Every year without fail, Hollywood and other foreign markets bring unforgettable cinematic experiences to the masses, feeding our senses with creativity, imagination, and in rare instances, the impossible. In many cases, we’re spoiled when it comes to live-action offerings, but what about animation? Today, we’re looking back on 2015, the year everyone started using peach and eggplant emojis while sexting, when Alabama Shakes‘ second studio album, “Sound & Color,” mixed experimental R&B with Neo-Soul, and when a dancing shark upstaged Katy Perry at the Super Bowl Halftime show.
Looking back, there are several wild pop culture milestones to mark the year parents rushed their children to the Emergency Room after an inevitable hoverboard accident. Still, today, we’re setting our sights on the greatest animated films of 2015, with a Top 5 list that’s sure to make you feel nostalgic and appreciative of the leaps we’ve made in the cinematic art form since then.
5) The Peanuts Movie
Anyone who grew up reading Charles Schulz‘s Peanuts comic strip or watched Charlie Brown and the gang’s adorable holiday specials owes it to themselves to check out this 3D-animated feature. Directed by Steve Martino and co-written by Charles M. Schulz’s son, Craig Schulz, and grandson, Bryan Schulz, this nostalgic throwback uses a 3D visual style that mimics the hand-drawn look of Schulz’s classic line art. The combination of media looks incredible and is a great way to satisfy fans, new and old.
The story focuses on Charlie Brown and his blossoming affection for the Little Red-Haired Girl in his neighborhood. After being called a “blockhead” by Lucy van Pelt for so many years, Charlie feels the need to up his game and embarks on a self-help journey to change his personality and interests. After an incredible amount of effort and some wise words from his friends, Charlie realizes that change is good, but you should do it for yourself, not someone else. Thankfully, the Little Red-Haired Girl had been watching him all year and had noticed Charlie’s efforts to be kind and outgoing.
Between Charlie’s coming-of-age adventure and a sub-plot revolving around Snoopy’s arch-nemesis, the Red Baron, the film is a double-dose of Peanuts goodness that goes down better than a Snoopy Sno-Cone on a hot summer day.
4) Shaun the Sheep Movie
After watching the recent release of Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, I felt compelled to revisit the mischievous sheep’s first animated feature, and it’s just as delightful as I remember. Aardman Animation uses stop-motion to bring Shaun, Bitzer the dog, and the rest of the flock together for a larger-than-life mission to rescue an amnesiac farmer inside a bustling metropolis.
While disguised as humans, Shaun and his friends infiltrate polite society, trying not to arouse suspicion about their true identities. Antics ensue, resulting in a charmingly British onslaught of slapstick, animalistic humor, and nods to some of the studio’s greatest projects. If that’s not impressive enough, the film features no dialogue, with the story told entirely through grunt vocalizations and dramatic movements. The presentation is impressive and adorable, giving audiences a rare treat thanks to its expressive format. Every person I introduce this film to reports back to me with a smile while excitedly recalling their favorite jokes or hysterical set pieces.
3) Hotel Transylvania 2
Having grown up watching classic Universal movie monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, and more, I was immediately drawn to Genndy Tartakovsky and Adam Sandler’s Hotel Transylvaniafranchise, with it being my opinion that this hilarious sequel is the best of the bunch. The film finds the Sandman’s Drac consumed by the approach of Dennis’ fifth birthday, which is also the deadline for his half-vampire grandchild to sprout his fangs. With the milestone fast-approaching, and fearing his daughter Mavis could move to California to be closer to her human husband’s parents, Drac and his monster squad launch a road trip to trigger Dennis’ vampire instincts.
Hotel Transylvania2 takes everything that endeared me to the spooky series while supercharging the comedy, overall animation, and horror-icon-related humor for an Easter egg hunt of epic proportions inside a haunted hotel. It’s a fantastic movie to watch during the lead-up to Halloween, and it familiarizes young viewers with the core cast of a monster mash that remains an important part of pop culture for the rest of their lives. If you’re looking for a spooktacular film to watch during the autumnal holiday season, Hotel Transylvania 2 is a non-stop jokefest with heart, horror, and humor, making it essential Halloween viewing for monster lovers of all ages.
2) The Boy and the Beast
Whenever Mamoru Hosoda drops a new film, I come running. He rarely disappoints, and The Boy and the Beast is among his best features. It’s an urban-fantasy martial-arts action film with a surrogate coming-of-age dynamic. The story takes place in parallel worlds: modern-day Shibuya, Tokyo, and Jutengai, a hidden realm populated by anthropomorphic beast-like martial artists. We follow a nine-year-old boy named Ren and his mentor Kumatetsu in a quest to become the realm’s next Grand Master, with all the bumps and emotional bruises that come along the way.
Hosoda loves to explore parenthood and fantastical worlds in his films. The Boy and the Beastis no exception. While Kumatetsu learns the value of found-family, Ren discovers new facets of his humanity. It’s a story about finding common ground, learning to lean on others for help, and knowing the cost of keeping your emotions bottled up inside. Watch it with someone you care about, and give that person a big old bear hug at the end.
1) Inside Out
Few Pixar films have had as profound an effect on female audiences as Pete Docter’s coming-of-age comedy, Inside Out. This incredibly relatable film focuses on a young woman named Riley Andersen, who is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, and whose emotions conflict over how best to navigate her new reality.
Featuring an all-star cast led by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black, Inside Out teaches audience members of every generation and gender one of the most important lessons ever: It’s okay not to be okay. Life is a roller coaster of emotions, and the ride is filled with twists, turns, and loops that shape who you become. The film is beautifully animated, smartly written, and sincere in ways other filmmakers could only hope to achieve.
Fun Fact: When I visited Pixar Studios in 2024 for a behind-the-scenes look at Inside Out 2, I met Pete Docter, and when I told him about the way Inside Out reduced my wife to a sobbing mess in the theater, he playfully cackled, then pumped his fist in glorious victory. It does my heart good to know he’s fully aware of how much this film means to others, and I don’t blame him for his animated reaction. You’ve earned it, sir.
There you have it, folks. What do you think about our Top 5 Animated Films of 2015 list? Are your favorite films represented here? Are there any grievous omissions? Leave us a comment and let us know what your Top 5 Animated Films of 2015 are! Until next time. Cheers!
