100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century

[Sotiris]

In a new survey conducted by BBC for the best 100 movies of the 21st century, only a handful of animated movies made the cut and all but one were Pixar films. To view the full list, go here.

BBC Culture, decided to commission a poll of critics to determine the 100 greatest films of the 21st Century. For our poll to determine the 100 greatest American films, we surveyed 62 film critics from around the world. This time, we received responses from 177 – from every continent except Antarctica. Some are newspaper or magazine reviewers, others write primarily for websites; academics and cinema curators are well-represented too. For the purposes of this poll we have decided that a list of the greatest films of the 21st Century should include the year 2000, even though we recognise that there was no ‘Year Zero’ and that 2001 is mathematically the start of the century.

04. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
29. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
41. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015)
93. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
96. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)

Source: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201608 ... test-films

[Jules]

Well of course! Aren't Pixar the only ones who can tell a story competently nowadays? Even Disney Animation's output throughout the 1990s was primitive in comparison. I'm telling you ... Pixar>Disney-and-all-other-western-animation-studios.

I kid.

Even among the Pixar films included, I find it amazing that Ratatouille is at 93 and Wall-E at 29. I'm sure Stanton must be pleased, though. Brad Bird most likely won't care. Like he needs the BBC to prove that he's awesome.

[Disney's Divinity]

Laika's films, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and Frozen are the only 21st century films that've been robbed (that I can think of right off). Thank God Spirited Away is above them all--Studio Ghibli at their best is leagues ahead of Pixar. I have no idea how WALL E's on there--especially that high--but Toy Story 3 isn't.

EDIT: I forgot about The Secret of Kells/Song of the Sea until Tangled mentioned the latter. Although I guess I can believe they weren't there just because of how animation is generally disregarded by most critics.

[Tangled]

21st century though...when Pixar has been dominating critics' "best-of" lists for the greater part of the last 16 years? I didn't expect anything different. I'm happy that so many critics adored Spirited Away (although there are indeed some non-Miyazaki anime films that critics definitely overlook, such as Satoshi Kon's work).

The lack of European animation is quite a loss. I'd rank a movie like Song of the Sea up there with the greatest animated classics. Also, there have been a few stop-motion films that could have warranted a spot on the list (not only Laika's output, but also Aardman's, as well as The Fantastic Mr. Fox). I'd also say that The Incredibles or Toy Story 3 or even How To Train Your Dragon would be a better choice than Finding Nemo, but whatever. This isn't one person's opinion, but the consensus of a few dozen critics. Of course the agreeable, memorable films are going to win the votes. Besides, the only WDAS film of the last 16 years that critics seem to hold up with Pixar's best output is Zootopia, and that's far too fresh in critics' minds to put on a list like this.

[Mayhem]

Yes, I was a bit surprised not to see HTTYD on the list there, it's the best non Pixar/Ghibli animated film I've seen this century.

As for the list itself, I've watched 20 film on it in total. Feels like I'm missing out heh...

[milojthatch]

Um, where is Toy Story 3?

Honestly, these lists are cute, but ultimately don't matter. As with all things film, it all comes down to personal opinion. What films I watch and enjoy and don't watch and enjoy won't be swayed by a list like this.

[ce1ticmoon]

Well, I'm sure we all share the disappointment in the lack of respect that animation gets both among critics and general audiences, but that an animated film made #4 seems quite remarkable to me (and it wasn't Pixar, so y'all should be rejoicing ). And aside from Finding Nemo, I find those to be among the stronger Pixar films, so I think they're completely worthy of being on the list, though there are certainly other films I'd pick over some of them. Though I think the sad truth is that most of the critics surveyed for this list probably haven't seen many of the films we wish to see on lists like these. Actually, they probably haven't even heard of most of them.

[Sotiris]

Variety has published their "The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time" list. Only three animated films made the cut.

#95: Toy Story
#74: My Neighbor Totoro
#63: Bambi


BFI has published their newest "The Greatest Films of All Time" list. Only two animated films made the cut in the list selected by the critics and zero in the list selected by directors.

#72: My Neighbor Totoro
#75: Spirited Away

However, several directors who participated in the poll, did include animated films in their Top 10 list.

Guy Maddin

01. Pinocchio
02. Wagon Master
03. Hands Across the Table
04. The Other Side of the Wind
05. Man's Castle
06. Abismos de Pasión
07. Reap the Wild Wind
08. Desire Me
09. A New Leaf
10. Female Trouble

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1598835393394135040

Joe Dante

01. City Lights
02. Pinocchio
03. 8½
04. The Grapes of Wrath
05. Citizen Kane
06. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
07. Chinatown
08. The Godfather: Part II
09. Umberto D.
10. A Matter of Life and Death

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1599268668151857162

George Miller

01. The Godfather: Part II
02. The Battle of Algiers
03. Pinocchio
04. Groundhog Day
05. M.A.S.H
06. Boyhood
07. Alien
08. Parasite
09. The Grand Budapest Hotel
10. Schindler's List

Source: https://twitter.com/SightSoundmag/statu ... 4212984833

Andrew Haigh

01. Some Like It Hot
02. Black Narcissus
03. Cries and Whispers
04. Uzak
05. Don't Look Now
06. The Holy Girl
07. The Manchurian Candidate
08. L'Avventura
09. Ratcatcher
10. Watership Down

