Ever watched a 3D animated movie?
Almost everyone has watched some kind of animated film at least once in their lifetime!
These CGI-integrated movies are less labor-intensive and time-consuming than a traditional 2D animated, hand-drawn film.
Today we’re gonna be listing the 25 best 3D animated movies and where you’ll be able to watch them..
So, buckle up, and let’s dive straight into the article because we ain’t got no second to waste! Now, let’s begin shall we?
There are many 3D animated movies out there!
However, in this section, we’ll be covering some of the best:
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse revolves around Miles Morales, a seemingly normal high school student living in Brooklyn with his parents who spends his days in tranquility.
That was the case until one eventful night when his life took a complete 180-degree turn.
While chilling with his uncle, Aaron Davis he got bit by a radioactive spider and gained spider-like superpowers.
Miles became the new friendly neighborhood spider-man for New York City after the untimely demise of Peter Parker.
Watch him on his journey into the spider-verse and how he and his spidey friends from other dimensions put a stop to the ultimate evil that’s looming around and save the day!
“Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse” employs an animation style that blends 3D computer animations with traditional hand-drawn comic techniques.
Various techniques like half-toning, hatching, pop-frames, line-works, etc., were also used in the making of the film.
Ratatouille is an animated culinary movie that follows Remy, a rat with exceptional culinary talents who dreams of becoming a chef.
When fate lands him in the sewers of Paris, right beneath a renowned restaurant, he forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini, a clumsy kitchen worker.
Together, they embark on a quest to create mouthwatering dishes and prove that anyone can cook, even a rat.
As Remy secretly helps Linguini rise to fame, they must navigate the challenges of a busy kitchen and the skepticism of the culinary world.
It’s a heartwarming tale of passion, friendship, and following your dreams, all set against the backdrop of delicious French cuisine.
The animation style of “Ratatouille” is 3D computer-animated, produced by Pixar Animation Studios.
The film is known for its realistic visual look that resembles a well-photographed live-action film.
It avoids the overtly saturated colors and unnaturally elastic character movements sometimes associated with computer-animated films.
The legend himself Puss in Boots who after defeating a giant was partying imprudently in the town of Del Mar, met his untimely demise after being crushed under a church bell.
Or not! While having a brief albeit very important conversation with the town doctor, he comes to know that he’s down to his last life.
He has already died eight times and out of his nine lives, he’s down to the last one. Watch how he learns the importance of life and improves his arrogant demeanor.
His journey of self-improvement and how he gains more allies and fights off his foes in a truly outlandish manner is truly a sight to behold.
The animators behind this movie's making decided to go with a 2.5D animation style.
Basically, this animation style is a combination of both 2D and 3D animation.
Tangled is a vibrant animated film that tells the story of Rapunzel, a young princess with 70-feet-long magical hair.
Kidnapped as a baby by the selfish Mother Gothel, who uses Rapunzel’s hair to remain young, she grows up locked in a secluded tower, dreaming of the outside world.
On her 18th birthday, Rapunzel’s wish to leave the tower is granted when she encounters Flynn Rider, a charming thief on the run.
Striking a deal with him, she embarks on an adventurous journey to see the floating lanterns that light up the sky every year on her birthday.
Along the way, she learns about life, love, and her true identity. Tangled is a tale of self-discovery, freedom, and the pursuit of dreams.
“Tangled” uses an animation style that blends 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI) and traditional animation techniques.
The film uses non-photorealistic rendering to create the impression of a painting, giving it a distinctive and charming visual style.
The story is set In the 29th century, a distant future where the planet Earth’s environment has been destroyed by human greed.
Earth has completely become uninhabitable thus leaving no other choice than for humanity to evacuate their own planet.
Humanity now resides in the giant starliners in space.
Down here on the surface, there’s nothing left besides trash compactor robots who were given the job of cleaning up humanity’s mess.
This was the case several years before the original setting of the story as this giant cleanup operation failed leaving behind a final robot called Wall-E.
Wall-E remains active by salvaging whatever useful parts he can from the other trashed robots daily with his pet cockroach.
One day an unmanned rocket probe arrived carrying an egg-shaped robot called EVE while Wall-E was busy doing his gig.
