From Disney to DreamWorks, countless companies have created famous animated movies. The early 2000s was the peak of animated film, and the movies range from fantastical adventures to characters with superhuman abilities that families can enjoy together. There is magic that comes with animated films that leave room for full immersion, with beautiful design, music, and voice work.

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What makes a good animated movie is how long it lasts with fans once it is over. It's a story that fans want to share or to reexperience again. The movies with triumph, loss, and love, like the ones in the 2000s, are some of those that stay in the minds of movie watchers everywhere.

10 Spirit Has The Essence Of Freedom

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - DreamWorks - 2002

Spirit The Stallion of The Cimarron

In 2002, DreamWorks Animation released Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. The movie follows the life of a wild stallion, whose inner thoughts are given in the form of narration. Spirit lives on the American Frontier and spends his time resisting being broken by the first men he meets. Fans love the horse for his indomitable nature and his desire to remain free.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron also contains themes of love and unlikely friendship. Spirit is joined by a young man named Little Creek and his mare, Rain. Together the three can overcome the many hardships in the film, and the horses can maintain their triumphant freedom in the West.

9 Enchanted Blurs The Line Between Fiction and Reality

Enchanted - Disney - 2007

Animated Giselle in Enchanted

Animated movies have combined animated characters with real-life sets, but none blur the line between fiction and reality like Enchanted. The movie starts in an animated fantasy world, where the character Giselle dreams about her prince charming. It's a familiar take on a soon-to-be princess, but in a turn of events, she is sent to the real world by her antagonistic stepmother.

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Once Giselle is in the real world, her animated appearance is replaced by a real actor. While she is now left to fend for herself in the busy streets of New York, Giselle maintains her classic princess nature as she tries to find her way home. Enchanted took a unique approach to this technique of combining what's real with something fake, and it became an instant success among fans.

8 Shrek Has A Unique Take On Fantasy

Shrek - DreamWorks - 2001

Shrek, Princess Fiona, and Donkey in DreamWorks' Shrek

Few films are prepared to entertain the entire family, but DreamWorks' Shrek is one of them. The modern animated classic features an Ogre, Shrek, as he travels to save a princess from a tower. It is a twist on the classic knight's tale, however, as Shrek isn't saving the Princess for glory or love. Instead, what Shrek wants is to get everyone else out of his swamp.

Shrek branched off into an entire franchise, with multiple movies and spin-offs. The humor of the franchise is also very distinct, and it gives something for everyone in a family to laugh out. Shrek's unique take on fantasy story-telling allows it to maintain popularity among fans.

7 The Incredibles Shows That Even Superpowered Parents Struggle

Incredibles - Pixar - 2004

The Incredibles preparing to fight the Underminder

The Incredibles is one of the most popular films from Pixar. The film follows a family of superheroes who aren't as super as they once were. In their world, Heroes have been deemed illegal, and that requires the family to live average lives. The movie's biggest appeal comes from the realism it embraces.

The parents, Bob and Helen, have to balance work and home life with their three super-powered children. Incredibles never strays from how it feels to be a parent, teenager, or sibling, even as superhero trouble influences the main conflict of the story.

6 The Road To El Dorado Is For The Underdogs

The Road To El Dorado - DreamWorks - 2000

Tulio and Miguel in DreamWorks' The Road to El Dorado.

The Road To El Dorado is one of the first animated films in the 2000s. The story follows two con-men as they search for El Dorado, the Lost City of Gold. The con men, Miguel and Tulio, are best friends who leave Spain after their exploits go wrong. Their friendship is put to the test once they end up shipwrecked on an island and stumble upon the people of El Dorado.

Mistaken as Gods, Miguel and Tulio must decide how they're going to pull off their largest con yet. A local woman named Chel joins them in the act, and together they must fend off dangers from the movie's protagonist. Even though the three start as an unlikely team of underdogs, fans are rooting for them by the end of the film.

5 Howl's Moving Castle Captures The Heart Of Love And Magic

Howl's Moving Castle - Studio Ghibli - 2004

Howl in his raven form holding Sophie as they soar to safety.

Howl's Moving Castle is distinct in the world of animation, as it contains themes of compassion, pacifism, and age. The Studio Ghibli film is popular among its fans due to its main characters, Sophie and the wizard named Howl. The story follows the budding relationship between the two, but there's a catch, Sophie is cursed by a witch.

The once-young Sophie is cursed to live as an older woman, and in her plight to break the curse, she ends up a resident of Howl's moving castle. The rest of the film follows the intricate relationships between the characters, exploring their growth through scenes with beautiful animation.

4 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Is A Thrilling Adventure

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Disney - 2001

Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire Is Disney's take on the lost city of Atlantis. While Atlantis is a popular fictional city in many franchises, Disney allows the civilization to be thriving and technologically advanced. The film contains rich lore and heavy circumstances, which make for a thrilling adventure.

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What makes Atlantis: The Lost Empire more thrilling is the main character, Milo Thatch. He's a linguist and cartography expert who is hired to lead the expedition to find Atlantis, but he is far from prepared for the expedition's harsh conditions. Fans can relate to his character, and they cheer him on as he goes on the adventure of a lifetime.

3 Coraline Walks The Line Between Compelling And Creepy

Coraline - Laika - 2009

Coraline discovering an alternate universe with her pet cat.

Animated films are unique in the stories they create, and Coraline is one of the few that creates a compelling yet creepy tale. The film is all done in stop-motion, which allows it to stand out among other films of its time. The story centers around Coraline, who ends up finding another world that is better than her own.

Coraline is given everything she could hope for in the form of new versions of her mother and father, but these buttoned-eyed copies aren't as sweet as they appear. Coraline has many dark twists that captivate fans, keeping them coming back to enjoy Coraline's adventure time and again.

2 Spirited Away Is A Beautiful World

Spirited Away - Studio Ghibli - 2001

Chihiro from Spirited Away frowning in front of red lanterns.

A Studio Ghibli classic, Spirited Away follows the story of ten-year-old Chihiro as she and her parents find a seemingly abandoned amusement park. When Chihiro's parents turn into pigs, she meets Haku, who informs Chihiro that the park is a resort for spirits who need a break from spending time in the earthly realm.

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Spirited Away is popular because of how breathtaking the animation, soundtrack, and characters are. It's a classic that fans often return to, willing to watch Chihiro time and again as she begins working around the resort in an attempt to free her family.

1 Treasure Planet Combines Sci-fi And Fantasy

Treasure Planet - Disney - 2002

movie poster for Disney's Treasure Planet

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel Treasure Island, Disney's Treasure Planet follows Jim Hawkins as he searches for the greatest pirate treasure in the universe. There are few animated films in the 2000s that took to space for their setting, and this allows Treasure Planet to have a unique premise and setting that captivates fans.

Treasure Planet is filled with space pirates, compelling characters, and thrilling adventure. There is something for everyone in this film that combines science fiction and fantasy with a literary classic.

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