5 Best Non-Disney Animated Movies That Won the Oscar You Must Watch
While Disney is the powerhouse of successful animated movies, it’s not to say other production houses don’t make good animated flicks. Various modern studios are pioneering in animation and presenting movies with great potential. Even though Disney dominates the Best Animated Feature category most years, there are some who have left their mark on the industry nonetheless. Moreover, with the Oscars right around the corner, let’s celebrate animated movies that have won the coveted Academy Award without having the Disney banner.
Pinocchio
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio reimagines the classic tale of a wooden boy that comes to life. With a nose that grows with every lie and a personality to charm everyone he meets, del Toro’s Pinocchio is a story of Italy under fascist regimes. Though the director agrees he was inspired by Disney’s version of the film, he wanted to make something different and offer the audiences a newer perspective on the age-old tale.
In addition to becoming the seventh non-Disney/Pixar picture to win an Oscar, Pinocchio was the first animated feature for a streaming service produced by Netflix Animation. Pinocchio is streaming on Netflix.
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Spirited Away
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese movie Spirited Away still is one of the most recommended animated films. It garnered a whopping $395.8 million at the box office, consolidating its position as an incredibly successful feature. No wonder it got the Oscar award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The movie narrates the story of an ordinary girl who strives to free her parents from a curse at an amusement park that turns them into pigs.
The brilliance of the movie lies in its heartfelt narrative and the way people were able to connect to the characters and their feelings. It has been over two decades since the movie was released, but the love fans have for the flick has not yet diminished. Spirited Away is streaming on Netflix.
Wall-E
Wall-E is a heartwarming story of a robot who spends every day in the same routine. He is tasked with cleaning up the planet Earth after it is rendered lifeless. However, things soon take a turn for the better as he encounters another modern robot and falls for her. The exceptionally beloved movie is written by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter.
After collecting over $530 million at the box office, Wall-E won the Oscar in 2009. The movie doesn’t just make you cry with its gut-wrenching narrative but also makes you think in the end as the robot witnesses the plight of humans. The film deservedly won many accolades as it continues to delight audiences years after it premiered. Wall-E is streaming on Disney+ and Apple TV.
The Incredibles
A family entertainer through and through, The Incredibles was a movie way ahead of its time. Even though the audience was familiar with movies that featured strong superheroes, this was one of the first projects to blend in family dynamics, politics by banning superheroes, and the looming urge to regain greatness.
Directed by Brad Bird, the film follows the Parr family as they struggle to adjust to ordinary life after spending years in the limelight. The kids are discouraged from using their powers only for a supervillain to force them out of hiding. Cinching the Oscar in 2005, the movie went on to collect $631.6 million at the box office. The Incredibles is streaming on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV.
Also Read: Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean Was Almost Scrapped Because of 1 Flop Disney Movie
Rango
The 2012 Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature was Johnny Depp starrer Rango. The titular character has an urge to be a hero and realizes his dream by attempting to protect a bandit-ridden town. With a drought and the constant raids, the town suffers every day. Rango sees it as an opportunity to seize the day and save the people.
Rango is directed by Gore Verbinski and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Despite being an animated movie, it tackled quite a few mature themes and entertained the audience with subtle and charming humor. Depp’s voice for Rango fit perfectly along with other star-studded voice cast including Isla Fisher and Alfred Molina. The film is available on Paramount+.
