Anime Movies With Breathtaking Visuals

People can be pretty picky about what

movies

they watch. This can range from genre or general preference to the length of the movies. However, there is another specific thing based on which people decide to watch a movie — visuals. This is especially true when it comes to anime. Truthfully, anime movies are the ones that experiment the most with their styles and visual depictions. Sometimes they end up with something decent, but at times, they can be one of the

best

representations of breathtaking visuals.

Anime artists and studios

continue to push the envelope for just

how beautiful the medium can be

. More often than not, people fall in love with certain anime movies because of how incredible the animation is, with studios pouring a ton of money to ensure that each and every frame of animation is as perfect as it can get. This has resulted in the development and release of many anime movies that constantly push the boundaries of this medium to new heights and wow audiences time and time again.

Updated on November 25, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra:



The anime

industry

is full to the brim with top-tier artists and creative visionaries who know exactly how to develop some of the most thrilling and engaging storylines fans can see, in no small part because of the beautiful animation on display here. This is why

anime movies

are so popular — these titles have massive budgets and really push the bar in terms of how beautiful, impactful, and awe-inspiring the visuals can be when the situation calls for it.

20


Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods

An Incredible Return To Form For The Legendary Shonen Series With The Animation To Match

After a lengthy hiatus, the fact that

Dragon Ball

was finally coming back with a new chapter in Goku’s story excited many people to no end. It helped that this movie lived up to all the hype, introducing a new form along with fresh new characters who have completely changed the scale of power wielded by fighters for good.

The battle between Goku and Beerus is a major highlight, with the beloved Saiyan putting it all on the line to save

Earth

from the Destroyer God. It’s an amazing chapter that marks the beginning of Super and lets fans enjoy a wealth of incredible battles that will make long-time fans feel all giddy inside.

19


A Silent Voice

An Emotionally Stimulating Movie With Amazing Visuals

Bullying is a serious issue, and

A Silent Voice

takes a look at how a man who bullied a deaf girl ends up regretting this heinous act for most of his life. It explores a wonderful friendship and deals with many powerful themes that will elicit a tear out of any viewer.

It helps that the movie looks incredible from a visual standpoint, elevating the quality of this cinematic experience. People interested in watching this movie should keep some tissues handy since they will shed many a tear throughout this emotional tale.

18


Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Incredible Fight Scenes With Great Direction

Jujutsu Kaisen

has quickly climbed up the charts to become one of the most popular shonen series around right now. The combination of amazing animation, astounding action sequences, brilliant characters, and solid world-building has led to this show garnering a ton of fans who simply can’t stop talking about how good it is.

After the fandom was left salivating for more content following the end of this season, the release of

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

must’ve been something truly special indeed. The movie chronicles the journey of Yuta Okkotsu as he slowly overcomes his trauma while understanding how his powers work. The movie’s animation is simply off the charts, with some of the animation being truly mind-blowing and proving once again why MAPPA is a master of its craft.

17


Millennium Actress

Another Satoshi Kon Masterpiece With The Visuals To Match

Satoshi Kon is a true master of his craft, known for creating some truly mind-bending movies that blur the lines between fantasy and reality time and time again. The surreal and unique nature of his storytelling is one of the biggest hallmarks of this director, with his creativity leading to the creation of amazing films like

Perfect Blue

and

Tokyo Godfathers

.

One of the many critically acclaimed films under his belt with amazing animation is

Millennium Actress

, one of the greatest anime movies of all time that fans should definitely check out. The storytelling is obviously in a class of its own, but what makes

Millennium Actress

such a special experience is the fact that the animation is simply sublime and will keep fans engaged till the very end.

16


The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya

A Classic Studio Ghibli Movie With Charming, Beautiful Visuals

Another studio known for animating some truly wonderful movies is Studio Ghibli, with its amazing body of work pretty much speaking for itself. The sheer amount of love and passion that goes into their projects is truly unmatched, with the series’ lofty reputation having barely any dents… barring some poor attempts at integrating 3D into modern animation.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

is one of their many excellent movies that is chock-full of some of the best animation fans will have the pleasure of seeing. The fact that this movie is the most expensive Japanese film of all time to this day proves just how much money went into making this title as perfect as humanly possible.

15


Ghost In The Shell

A Cyberpunk Movie With Incredible Detail And Visual Flair

For a movie that was released almost three decades ago, it’s amazing to see just how brilliant

Ghost in the Shell

‘s animation really is. The movie is a visual extravaganza that still holds up to this day.

It helps that the movie’s story, setting, and presentation are in a class of their own. The fact that

Ghost in the Shell

was a major source of inspiration for movies like

The Matrix

goes to show that this cyberpunk adventure is indeed in a class of its own.

14


Bubble

Incredible Animation Elevates An Average Story

Bubble

is a pretty interesting film, using the concept of simple bubbles to tell a riveting story. It chronicles the story of Hibiki and a person made from these otherworldly bubbles, named Uta.

The story is pretty tragic, although the presentation could’ve been way better. However, it’s the animation of

Bubble

that is absolutely incredible and makes it well worth a watch.

13


Paprika

A Mind-Bending Movie With Amazing Visuals

Satoshi Kon is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime movie directors of his time. It’s a shame that pancreatic cancer took this man and his genius away, but his amazing work is still present for everyone to see.

Paprika

‘s story is obviously brilliant given the stellar reputation of its direction. However, it’s the animation that’s a pretty major highlight as well, with

Paprika

‘s visuals being astounding to this day.