This fateful encounter will change everything from here on out in Wall-E's life.
As he journeys into the unknowns of the vast universe with this sleek robot he finds a new purpose in life.
The animation style of “Wall-E” is computer-animated, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, which is their movies’ trademark.
The robot characters are designed to appear both human and robotic, with human facial features and expressions, yet their designs remain distinctly robotic.
The film’s unique visual style and profound themes are subtly mixed into a seemingly simplistic plot, making it a memorable and imaginative adventure.
Madagascar is a 3D animated comedy about four zoo animals—Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo—who have spent their lives in blissful captivity in New York’s Central Park Zoo.
Marty’s longing for adventure leads them on an unexpected journey to the exotic island of Madagascar.
After a series of misadventures, they must learn to survive in the wild, discovering the meaning of true friendship along the way.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film features a vibrant and colorful animation that brings the lush landscapes and diverse animal characters to life.
This 3D animated movie revolves around a bunch of toys and dolls! Yes, you didn’t hear that wrong.
There are a bunch of toys that pretend to be lifeless and inanimate objects in front of humans but actually have life in them.
Just as they were trying to settle into their new lives with their new master Andy Davis, they received a shocking piece of information.
This information was that Andy’s birthday party had been moved to an earlier date.
Now, all the toys including Andy’s favorite Sheriff Woody became worried that he might receive something as a gift that might replace them.
For the sake of their existence, they started tailing Andy and their fears came true. Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure as a gift which immediately became his new favorite toy because of all the cool features it came with.
Now, the catch here is that Buzz Lightyear thinks that he is not a toy but an actual space ranger with a mission to go back home!
Watch as this rowdy pack copes with the situation all while being sneaky to not blow off their cover.
The humorous interactions between the characters really make this a good watch for anyone.
“Toy Story” is renowned for being the first feature-length film to be entirely created with 3D computer animation.
The film utilized groundbreaking technology and software to bring the characters and story to life, allowing for a new level of detail and fluidity in animation.
Megamind is an animated film about a blue alien supervillain named Megamind.
He finally defeats his superhero rival, Metro Man, but finds himself without a purpose.
Seeking excitement, Megamind creates a new superhero, Titan, from Metro Man’s DNA.
However, Titan turns evil, and Megamind must rise to the challenge. He transitions from villain to hero, saving the city and finding a new meaning in life.
The animation style of “Megamind” draws inspiration from comic books, featuring bold and vibrant colors, exaggerated features, and dynamic character designs.
The film employs the twelve principles of animation effectively, with notable use of squash and stretch to convey emotions and anticipation in action scenes.
This gives “Megamind” a lively and expressive visual style that complements its humorous and action-packed storyline.
Coco is a 3D animated movie about a boy named Miguel, a music enthusiast who comes from a humble family in which the very concept of music is banned.
This makes things very tough for him, however, he’s not gonna give up that easily on his passion for music.
He teaches himself to play the guitar by watching videos of his idol Ernesto De La Cruz who’s already deceased.
On the day of the dead, he comes across a photograph of his great-great-grandfather holding Ernesto’s favorite guitar.
Thrilled he thinks that there might be some sort of relation between him and his idol.
So, Miguel tells his family all about it and his dreams too only for his feelings to be reciprocated in a harsh response.
Saddened, he breaks into Ernesto’s mausoleum and steals his guitar for a local competition.
However, as he struck the chords of this guitar he can suddenly see his ancestors that have already passed.
From this point onward begins the journey of Miguel into the land of the dead! Watch his endeavors as he presses on forward in his goal of meeting his idol Ernesto.
The animation style of the movie “Coco” is computer-generated, which is typical of Pixar Animation Studios.
The film uses innovative visual effects and a unique animation style inspired by Mexican folk art, bringing vibrant colors and intricate details to life.
Finding Nemo is a delightful tale of a cautious clownfish named Marlin who embarks on a daring quest to find his son Nemo.
After Nemo is captured and taken to a dentist’s office in Sydney, Marlin joins forces with Dory, a friendly but forgetful fish.
Together, they navigate the perils of the ocean, encountering sharks, jellyfish, and other sea creatures.
Meanwhile, Nemo plans his escape from the fish tank with his new tank mates.
