Top 10 Animated Movies of Each Year (1990-1999)

In 1977, “The Rescuers'' became the 23rd Disney animated movie and was released to critical acclaim. And thanks to a couple re-releases throughout the 80s, the film became one of the studio's most financially successful animated movies as well. So, in 1990 the two hero mice from the first film headed off to Australia to, once again, rescue a child. The film was the first theatrically released animated sequel from Disney and it was also the first 100-per-cent digital feature film. “The Rescuers Down Under” was well reviewed, but did not perform as well at the box office. This could be due to the fact that it was released on the same day as “Home Alone” which, at the time, became the third highest-grossing movie ever.

The Walt Disney Company had tried, unsuccessfully, to make an animated movie based on the “Beauty and the Beast” story since the 1930s. Then, while enjoying major success with “The Little Mermaid” in 1989, they decided to try again and make it a musical as well. And oh what a great decision it was. Be our guest and just try to come up with a better animated movie from 1991. The film was an amazing achievement for Disney. Not only was it a huge financial success, but it also made history when it became the first animated movie ever nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Not to mention that the soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year as well.

If you had three wishes and were thinking of using one of them to ask for an animated flick featuring awesome songs and an hysterical genie voiced by the late-great Robin Williams. Don’t! Save your wishes for other things because that movie was already made. It’s called “Aladdin” and it’s awesome! The film is the only Disney feature to win a Grammy for Song of the Year and was the highest-grossing animated film of all time until a movie we will get to a couple years later on this list. While it’s a great movie overall, it really is Williams as the Genie that steals the show. As famed film critic Roger Ebert wrote at the time, Williams and animation "were born for one another."

Although released in 1993, this dark Halloween-Christmas fantasy began its life as a poem written by Tim Burton all the way back in 1982. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was made using stop-motion animation and was the first animated movie to be nominated for an Oscar for best visual effects. The film was a critical and financial success and has gained cult status over the years. There are those that love the animation, those that love the songs and those that love the fact that one of the main characters whose limbs can come off and be reattached. All good reasons to dig this best animated movie of 1993.

If you were worried that we would pick any other film besides “The Lion King” as the best animated movie of 1994, you needn’t worry. Or, say it with us: Hakuna Matata. The release of “The Little Mermaid” in 1989 marked the beginning of what would come to be known as “The Disney Renaissance” and it reached its peak with “The Lion King” in 1994. The movie made almost a billion dollars, is the best-selling movie ever and inspired one of the best scenes in “Modern Family.” The comedy will have you laughing, the songs, co-written by Elton John, will have you tapping your toes, and the stampede scene will bring a tear to your eyes.

1995 saw the release of Pocahontas - another successful, traditional-animation Disney film. But it’s the first 100% computer-animated feature film, “Toy Story” that topped our list for this year. And speaking of 100%, that is the movie's approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 1995 was the year we fell in love with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the gang and we would never look at our toys the same way again. It was also the year we were introduced to “You've Got a Friend in Me,” which is a great song to use if you’re stuck trying to write your own wedding vows.

One generally doesn’t expect an animated movie to tackle adult topics like sin, lust, discrimination and more - especially a Disney movie. And yet, in 1996 the Mouse House released “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which did exactly that. While this “G” rated movie is obviously not as dark as the original source material, it is considered one of the studio’s darkest animated films. And none of that stopped it from ringing the bell on an over $300 million return at the box office! This one doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other movies we’ve already discussed, but it was yet another Disney animation hit and it tops our list for 1996.

When Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, director Hayao Miyazaki chose the name based on the Libyan Arabic word for ‘hot desert wind,’ because the studio would "blow a new wind through the anime industry." And they’ve lived up to the name for over three decades now. 1997 saw the release of “Anastasia” and “Hercules” , but it was the new wind of “Princess Mononoke” that was the best animated movie of the year. The fantasy film centered around a war between humans and forest gods became the all time highest-grossing movie in Japan - at the time. The movie was released in the United States in 1999 and James Cameron has credited the film as an influence for his mega-blockbuster, “Avatar.”

After Jeffrey Katzenberg left his job as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios in 1994, he co-founded DreamWorks Animation. The studio’s first traditionally animated feature flick was 1998’s “The Prince of Egypt,”, which became the most successful non-Disney animated movie to that point. However, it was yet another Disney film, “Mulan” that tops our list for 1998. Inspired by the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the animated musical tells the story of a daughter who pretends to be a man in order to fight for her family against a Hun invasion. Eddie Murphy provides the film's comic relief as Mushu the dragon, which is a service he’d provide for Disney’s rival Dreamworks three years later as Donkey in “Shrek.”

During the Disney Renaissance of the 90s, the studio made making successful animated movies look pretty easy. But it isn’t. Just look at another film released in 1999, “The Iron Giant.” The film has become recognized as a classic of the genre, but at the time it was a pretty disappointing box office failure. Whereas, “Tarzan” swung its way into theaters filled with great storytelling and a soundtrack by Phil Collins and swung away with over $400 million dollars. Disney also made some advancements in animation technology, termed Deep Canvas, that allowed the animators to produce CGI settings that resembled a traditional painting. When it came to animation, the 90s belonged to Disney and “Tarzan” ended the decade on a strong note.