Do you love cartoons but feel most of them talk down to adults, or skim over real life? Many readers want animation that digs into grown-up themes, and finds art in motion. Animated films now often serve as true art, they can tackle war, loss, love, and politics, and still use color and song to tell the story.
This list points to films like Watership Down, The Iron Giant, Spirited Away, and Waltz with Bashir, so you can find titles that match your mood. Each pick will show release year, runtime, rating, Metascore, viewer scores, and the main directors and stars, to help you pick fast.
We mix hand-drawn, CGI, and indie movies, and we note why each one speaks to adults. Read on.
Key Takeaways
- Animated films often handle adult themes; examples include Watership Down (1978, 1h32m, Metascore 64, PG) and The Iron Giant (1999, 1h26m, Metascore 85, PG).
- Styles vary: hand‑drawn Persepolis (2007, 1h36m, IMDb 8.0/104K), Spirited Away (2001), puppet Anomalisa, and collage Fantastic Planet (1973, Metascore 73, 1h12m).
- Directors use animation to probe war and memory: Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir, 2008, R, Metascore 91) and Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis).
- Critics reward mature risks: Waltz with Bashir Metascore 91, The Iron Giant 85, The Secret of NIMH 76, Fritz the Cat Metascore 54.
- Pick by mood: dark survival (Watership Down), political memoir (Persepolis), surreal sci‑fi (Fantastic Planet), satire (Fritz the Cat), intimate drama (Anomalisa).
Watership Down – A Dark Tale of Survival
Watership Down, released in 1978, runs 1h 32m. Martin Rosen and John Hubley directed the film, and critics gave it a Metascore of 64. The cast lists John Hurt, Richard Briers, and Ralph Richardson, and their voice acting adds weight to each scene.
Rated PG, the picture still pushes dark survival themes not common in animated films.
This story, about a group of hares fleeing danger, digs into leadership, loss, and raw fear. Its stark imagery, tight storytelling, and careful sound design push the film toward adult viewers.
Fans of The Iron Giant and Spirited Away will notice brave themes, while critics often mention Grave of the Fireflies in the same breath. If you expect Jessica Rabbit glam or Roger Rabbit slapstick, the tone here stays grim and sober.
The Secret of NIMH – A Story of Courage and Sacrifice
Don Bluth directed The Secret of NIMH in 1982. The film runs 1h 22m and earned a Metascore of 76. It is Rated G, yet it treats dark themes with care. Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, and Dom DeLuise lend voices that feel lived in.
The story centers on a grieving single mother, a role that rings true for adults. Fans of animated films, the iron giant, and spirited away will spot mature threads here.
Courage and sacrifice drive the plot, they push the single mother to act. She moves her family, she risks everything to save her child. The animation uses detailed storyboarding, careful animation cells, and frame tracing to build mood.
Voice acting adds grit, Elizabeth Hartman gives the lead a weary strength. The tone sits closer to alan moore’s the killing joke than to who framed roger rabbit, yet it stays gentle enough for a Rated G label.
Adults will spot science versus ethics, echoes that later appear in the iron giant and spirited away. Studio craft, the old school hands-on techniques, set it apart from flashier titles like the simpsons movie.
Fantastic Planet – A Surreal and Thought-Provoking Sci-Fi
Fantastic Planet, from 1973, runs 1 hour and 12 minutes. René Laloux directed the film. The movie earned a Metascore of 73 and carries a PG rating. Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Drake, and Eric Baugin provide notable voices.
Collage animation and surrealism shape the look, the images feel dreamlike, and they sting.
Adults find its themes of power and captivity hard to shake. Critics group it with animated films that push grown up ideas, like The Iron Giant and Spirited Away. Directors such as Satoshi Kon and Ari Folman show similar nerve in later works.
It rates PG yet plays like a movie that could earn an r-rating in tone, that contrast adds bite. Fans of odd art and bold stories, even those drawn to Monster House, will notice the kinship.
The Iron Giant – War, Peace, and Humanity
The Iron Giant (1999), directed by Brad Bird, runs 1h 26m and earned a Metascore of 85. It is rated PG, and the voices include Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., and Jennifer Aniston.
The plot mixes migration, acceptance, and the impact of war, and it asks big questions under a childlike surface. Some scenes turn the robot into a moral mirror, forcing choices about violence, peace, and self-sacrifice.
Fans of animated films, from Spirited Away and Japanese film to darker work like Batman: The Killing Joke, will find adult threads and nods to The Joker or Barbara Gordon in tone. Studios like Touchstone Pictures, Fox Family Films, Illumination Entertainment, and Blue Sky Studios show animation can tackle heavy themes; think Lilo & Stitch or The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and even the song God Help the Outcasts as a cultural echo.
Eddie Valiant fans, Homer nerds, and those who follow Mark Hamill will notice the adult beats and winks. Viewers who enjoy Inception, or the offbeat comic The Maxx, and who spot a Kevin Conry reference or a Ronal the Barbarian joke, will read deeper meaning in the frames.
Persepolis – A Powerful Coming-of-Age Story
Persepolis, released in 2007, runs 1h 36m and scores 8.0 on IMDb from 104K ratings. Marjane Satrapi co-directed it, with Vincent Paronnaud as co-director. Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, and Gena Rowlands give the voices.
The film adapts a graphic novel, and it uses stark black and white art to hit hard. This entry among animated films keeps the tone mature, even while it looks simple.
