Dianne Jackson's The Snowman remains one of the most audacious experiments in animated storytelling ever broadcast. Based on Raymond Briggs' picture book, this commission for the UK's Channel 4 strips away dialogue entirely, and trusts movement, music, and atmosphere to carry its narrative weight.

See which animated movies ruled theaters and streaming platforms this year, from "Zootopia 2" to "KPop Demon Hunters."

Overview: 2025 delivered hit animated films that topped streaming charts and drew global audiences. Several of these films are already available on Netflix

The bite-size animated short is entitled The Gingerbread Death Star Crumbles. As the name suggests, Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm's effects department, recreated the Death Star, Darth Vader and the Rebel Alliance's fleet of X-wings to look like gingerbread cookies.

That brings us to this list’s guiding sentiment, because while good animation is plentiful, vital selections meet a different bar. Vital, by Merriam-Webster’s definition, implies a work that is “tending to renew or refresh the living,

Oscars Best Animated Feature Predictions include "KPop Demon Hunters," "Zootopia 2," "Arco," "Little Amelie," "Elio" and "Demon Slayer."

As great as Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters is, we think animated movies like Spirited Away, Coco, and How to Train Your Dragon are far superior.

Pop Demon Hunters' hits 500 million total viewing hours on Netflix, a major milestone for global animation The Silicon Review.