Robot cartoon movies have been a staple of family films for decades, especially since the cartoon format allows for more inventive and imaginative character designs. While many have robots simply as ing characters, there are also plenty that feature a robot protagonist, either as a helping hand for the story's hero or even as the hero themselves. The first robot in a movie was in 1927's Metropolis, which was live-action, but once the animated film industry got in full swing, hand-drawn (and later CGI) robots became a regular sight.

Animated movies tend to take the opposite view of artificial intelligence, too. Whereas most live-action movie robots are evil, their animated counterparts tend to be much more wholesome. From modern hits such as The Mitchells vs. The Machines to classics like The Iron Giant, there are plenty of movies that suggest something other than evil can come from androids with artificial intelligence. While android enthusiasts might get a kick out of any mechanoid that appears on-screen, the best animated movies with robots stand out for both their wide appeal and their unique takes on the idea of a mechanical hero.

15 9

Ragdolls Fight For Survival In The Robot-Controlled World

While a lot of the best animated robot movies offer family-friendly fun, 9 is perhaps a little too dark for younger viewers. The movie is set in an alternate timeline in the 1940s when a dictator created a robot army to fight his enemies only for the robots to turn on humanity as a whole. The scientist who was forced to create them uses a mix of science and magic to transfer his soul into the bodies of nine ragdolls with the hopes of saving humanity.

The inventive animated film sees the robot apocalypse from a unique and fun perspective. Instead of being a futuristic world of the robot lords, audiences get to see the 1940s version of killer robots that take over the world. Unlike many other animated movie robots, these robots serve as the villains of the story and are appropriately intimidating. The Fabrication Machine is a particularly memorable design that serves as the chief villain, the robot whose intelligence ran amok in the first place and doomed humanity.

14 Robot Dreams (2023)

A Dog And Robot Form An Impactful Bond

While robots offer fun sci-fi worlds to explore in movies, they can also be used in more grounded and relatable stories, such as the Spanish-French animated movie Robot Dreams. The movie follows a lonely dog who struggles to meet new friends and decides to order a robot who can be his companion. They make for a perfect duo until they are unexpectedly separated and spend their days waiting to be reunited.

Robot Dreams is a feature-length animated movie with no dialogue. Instead, the charming and captivating images tell a story of friendship and relationships that is insightful, heartbreaking, and inspiring. It explores the idea of finding a person who makes life better, the pain of losing that person, and the understanding that there are other relationships in the world. The robot protagonist is a sweet and caring creation who goes on its own adventure with dreams of seeing its friend again.

13 Transformers One

The Original Story Of Optimus Prime And Megatron

The Transformers franchise has been live-action ever since Michael Bay's 2007 movie, but Transformers One takes the smart approach by bringing it all back to its roots with an exciting big-budget animated adventure. Transformers One is an origin story that explores the past relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron on their home planet of Cybertron before they became bitter enemies. It also explores these iconic characters beginning their journey as Transformers.

One of the biggest complaints about the Transformers movies was their focus on the human characters over the titular robots. The animated take allows these robots in disguise to take the spotlight once again, being fleshed out as fun and layered characters. They are also brought to life by a terrific voice cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Scarlett Johansson. It is an action-packed and surprisingly emotional addition to the Transformers mythology that could kick-start a new animated series of movies.

12 Next Gen (2018)

The Charming Adaptation Of A Globally Popular Chinese Webcomic

Just like animated movies, robotic heroes have also been a staple of comic books ever since the medium became popular. With this in mind, it's little surprise that one of the best movies with a robot protagonist is an adaptation of a popular webcomic, namely Wang Nima's 7723. Directors Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander adapted 7723 into the animated movie Next Gen, and in doing so introduced Netflix subscribers to the lovable walking weapon that is the robotic hero 7723.

Mai is an angry teenage girl who gets dragged along by her robot-obsessed mother to a launch for the new Gen 6 Q-Bots, where she stumbles upon a secret project created by Dr. Rice called Project 77, the product of which is the robot 7723. Next Gen is a heartfelt story of relationships as Mai and 7723 go on many misadventures together, destroying other robots and confronting Mai's bullies, learning to let go of bad memories, and creating better ones.

When Mai's mother is kidnapped by Justin Pin, they band together to save her, and 7723 sacrifices his memory to reboot his weapon system and the ultimate battle between good versus evil ensues, saving Mai's mother and all of humanity in the process.

11 Meet The Robinsons (2007)

A Robot Childminder Shines As The Movie's Most Memorable Character

While Wall-E and Big Hero 6 are well-known titles from the House of Mouse, they're not the only times Disney has managed to win hearts with a robot in their animated movies. 2007's Meet The Robinsons may not have been a huge hit for the studios, but it does feature one of their most memorable mechanical characters. Carl the robot may not be the main character in Meet The Robinsons, but he provides many laughs at his panicky behavior upon realizing Wilbur brought Lewis into the future after sneaking away from the robot's watch.