Satrapi draws her younger self with sharp wit, and she maps growing pains onto Iran’s historical and political upheavals. You watch a girl push against rules, move to Europe, and wrestle with identity.
Voice acting carries weight here, and the cast adds layers of age and calm. Fans who liked the emotional guts of the iron giant or the wonder of spirited away will find similar depth.
Scenes from this diary stick with viewers long after credits roll.
Waltz with Bashir – A Haunting Reflection on War
Ari Folman directed Waltz with Bashir in 2008. It runs 1h 30m and carries an R rating. Critics loved its style, Metascore 91.
Folman acts, and Ron Ben-Yishai and Ronny Dayag also appear. The team uses a trace-over technique, storyboards, editing, and bold sound design to stitch memory and feeling. It offers a haunting, reflective take on war, and it sits with other adult animated films, even drawing a darker line than the iron giant.
Princess Mononoke – Environmentalism and Human Conflict
Princess Mononoke, released in 1997, forces viewers to face human impact on nature. It shows frightening scenes that linger, and the film does not shy from blood or loss. The narrative pits industrial humans against the forest, and it frames environmentalism as a messy moral conflict.
Studio Ghibli paints the ecosystem as alive, with a Forest God, a wolf clan, and the human named San fighting for land.
Many adults watch animated films like this for their mature themes, and they find the drama unsettling but honest. Some viewers feel its ideas reach into empathy and coexistence, they call it a plea for balance.
Ashitaka shows courage and doubt, and he forces the audience to pick sides, then rethink those choices.
Heavy Metal – A Cult Classic of Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Heavy Metal, a 1981 animated film, runs 1h 26m. Gerald Potterton, John Bruno, and John Halas co-directed the project. The movie scores 6.6 on IMDb from 41,000 ratings. Fans call it a cult classic that blends fantasy with science fiction.
The piece contains adult content, including violence and explicit language. Animators used bold cel art and frame tracing to craft striking scenes. The soundtrack mixes rock and synth, and it drives much of the mood.
The film uses an anthology format that shifts tone and pace. Some segments shock hard, others charm with odd humor. The Heavy Metal magazine source gives it a pulp, adult comic energy.
Critics split over its artistic value, yet fans kept it alive. Later adult animations show echoes of its style in tone and visuals. Viewers still discuss the movie for its bold imagery and raw edge.
Fans of cult cinema will spot its reach across genres.
Anomalisa – A Deep Dive into Human Relationships
Anomalisa pares human longing to a quiet, painful sketch, using puppet animation to show how people hurt and heal. Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson direct a tight character study, and the film rests on raw voice acting and quiet sound design.
No direct numeric data for Anomalisa is available, yet its focus on adult themes points to a growing trend of animated features tackling complex relationships.
Puppet models, tiny armature joints and a patient camera make faces and silences feel huge. David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh lend fragile life. Scenes cut like a cold wind, and they feel uncomfortably true.
Fritz the Cat – A Satirical and Provocative Adventure
Ralph Bakshi pushed boundaries in 1972 with Fritz the Cat, a daring animated feature. The runtime clocks at 1h 18m, the release carries a Not Rated label, and the Metascore stands at 54.
Voice actors include Skip Hinnant, Rosetta LeNoire, and John McCurry, who give the film sharp, offbeat energy.
Satire drives the plot, adult themes land bluntly, and the animation borrows from the comics scene and street politics. Expect frank humor, jolting scenes, and moral messiness, some viewers loved it, some walked out.
Spirited Away – A Magical Journey with Adult Themes
Spirited Away, released in 2001, blends magical storytelling with mature themes, and it speaks to adults as much as to children. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli built a complex narrative that rewards older viewers, with Chihiro facing loss, greed, identity shifts, and hard choices.
Critics praised the film for handling serious topics with authenticity, and viewers still discuss its emotional pull. The movie layers deep folklore elements and visually rich animation, hand-drawn frames that glow with texture and color.
The animation looks lush, each shot packed with detail, and the art keeps pulling you back. Joe Hisaishi’s score adds quiet weight, it lifts scenes without shouting. Many adults point to the story’s complexity as the reason they rewatch it, puzzles and odd moments reveal more each time.
Spirits, rituals, and the bathhouse setting give the film a mythic feel, while its scenes ask grown viewers to think about who they are, and what they want to keep.
Takeaways
These ten films hide adult truths beneath bright frames. They ask big questions, and they do not shy away from pain. Each entry lists Metascore, runtime, viewer ratings, and filmmaker credits.
Pick a title, grab popcorn, and bring a box of tissues. Join BuzzFeed’s community to swap picks, and keep the chat lively.
FAQs on Animated Movies That Are Secretly for Adults
1. What makes these animated movies secretly for adults?
These animated movies hide adult themes, like satire, social commentary, and double meanings. Writers layer jokes and subtext, so kids laugh at the surface, while mature audiences catch the deeper notes.
2. How can I spot adult content in a family animated film?
Look for layered jokes, cheeky background signs, and scenes that nod to grown-up life. Watch the side characters and easter eggs, listen for mature humor, and note when the plot gets morally complex.
3. Are these films safe for kids to watch?
It depends on the film, and on the child. Some have mild mature themes and are fine with guidance, others aim at mature audiences and may need parental supervision, a rating check, or a follow-up talk.
4. Why do studios add adult material to animated films?
Studios add adult material to widen the audience, keep parents engaged, and pack in satire and pop culture nods. It gives adults a wink, adds replay value, and helps with marketing to older viewers.
