15 provocative animated movies that prove cartoons aren't just for kids
15 provocative animated movies that prove cartoons aren't just for kids
Jordan HoffmanThu, June 18, 2026 at 9:00 PM UTC
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'Perfect Blue,' 'Heavy Metal,' and 'Anomalisa.' Your kids won't understand any of theseCredit: Kobal/Shutterstock; Everett; Paramount
Cartoons are for kids, right? Well, sometimes, yes. If you're old enough to drive and watching Minions without also acting as someone's chaperone, you may need to reevaluate some life choices. (We kid, we kid; the Minions are lovely.)
The point is that animation is an art form like any other, and while some of it can be fun for the whole family, it doesn't have to be. The freedom the medium provides has been used to tell stories of all kinds, including first-person documentaries, news analysis, far-out science fiction, and adult dramas using puppets for distancing purposes.
Just saw Toy Story 5 with the kids? Here are 15 animated movies for adults to watch after they've gone to bed. We've decided, perhaps controversially, to leave out some of the big honkin' anime classics like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and anything directed by Hayao Miyazaki, because those movies are on plenty of other lists. Now get ready to be dazzled.
01 of 15
Flee (2021)
Amin Nawabi flees Afghanistan in the Oscar-nominated 'Flee'Credit: Neon/Courtesy Everett Collection
Jonas Poher Rasmussen's Fleeanswers the question: "Can a movie about oppression also be beautiful?" Rasmussen's friend Amin Nawabi, a gay man who escaped Afghanistan, tells the harrowing story of how he made his way to Denmark via Russia. Along the way, he encounters swindlers, bureaucracy, and the trauma of disappeared loved ones.
His tale is shocking and yet representative of so many refugees who keep these dark memories private as they try to create a new life. The movie was nominated for three Oscars: Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature, and Best International Feature Film.
Where to watch Flee: Tubi
02 of 15
Tower (2016)
Claire Wilson and Tom Eckman get animated in the tragic documentary 'Tower'Credit: Everett
Keith Maitland's crime-scene documentary examines a pivotal moment in American history, when U.S. Marine veteran Charles Whitman climbed to the top of a tower at the University of Texas in Austin and opened fire. Tower focuses on the victims, survivors, and heroes of that brutal day in 1966, using rotoscoping technology to create an eerie, vivid sense of reality.
The incident was not the first mass shooting on American soil, but the way it halted a state capital was unprecedented. It was later revealed that Whitman had a massive brain tumor that may have triggered his actions.
Where to watch Tower: Kino Film Collection
03 of 15
Heavy Metal (1981)
Taarna rides a dragon into a volcano. This combination of words speaks for itselfCredit: Everett
When there was no Laser Floyd at the planetarium, there was always a VHS copy of Heavy Metal. This quintessential midnight movie, based on (mostly) preexisting comic stories printed in the underground magazine Heavy Metal or its French originator Métal Hurlant, mixes bawdy humor with zonked-out sci-fi and prurient high fantasy. Produced by Ivan Reitman, the film features a surprising number of SCTV alums in its voice cast, including John Candy and Eugene Levy.
Though nodding out along the way is a time-honored tradition, the best sequence is the final one, featuring Taarna, a bikini-clad babe designed by Mœbius who rides a dragon into a volcano. The soundtrack includes Black Sabbath, Sammy Hagar, and Blue Öyster Cult, as well as an awesome but decidedly non-heavy-metal track by Donald Fagen.
Where to watch Heavy Metal: Amazon Prime (to rent)
04 of 15
Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
This is one of the more normal, most safe-for-work images in 'Belladonna of Sadness'Credit: Cinelicious Pics/Courtesy Everett
A Japanese film set in rural medieval France, this dark tale focuses on a woman who gets sexually assaulted on her wedding night by tax collectors. Ostracized from her village, she makes a pact with a demonic power, which grants her great and sinister powers. She avenges herself, but it ultimately leads to more trouble.