Produced by Pixar Studios, “Finding Nemo” goes with a CGI approach.
To give the underwater scenes more realism, animators used techniques like naturalistic motion.
This is a tale of how Po, a panda who’s sort of a klutz becomes a true dragon warrior.
Po, a kung-fu devotee who works in his father’s noodle shop, finds his way into a kung-fu tournament of great significance.
This tournament was being held to ascertain the identity of the dragon warrior who would wield the enormous power of the dragon scroll.
Among many prodigious students trained by the infamous master Shifu, grandmaster Oogway points out Po as the dragon warrior to everyone’s surprise including Po himself.
Opposed by the notion, Master Shifu puts Po through hellish training to see what made Grandmaster Oogway infatuated with him.
Will he be able to earn everyone’s respect? Can he really inherit the title of the dragon warrior? Watch for yourself to find this out!
The animation style of “Kung Fu Panda” is a blend of 3D computer animation with elements of traditional Chinese martial arts and 2D traditional hand-drawn animation for certain sequences.
Incredibles 2 follows the superhero Parr family as they navigate a role reversal: Helen (Elastigirl) takes the lead to restore public trust in superheroes, while Bob (Mr. Incredible) manages home life.
Their mission is complicated by a new villain, Screenslaver, who controls minds through screens.
As Elastigirl fights this threat, Bob faces the chaos of parenting, especially with baby Jack-Jack’s emerging powers.
“Incredibles 2” showcases a computer-animated style, which is a hallmark of Pixar Animation Studios.
The characters and environments are rendered with greater detail and realism, and the animation team used current technology to bring the designs to life with more fluidity and expressiveness.
The ultimate evil Gru plans to use his genius to steal the moon. For this purpose, he also hires minions that aid him in his inventions and evil plots.
On the other hand, he is also quite a family man! He adopts three orphans and starts a family of his own.
Now, he must keep a balance between his professional and private lives as he moves forward with his plan.
Will he be able to see through his convictions? The only way to know that is to watch this 3D animated comedy/adventure.
The animation style of “Despicable Me” contributes to its storytelling by creating a visually engaging world that supports the comedic and emotional elements of the narrative.
Monsters, Inc. is an animated film set in Monstropolis, a city powered by children’s screams, collected by professional “scarers” from Monsters, Inc.
When Sulley, the top scarer, accidentally lets a human girl, Boo, into the monster world, he and his friend Mike face a dilemma.
As they try to return Boo home, they uncover a conspiracy and learn that laughter is a more potent energy source than screams.
Monster, Inc. is a must-watch if you are a fan of 3D animated movies!
The animation style of “Monsters, Inc.” not only contributed to its critical acclaim but also helped it become a timeless classic in the world of animated films.
How To Train Your Dragon is a 3D animated movie set in a mythical world of Vikings.
The story follows a young Viking who aspires to bear the title of dragon slayer.
This is a sort of tradition that’s been followed by his tribe for a long time now. Hiccup now makes preparations to seize and kill his first dragon.
He spent days and months searching for a dragon and his efforts were not in vain!
He doesn’t just find any dragon, instead, he finds a dragon from the Night Fury race.
A special kind of dragon who belongs to a race that attacks at night like lightning and is hardly ever seen by anyone.
However, instead of instantly killing the dragon he shows compassion and tends to his wounds.
Later on, they became best friends and Hiccup could no longer put an end to the dragon's life.
How will he face his tribe now? What will happen if they find out about this?
All of these questions will be answered in the movie itself.
“How To Train Your Dragon” is a perfect example of a computer-generated animation-style movie.
DreamWorks Animation Studios even developed advanced technologies like the Premo character-animation system and MoonRay rendering software for the sole purpose of increasing the realism and detail of the film.
This resulted in a visually rich and immersive experience that brought the world of dragons and Vikings to life with great detail and realism.
The Boss Baby is a comedic animated film about a suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying baby who teams up with his 7-year-old brother Tim.
The Boss Baby is on a secret mission to stop the CEO of Puppy Co. from executing a plan that could tip the balance of love away from babies towards puppies.
The brothers embark on a wild adventure, learning the importance of family and brotherhood as they work together to save their parents and restore order to the world.
