Before the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which was established in 2001, anime rarely received recognition outside of specific technical or musical categories. However, even now, Japanese anime movies are frequently excluded from nominations.

While some movies in the following ranking were released before the Best Animated Feature category existed, others were nominated but failed to win, or were entirely overlooked by the voting body.

10. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle created a new standard for animation production. Studio Ufotable utilized a specific composite technique that integrates 2D character animation with 3D background environments. The Academy typically rewards technical progression in animation, making this production structurally viable for an award.

The visual execution, specifically the manipulation of digital camera angles during action sequences, exceeds the quality of many nominated Western films. However, this movie could not win, despite being one of the most impactful anime movies in the industry.

TITLEDemon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1RELEASE DATEJul 18, 2025STUDIOUfotableMYANIMELIST RATING8.68 / 10IMDb RATING8.40 / 10STREAMNA – Still in Cinemas

9. Look Back

Kyoumoto and Ayumu from Look Back | Credit: Studio DURIAN

Directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama and produced by Studio Durian, Look Back adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. The movie grounds its story in reality, focusing on two girls, Ayumu Fujino and Kyomoto, who share a goal of drawing manga. The animation style deviates from standard anime movies that dominate the industry. Oshiyama chose to retain rough sketch lines in the final animation frames.

This visual decision emphasizes the physical act of drawing, aligning the subject of the story itself. The plot shifts abruptly when a violent incident occurs, forcing the protagonist and viewers to process grief.

The movie’s objective handling of trauma and its focused, realistic character animation provided the type of dramatic weight that aligns with standard Academy preferences, yet it didn’t win. Perhaps the confirmed live-action adaptation will be lucky.

TITLELook BackRELEASE DATEJun 28, 2024STUDIOStudio DURIANMYANIMELIST RATING8.62 / 10IMDb RATING7.80 / 10STREAMAmazon Prime Video

8. Your Name

Taki and Mitsuha from Your Name | Credit: CoMix Wave Films

Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name was released in 2016 and became one of the highest-grossing animated films globally. It did not receive an Academy Award nomination. The story centers on Taki, a high school boy in Tokyo, and Mitsuha, a high school girl in a rural town, who begin swapping bodies mysteriously. The plot eventually introduces a time-displacement element and a natural disaster involving a comet.

This movie integrates traditional 2D character designs with highly detailed, photorealistic background art that Makoto Shinkai is known for. His focus on lighting, specifically lens flares and the detailed rendering of environments, creates a distinct visual standard. This movie truly deserved at least a nomination.

TITLEYour NameRELEASE DATEAug 26, 2016STUDIOCoMix Wave FilmsMYANIMELIST RATING8.83 / 10IMDb RATING8.40 / 10STREAMAmazon Prime Video, HBO max

7. The Wind Rises

Jirou and Naoko from The Wind Rises | Credit: Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki directed The Wind Rises for Studio Ghibli in 2013. The movie received a nomination for Best Animated Feature but lost to Disney’s Frozen. The story is a fictionalized biographical movie about Jiro Horikoshi, the chief engineer of Japanese fighter planes during World War II.

The movie addresses the ethical conflict of a creator whose designs are used for destructive purposes. The traditional animation quality, proved by the fact that a 4-second scene took more than a year to animate, made it a movie that truly deserved the award.

TITLEThe Wind RisesRELEASE DATEJul 20, 2013STUDIOStudio GhibliMYANIMELIST RATING8.13 / 10IMDb RATING7.80 / 10STREAMHBO max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

6. Paprika

Paprika from Parika | Credit: Madhouse

Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, released in 2006 by Studio Madhouse, was not nominated for an Academy Award. The story involves a psychological research device called the DC Mini, which allows users to enter other people’s dreams. When the devices are stolen, reality and the dream world begin to merge. Sounds familiar? Paprika probably inspired Inception. However, this movie uses the animations to present disjointed, non-linear sequences that cannot be replicated in a live-action film.

The movie explores the psychological concept of the subconscious. Several years later, the live-action Hollywood film Inception utilized similar plot devices and visual concepts and won multiple Academy Awards. The Academy’s failure to recognize Paprika shows that it could not acknowledge original science fiction concepts when presented in an animated format.

