There are great anime movies and shows found throughout many decades now, because Japan has seemingly always been a great place to look for bold and unique pieces of animation. Given the 2000s are now pretty far back in the past – well, 15 to 25-ish years – it’s perhaps as good a time as any to look back on the best such a decade had to offer. After all, some works created in the 2000s are easilyold enough to be nostalgic, now.
What follows isa rundown of some of the best anime movies to come out during the decade in question. There are a good many usual suspects here, but also some slightly lesser-known ones that could be worth checking out for those only reallyfamiliar with Studio Ghibli(a company that is, admittedly, still pretty well-represented below).
10’Howl’s Moving Castle' (2004)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Howl’s Moving Castlemight not be one of the very bestHayao Miyazakifilms, butconsidering the legendary filmmaker has never missed, even mid-tier Miyazaki is still leagues better than your average animated movie. This one sees him returning to the fantasy genre (always an exciting prospect), and follows a young woman who’s turned into an elderly one by a witch, leading to her going on a quest to regain her youth.
This puts her on course with the titular Wizard, Howl, and his (unsurprisingly) moving castle. It’s got all the reliable Miyazaki trademarks and the kind of stunning animation one can expect from Studio Ghibli. Its characters are endearing, the simple story is told effectively, and, at the end of the day,it’s hard to pass up another chance to get lost in a world created by Hayao Miyazaki.
Howl’s Moving Castle
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9’Metropolis' (2001)
Director: Rintaro
1927’sMetropolisis one of the most influential films of all time, given how it might well be the definitive science fiction movie of the 1920s, and because aspects of it can be found in filmsmade decades later, likeStar WarsandBlade Runner. Naturally, the 1927 film also influenced the 2001 movie of the same name, but this one’s far from just an animated remake oftheFritz Langclassic.
2001’sMetropolisrevolves around a strange young girl who numerous people are looking for, all for different reasons, within the futuristic titular city. Narratively,Metropolisis relatively simple stuff, and the characters are all quite straightforward with their motivations, too. Nevertheless, itmanages to be an effectively moving sci-fi movie, as well as a pretty awe-inspiring one to look at. It’s worth it for some of the visuals alone.
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8’Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust' (2000)
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Whileit’s probably more of a cult classicthan an outright classic,Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustis still a surprisingly great watch that anime fans ought to make checking out a priority. It follows the titular D as he contends with some other vampire hunters, all of whom are racing to complete the same mission: rescuing a woman who’s been kidnapped by a particularly powerful vampire.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustdelivers the goodswhen it comes to dark fantasy, horror, and action, being very fast-paced throughout and effectively atmospheric. It’s the sort of film that’s oozing with style, but has a little more to offer narratively than you might expect from the simple premise. It just works and will probably satisfy anyone looking forsomething a little dark, moody, and violent.
Vampire Hunter D
D has been hired to track down Meier Link, a notoriously powerful vampire who has abducted a woman, Charlotte Elbourne. D’s orders are strict - find Charlotte, at any cost. For the first time, D faces serious competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of Vampire Hunters, were hired for the same bounty. D Must intercept Meier and conquer hostile forces on all sides in a deadly race against time.
7’Ponyo' (2008)
Themaster of animated fantasy movies, Hayao Miyazaki, struck again in 2009 with the release ofPonyo, which is a good deal more kid-friendly than most of his other films. Admittedly, there are only a couple of his that aren’t really kid-friendly at all (likePrincess MononokeandThe Boy and the Heron), but the occasional darker moments found in most of his other films don’t necessarily show up inPonyo.
The lightness and whimsical nature of it all don’t hinderPonyo; rather, they make the movie even more charming and engaging. It follows a young boy’s adventures after he befriends a creature who initially seems to be some kind of goldfish, but grows to be something else entirely… not to mention, a being with ties to fantastical ocean-dwellers.Ponyois just a good time, andeven those with particularly hard hearts might have trouble resisting the endearing qualitiesthis film has to offer.