Most striking about the film is its unique visual approach, which uses large art nouveau-inspired watercolors that the camera roams across. The music shifts between baroque and psychedelic, and the narration is, at times, whispered. You'll either love it or hate it.
Where to watch Belladonna of Sadness: YouTube
05 of 15
Sausage Party (2016)
A hot dog and buns try to figure out how, exactly, they fit together in 'Sausage Party'Credit: Sony Pictures/Everett Collection
Though this Seth Rogen-penned romp has the computer-generated look of a family-friendly modern animated film, it's definitely not for kids. The premise is simple: What if food were alive? And also: What if they were filthy?
Set at a well-stocked supermarket, the film stars Rogen as a philosophical hot dog; then there's Kristen Wiig as a luscious bun, Danny McBride as a jar of mustard, Craig Robinson as grits, Edward Norton as a bagel, and David Krumholtz as a lavash.
The best part of the movie is when it just stops to wonder how something so stupid actually got made. The first cut of this project was NC-17, so proceed with caution.
Where to watch Sausage Party: Amazon Prime (to rent)
06 of 15
Fantastic Planet (1973)
Giant and usually blue: the Draags. Tiny and very human-like: the Oms.Credit: Courtesy Everett
This legendary French sci-fi experience is one of the strangest movies out there. The world of Ygam is ruled by the Draags, a highly advanced race of blue giants. With them are the tiny Oms, humans who are either treated as pets or, far worse, annoying pests. One pet Om gains access to his keeper's learning machine, and, armed with knowledge, begins a revolt.
Director René Laloux fills every frame with wildly creative landscapes that are at times beautiful and horrifying. There's also a propulsive funk soundtrack that has made its way into a number of hip-hop samples over the years.
Where to watch Fantastic Planet: HBO Max
07 of 15
Persepolis (2007)
Marjane (Chiara Mastroianni) and Grandmother (Danielle Darrieux) in 'Persepolis'Credit: Everett
Based on the late Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical comic, Persepolis is a typical coming-of-age story set in a very atypical place: Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Her struggles adapting to the new religious order (especially as a rock music-loving free spirit) are compounded by the xenophobia she experiences after her family sends her to school in Austria.
The film, which Satrapi co-directed, employs the comic's distinctive high-contrast black-and-white aesthetic and exaggerated imagery, making it one of the most innovative cinematic reflections on major historical upheaval.
Where to watch Persepolis: Amazon Prime (to rent)
08 of 15
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Perfect Blue (1997)
A pop star loses her sense of self in Satoshi Kon's wildly influential 'Perfect Blue'Credit: Kobal/Shutterstock
Satoshi Kon's feature directorial debut is a dizzying exploration of identity, obsession, and the dark side of celebrity culture. It follows a pop star looking to shed her squeaky clean image by joining the cast of an edgy television show. This leads to a backlash that includes a website that tracks her every move, even when she's certain she is alone.
The dark subject matter of the show and the increased scrutiny cause her to question reality, leading to a mind-scrambling conclusion, which Darren Aronofsky said inspired Requiem for a Dream (2000).
Where to watch Perfect Blue: HBO Max
09 of 15
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Trust us, 'Grave of the Fireflies' isn't one of those happy childhood films, it is going to mess you upCredit: Studio Ghibli/Kobal/Shutterstock
Considered by many to be one of the best anti-war films ever made, Isao Takahata's brutal tale of two young siblings surviving the horrors of World War II is not one for the weak.
Forced to leave their bombed-out village, the older brother and younger sister stay with a cruel aunt before living on their own in a bomb shelter. While at first they find a sense of freedom, their fate turns darker when food becomes scarce and society grows colder. The use of animation to emphasize how wonderment turns to harshness is almost unbearable to watch.
