finds new life as a knight, only to face disillusionment, the horrors of war and ugly human vices.
- DirectorSeong-gang LeeStarsSon Ye-jinRyu Deok-hwanKong Hyeong-jinSome years later, Yobi's soul is released. Yobi becomes human and Geum-ee is probably a grow-up already. It is shown that Geum-ee's soul is blue, meaning that he loves Yobi. she may not understand love and friendship.
- DirectorMichel OcelotStarsArlette MirapeuPhilippe CheytionYves BarsacqSix old-style funny silhouetted fairy tales for not so-old-style people.
- DirectorLev AtamanovStarsVladimir GribkovYanina ZheymoAnna KomolovaWhen the Snow Queen, a lonely and powerful fairy, kidnaps the human boy Kay, his best friend Gerda must overcome many obstacles on her journey to rescue him.
- DirectorIrene StarewiczWladyslaw StarewiczStarsClaude DauphinRomain BouquetSylvain ItkineWhen Renard the Fox's mischievous pranks go too far, King Lion is forced to attempt to bring the trickster to justice.French stop-motion
- DirectorYûgo SerikawaWilliam RossStarsMorio KazamaYukiko OkadaChiharu KuriPrince Susano's mother dies; when his father tells him she has gone to another place, he sets off in search of her. He builds a boat and goes to see, first, his brother, in his crystal palace in the land of night (where he causes much damage to the palace, but his brother still gives him a magic ice crystal). Next, he fights the fire god, who gives him a magic bird after Susano defeats him, with help from the magic crystal and his little rabbit sidekick. Susano also picks up another traveling companion, a large but dim villager. Next, he goes to his sister, in the land of light. As with his brother, though, he causes much unintentional damage; his sister, who also happens to be the sun, goes off to hide in a cave. The frantic villagers stage a party (in the original legend, an orgy) outside the cave and trick her into coming outside again. Finally, Susano finds a little princess whose land is being threatened by an 8-headed dragon. With the help of a flying horse (who we later learn was sent by his sister) and his sidekicks, they get the dragon a bit drunk and take out one head at a time (mostly, though two of the last three take each other out).Japanese
- DirectorToshio HirataMori MasakiStarsYû MizushimaTôru FuruyaToshio FurukawaA club of young men who live by logic find themselves in love, and their lives fall apart as they try to cope with the emotions their romance strikes on them.Japanese
- DirectorKatsuhiko NishijimaShigeru MorikawaStarsMiki ItôEmi ShinoharaMichie TomizawaA plucky, super-powered redhead finds herself saving her crybaby best friend from an amorous, bikini armor-clad classmate at their new school and aliens seeking to bring her home.
- DirectorEiichi YamamotoStarsSachiko ItôHaruko KatôNoboru MitaniAldin, a vagabond water vendor, embarks of a series of fantastical and tragic misadventures through the Middle East in search of love, fortune, and power.Japanese
- DirectorTakahiro ÔmoriStarsKôki UchiyamaAyane SakuraShinpachi TsujiHotaru is rescued by a spirit when she gets lost in a forest as a child. The two become friends, despite the spirit revealing that he will disappear if he is ever touched by a human.
- DirectorFrancis VoseStarsRobin BaileyMaurice DenhamJimmy HibbertA meek young Russian peasant finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime when he is mysteriously bestowed with a flying ship that sets sail for the Tsar's royal court.British
- DirectorKimio YabukiStarsSusumu IshikawaToshiko FujitaRumi SakakibaraWhile being on the run for saving a mouse, the famous Puss in Boots, Pero, helps a young peasant boy win the heart of a lovely princess, while trying to rescue her from an evil wizard.
- DirectorMotosuke TakahashiStarsSumi ShimamotoYû MizushimaMayumi TanakaA girl in feudal Japan jumps to modern times and then back when she is older with her younger brother who is seperated from her in the timestream.
- DirectorYoshio KurodaStarsMakoto TsumuraSakura TangeShinobu AdachiA small poor boy lives with his caring grandfather in a small Flemish village in the 19th century Belgium, has a lovable pet dog, loves art and dreams of becoming a famous painter one day. Based on a famous Flemish novel.Japanese
Based on Maria Louise Ramé's novel. - DirectorToe YuenStarsAnthony Chau-Sang WongJan LambChun-Wai LeeMcDull is not the brightest kid on the block, but he continuously tries to do his best to please his mother. Still it seems he may not be destined for great things like she wishes, but McDull strives to try anyway.Chinese
- DirectorPaul FierlingerStarsPaul FierlingerJan TrískaErik RodgersAn autobiography of Paul Fierlinger.American
- DirectorMichel OcelotIan McIntyreStarsCyril MouraliKarim M'RibaHiam AbbassRaised by the same woman, the dark-complexioned, Asmar, and the flaxen-haired, Azur, set out on a quest to a strange and magical land to liberate the enchanting Djinn-fairy; but, only one can save her. Will the brothers be triumphant?
- DirectorJirí BartaStarsOldrich KaiserJirí LábusMichal PavlícekThe story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin with a twist.
- DirectorIdeya GaraninaStarsIvan BurlyaevInna ChurikovaValentina PonomaryovaThe cat tells the baby how man tamed animals. Soothing puppet cartoon based on Kipling's fairy tale.Soviet