The long nights of winter are here, the time when we love to watch heart-warming or breath-taking cinema being under the warmth of a blanket.
The year in animated films has presented something for everyone, from charming talking animals to a family road trip disrupted by a robot uprising. The films listed below are filled with vibrant, eye-catching aesthetics, inclusion, and diversity.
Here are the top animated films of 2021.
The Mitchells vs the Machines
The film maintains a pleasant sense of comedy in its depiction of technology's hold on society. It features Katie Mitchell, who feels like the black sheep in her family because of her unorthodox filmmaking goals.
Katie is eager to leave her small Michigan neighbourhood and is persuaded by her father Rick to take a family road trip to Los Angeles with her mother Linda, younger brother Aaron and their dimwitted pug Monchi to drop her off at college.
The Mitchells encounter various stumbling blocks on their cross-country journey; typical ones include family arguments in the car and food illness, while unusual ones include the robots' catastrophic retaliation on the entire globe.
Ultimately, directors Rianda and Rowe ensured that this picture was done with a lot of passion and effort, making it a must-see for a cosy evening.
Batman and the Long Halloween – Part 1 & 2
The Long Halloween is divided into two parts, similar to the Dark Knight Returns films. It takes place before Bruce Wayne has mastered the art of becoming a ‘hero.’ It’s the first time in the Dark Knight’s career that he’s had to don his detective’s hat.
Gotham City is haunted by a mysterious serial killer known as ‘Holiday’ in the film. By forging a triumvirate with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent, Batman is able to bend the rules and crack the case as only he can.
Director Chris Palmer and Screenwriter Tim Sheridan have crafted one of the most authentic comic-to-screen adaptations the studio has ever done by recreating a classic Batman whodunit that pays homage to its source material.
Luca
Enrico Casarosa's animated film is all our childhood daydreams bundled into an hour and a half of pure visual fun, set in the picturesque setting of the Italian village of Portorosso.
Luca's eponymous protagonist is a sea monster, living under the supervision of his protective mother and father, drawing sharp similarities to films like Finding Nemo, Brave and others.
Luca's fears, however, are short-lived as Alberto--a kindred monster drags him into the realm of humans. Luca, a Pixar film, is a well-balanced mix of friendship, self-awareness, and camaraderie.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Watching Raya and the Last Dragon, one cannot believe that the world is filled with gloom, despair, masks, and a vicious pandemic.
The film is so joyful, colourful and upbeat that even the unpleasant things do not depress the audience because they are persuaded that this is only a minor hiccup and everything will be great.
From wide green meadows to ornate castles, Raya is on a quest to summon the spirit of Sisu, the last dragon, and reassemble the remains of the Dragon jewel through colourful escapades.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
The final film in director Hideaki Anno's Rebuild tetralogy, which revisits his renowned series Neon Genesis Evangelion, is a masterpiece.
The fact that it took years and years to finish and release it ended up working in the film's favour on a cosmically meta-level.
'Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time' concludes the long-awaited tetralogy with a daring, messy, uplifting, audacious and emotional film that grows, compliments and comments on what came before, while providing fans with a fitting close not only to the film franchise but to the entire Evangelion.
