It's often hard for animated movies to compete with the big studios, and this means that a lot of hidden gems don't get they recognition they deserve. Most people only watch animated movies from the big studios, but there's a whole world of creative animated movies which take risks, just waiting to be discovered.

Many of the best animated movies are those which break the mold and forge their own identities. This may not grant them the mainstream success of Disney or Pixar, for example, but fans of animation will find a lot to love in these lesser-known greats. They prove that brilliant animated movies can come from all over the world, in a variety of artistic styles.

10 The Sea Beast (2022)

The Sea Beast Has An Awe-Inspiring Sense Of Scale

The Sea Beast stars Karl Urban as a brave sailor who battles leviathans alongside his crew, but he faces a different kind of challenge when he has to take care of a rambunctious young girl who stows away on the ship in search of adventure. It's a touching story about found families and growing up, although The Sea Beast's action scenes provide most of the highlights.

The Sea Beast's action scenes provide most of the highlights.

Despite what the title suggests, there are plenty of monsters lurking beneath the waves in The Sea Beast. Whether on land or on water, the film is blessed with countless imaginative creature designs. This makes the world feel vibrant and the action feel unpredictable. A sequel to The Sea Beast is currently in the works.

9 Klaus (2019)

Klaus Deserves To Be Seen As A Christmas Classic

Every year produces a batch of new Christmas movies, most of which are forgotten about by the next time the holiday season rolls around. Klaus is an exception, as it has the potential to become appointment viewing in millions of households every year as one of the best Christmas movies ever, or one of the best Christmas animations at the least.

With a quirky, distinct style of animation that lends the film a picture-book quality, Klaus is filled with creative delights in every corner of the frame. The story follows a bumbling postman who befriends a mysterious toymaker. It may not be revolutionary for a Christmas movie, but when it's told with such heart it doesn't have to be.

8 Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)

An Artful Movie About Art

Ruben Brandt, Collector is a patchwork of different artistic styles, with nods to the works of Picasso, Dalí, Warhol and many more revolutionary painters. The story follows an art therapist plagued by violent nightmares who assembles an eccentric team of criminals to steal the famous artworks which haunt his psyche.

Ruben Brandt, Collector is one of the best heist movies ever, using the boundless creativity of its aesthetic style to directly impact the narrative. For a movie about the power of art to heal and change people, it practices what it preaches. Although it wears its influences with pride, it also has a profoundly original streak.

7 The Prince Of Egypt (1998)

A Biblical Tale That Can Be Enjoyed By Anyone

The Prince of Egypt was one of DreamWorks' early hits before the studio settled on the 3-D animation style of Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. Although it's a different kind of animated movie, it's one of the studio's very best, and it deserves as much recognition as the big DreamWorks franchises.

The Prince of Egypt tells the story of Moses, but this doesn't mean that it appeals exclusively to Christian audiences. It's a dramatic, fantasy-infused historical epic that can appeal to anyone, whether they approach the story as literal truth, metaphorical truth, or mere fiction. As an added bonus, it also has an outstanding star-studded ensemble cast.

6 The Red Turtle (2016)

The Red Turtle Is Part Studio Ghibli And Completely Enchanting

Most of Studio Ghibli's best movies enjoy huge international audiences, but The Red Turtle is a different prospect altogether. It's a co-production between Studio Ghibli and a number of independent French studios, which means it doesn't quite fit with the likes of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. It has a different art style, inspired by watercolors and rotoscoping.

The Red Turtle shouldn't be judged in the same way that other Studio Ghiblit films are, and these comparisons could be one reason why it has struggled to get the love it deserves. When it's assessed on its own merits, it becomes clear that The Red Turtle is an enchanting fantasy movie with an emphasis on visual storytelling.

5 Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (2022)

Richard Linklater's Nostalgia Trip Advances His Style Of Animation

Apollo 10 1/2 may look like a child-friendly sci-fi adventure, but it's actually a film that's geared more towards adults. Richard Linklater's movies often work with nostalgia, and Apollo 10 1/2 draws on his own childhood experiences to create a fast-paced story that links America's fascination with the space race in the 1960s to its broader cultural landscape.

Apollo 10 1/2's ending highlights its intelligent, heartwarming reflection on childhood. A lot of its references are designed to evoke a specific time and place, but the feelings are universal. Linklater has always been interested in rotoscope animation, and Apollo 10 1/2 makes great use of this style, creating a more colorful and fantastical version of reality.

4 Missing Link (2019)

A Commercial Flop That Deserves More

Laika has been blazing a trail for a more inventive and varied approach to animation in recent years, eschewing the American industry standard of 3-D computer-generated animation. Missing Link sees the studio taking another courageous leap, leaving behind the horror genre for a comedy adventure instead.

Missing Link was a box office bomb for Laika, losing the studio over $100 million by some estimates, but this doesn't reflect the quality of the movie. It's a light, imaginative adventure that evokes an era of brave exploration, when people thought that anything was possible beyond the edges of the map. It's also a quirky comedy of manners, with a sasquatch squeezing into a tweed suit and trying to blend in.

3 A Town Called Panic (2009)

A Stop-Motion Gem That Captures A Sense Of Play

A Town Called Panic is a free-wheeling comedic romp made using thousands of small plastic toys. It has much more in common with the irreverent humor of Robot Chicken than Toy Story, although it's fair to say that A Town Called Panic has no real equal in some regards.

A Town Called Panic spins a wonderfully nonsensical yarn, in which seemingly random events pile up on top of one another, fighting for attention. The lack of structure resembles the way that children tell stories when they play, but there's a wry, mature undertone to a lot of the humor.

2 The Illusionist (2010)

Sylvain Chomet Creates Another Charming Treat

Sylvain Chomet's first feature-length movie, The Triplets of Belleville, found plenty of international success, but The Illusionist isn't quite as popular. This is a shame, because The Illusionist is another inventive and heartwarming story that showcases Chomet's flair for visual comedy.

The Illusionist is based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati, and it's clear to see his influence throughout the story. Of course, the main character bears a striking resemblance to Monsieur Hulot, but there are also several long takes, hilarious misunderstandings, and uplifting, universal truths that have Tati's fingerprints on them.

1 I Lost My Body (2019)

I Lost My Body Is Unlike Anything Else

I Lost My Body was always unlikely to reach a huge audience, simply because it's such an unusual movie. Animated movies for adult audiences often struggle, especially one like I Lost My Body, in which a severed hand traverses a hostile city to try and reach its owner.

I Lost My Body is a masterpiece of visual poetry.

I Lost My Body is a masterpiece of visual poetry, with poignant metaphors, emotional truths and plenty of thematic rhymes which tie the story of the hand to the flashbacks of its owner's life. Although it's earned great reviews from critics, I Lost My Body deserves a bigger audience.