Where to watch Grave of the Fireflies: Netflix
10 of 15
Waltz With Bashir (2008)
The 1982 Lebanon War gets the animated treatment in 'Waltz With Bashir'Credit: Everett
Another remarkable anti-war movie, this one comes from Israeli animator Ari Folman, and is basically a documentary memoir. His use of animation distances the story, which is key for someone trying to cure themselves of PTSD-driven amnesia.
After speaking with many of his fellow veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War, Folman begins to piece together the horrors he witnessed and start a journey of healing. Waltz With Bashirwas nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Academy Awards.
Where to watch Waltz With Bashir: Amazon Prime (to rent)
11 of 15
Heavy Traffic (1973)
It wouldn't be a proper animated movie list without Ralph Bakshi. 'Heavy Traffic' is... very Ralph BakshiCredit: Everett
There cannot be a list of adult animation without something from Ralph Bakshi. The director of Fritz the Cat (1972), Wizards (1977), and a terrific adaptation of Lord of the Rings (1978) is at his grittiest and most daring with Heavy Traffic, a kaleidoscopic look at urban life in the early 1970s that takes flatly recorded audio (some of it overheard in public settings) and sets it to rotoscoped images.
The animation is sleazy, the characters are offensive, and the plot, such as it is, is crude. (It is about a schlubby animator trying to lose his virginity.) There will never be another Ralph Bakshi.
Where to watch Heavy Traffic: YouTube
12 of 15
Anomalisa (2015)
Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis) in 'Anomalisa'Credit: Paramount Pictures
From the warped mind of Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa is a melancholy tale of a lost man (voiced by David Thewlis) for whom everyone looks and sounds exactly the same. That changes when he meets an anomaly, voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh, in a Cincinnati hotel. For a moment, it seems as though romance might blossom, but there are many psychological barriers to overcome first.
To further add a dissociative effect, the entire film is done with stop-motion puppets, creating an otherworldly effect on such a mundane tale. It is funny at times, but mostly sad. Still, the puppet sex scene is incredible.
Where to watch Anomalisa: YouTube
13 of 15
Faust (1994)
If you haven't tried any Jan Svankmajer yet, see that you do. 'Faust' may be his bestCredit: Lucernafilm
Czechia is renowned for its puppeteering tradition (seriously), and in movies there is no greater titan than Jan Svankmajer, whose short films and features like Aliceand Little Otik have inspired undergraduates at art colleges for decades. Faust is a modern spin on the tale of Doctor Faustus — beginning with a man stumbling upon a stage production of the Christopher Marlowe play.
Soon, he becomes part of it and dabbles in the dark arts, summoning a world of handmade, maniacal puppets who torment him. There is a marvelous stream-of-consciousness at play that is impossible to describe, except to say that of all the great director's work, this is probably his best.
Where to stream Faust: Amazon Prime (to rent)
14 of 15
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Just an innocent fox who definitely isn't hatching a scheme, no sirCredit: Courtesy 20th Century Fox
It was only a matter of time before Wes Anderson, whose movies were long accused of being dioramas, would work in stop-motion animation. Here he adapts one of Roald Dahl's beloved tales, a somewhat melancholy story about labor rights, family malaise, adventure, and the tug-of-war between animalistic behavior and the social contract.
It also looks incredibly cool, with crafty little figures in sharply designed clothes. The voice cast includes George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray.
Where to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox: Disney+
15 of 15
Waking Life (2001)
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke talk about dreams in 'Waking Life'Credit: Fox Searchlight
The ever-experimental director Richard Linklater took things to the extreme with Waking Life, a collection of freewheeling monologues and hangout riffs that was first shot on video and then given a glaze of surrealist rotoscoped animation. Some sequences are only a little bit "off," while others ripple with saturated color and vivid forms.
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The film largely examines consciousness itself, both from a highly educated, textbook-driven perspective and from that of a wandering prophet. All is valid, all is beautiful, and all is incredibly far out. This movie comes as close as any film has to capturing the essence of dreaming over an extended period of time.
Where to watch Waking Life: Amazon Prime
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