The animation world is dominated by two different markets. For most of the world, particularly America, animation is synonymous with Disney films. But in Japan, anime is king. Over the past few decades, the two markets have intermingled with anime becoming a growing part of Western entertainment.
Despite this, the first thing that comes to mind when discussing animation is still the classic works of Disney. However, those familiar with Japanese animation have experienced wonderful movies and know that anime has some of the greatest stories in modern film.
10 A Silent Voice Has A Protagonist Disney Would Never Write
The biggest hindrance to Disney films is the wide market they attempt to appease. A Disney film needs to hit all major demographics and play it safe in order to do so. Anime movies aren't bound by that necessity and can be braver in their stories.
For A Silent Voice, this meant showcasing a protagonist with a horrific bulling past. A Silent Voice is sometimes difficult to watch as its main character harasses an innocent girl, but that is key to the overall narrative and the character's arc.
9 Your Name Is More Experimental Than Anything At Disney
Disney films are infamously formulaic. To appeal to the kid demographic, Disney films often have to follow strict plot structures and comfortable character archetypes. These movies aren't experimental in a way that anime can be. Your Name centers around a plot device that Disney would never touch for fear of it being too complicated.
But Your Name embraces its unorthodox version of time travel to tell a unique story that moved its viewers and garnered a massive fanbase. While Your Name is far from the most experimental of Japanese animation, it is still way braver than Disney material.
8 Spirited Away Has An Artistic Vision Better Than Disney
Disney movies often feel factory-made. Due to being a large corporation, Disney films are often run through dozens and dozens of creative hands with leagues of executives weighing in with their misguided opinions to help market the film to the masses. Japan's Studio Ghibli proves the effectiveness of the opposite approach. Ghibli films are the product of a creative visionary.
For Spirited Away, that visionary was Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki created a film that no other person could, and often sacrificed his health to do it. Empowered by being one of the three directors of the studio, Miyazaki had the creative control to hold the artistic vision of Spirited Away to its highest potential. The movie's noticeably slow pacing is a reflection of Miyazaki's no-shortcut commitment to creating great art, seen in almost every frame of painstakingly animated facial expressions.
7 Wolf Children Is More Mature Than Disney
While Wolf Children's concept on a surface level sounds like something that could come out of a Disney movie, the actual depiction of the material is far more mature than anything out of the Mouse's studio. While films like Turning Red explore motifs of family and animal transformation, a quick comparison of the movie demonstrates just how juvenile Disney is.
The bond between Hana and Ame in Wolf Children is intensely relatable for the young adult viewers experiencing their own first serious relationships. The movie doesn't shy away from the more authentic and real aspects of a romantic partnership, like balancing childcare and financial responsibility. These characters deal with problems that feel grounded in our own reality, making a story about werewolves feel more real than anything out of a Disney film.
6 Perfect Blue Is The Horror Disney Would Never Do
If there's one movie genre that Disney would never touch, it would be horror. Horror is particularly hard to market and appeal to a mass audience. Because Disney wants to achieve as high a gross as possible, the studio sticks to family-friendly comedies with a hint of adventure.
But anime isn't beholden to this obligation and is more than comfortable delving into the world of horror. Perfect Blue is one of the most acclaimed horror movies in the world, depicting a psychological plot that disturbs even the most seasoned horror fans.
5 Summer Wars Is Better Than Disney In Every Way
In some ways, it might be considered unfair to compare one studio to an entire country's animation field. Disney wants to produce a specific movie type that many anime films have no desire to compete with. But unlike films like Perfect Blue, Summer Wars could very easily fit into a Disney lineup.
Focused on the themes of family and portraying a bright, upbeat, and fun fantasy world, Summer Wars is exactly what a Disney film tends to be. Yet Summer Wars' world still feels more fresh and engaging than anything to come out of a Disney film. Its unique take on technology and gaming feels well-rooted in modern reality, and yet still pushes the envelope just enough to become a fantasy world its viewers would dream of living in. Very few Disney films could do the same.
4 Promare Is More Ambitious Than Disney
Japanese animation is filled with superb talent producing some of the most visionary and creative work in the modern era. While American animation no doubt has people of the same caliber, Disney films are so democratized that the characters aren't given the opportunity to pursue their vision in a way Japanese animators are.
Promare is a perfect example of the creative bliss overflowing from Japan. With its vibrant colors, unique palette, and expressive animation, Promare takes the mech genre to new heights with a visual feast that no Disney film could even touch.
3 The Boy And The Beast Is A Disney Story Done Better
Disney films have a certain feel to them. At its best, a great Disney film evokes a sense of optimism and comfort in its audience. The Boy and the Beast is very similar in that regard, appealing to the senses in a way that resembles Disney.
But unlike Disney, The Boy and the Beast feels rooted in an authentic, Asian culture that Disney often fails to replicate in its modern works.
While Disney made the original Mulan a household name, its live-action adaptation felt like a paper-thin mimicry of the source material. Furthermore, movies like Raya and the Last Dragon received significant complaints from the Asian-American community for using the culture more as set dressing than proper representation. Unlike the Disney films, The Boy and The Beast feels proud of its Japanese roots and embraces them to great effect in a story that blends Japan's traditional history and technologically innovative present.
2 Ponyo Adapts One Of Disney's Most Popular Fairytales
Disney films are at their most valuable when communicating simple, moral themes for children to learn from. But as time progresses, these themes can feel outdated from the modern perspective. When a story's purpose is to be a vehicle for themes that are no longer appropriate, it loses a lot of its worth. The Little Mermaid suffers from being an obsolete take on a woman throwing away everything for a man she "fell in love" with just a few days prior.
But in 2009, Miyazaki released Ponyo to great critical acclaim based on the same source material. Unlike The Little Mermaid, which lived and died by its moral tale, Ponyo has so much more to offer artistically that makes it worthwhile even if the romance can feel outdated. It carries all the vision most commonly associated with Miyazaki's films, such as beautiful landscapes, expressive animation, and the underlying subtext of environmental themes. The Little Mermaid is anchored by its romance, Ponyo soars in spite of it.
1 Akira Changed Animation In A Way Disney Hasn't
One of the most important works of animation to ever be created came from Japan. Across the world, animators of all ages have been astounded by Akira, commonly citing it as an inspiration and influence in their own careers. Akira has had a profound impact on the animation world and is referenced in different cultural works.
For anime fans, the film is widely considered one of the greatest the medium has offered to date. For Western fans, it completely changed the way they viewed animation and the types of stories that could be told.