Carl's duty is to keep an eye on Wilbur and prevent him from getting into trouble, and that backfires when Bowler Hat Guy threatens everyone with his diabolical plans to destroy the world. The robot is the first character viewers meet when the two boys travel to the Robinsons' home, and he warns Wilbur of the trouble they'd be in if they were caught. Though he aids Wilbur in rescuing Lewis and the memory scanner, he is impaled shortly thereafter, which prompts him to ask Lewis to consider building him with muscles in the future.

10 Robots (2005)

The Cult-Classic Animated Movie Where Every Character Is A Robot, Hero Or Not

Robots is an underrated animated film about the importance of chasing your dreams and never giving up, no matter what. As its title suggests too, the 2005 animated movie from director Chris Wedge is full of memorable robot heroes, villains, and everything in between, since every character in the film is one. Rodney Copperbottom has big dreams of being somebody in the world as an aspiring inventor and decides to take the leap of faith and travel to Robot City to meet his childhood hero Bigweld.

When Ratchet takes over for Bigweld and threatens the existence of every robot not able to afford fancy new parts, Rodney and the rest of the misfits band together to prevent them from becoming scrap metal at the chop shop. With an incredible cast including Ewan Mcgregor, Mel Brooks, Halle Berry, Amanda Bynes, and even the late Robin Williams in his hilarious role as Fender, there's much to love about this robot flick.

9 Treasure Planet (2002)

An Intergalactic Take On A Classic Adventure Story

The early 2000s were a strange time for Disney and Western animation. With CGI going into full swing, traditionally hand-drawn animation was taking a backseat. However, before Disney and their competitors fully embraced CGI there were a handful of beautifully stylistic animated movies — one of which was the 2002 cult hit Treasure Planet, which also included what is perhaps Disney's best animated robot, B.E.N. B.E.N. was once the navigator of the space pirate ship until Captain Flint stole his memory and left him stranded on Treasure Planet where Jim Hawkins comes upon him.

The beloved robot then returns with Jim and works at the Benbow Inn helping his mother take care of the hotel.

The eccentric robot then aids Jim in uncovering Flint's treasure which he re is buried deep in the center of the mechanism of the ship. B.E.N. provides many humorous moments in the film, as he is able to deactivate the cannons on the ship through trial and error and the two new friends work together to save the entire crew. The beloved robot then returns with Jim and works at the Benbow Inn helping his mother take care of the hotel.

8 Astro Boy (2009)

The Classic Robot Hero From A Timeless Manga Explodes Onto The Big Screen

One of the best movies with a robot hero focuses on a character that's been one of the most popular Manga characters in Japan since his debut in 1952 - writer and illustrator Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. 2009's Astro Boy movie comes from director David Bowers, and captures all the charm of the on-page. Astro Boy takes place in the 22nd century, where Metro City is suspended above Earth using advanced technology, and humans rely on robots to do everything for them.

Astro Boy has a dark background story, the robotic child being invented by Dr. Tenma after his son dies in a horrible accident, using a strand of his dead child's hair as well as his memories combined with blue energy to bring him back to life. The reunion is short-lived when Dr. Tenma can't face what he's done, asking an associate to disable him, but instead, Astro Boy is set free to the surface below.

Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human with the help of his newfound friends and returns to Metro City to save everyone from the evil created by President Stone.

7 Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

A Malfunctioning Robot Companion Becomes A Boy's Best Friend

There are several movies where an AI companion is portrayed as the must-have accessory, but few put their own spin on the concept quite like 2021's Ron's Gone Wrong from director duo Sarah Smith and Phillipe Vine. Barney Pudowski is a socially awkward middle-schooler who has a hard time making friends. What's more, due to his family's financial situation, he can't afford a B-bot — an artificial robot companion that functions more-or-less like a self-aware smartphone on wheels — like the other kids at school.

His dad and grandma buy him a slightly damaged B-bot illegally from a delivery driver in an alley as a chance for Barney to fit in, which Barney names Ron. However, it quickly comes to light that something about Ron is a little off, his code having not been programmed correctly. After Ron fights off a bully, Barney decides to teach the B-bot everything there is to know about friendship, learning valuable lessons along the way.

Ron's Gone Wrong brings one of the best non-Disney animated robots that becomes a hero in a heartwarming and funny film with the message that making friends is so much more than an algorithm.

6 The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021)

A Pair Of Malfunctioning Robots Rebel Against Their Programming To Help Humanity

2021's The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is an animated take on the classic trope of rogue AI going to war with humanity. The plot takes inspiration and almost satirizes movies like The Terminator and The Matrix franchise with its AI antagonist, PAL. However, this animated movie with robots from director Mike Rianda also features some incredibly memorable android heroes, too. In The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, Katie Mitchell finds herself on a family road trip, with her dad planning one last chance to bond with her before dropping her off at film school in California.

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is incredibly critically acclaimed, and even scooped up 8 Annie Awards, a highly prestigious accolade in the animation industry, during the year it released on Netflix.

During their trip, a robot apocalypse breaks out led by PAL, who orders all robots to launch every human into space. Two hilarious malfunctioning robots called Eric and Debrahbot 5000 forces with the Mitchells to defeat PAL after accidentally revealing there's a kill code they can that will put a stop to the uprising. The robots become like family to the Mitchells, calling Linda their mom and even accompanying Katie to Washington D.C. where she accepts the Congressional Gold Medal after saving the world.