Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast
Since I’ve had the ability to do so, I’ve been shouting the same dang thing from every couch, desk chair, and barstool upon which I perch: Give animation a chance! It is, without fail, the most inspiring visual medium—the work of creating something out of nothing, translating dreams into reality, and making the fantastical relatable. Nothing feels more exciting to me than an especially successful animated work for these reasons. It’s cinema at its purest, finest, and most fun.
But animation is regularly passed over by quote-unquote “mainstream” critics, who are largely hoity-toity adults who can’t fathom spending time watching that cutesy stuff for children. Never mind that films like L’Illusionniste and Grave of the Fireflies are among the most heartbreaking in history, or that The Simpsons is the most consistently funny sitcom ever written. Interpreting what’s in your mind’s eye into something tangible—er, visible—is child’s play, compared to the heavy-duty work of having human beings make faces at a camera.
OK, that’s unfair too. The real winner is the one who loves art of all kinds. And since only one animated work made it onto The Daily Beast’s Obsessed other best-of lists this year (*grumble grumble grumble*), it’s my duty to celebrate and honor all the rest. I am but one person, which means not all of your favorites made it on here. (I promise I’ll get to Mob Psycho 100, Primal, and The Bob’s Burgers Movie ASAP!) These six animated movies and six animated shows may be qualified separately, but they should be seen as equals with the greatest live-action stuff of the year.