There’s no denying that anime TV shows have been at the forefront of the genre for decades, but there are plenty ofanime moviesthat transformed the genre into what it is today. Many of these films feature a broad variety of themes in their short run times, bringing in a global audience and breaking away from traditional storytelling. Whether it be throughMiyazaki’s modern fairy tales, or the complex work of Satoshi Kon, here are 10 anime films that have had a huge influence on the genre.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Trainis a direct sequel to the first season of the popular anime TV show. The film follows Tanjiro and his companions, who have just completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion. They are shown to be on their next mission, which is on the Mugen Train. It’s stated that around 40 people have mysteriously disappeared in a short time frame while on the train, with the group believing a demon is to blame.Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Trainwas released during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if it didn’t perform well.
However, the film came out on top against all odds, and reached the top of the global box office, grossing over $507 million. This made it the highest-grossing anime film of all time, beatingSpirited Away. Not only did it manage to bring fans together during a time of turmoil, but its huge success shows that anime movies are still heavily in demand. It may not be a while until another takes its place, but it is a huge achievement for the genre as a whole.
Barefoot Gen (1983)
WhileGrave of the Firefliesmight be the most popular WW2 anime,Barefoot Gensteals the limelight in various ways. The film is based on the real-life experiences of Keiji Nakazawa, who survived the Hiroshima atomic bombings when he was a young child.Barefoot Gendoesn’t shy away from the realities of war, and shows how innocents suffered and died long after the bombings took place. It might not be the first anime film about war, but it is definitely the most graphic and optimistic of them all. For audiences who are looking for something to watch after theOppenheimerhype,Barefoot Genis a brutally honest depiction of the horrors of nuclear fallout.
Your Name (2016)
Not only isYour Namethe best romantic anime, but alsoone of the best romance films of all time. Going against the typical romance formula,Your Namefollows two teenagers, Taki and Mitsuha, who discover that they are swapping bodies, although they have never met before. While in each other’s bodies, they help each other do things they otherwise wouldn’t have done, such as asking crushes out on dates and becoming more popular at school. Eventually, Taki sets out to find Mitsuha after developing romantic feelings for her.
In a complicated battle against time, Taki learns the pair live in different timelines, and that he must use their body-swapping capabilities to save Mitsuha from an impendending comet headed towards her town. The film served as a beacon of hope in Japan, as it was the first popular release following Fukushima. As a result,Your Namehelped to make non-Ghibli anime movies more popular in Japan, and also inspired the manga series,Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister.
The End of Evangelion (1997)
The End of Evangelionwas created to be an ending to the anime TV show,Neon Genesis Evangelion. The film is more of an alternative ending to the series, rather than a conclusive round-up. This proved to be a difficult task, as many fans were angry about the ending of the show, and equally unimpressed withThe End of Evangelion. Regardless, the film featured dizzying visuals and unsettling moments that make it a clear standout. As a whole, both the film and show have had a huge influence on the giant-robot genre in anime. The franchise allowed the anime genre to get more ambitious, increasing the creative control granted to other animes such asCowboy Bebop.
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The Tale of the White Serpent (1958)
Also known asPanda and the Magic SerpentandThe White Snake Enchantress,The Tale of the White Serpentcame about at a time when anime films were becoming more popular. The film follows Xu-Xian, who has fallen in love with Bai-Niang, a snake spirit taking the form of a human. The film is the first color anime film, and also one of the first released in America, and the first in UK cinemas. It was directly inspired by the Disney films released during the same time period, and likely wasn’t aware of the success it would bring to the anime genre. After watching the film, anime icon Hayao Miyazaki decided he wanted to be an animator, going on to create masterpieces such asSpirited AwayandMy Neighbor Totoro.
Perfect Blue (1997)
Considered to be Satoshi Kon’s best work,Perfect Blueis one of the most important anime movies ever made. The film follows pop idol Mima, who leaves her J-pop group to become an actress. Mima struggles with her transition from her pop-star persona to mature actress, and so does an unhinged fan. As she becomes more distressed, people in Mima’s professional circle begin turning up dead, and she begins to question her own sanity.Perfect Blueis an absolute trip of a film, that leaves audiences on the edge of their seats the entire way through.