12


Redline

Stylized Visuals That Carry A Movie That Doesn’t Need A Great Plot

Madhouse was the production house behind

Paprika

, and they made an appearance once again with

Redline

. As expected from this studio, the animation is simply in a class of its own.

The film was worked on for seven years, and this shows in each and every carefully animated frame of this movie. The racing scenes are an obvious highlight, with each scene feeling absolutely exhilarating and incredible to behold.

11


Dragon Ball Super: Broly

An Incredibly Well-Animated Movie That Gives A New Origin Story To A Beloved Character

The end of

Dragon Ball Super

left many fans starved for more content featuring their favorite Saiyans. This finally appeared in the form of

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

, which canonized a character who had played a central role in three great

Dragon Ball Z

films before.

Broly’s character was revamped for the better, with this character’s powers being a joy to witness firsthand. The fact that Goku and Vegeta had to fuse to tackle this threat showed that Broly was not someone to be messed with, and only time will tell how big of a role this character will play in later sagas.

10


Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution

A 3D Pokemon Movie That Looks Gorgeous

Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution

was released in 2019. The movie has an approval rating of 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating on other websites. However, despite that, it is clearly one of the most unique-looking Pokemon content out there.

The movie drops the anime’s traditional 2D style and goes for a full-blown 3D while keeping the art style intact. It is one of the most colorful and detailed Pokemon movies ever made and is certainly worth watching.

9


Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train

Ufotable Shows Exactly Why Demon Slayer’s Animation Is Praised Through The Roof In This Movie

Released in 2020,

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train

is a very recent anime film. The Japanese film is many steps up when it comes to traditional animation. It combines various techniques such as bloom, lens flares, and depth-of-field effects that aren’t very much used in anime movies.

The movie tells the tale of Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke going on a mission to hunt for a demon that has killed over forty demon slayers on the same train.

8


Weathering With You

Incredible Animation That Elevates The Quality Of This Heartwarming Movie

Weathering with You

was released quite recently in 2019. With a 7.5 on IMDb and 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it is clear that the film has received majorly positive reviews. One part of this can be given to its style of animation and visuals.

This film is breathtaking by every means, especially when it comes to the over-the-top sequences such as falling from the sky. This Japanese anime film actually had a budget of ¥1.2 billion.

7


5 Centimeters Per Second

A Romantic Drama With Breathtaking Animation

5 Centimeters per Second

has a very similar rating to

Weathering with You

, coming at around 7.6 on IMDb and 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie clearly stands out for its use of incredible lighting.

The artistically painted environments topped with that animation really give this one an ambient feel, unlike any other anime movie. Moreover, the rating is an exact reason this is a must-watch if not just the visuals.

6


My Neighbor Totoro

A Legendary Studio Ghibli Film Who’s Stellar Animation Still Stands Out

My Neighbor Totoro

is such a popular film that there are many gifs of this anime on the internet. The fluffy, squeezy, and round creature is unique in its design and hard to not look at. The film is very popular, with positive reviews blowing off the roof.

The movie is set in 1958 Japan, and the visual depiction is just the right style. The film has a

breathtakingly artistic environment

, which is enough to make the whole movie worth watching.

5


Akira

A Legendary Movie That Set The Bar For Animation Standards

It is hard to believe that Akira was released in 1988. The sci-fi action movie is over two hours in length and is entirely hand-drawn. This gives Akira a visual identity, unlike any other movie on the list. First, it’s a movie that has paved the way for many different anime movies to come.

Second, the movie’s story is just as good as well, since it has 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8/10 on IMDb. Moreover, the antique nature of the film makes it all the more fascinating to watch.

4


The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

A Colorful Art Style That Makes The Movie Look Incredible

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

is the story of 17-year-old Makoto Konno who gets the ability to leap through time, literally. It’s an exciting sci-fi/romance anime film with a straightforward yet comic-like style.

With a saturated, yet not overbearingly bright color palette, the movie manages to look very modern for the time it was released.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

has an interesting style that becomes surreal as the story’s events unfold.

3


Spirited Away

The Charming Animation Breathes Life Into This Unique Story

Ghibli films are already super popular among the masses and for a good reason. It should come as no surprise that a movie such as

Spirited Away

is one of the best Ghibli films ever made.

The fantasy adventure movie is incredibly well received by everyone and has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and 96% on Metacritic. The amount of work that has gone into making the world of this movie look, so these details are certainly commendable. If that is not enough, the animation takes it to a whole new level.

2


Berserk: The Golden Age Arc

An Adaptation Of Berserk’s Legendary Arc With Eye-Popping Visuals

Berserk

is why many of today’s popular games exist, and one of them is

Dark Souls

.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc

takes the story of Guts further into the darkness.

Even though

The Golden Age

isn’t the best Berserk film, it is still vital in the series. Moreover, it’s one of the best well-thought-out manga series out there with a great backstory and characters.

1


Your Name

Beautiful Animation Paired Off Perfectly With Breathtaking Animation

Your Name

was released on August 26, 2016, and soon became one of the highest-rated anime movies on Rotten Tomatoes. The fantasy romance movie is literally a love letter to people who appreciate the attention to detail and

jaw-droppingly good visuals

.

The film is super ambient and very well depicted. Moreover, the blend of so many unique elements and traditional style is the reason that makes

Your Name

a worthwhile movie just for the visual glory.

More: Every Satoshi Kon Anime, Ranked According To IMDb