Entertainment
Best International Animated Movies to Watch in 2025
Introduction
International Animated Movies has always been a medium for pushing boundaries visually, stylistically, in story, and genre. In 2025, we’re seeing that continue: more diversity of themes (faith, sci-fi, fantasy, emotional introspection), broader global participation (India, Mexico, Korea, etc.), and innovations in narrative form (dialogue-free films, time travel, hybrid techniques). The box office and festival circuit both reflect an appetite for stories that are meaningful as well as entertaining.
Let’s look at some key films released or forthcoming in 2025, which ones are doing well, what’s new, and what this suggests about the state of animated features.
Major Releases & Highlights in 2025
Here are some of the standoutInternational Animated Movies either already released or anticipated in 2025, along with what makes them interesting.
| Movie | Country / Studio | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|
| Dog Man | U.S. / DreamWorks Animation & Universal | Adaptation of the popular graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey. It’s a spin-off of Captain Underpants. The film blends comedy, action and kid-friendly vibes. |
| The King of Kings | U.S. / South Korea (Angel Studios & Mofac) | A Christian animated film loosely based on The Life of Our Lord, with a strong voice cast (Kenneth Branagh, Forest Whitaker, etc.). It’s done relatively modestly in budget compared to big studio films, but it’s made strong returns and struck a chord with audiences interested in faith-based animation. |
| Space Cadet | Canada | Quiet, artistic, dialogue-free. It’s a musical fable about grief, loss, and love, with an astronaut and guardian robot. It doesn’t rely on large set pieces, but on emotion and imagery. |
| Arco | France / U.S. (co-production) | A science fiction fantasy about time travel: a 10-year-old from the year 2932 using a rainbow to accidentally travel to 2075. There’s also cross-cultural casting in voice-overs (Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, etc.). Wikipedia |
| Mahavatar Narsimha | India | This film is doing particularly well regionally; it’s one of the highest grossing Indian animated films of the year. Its themes are mythological, with strong roots in cultural/religious epic storytelling. |
Anticipated / Upcoming Films
Several International Animated Movies are expected in late 2025 or beyond; these are generating buzz because they either follow successful franchises or because their creative teams promise something different.
- Scarlet by Mamoru Hosoda. A reinterpretation of Hamlet with fantasy and mystical afterlife elements. Themes of vengeance vs forgiveness. Visually ambitious with mixed techniques.
- Zootopia 2 — Disney is bringing back Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde in a sequel. Big expectations because the first Zootopia was both a commercial hit and praised for addressing social themes.
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie : sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, set to release in April 2026. Though not 2025, it’s already announced and part of the wave of franchise-based animation.
- Other smaller but interesting projects include The Bad Guys 2, The Colors Within, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Dog Man (already out), and various international entries.
Box Office & Critical Reception
- The King of Kings did well domestically and abroad for its kind of film. For a faith-based animated film, getting to a wide audience and strong box office indicates there is market demand beyond just children’s action or fantasy.
- Dog Man has also been successful financially and with audiences, showing that source material with an existing fan base helps.
- International films like Mahavatar Narsimha show that non-Hollywood animation can also compete strongly in regional markets.
Trends & New Directions
From the films and projects above, several trends emerge.
- More mature themes in animation
Films like Space Cadet explore grief, loss, identity without relying on dialogue. Scarlet reframes Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a classic dark tragedy, into a fantasy epic. Even popular franchises are looking to address social tension or deeper emotions (Zootopia 2, etc.). - Cross-cultural & global animation
India, Korea, France, Mexico are producing more high-profile animated features. These films are sometimes co-produced with U.S. or international studios or distributed globally. This broadens what stories we see and diversifies animation styles. - Adaptations and franchise expansions
Existing IP continues to be a strong base: picture books, comics (e.g. Dog Man), games (Super Mario), sequels (Bad Guys 2, Zootopia 2) all dominate a large part of the slate. But even some of these try to push boundaries (genre, tone).
- Visual experimentation & blended techniques
Some films mix traditions: hand-drawn, CG, fantasy art styles. In experimental or indie festival films, stylistic risks are more visible (e.g. Space Cadet, Arco). - Streaming / OTT release strategies
Some films begin in theaters, others head to streaming. Not all are big theatrical releases, especially outside of big studio projects. For example, Elio (by Pixar) is moving to streaming after its box office run.
Challenges & Opportunities
- Balancing commercial success and artistic risk. Big studios usually need safe bets, so they rely heavily on known IP. Indie / festival films, or those from non-Western studios, have more freedom, but also more difficulty in reaching wide audiences or getting marketing / distribution.
- Cultural translation / global appeal. Films rooted in local mythologies or religious stories (e.g. Mahavatar Narsimha) may be enormously successful locally, but face challenges in crossing over (dubbing, cultural understanding, thematic acceptability, etc.).
- Technology and cost. International Animated Movies remains resource-heavy. Even small productions require talent, tech, and time. Cost can limit how frequently riskier or more experimental projects are made, or reduce their scope.
- Audience expectations. As animation improves, the audience’s expectations rise: visually (HD, sophisticated effects), narratively (depth, diversity, emotional truth). Also, older audiences increasingly expect animation not just for kids.
What These Mean for Audiences & Creators
- For viewers, this means more choice. Whether you like light-hearted family fun, deep emotional journeys, mythological epics, or sci-fi fantasy, there’s likely something in 2025’s slate you’ll enjoy.
- For creators, there are more opportunities, both in big studio settings (if you can access them) and especially in indie / festival circuit. Also, the global market is more open: local stories can succeed.
- For distributors / streaming platforms, there’s incentive to pick up non-Hollywood films, as they offer differentiation and often cost less. Localization (subtitles, dubbing) will remain important.
Deep Look: A Few Films
To illustrate these trends, here are deeper sketches of two interesting movies.
Space Cadet
- Story & Style: A dialogue-free musical fable. This is unusual in mainstream animation; most rely heavily on dialogue. The silence forces reliance on visuals, music, body language.
- Themes: Grief, loss, love across generations. The astronaut and robot dynamic allows exploration of human vs technological, past vs future.
- Audience Appeal: More art-house; likely not massive commercial, but strong among festival circuits, critics, lovers of more contemplative cinema. This reflects how animation is not just for children or spectacle.
Arco
- Story & Style: Sci-fi / fantasy, involving time travel (from far future to recent past). Color, tone likely varied. Big name voices for English version.
- Themes: Youth, discovery, possibly environmental or societal change (often in time-travel stories).
- Importance: Showcases how international animation is operating with cross-border talent (voice cast in English, etc.), and non-American bases can still produce stories that travel globally.
What to Watch Out For / What’s Coming
Here are some films that I think will make waves or that are ones to keep on your radar:
- Scarlet by Mamoru Hosoda because of its pedigree and artistic ambition.
- Zootopia 2 : both because of expectations and because sequels often show how much the industry has evolved (visually & thematically).
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie for its franchise potential and because it combines gaming IP with animation, which always raises interest.
Also keep an eye on the box office of regional animated films (India, Korea, Latin America) and how they do in global distribution and streaming, because these will likely influence what kinds of investments are made.
Conclusion
2025 is shaping up to be a strong year for International Animated Movies. There’s variety: fun, fantasy, epic, introspective. Not every movie will be a blockbuster, but the richness of options means fans of animation have much to look forward to. For creators, the landscape offers more possibilities than ever to tell different kinds of animated stories.