TITLEPaprikaRELEASE DATENov 25, 2006STUDIOMadhouseMYANIMELIST RATING8.04 / 10IMDb RATING7.70 / 10STREAMYouTube, Amazon Prime Video

5. Perfect Blue

Mima from Perfect Blue | Credit: Madhouse

Directed by Satoshi Kon and released in 1997, Perfect Blue predates the creation of the Best Animated Feature category. The movie is a psychological thriller that follows Mima Kirigoe, a former pop idol who transitions into acting. She experiences a mental breakdown due to the stress of a stalker and the demands of her new career.

Kon utilized animation to depict psychological deterioration rather than fantasy or action. The movie handles adult themes, including violence, stalking, and identity dissociation, with strict realism. If the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature had existed in the 1990s, Perfect Blue would have been a primary candidate.

TITLEPerfect BlueRELEASE DATEAugust 5, 1997STUDIOMadhouseMYANIMELIST RATING8.55 / 10IMDb RATING8.80 / 10STREAMApple TV, HBO max, Amazon Prime Video

4. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Kaguya-hime from The Tale of Princess Kaguya | Credit: Studio Ghibli

Isao Takahata directed The Tale of the Princess Kaguya in 2013 for Studio Ghibli. It was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar but lost to Big Hero 6. The movie adapts a 10th-century Japanese folk tale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Takahata abandoned the standard animation style used by most anime studios. Instead, he used a style that mimics traditional Japanese watercolor and charcoal sketches.

The production took eight years. The story deals with themes of human mortality, societal expectations, and regret. The loss to Big Hero 6, a standard 3D superhero film, is frequently cited as an example of the Academy prioritizing commercial viability over artistic innovation. The visual presentation alone established a new benchmark for traditional animation.

TITLEThe Tale of the Princess KaguyaRELEASE DATENov 23, 2013STUDIOStudio GhibliMYANIMELIST RATING8.22 / 10IMDb RATING8.00 / 10STREAMAmazon Prime Video

3. Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc

Produced by MAPPA, the Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc adapts a specific arc from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga Chainsaw Man. The plot focuses on Denji, the protagonist, and his interactions with Reze, who is later revealed to be an antagonist. The movie operates as an action-thriller. MAPPA is known for its high-budget, breathtaking animations.

The story handles the violence and bleak tone of the source material without censorship, a defining quality of Chainsaw Man. While the Academy usually ignores movies with high levels of graphic violence or movies based on ongoing series, the sheer animation quality and emotional depth of this movie merit recognition.

TITLEChainsaw Man The Movie: Reze ArcRELEASE DATESep 19, 2025STUDIOMAPPAMYANIMELIST RATING9.10 / 10IMDb RATING8.30 / 10STREAMAmazon Prime Video

2. Mirai

Mirai and Kun from Mirai | Credit: Studio Chizu

Mamoru Hosoda directed Mirai in 2018 through Studio Chizu. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature but lost to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The movie focuses on a four-year-old boy named Kun who becomes jealous of his newborn sister, Mirai.

He discovers a magical garden that allows him to travel through time and meet relatives from different generations. The story structure is episodic, focusing entirely on the psychological development of a toddler. Hosoda uses minimal settings, confining much of the plot to the architecture of a single house.

TITLEMiraiRELEASE DATEJul 20, 2018STUDIOStudio ChizuMYANIMELIST RATING7.28 / 10IMDb RATING7.00 / 10STREAMApple TV

1. Akira

Shoutarou Kaneda from Akira | Credit: Tokyo Movie Shinsha

Katsuhiro Otomo directed Akira in 1988, based on his own manga. Like Perfect Blue, Akira predates the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but to be honest, it hardly needs an introduction. The movie is set in the dystopian cyberpunk city of Neo-Tokyo and follows a biker gang member, Tetsuo Shima, who gains telekinetic powers.

Akira fundamentally altered the global perception of anime itself. The production utilized an unprecedented budget. The animators used 160,000 cels to create the movie. Akira is an anime movie that simply can’t be adapted in live-action. Had the Oscar category existed in 1988, its technical achievements and enduring influence would have made it the definitive winner.

TITLEAkiraRELEASE DATEJul 16, 1988STUDIOTokyo Movie ShinshaMYANIMELIST RATING8.16 / 10IMDb RATING8.00 / 10STREAMCrunchyroll

So, which one of these movies are you gonna stream next? Tell us in the comments.
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