This movie adopts a 3D computer-animated animation style and is produced by DreamWorks Animation Studios.
The animation style is influenced by design techniques popularized in the 1960s, as well as animated films from both the 1950s and 1960s
The movie’s animation also supports its comedic and narrative elements, with exaggerated expressions and movements that enhance the humor.
Ralph, the main antagonist of the game Wreck-It-Ralph, feels dissatisfied with his role in the game and thus expresses concern over it.
However, he gets the cold treatment of everyone and sets out on a journey to win a medal.
He thought that by doing so he’ll gain the respect of everyone.
However, things didn’t go as planned and with the disappearance of Ralph his game got labeled “out of service.”
To save the day, the game’s protagonist Fix-It-Felix sets out to find Ralph and bring him back.
As Ralph continues he gains some new friends who understand him and his situation.
This action comedy is a 3D computer-animated movie that incorporates different animation styles for various game worlds featured in the movie.
A more blocky and pixelated design has been used to depict old-school arcade games, while on the other hand, other characters from more modern games have smoother and more detailed appearances.
This blend of styles allows “Wreck-It Ralph” to celebrate the history of video games through its animation, making it a visually rich and nostalgic experience for viewers.
Zootopia is an animated movie set in a city where animals of all kinds live together.
Judy Hopps, an ambitious bunny, becomes the first rabbit police officer.
She teams up with Nick Wilde, a sly fox, to solve a mystery when predators start disappearing.
Their investigation reveals a larger conspiracy that threatens the harmony of Zootopia.
“Zootopia” takes a 3D computer-generated approach and shows its great attention to detail, especially in the portrayal of animals' fur and the city of Zootopia.
This technology enabled the creation of diverse and eccentric character styles for each animal, contributing to the richly textured and immersive world of Zootopia.
Big Hero 6 takes place in a setting of a futuristic city called San Fransokyo.
Hiro Himada a 14-year-old high school graduate spends all his time competing in the illegal underground robot fights.
One night while betting on the bot fighting Hiro got in some trouble and was ultimately rescued by his big brother Tadashi.
Tadashi, who wanted his little brother to get out of his bad habits, took him to the San Fransokyo Institute Of Technology.
Hiro meets many of his brother’s acquaintances and his mentor Professor Robert Callaghan too.
However, in a fire breakout in the Institute, Tadashi meets his untimely demise whilst trying to save Callaghan.
As Hiro was in solitude he remembered about his brother’s last innovation.
He names this healthcare robot Baymax and cherishes it as his brother’s legacy!
Later on, Hiro finds out that someone is mass-producing microbots, something that was originally developed by Hiro.
Now as he digs deeper into this he finds many shocking revelations about the day his brother died.
Was that fire all but just a mere cover-up for someone on that day?
The only way to find that out is by watching the movie.
Walt Disney Animation Studios created new software technology to produce the film’s animated visuals, which allowed for more detailed and sophisticated character models and environments
This unique blend of styles and the use of cutting-edge technology in animation helped “Big Hero 6” become a visually stunning and emotionally engaging film.
Ice Age is a 3D animated adventure set during the Earth’s prehistoric era.
It follows Manny, a grumpy woolly mammoth; Sid, a clumsy sloth; and Diego, a cunning saber-toothed tiger.
The trio forms an unlikely alliance to return a human baby to its tribe.
As they journey across the icy landscape, they face various challenges and predators, including Diego’s own pack, which seeks the child.
The animation style of “Ice Age” is computer animation.
The series has been praised for its storytelling, humor, and the way it visually portrays the adventures of its endearing characters.
After his wife Martha was killed by a human, Count Dracula decided to open up a hotel for monsters only in Transylvania.
This served both as a hotel for the monsters that were being persecuted by humans and as a comforting home for him and his daughter Mavis.
Watch Count Dracula’s hilarious antics as he trails his free-willed daughter who wants to go to the human world.
The animation style of “Hotel Transylvania” is a unique blend of 3D computer animation with the energy, organic nature, and exaggeration of classic 2D animation, particularly as seen in the work of director Tex Avery.