Not only didPerfect Blue’ssurrealist style captivate fans, but it also caught the attention of acclaimed Hollywood director, Darren Aronofsky. As a result, the director went on to make two films inspired by the anime,Requiem for a DreamandBlack Swan. While this shows how incredibly influentialPerfect Blueis, its creator, Satoshi Kon, wasn’t as thrilled by Aronofsky’s works. Kon accused Aronofsky of directly ripping offPerfect Bluerather than paying homage to it, directly copying certain scenes.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Ghost in the Shellnot only transformed anime, but also the sci-fi genre. Not to be confused withthe Scarlett Johansson live-action remake, the film is what properly brought cyberpunk to anime. Based on the manga of the same name, its story follows Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg public-security agent living in Japan in 2029. Kusanagi is hunting down a hacker known as the Puppet Master, an AI that has become sentient and thinks he is a life form.
Throughout its runtime,Ghost in the Shellexplores complex themes of the dangers of technology, identity, and memory alteration. It completely changed the way cinema dealt with these topics, with it directly inspiring huge Hollywood blockbusters likeThe MatrixandAvatar. Its popularity also led to a ton of cyberpunk animes after it, such asPsycho-PassandTexhnolyze.
Spirited Away (2001)
Arguably,Spirited Awayis the most popular anime movie on this list. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it follows a 10-year-old named Chihiro, who enters the world of kami with her parents. While there, her parents begin eating food in an empty restaurant, prompting a witch called Yubaba to turn them into pigs. to free them, she begins working at Yubaba’s bathhouse, and, along the way, learns valuable life lessons that change her forever.
Prior to the release ofDemon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train,Spirited Awaywas the highest-grossing anime film of all time, and for good reason.Not only does it hold a powerful messageabout never forgetting who you truly are, but it is also absolutely stunning visually. As a result,Spirited Awaygained global recognition and an Oscar, being the main driving force behind animes worldwide popularity.
Related:20 Anime with Perfect Endings
Akira (1988)
Katsuhiro Otomo’sAkirais considered by many to be the most influential anime film of all time. Set in a dystopian 2019,Akirais about a biker gang member called Tetsuo Shima, who has acquired telekinetic abilities following a motorcycle accident. Tetsuo powerful abilities are similar to Akira’s, who was responsible for Tokyo’s destruction in 1988. His newfound abilities turn him psychotic, and it is up to his childhood friend, Kaneda, and the rest of the biker gang to bring his rampage to an end.
Akiracompletely changed traditional anime, with its dark storyline and improved animation, captivating adult audiences across the globe. It made them realize that anime wasn’t just for children, showing that they were able to have complex, mature themes.Akirawas also released at the height of the 1980s sci-fi and horror craze, which allowed it to become more popular globally at that time and secure its place in history. Even by today’s standards,Akirastill holds up, with many of its gritty topics still being relevant to current global affairs.
Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (1945)
Momotaro: Sacred Sailorsis actually the first feature-length anime movie. However, it doesn’t follow the traditional storylines seen today. Rather than being a creative work of fiction, the film is a World War II propaganda film, created in 1945 by Mitsuyo Seo. The film features a character called Momotaro, who leads a unit of anthropomorphic animals in the Japanese navy. It was essentially created to paint the Japanese Empire in a positive light, as they liberate a Pacific island from the British.
Following the war, the film was then lost for almost four decades before resurfacing in 1983. However, the film had already been witnessed by the father of manga, Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka watched the film in April 1945, with its optimism amidst the horrors of war moving him to tears. As a result, he went on to create some of the most influential manga series of all time, includingAstro Boy, and inspiring many others. WhileMomotaro: Sacred Sailorsmay be a piece of harmful propaganda, without it, Tezuka might not have pioneered manga, with many becoming adapted into popular animes.
