If you only watch one: Spider-Verse . If you want to cry: The Boy and the Heron or Robot Dreams . If you need a laugh with the family: Mutant Mayhem .
We have to start here. The sequel to Into the Spider-Verse didn't just meet expectations; it redefined what a cartoon can look like. Every frame is a painting from a different artist. The story is darker, the stakes are higher, and the cliffhanger ending left the entire audience gasping. Even if you don't like superheroes, watch this for the watercolor backgrounds, the live-action textures, and the Lego universe cameo. It set the visual standard for the next decade. 2023 animated movies
Love it or hate it, you couldn't escape it. The Super Mario Bros. Movie became a juggernaut, proving that Illumination knows exactly how to push our childhood buttons. Critics were mixed (the plot is paper-thin), but audiences packed theaters for the "Peaches" song and Chris Pratt’s surprisingly fine Mario. It wasn't high art, but it was a celebration of video game iconography that worked exactly as intended. If you only watch one: Spider-Verse
Beyond Spider-Verse: The Best (and Most Surprising) Animated Movies of 2023 We have to start here