This style helped to emphasize the comedic aspects of the film and allowed for a playful and dynamic storytelling experience
Frozen is a magical Disney movie about two sisters, Elsa and Anna, who live in the kingdom of Arendelle.
Elsa has special powers that allow her to create ice and snow. One day, she accidentally sets off an eternal winter that freezes the whole kingdom.
Scared of hurting others, Elsa runs away to the mountains to live alone. Anna, who loves her sister dearly, sets off on an adventurous journey to find Elsa.
She teams up with a rugged iceman named Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven, and a funny snowman named Olaf.
Together, they face many challenges to reach Elsa and stop the winter.
The animation style of “Frozen” is primarily 3D computer animation, which is a common approach for modern animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The film also employed a unique artistic style by blending features of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and traditional hand-drawn animation to create its magical winter landscapes and characters.
This blend of CGI and traditional animation techniques allowed for expressive character movements and a visually rich storytelling experience that resonated with audiences worldwide.
Flint Lockwood a genius scientist, lives on the island of Swallow Falls with his father and his pet monkey.
However, this island’s staple diet is sardines and sardines only.
Due to sardines considered to be disgusting by the rest of the world, Swallow Falls’s economy declines at a rapid rate.
Consequently, Flint invents a machine that can convert raindrops into food to expand the island residents’ palate.
However, his plan goes awry and his machine ends up in the stratosphere.
Surprisingly enough, his machine worked in the stratosphere effectively converting raindrops into all kinds of foods like burgers.
All was well and good until the machine malfunctioned and went rogue causing a huge storm of spaghetti and meatballs engulfing the entire planet!
Now, Flint must find a way to turn off or destroy his invention to save the world.
The animation style is known for its colorful visuals, humor, and characterizations.
The animation style contributes significantly to the storytelling, making “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” a memorable and visually engaging animated movie.
Moana is an inspiring Disney movie about a brave girl named Moana who lives on the island of Motunui.
She’s the daughter of the chief and loves her home, but she’s also drawn to the ocean.
The islanders face danger as their food starts to run out, caused by a curse that’s spreading across the oceans.
Moana learns that the curse is the result of the demigod Maui stealing the heart of the goddess Te Fiti.
To save her people, Moana sets off on an epic journey across the sea to find Maui and return the heart.
Along the way, she discovers her own identity and what it means to be a leader.
With Maui’s help, after facing many challenges, Moana returns to the heart and restores life to the islands.
“Moana”, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios adopts the modern computer-generated animation style.
However, the film also preserves Disney’s tradition of hand-drawn animation.
One of the film’s most endearing characters, a living tattoo known as Mini-Maui, was animated entirely by hand.
The team made extensive use of traditional animation techniques during pre-production and production, which included physically drawing on top of 3D-rendered footage to give notes and create expression sheets.
Carl Fredricksen, a ten-year-old boy always looked up to Charles Muntz who visited Paradise Falls, and thought of doing so himself someday.
As he grows up, he befriends a girl named Ellie. Eventually, they both fall in love with each other and get married.
After a few years as Ellie was on her deathbed, she gave Carl her scrapbook.
Carl who now was in his late 70s refused anyone who came to buy his property and also unintentionally injured a construction worker in a heated dispute.
Later on, the court deems Carl a danger to the public and orders him to move to a nursing home.
Carl, to fulfill his and Ellie’s childhood dream to go to Paradise Falls, attaches thousands of balloons to his house and takes off.
As the house in which both Ellie and Carl lived elevates, an unexpected guest accidentally gets carried away as a stowaway!
Produced by Pixar Animation Studios, “Up” is known for its vibrant storytelling and emotional depth.
During the production of “Up,” Pixar employed new rigging, animation, shading, and rendering techniques to overcome the challenges the movie presented.
The technology used to create “Up” was advanced for its time, allowing for the creation of realistic cloth and intricate environmental details.
It’s about time to wrap up this article, after all the careful consideration these 25 3D animated movies are arguably the best out there.
We get it that many of these movies are for kids but at one time we were also kids who enjoyed these movies on a Sunday morning while enjoying the piping hot breakfast.
These movies are what awaken our inner kid once more! From the plot to the animation and score everything ranks among the best in these above-mentioned films.
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