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1599232649482018817

Tilda Swinton

01. A Matter of Life and Death
02. Vertigo
03. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
04. To Be or Not to Be
05. Walkabout
06. Journey to Italy
07. Pickpocket
08. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
09. My Neighbor Totoro
10. La Dolce Vita

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1598802512231866368

Jennie Livingston

01. 8½
02. Ikiru
03. Fanny and Alexander
04. Andrei Rublev
05. Black Rain
06. Princess Mononoke
07. All the President's Men
08. All That Jazz
09. The Gleaners and I
10. Nashville

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1599085807297794049

Chuko Esiri

01. A Brighter Summer Day
02. A City of Sadness
03. Don't Cry, Pretty Girls
04. Grave of the Fireflies
05. Losing Ground
06. Another Year
07. Three Colors: Blue
08. Taste of Cherry
09. La Notte
10. The Big City

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1599446805506580481

Isabel Sandoval

01. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
02. Heat
03. In the Mood for Love
04. Holy Motors
05. Beau Travail
06. Funeral Parade of Roses
07. Possession
08. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
09. Tropical Malady
10. Perfect Blue

Source: https://twitter.com/thejoshl/status/1599116770019012608

S. S. Rajamouli

01. Forrest Gump
02. Mayabazar
03. Raiders of the Lost Ark
04. Kung Fu Panda
05. Aladdin
06. Braveheart
07. Apocalypto
08. Ben-Hur
09. Django Unchained
10. The Lion King

Source: https://twitter.com/SightSoundmag/statu ... 4874994688

Pete Docter

01. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
02. Paper Moon
03. It's a Wonderful Life
04. One Froggy Evening / Feed the Kitty
05. The Station Agent
06. Raiders of the Lost Ark
07. My Neighbor Totoro
08. City Lights
09. Dumbo
10. Casablanca

Source: https://twitter.com/SightSoundmag/statu ... 7598472194

[Disney's Divinity]

Pinocchio is Walt's masterpiece (Bambi is his next best one--speaking objectively, I mean), imo, glad to see it included. I feel like Docter was required by his employment to rank Snow White #1.

I imagine most of us here would have majority-animated 100-lists. I was trying to cobble a 100 films list for myself just now and had around 60% animated. I normally compartmentalize my lists though (one live-action, one Disney, one Ghibli, etc.) because trying to think of them all together is difficult. I could keep nitpicking this forever, so I'm just going to leave it alone now. I left out TV series related films (like an anime-adjacent film such as Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro):

1. The Little Mermaid
2. Hercules
3. The Sword in the Stone
4. Pinocchio
5. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
6. Kiki's Delivery Service
7. Frozen
8. Princess Mononoke
9. Call Me by Your Name
10. Spirited Away
11. Cinderella
12. Moulin Rouge!
13. The First Wives Club
14. Gone With the Wind
15. Mulan
16. FernGully: The Last Rainforest
17. The Princess and the Frog
18. Raya and the Last Dragon
19. Beauty and the Beast
20. Coraline
21. The Land Before Time
22. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
23. Balto
24. The Lion King
25. My Neighbors the Yamadas
26. The Prince of Egypt
27. The Boxtrolls
28. Steel Magnolias
29. The Last Unicorn
30. The Devil Wears Prada
31. I Think I Do
32. Murder, She Said
33. Nanny McPhee
34. Stardust
35. When Marnie Was There
36. Treasure Planet
37. The Great Mouse Detective
38. Aladdin
39. Lady and the Tramp
40. Kung Fu Panda
41. Frozen II
42. Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind
43. The Fox and the Hound
44. The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
45. Cats Don't Dance
46. Chicken Run
47. Transamerica
48. Interview With a Vampire
49. Beautiful Thing
50. The Fifth Element
51. Kung Fu Panda 2
52. Murder at the Gallop
53. Poltergeist
54. Hocus Pocus
55. Ever After
56. Paddington
57. Little Women (1949)
58. Cruel Intentions
59. Zootopia
60. Encanto
61. Lilo & Stitch
62. Sleeping Beauty
63. Bambi
64. The Thief and the Cobbler
65. Song of the Sea
66. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
67. The Black Cauldron
68. The Nightmare Before Christmas
69. Only Yesterday
70. Turning Red
71. American Beauty
72. The Incredibles
73. Thumbelina
74. Kubo and the Two Strings
75. The Road to El Dorado
76. The Dark Knight
77. The Wizard of Oz
78. Tales from Earthsea
79. ParaNorman
80. Maurice
81. The NeverEnding Story
82. Murder, Most Foul
83. V for Vendetta
84. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
85. Mommie Dearest
86. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
87. The Silence of the Lambs
88. Hello, Dolly!
89. G.B.F.
90. The Danish Girl
91. Matilda
92. Edward Scissorhands
93. Jumanji
94. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
95. Howl's Moving Castle
96. Castle in the Sky
97. Toy Story 3
98. Whisper of the Heart
99. The Wind Rises
100. The Emperor's New Groove

That's more of a "favorites" list than a "the greatest" (objective) list, but I still think many more Ghibli films and quite a few WDAS films--not to mention two or three of Laika's--would be in contention for those types of lists besides Pinocchio, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away if there weren't bias against the medium.