While most people associate animation with children’s shows and Disney movies, that is no longer the case and, in fact, a disservice to the genre. In the last two decades, there has been a rise in demand for adult-oriented animated content. From hilariously popular TV shows likeRick & MortyandBojack Horsemanto more serious animated films likeMarjane Satrapi’sPersepolis, it would seem no topic is off-limits for animators. While most of us may associate adult animation with some form of comedy, there are a number of adult animated dramas on the market as well.
One genre that is also popular with the adults is the documentary, in which a film shows the finer details of true stories. With seemingly infinite topics available to cover, a well-made documentary has true potential to thrive in the film industry. Recently, we have seen an intersection between adult animation and documentaries. The use of animation is becoming the preferred method of true-story-telling rather than having a live action dramatization. As such, here are the best animated documentaries, ranked.
Nuts!is a “mostly true” documentary that revolves around the life of controversial doctor John R. Brinkley, who, perAV Club, is historically referred to as a quack and earned the name of the “Goat Gland Doctor” after inventing a procedure that claimed to cure impotence. This mostly-animated documentary takes its facts fromThe Life of a Man: A Biography of John R Brinkley. The documentary took a more comedic approach to the content matter, informing and entertaining audiences at the same time. The documentary was well-received upon its release and won the Special Jury Award for Editing during itspremiere at Sundance Film Festival.
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4Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashiris an Israeli animated documentary that follows the story of Ari Folman and his search for memories of his experience serving his country during the Lebanon war in 1982. Despite the fact that Ari witnesses the Sabra and Shatila massacre, he realizes that he has absolutely no memory of the event. Folman wrote, directed and starred in the documentary, which is based upon his experiences with PTSD and memory loss from trauma. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was subject to near universal acclaim.Waltz with Bashirwas also nominated for a number of accolades, competed for the Palme d’Or, and even became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The most recently released animated documentary on this list isFlee. This film revolves around Amin Nawabi, who shares the story of how he fled his home of Afghanistan for Denmark after 20 years of silence.Fleewas subject to acclaim for its honest approach to the topic of emmigration as well as the use of real archival footage of what was happening in Afghanistan at the time Amin left for Denmark.Fleepremiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021 and won the Grand Jury Prize. After its public release,Fleequickly became one of the best movies of 2021, perVox, with both audiences and critics praising it.Fleealso became the first animated documentary to win Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Best Animated Feature at the Annie Awards.
Related:Best Behind the Scenes Documentaries, Ranked
Towerexplores the true story of the 1966 Texas University shootings, which resulted in 16 deaths and three dozen wounded citizens while the sniper held the entire campus of the university hostage for a harrowing 96 minutes while atop the University of Texas Tower. The documentary is widely well-received with a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, having earned praise for the way the sensitive subject matter was handled. It won a number of awards including Best Documentary at the Austin Film Critics Association and Best Documentary from the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.
1Approved for Adoption
Approved for Adoptionis a multinational documentary based on the comic by Korean-Belgian artist Jung, who also helped direct and write the film. The film is based on Jung’s experience being adopted into a Belgian family and feeling stuck after being accepted by neither the West nor the East. Jung makes his way as a cartoonist and heads to Korea to get in touch with his heritage. Despite its limited release,Approved for Adoptionhas a whopping 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of this, the documentary took home the Magritte Award for Best Editing as well as the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival.
