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Best Animated Films Streaming Now: Shrek, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Puss in Boots & More
There are a ton of animated features you can stream right now. Here are the best of the best.
The time has come! The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now exclusively streaming on Peacock! And there's plenty of more ways to level up when it comes to fantastic animated films streaming this fall.
Across the many streamers out there you'll find stirring animated adventures like Chicken Run, Shrek, The Secret Life of Pets, Trolls World Tour, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
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If you’re looking for some help narrowing down your choices in terms of animated options, SYFY WIRE is here for you. We’ve scoured the streamers and have come up with a list of the best animated features out there. Take a gander below to help you decide what to fire up on your television tonight.
Check out our list of the best animated films streaming now!
Chicken Run (2000)
One of the earliest films in DreamWorks’ distribution catalog is still one of the best. A blast for kids and adults alike, Chicken Run spun a charming (yet serious) tale of birds of a feather who rely on each other to escape a farm-raised life cycle where the journey starts in the henhouse… and ends at the dinner table. Coming from the same delightful minds behind the beloved Wallace and Gromit franchise, Chicken Run deployed a spiced-up version of that series' same stop-motion animation style — and in the process became (and still remains) history’s highest-grossing stop-motion movie.
Chicken Run is streaming on Peacock.
Shrek (2001)
Mike Myers’ loveable albeit grumpy ogre still holds up 20 years after the film first graced theaters. When Shrek’s solitary swamp gets invaded by fairy tale creatures after the ruthless Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) banishes them, Shrek makes a deal with the vertically challenged lord to track down Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) so Farquaad can marry her. Things don’t go how Shrek intends them to, of course, but in the end, he finds some new friends like Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and new love with Fiona. It’s a story full of drama, love, and acceptance of who you are. And that’s a tale worth watching again.
Shrek is now streaming on Peacock.
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
A foursome of flightless birds are our unlikely heroes in Penguins of Madagascar, the spy action comedy from DreamWorks Animation that followed the Madagascar trilogy. The film centers around Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private as they set out to keep Dave, a jealous and vengeful octopus, from capturing penguins in order to disfigure them into less-cute creatures. The penguins are voiced by Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and Conrad Vernon. Others in the cast include Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong and John Malkovich.
Penguins of Madagascar is now streaming on Peacock.
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
If you’ve ever wondered what your pets do all day while you’re at work or just not home, look no further. The Secret Life of Pets — made by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures — gives a glimpse at why you may find fur in your kitchen appliances, litter all over the floor, and stains on your carpet. The comedy answers all of that and has an engaging storyline as well, when some house pets go outside and have to deal with betrayal by other pets, Animal Control, and a gang of animals who were abandoned by humans and have it out for domesticated creatures. Giving voice to the animals are Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, and Bobby Moynihan.
The Secret Life of Pets is now streaming on Peacock.
Trolls World Tour (2020)
Can't stop the feeling! Before Trolls Band Together hits theaters on November 17, catch up on the second installment in the hit DreamWorks franchise inspired by those wacky dolls with the multi-colored hair. World Tour, which entertained plenty of listless families during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, finds Poppy (Anna Kendrick), Branch (Justin Timberlake), and the rest of the crew on an adventure through several musical realms to defeat the nefarious rock 'n roll Troll known as Barb (Rachel Bloom).
Trolls World Tour is now streaming on Peacock.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Here we gooooo! In addition to streaming exclusively on Peacock, the adventure flick from Universal Pictures and Illumination that’s based on the beloved Nintendo games is also available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital. See why the movie became the first film of 2023 to earn more than $1 billion at the box office, and score a spot amongst the top 10 highest-grossing animated releases of all time. Listen for the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario; Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach; Charlie Day as Luigi; Jack Black as Bowser; Keegan-Micheal Key as Toad; and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now streaming on Peacock.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
If you can’t beat them, join them. In this DreamWorks film set during a time when Vikings and dragons are at war, a teenage Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is not strong enough to fight the dragons, so he makes friends with them instead. It starts with Hiccup using one of the devices he creates to shoot down a Night Fury dragon, which he ends up setting free because he doesn’t want to kill it. The teen later comes across the Night Fury in a forest, and discovers he can’t fly due to Hiccup shooting him down. But Hiccup then creates a prosthetic fin, which allows the dragon to fly again. He names the dragon Toothless, and figures out how to train and ride him. The skills he picks up allow Hiccup to subdue the other dragons he faces during the combat training his dad has signed him up for.
How to Train Your Dragon is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2021)
When Gary the snail goes missing, Bikini Bottom's best buddies — SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) — embark on another whirlwind adventure that brings them face-to-face with the vainglorious King Poseidon (Matt Berry) in Atlantic City. The first SpongeBob movie to be completely rendered in 3D animation, Sponge on the Run also serves as something of a backdoor pilot for the Kamp Koral prequel series. Oh, and Keanu Reeves plays a talking tumbleweed.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is now streaming on Paramount+.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
This follow-up to 2011's Puss in Boots features the title character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) on a mission in the Black Forest, where he’s trying to find the Wishing Star to get back his lost lives. Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) is along for the ride to help out, but Goldilocks (Florence Pugh), Jack Horner (John Mulaney) and a big, bad wolf (Wagner Moura) are also in pursuit. The DreamWorks Animation movie, the sixth in the Shrek franchise, was the second highest-grossing animated film of 2022, and was nominated for Best Animated Film at 2023's Academy Awards. Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, Anthony Mendez, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph also make up the voice cast.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is now streaming on Netflix.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
We all know the original Disney version of the fairy tale Pinocchio, but Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion rendition (co-directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson) brings a new spin on the story. The film explores grief, found families, and the dangers of fascism. There’s also a song or two. It’s a movie with vivid imagery and characters and will bring you terrible joy (just like Pinocchio does to his papa, Gepetto).
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.