6’Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance' (2009)
Director: Hideaki Anno
WhenNeon Genesis Evangelionwas at its best, it was unlike any other show of the 1990s, and it ultimately concluded – sort of –in 1997 withEnd of Evangelion. But the series endured, and creatorHideaki Annoeventually set about doing a sort of remake/reinterpretation of the whole sage with theRebuild of Evangelionseries: four films released between 2007 and 2021.
The second film in that series,Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, does a great job atmaking events first seen in the show look all the more epic and visually spectacular, all the while making some interesting and unexpected changes. It takes until the next two movies (which really differ from the original show) for the latter to completely pay off, but, in hindsight, it’s easy to appreciate this piece of theRebuild of Evangelionseries as a vital one.
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5’Millennium Actress' (2001)
Director: Satoshi Kon
Satoshi Konregrettably made just four feature films in his tragically short directorial career, but all of themare classics in their own right, with 2001’sMillennium Actressbeing arguably his most underrated effort. The central character is a mysterious actress named Chiyoko Fujiwara, with the plot ofMillennium Actresscentering on the recollections of her strange – and long – life as an actor, including why she eventually left the profession.
The film works as a celebration of the history of Japanese cinema,all the while telling a touching personal story that gradually becomes more fantastical and dizzyingas it goes along. The experience of watchingMillennium Actressis totally distinct, because even though parts of it could be compared to Satoshi Kon’s other films, it inevitably ends up feeling completely like its own thing.
4’Mind Game' (2004)
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Mind Gameis one of the strangest animated movies ever made, and a particularlybold example of what could be called a rom-com. A love story is at the heart ofMind Game, with the main character pining after a childhood crush, but the adventure the two end up going on is what makes the whole film wild. It’s hard to believe what you’re seeing, sometimes, making the whole thing even harder to explain with words.
ButMind Gameis undoubtedly a rush of a film thatshould be experienced at least once by anyone who thinks they’ve seen it all when it comes to animation. It’s a vibrant, surreal, and dizzying viewing experience, and earns the right to be considered one of the best anime films of its decade for the sheer creativity on offer alone.
Watch on AMC+
3’Redline' (2009)
Director: Takeshi Koike
An underrated action moviethat feels unlike anything else out there,Redlinegoes all-out in depicting some of the wildest racing sequences ever seen, animated or otherwise. It’s something of a science fiction sports movie, with the sport technically being car-racing, but car-racing on an interplanetary scale, with higher stakes, faster speeds, and more outlandish participants than anything on Earth.
It’s a movie where thestyle is so strong that substance isn’t really needed. It’s a movie that’s all about adrenaline andstands, seemingly solely, to knock the socks off anyone who wants to watch it.Redlinenever seemed to find much of an audience back when it was first released, but it deserves recognition now, and will hopefully continue gaining popularity, owing to it being one of the most impressive animated movies of the 21st century so far.
2’Spirited Away' (2001)
A classic that’sso good, it might well be perfect,Spirited Awayremains the most beloved film Hayao Miyazaki ever directed, with the entire thing playing to his strengths as a visionary filmmaker. The narrative is, on paper, quite simple, given it involves a young protagonist getting trapped inside a fantastical world and undergoing a journey to get out, butSpirited Awayends up soaring thanks to the execution.
The fantasy genre rarely gets this creative and inventive, with every single shot found inSpirited Awaycontaining something to gawk at – sometimes because it’s beautiful, and sometimes because it’s creepy (and, sometimes, a bit of both). It’s one of those essential anime films that’s good to show people new to Japanese animation, and it more than lives up to its lofty reputation.
Spirited Away
1’Paprika' (2006)
It might be a hot take, but if there’s one anime film of the 2000s that stands as something even better thanSpirited Away, it could well bePaprika. This one is also dazzling and visually unlike anything else, but functionsmore like a psychological thriller and/or sci-fi movie rather than being a fantastical adventure. Instead of going into a seemingly otherworldly land,Paprikaallows viewers to venture into a series of dreams.
There’s a machine that was built to allow therapists to see the dreams of their patients, but inPaprika, it gets stolen and needs to be recovered. That’s the basic plot, but the film is thrilling because of how far it pushes that premise, and for how manyplaces it goes to thematically and visually. It’s a one-of-a-kind movie and perhaps even one of the best-looking of all time, animated or otherwise.
