19 Best Animated Movies on Netflix for Kids and Adults

Entertainment Weekly has curated a list of 19 standout animated movies available on Netflix, ranging from Oscar winners and anime classics to family-friendly hits. The selection is designed to appeal to both children and adult audiences, emphasizing that animated features can address mature themes and provide insight into the human experience.

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Guillermo del Toro

The curated collection highlights the diversity of the medium, featuring pop sensations such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and KPop Demon Hunters (2025). The list also includes Oscar-nominated titles, specifically I Lost My Body (2019) and The Sea Beast (2022).

Focus on Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

A primary highlight of the selection is the 2022 film Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood, directed by Richard Linklater. The film utilizes rotoscope animation, a technique Linklater previously employed in Waking Life (2001) and A Scanner Darkly (2006).

The narrative serves as a nostalgic exploration of the summer of 1969, centered on a young boy named Stanley. Stanley’s fascination with the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon leads him to imagine himself as a passenger on the history-making spaceship. The film’s cast includes Milo Coy, who voices the young Stanley, and Jack Black, who provides the voice for the adult version of the character reflecting on his childhood.

The production also features Glen Powell and Zachary Levi. Critics have noted the film’s dreamlike atmosphere and vivid animation, comparing Linklater’s approach to the coming-of-age themes found in his 2014 Oscar-nominated film Boyhood.

Family-Friendly and Genre Favorites

Beyond the experimental and award-nominated works, the list includes established family favorites. These include The Bad Guys (2022) and How to Train Your Dragon, the latter of which features Jay Baruchel as the voice of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.

The collection spans various animation styles and production houses, including DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Netflix’s own original productions, illustrating the breadth of animated storytelling currently available on the streaming platform.