In 2023, Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro proclaimed during his award-winning speech for the better “Pinocchio” of the two that year that “Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre.” Most importantly, it’s not limited to strictly family-friendly stories, and it can push boundaries by telling tales that are off-limits for children. Through animation, more mature movies can venture into territory that is either visually or thematically better suited for an adult audience, and the result can often be astounding. This approach lets directors break past limitations that live-action simply can’t overcome, particularly in the science fiction genre. In breaking these limits, though, these adult animated entries have led to some of the most groundbreaking movies ever made.
After careful consideration, we’ve looked to the animated section of BGR’s movie collection and pulled out five fantastic films that are for grown-ups only. With subject matter that might raise a few more mature eyebrows, or cartoon characters that are more likely to drop an swear word than burst into a song, they’re all great watches in their own right. So keep them out of reach of children, but make time for yourself and add these amazing entries to your watchlist if you haven’t seen them already. Above all, though, if on the off-chance you’re still advised that cartoons are for kids, just send them our way or Del Toro’s, okay?
Akira
If you were to ask any self-respecting fan of cyberpunk films (like us, for example) which movies were the most influential from that subgenre, it’s pretty likely that the answers will either be “Blade Runner” or “Akira.” The story told in Ridley Scott’s eye-watering adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story might have a more coherent tale to tell, but in regard to the visuals, Katsuhiro Otomo’s anime adaptation of his own manga was light-years ahead of it and so many other futuristic films that were hitting screens. Set in the now-monumental landscape of Neo-Tokyo, “Akira” follows the ill-fated friendship of Capsule gang members Tetsuo Shima and Kaneda, who find themselves facing off against each other when the former is bagged and tagged by the government. Unfortunately, while Kaneda finds himself enlisted into a doomed rescue mission, Tetsuo is being exposed to mind-altering experimentation that will see him tap into powers he didn’t know he had, transforming him into a world-ending monster that no one could imagine.
Remembered for its remarkable introductory bike race through the neon-lit city, and everyone shouting quite a bit in the third act (“TETSUO!”), “Akira” is the benchmark for cyberpunk stories; both live-action and animated works strive to match it. Even now, though, after almost 40 years, the legendary bike skid feels worth paying homage to.
A Scanner Darkly
It wouldn’t be a sci-fi movie list without including at least one Philip K. Dick adaptation, and in this case it’s the immensely overlooked but still incredibly impressive hybrid animation from Richard Linklater, “A Scanner Darkly.” A creative hybrid of digital filmmaking and interpolated rotoscoping, the movie stars Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder. The movie was shot on camera and given an animated top layer that made for an impressive viewing experience. Set in a future where a new drug is sweeping the United States, high-level surveillance is implemented, and police officers wear outfits known as “scramble suits” to hide their identities undercover and work in secret from their own colleagues.
Another box-office bomb that became a cult classic, “A Scanner Darkly,” might not be one of the more favored works Philip K. Dick brought to life, but there’s no denying the bold storytelling method Linklater chooses. Performances from the whole cast come through in its vivid and seemingly painstaking animation that has a timelessness to it, just like every other movie on this list. There’s also the added bonus of seeing Robert Downey Jr. as a cockroach, which is alone worth a watch. Give it a look, but please don’t do it while using any questionable substances, as this really is a trip all on its own.
Predator: Killer of Killers
The youngest movie on this list, but bound to a franchise older than every other entry, “Predator: Killer of Killers” is a brilliant addition to the popular sci-fi horror “Predator” film series and an impressive display of how animation can benefit a property so ingrained in live action. As the second “Predator” project directed by Dan Trachtenberg after “Prey,” “Killer of Killers” follows three different warriors across centuries, each coming face to face with the most feared hunters in the galaxy. The Yautja come to make trophies out of a Viking, a ninja, and a WWII fighter pilot, sending fans into diverse and brilliantly brutal hunting grounds that they’ve never seen before. Powered by undeniable love for the “Predator” universe, “Killer of Killers” leans into what makes the best chapters of this franchise so entertaining by putting the familiar alien species in different time periods and opening up a treasure trove of violent possibilities. Ever wondered how a Yautja would fare against a shieldmaiden? Here’s your answer.
It might look like a movie designed for die-hard fans, but “Predator: Killer of Killers” is perhaps the most accessible because of its anthology-like storytelling, which merges three short stories into one. Beneath the blood, broken bones, and numerous head removals, there really is something for everyone in what feels like a prize-winning experiment. If by some miracle you’ve never seen any of the other “Predator” movies up until now, here is a great place to start.
Ghost in the Shell
Production I.G.
A few years after “Akira” blew minds around the world, another anime hacked its way into the mainstream, once again using animation to tell a futuristic tale that felt like a world built from the bones of both “Blade Runner” and the controversial action fest, “Robocop.” Mamoru Oshii’s “Ghost in the Shell” was adapted from the manga series by Shirow Masamune, who created a future where human augmentation is standard fare and, thanks to advances in technology, information is one of the world’s most dangerous weapons. At the center of it all is the now-legendary cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi, on a mission to take down the cyber terrorist known as the Puppet Master. Her hunt for the assailant leads to an even more terrifying truth that the villain that’s causing so much trouble is a creation of their own programming.
Like every great sci-fi story, “Ghost in the Shell” posits another imperfect future where technological dependency proves just how dangerous it can be, and the importance of one’s own humanity. Failing at the box-office upon its initial release, the movie gained a second life and became a cult classic. Praised by James Cameron and serving as a point of inspiration for the Wachowskis when they brought “The Matrix” to life, “Ghost in the Shell” remains for many one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, whose reputation thankfully remained intact even after the controversial remake starring Scarlett Johansson.
When the Wind Blows
If you think we were going out on a high with the list, then we’ve got some bad news. “When the Wind Blows” was released in 1986, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, and gave us one of the scariest depictions of World War 3 ever put on film. Animated like a movie that feels like one for all the family, it’s really anything but, as we’re given a look into the last gut-wrenching days of Jim and Hilda Bloggs (John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft), a contented English couple who become casualties of a nuclear attack. Day by day, the decline of their country and their world begins to take its toll on the pair as they slowly starve to death and succumb to nuclear fallout, still determined to keep calm and carry on in the most British way possible.
We might’ve spent time in post-apocalyptic worlds like those in “Mad Max” or “The Last of Us,” but the bleakness that slowly invades “When the Wind Blows” lingers long after it’s finished, thanks to Murakami’s storytelling. The blend of hand-drawn animation with stop-motion for the Bloggs’ home adds a layer of realism you can’t shake. At the time, it was even more impactful because it was very similar to “Protect and Survive,” Britain’s answer to “Duck and Cover.” Watch it, and know that we won’t judge you for never watching it again.
