Since the early 1900s, Japanese anime has flourished into one of the most popular forms of media across the world. No matter where you grew up, you likely spent your youth (an♋d still continue to spend your adulthood) watching some form of anime, whether it was♋ Toonami late at night or renting it out from a local store.
With thousands of stellar examples, picking the best anime movies available is impossible. But if you're looking for a primer on some of the hundreds of movies you can find on Amazon Prime, we're happy to help. And don't worry, there are no spoilers for any of the movies we're recommending here.
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Spirited Away
Best Family Anime Movie -
Belle
Best Musical Anime Movie -
Your Name
Best Magical Realism Anime -
Evangelion: 1.1 You Are (Not) Alone
Best Anime Series Tie-In Movie -
Initial D Legend 1: Awakening
Best Action Anime Movie
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Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
Best Adventure Anime Movie -
Weathering With You
Best Romance Anime Movie -
Ghost in the Shell
Best Adult Anime Movie

Ghibli never disappoints
- Release Date
- July 20, 2001
- Runtime
- 125 minutes
- Director
- 🍨 Ha🌳yao Miyazaki
- Writers
- 𓆉 🐼 Hayao Miyazaki
Cast
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Daveigh Chase
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Jason Marsden
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Suzanne Pleshette
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David Ogden Stiers
Spirited Away is one of the most iconic stories from Hayao Miyazaki. The movie f🌄ollows a young girl trying to recover her parents from a treacherous spirit woꦡrld.
- Family-friendly
- Iconic anime classic
Any list of the best anime movies that doesn't include a Miyazaki movie is simply incorrect. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a young girl who finds herself transported into a realm of spirits. There, she joins forces with some locals to find a way to free her parents from a magic spell that's left them polymorphed into pigs.

Belle
Great songs, stunning animation,🎀 and a familiar sꦅtory
- Release Date
- July 16, 2021
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
- Director
- ♍ Mamoru Hosoda
- Writers
- ♛ 🍷 Mamoru Hosoda
Cast
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Kylie McNeill
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Paul Castro
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Manny Jacinto
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Hunter Schafer
Based on Beauty and the Beast, Belle follows a traumaꦅtized young woman rediscovering her passion for singing. It's a retelling of a classic with a beautiful flair.
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Twists on a familiar story
Released in 2021, Belle follows 17-year-old Suzu Naito, a traumatized girl who's lost her passion for singing. Through the freedom of anonymity on an online platform, she regains her voice and rises to stardom. Based somewhat on the famous story of The Beauty and the Beast, it's a familiar love story for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:music lovers and anime fans alike.

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Timeline-shifting, reality-challenging romance
- Release Date
- July 3, 2016
- Runtime
- 106 minutes
- Director
- Makoto Sh𝔉inkai
- Writers
- 𝄹 Makot﷽o Shinkai
Cast
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Michael Sinterniklaas
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Stephanie Sheh
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Kyle Hebert
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Ray Chase
Your Name follows a pair of youths through a romantic fantasy setting. It's a timeline-hopping, reality-shifting adventure that deserves its pr🔯aise.
- Jaw-dropping animation
- Fantastic soundtrack
What if Freaky Friday was a romance anime? Seems like a weird question to ask, but this incredibly successful anime film manages to do so perfectly. Your Name follows two stories as they swap bodies intermittently, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:seeing the world through each other's eyes. It's a timeline-hopping, body-swapping romance that can't be missed.

Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
A perfect introduction to Evangelion
- Release Date
- September 1, 2007
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Director
- ✨ Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki 💜
- Writers
- 𒉰 Hideaki Anno
Cast
-
Mary Faber
-
Daman Mills
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Michael Ross
-
Alejandro Saab
Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alon🅠e is a retelling of the start of the famous anime with a few extra details. It's the perfect film to introduce someone to the fra🎶nchise.
- Adds more detail to the existing content
- Perfect introduction to the Evangelion series
Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone re-tells the first six episodes of the original Evangelion series, making it a great introduction to the franchise. There are a few minor differences and enhanced CG ani🍸mation in some areas. This film is the extended version of the similarly named 1.0 Y🦄ou Are (Not) Alone.

Initial D Legend 1: Awakening
Déjà vu!
- Release Date
- August 23, 2014
- Runtime
- 62 minutes
Cast
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Bill Wise
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Brina Palencia
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Eric Vale
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J. Michael Tatum
New Initial D - Legend 1: Awakening is the first installmenꦛt in a trilogy of movies. The story follows Takumi in his journey to racing🌞 stardom.
- Introduction to a trilogy
- Action-packed
Based on the popular drift racing manga Initial D, New Initial D - Legend 1: Awakening (often shortened to "New Initial D" or "Awakening") is the first in a trilogy of movies in the franchise. This film follows Takumi♐ in his first steps to becoming a drift racing legend.

Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
Spies, intrigue, action, and comedy
- Release Date
- December 15, 1979
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Director
- Hayao M𝓡iyazaki
- Writers
- Hayao Miyazaki ✅
Cast
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Bob Bergen
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Barbara Goodson
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Michael McConnohie
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Steve Kramer
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro🃏 is a Ghibli spy adventure that follows the titular Lupin. The story blends comedy, adventure, intrigue, and some hints of romance.
- Family-friendly
- Comedic and adventurous
Lupin III is anime's own James Bond mixed with Robin Hood, a masterful thief with a heart of gold that manages incredible heists while dodging his longtime rival, Inspector Zenigata. In The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin works to save a princess alongside his partners in crime in a humor-laden example of classic animation.

Weathering With You
Magic surrealism, romance, and fantasy
- Release Date
- July 19, 2019
- Runtime
- 112 minutes
- Director
- 🐼 🀅 Makoto Shinkai
- Writers
- 🦩 Makoto Shinkai
Cast
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Ashley Boettcher
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Lee Pace
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Alison Brie
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Mike Pollock
Weathering With You follows a pair of struggling youths attempting to find their way through a crisis. It𝕴's mostly fa♕mily-friendly, though there are themes of gun violence.
- Romantic fantasy setting
- Plenty of twists in the plot
Weathering with You is among the most successful anime films in history, sitting as one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time. The movie follows a pair of young lovers struggling to make ends meet, while one can control the weather. With a loving story and some of the most gorgeous animation the genre has to offer, it's a beautiful dose of magic surrealism.

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Cyberpunk, crime-noir, and gritty cꦦyborg fight scenes
- Release Date
- November 18, 1995
- Runtime
- 82 minutes
- Director
- 🎐 Mamo𝓰ru Oshii
- Writers
- 🔴 ꧂ Kazunori Itô
- Sequel(s)
- ♕ Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Ghost in the Shell is an adult anime movie that follows a cyborg officer tracking a deadly ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcriminal. It's equal parts adventure, noir, and cyberpunk.
- Iconic and influential film
- Gritty crime-noir setting
Many know this franchise through the spin-off series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Based on a 1989 manga of the same name, Ghost in the Shell is set in a cyberpunk 21st-century Tokyo. The story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi in a story that's a little Blade Runner, a little grim crime noir, and an all-around icon of animation.
FAQ
Are Anime Movies Family Friendly?
Some anime movies are family-friendly, but not all. You shoulဣd always vet a movie before showing it to your family to avoid awkward🍌 situations.
Are Anime Movies Good For Kids?
There are plenty of great examples of anime movies for kids. W🍌e suggest looking into 🔜Ghibli films.
Are Anime Movies Better In Dubs Or Subs?
This isn't a debate anyone else can solve for you. Some people prefer dubs, others prefer subs, and many people have very strong opinions on which is superior.

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