Top Standalone Anime Movies, a list by Gabriel Zimmerli

8.5

/375041/

85

/9884/

84

/6266/

4.5

/1023250/

100

/50/

95

/5486/

94

/16/

8.5

/449120/

4.0

age 15+

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

87

7.8

/19876/

80

/1728/

80

/460/

4.3

/374142/

100

/25/

98

/131/

90

/6/

8.6

/122499/

age 11+

Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing.

87

8.0

/60729/

79

/2995/

80

/1921/

4.3

/268934/

100

/96/

90

/458/

89

/28/

8.2

/133910/

4.0

age 9+

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

87

8.3

/476589/

84

/15508/

83

/8693/

4.4

/1474015/

93

/123/

94

/12004/

78

/31/

8.6

/871132/

4.0

age 12+

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

87

8.4

/381397/

86

/18719/

85

/12208/

4.2

/1323183/

98

/118/

94

/1179/

81

/26/

8.8

/2046554/

3.5

age 12+

High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.

87

8.1

/424034/

82

/16638/

80

/8543/

4.2

/1748779/

94

/63/

94

/7768/

87

/16/

8.2

/745549/

4.0

age 5+

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

86

8.2

/134884/

84

/6897/

83

/4322/

4.2

/748019/

95

/37/

94

/391/

78

/10/

8.9

/1758890/

age 13+

Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?

84

7.6

/11361/

78

/807/

82

/557/

3.8

/42030/

100

/15/

97

/100/

8.3

/266868/

age 10+

With dreams of diving abroad, Tsuneo gets a job assisting Josee, an artist whose imagination takes her far beyond her wheelchair. But when the tide turns against them, they push each other to places they never thought possible, and inspire a love fit for a storybook.

84

8.1

/33962/

81

/2106/

82

/1709/

3.9

/178777/

93

/14/

92

/58/

8.5

/651084/

After his classmate and crush is diagnosed with a pancreatic disease, an average high schooler sets out to make the most of her final days.

84

8.1

/53938/

82

/3233/

82

/2411/

4.1

/153698/

95

/21/

92

/287/

76

/8/

8.5

/481039/

age 10+

After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.

84

8.0

/195066/

81

/6638/

79

/3918/

4.2

/423613/

89

/19/

90

/72/

86

/7/

8.3

/255011/

age 11+

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

83

7.3

/122426/

74

/5795/

74

/2468/

3.9

/1151461/

96

/275/

88

/474/

91

/55/

7.6

/89484/

4.0

age 10+

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

83

7.6

/41557/

74

/1951/

73

/1203/

3.9

/157147/

100

/63/

82

/66/

90

/19/

7.4

/83893/

4.0

age 11+

In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

83

7.6

/182093/

79

/8571/

77

/4654/

4.1

/1158265/

91

/174/

84

/5249/

86

/29/

7.9

/422931/

4.0

age 5+

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

82

8.0

/117347/

82

/6092/

83

/3025/

4.4

/1052577/

84

/57/

89

/1220/

67

/17/

8.5

/426577/

age 16+

Rising pop star Mima quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.

82

8.2

/503360/

84

/18647/

83

/10733/

4.3

/2187816/

88

/185/

93

/14660/

82

/40/

8.6

/1005585/

2.5

age 8+

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

82

7.8

/81649/

80

/3475/

79

/2198/

4.2

/400693/

95

/21/

90

/1519/

75

/4/

8.2

/224797/

age 10+

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: 'Seiji Amasawa'.

82

8.0

/223078/

81

/10739/

79

/4598/

4.3

/743812/

91

/55/

90

/8614/

68

/22/

8.1

/554418/

age 16+

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.

81

7.6

/60002/

79

/4340/

78

/1622/

3.8

/369736/

96

/137/

98

/507/

77

/27/

8.2

/266240/

3.0

age 10+

Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.

81

7.7

/114312/

77

/5114/

77

/3581/

4.0

/481515/

95

/21/

87

/8412/

83

/11/

7.9

/176374/

age 10+

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

81

7.7

/11801/

78

/599/

74

/315/

4.2

/53930/

100

/14/

92

/233/

66

/6/

7.7

/35215/

age 16+

Nishi is a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the Japanese mafia, he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up trapped in an even more unlikely place.

81

7.8

/53945/

80

/2509/

79

/1449/

4.2

/240282/

92

/77/

91

/917/

75

/25/

8.2

/160371/

3.0

age 13+

On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.

81

7.4

/10402/

79

/992/

81

/683/

3.9

/32777/

100

/26/

87

/79/

72

/8/

8.3

/212820/

Fleeing the war, the immortal Machia, graced with eternal youth, finds a baby abandoned in the forest and decides to raise it as her own child, sparking a moving story between a mortal and a being who does not age.

81

7.8

/13694/

77

/817/

79

/608/

4.1

/38911/

97

/74/

87

/21/

73

/21/

8.2

/83440/

3.0

age 10+

Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetry and beauty. The many hardships, the loss of loved ones, the frequent air raids of the enemy, nothing alters her enthusiasm…

81

7.8

/35928/

79

/1555/

78

/970/

4.2

/138954/

93

/59/

90

/778/

70

/15/

8.2

/93296/

age 12+

Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.

81

7.7

/109696/

78

/5395/

78

/2728/

4.1

/506923/

87

/94/

88

/4298/

81

/26/

8.0

/300256/

age 16+

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it and recover it before damage is done: Paprika.

80

7.8

/184662/

80

/8535/

78

/4424/

4.1

/1038763/

85

/15/

8.2

/420513/

age 5+

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

80

7.5

/67903/

78

/4588/

79

/2529/

3.7

/264591/

91

/98/

96

/36/

72

/30/

8.2

/665224/

3.0

age 13+

The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if taking its cue from his life. After many days of solitude, he finally finds work as a freelance writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then, one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.

80

7.7

/19571/

79

/1189/

75

/450/

3.9

/19066/

91

/247/

8.2

/171195/

Pursued by formidable Chinese assassins, young Kotaro and his dog run into No Name, a mysterious stranger who gets pulled into the chase. The unlikely companions form a bond over saving the dog from a poison attack, but chaos erupts when the assassins find Kotaro, and No Name must face his past before a horrible fate is met again.

80

7.8

/44018/

78

/1665/

77

/711/

3.8

/35007/

90

/21/

89

/2211/

7.6

/75932/

age 17+

Jubei is a masterless ninja who travels the land alone, lending his services to those with gold—or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways—and possibly his life.

80

7.8

/15972/

78

/1282/

74

/448/

3.6

/8070/

100

/8/

82

/65/

7.9

/40713/

age 16+

In the year 2029, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster'. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a reproduced version of its original 1995 counterpart. Among a numerous enhancements, for the film's 2.0 release, were a number of scenes were overhauled with 3D animation, visual improvements, and soundtrack rerecorded in 6.1 surround sound.

80

7.8

/110911/

78

/4696/

77

/3251/

4.1

/462608/

88

/182/

85

/911/

83

/41/

8.1

/216651/

3.0

age 10+

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

80

7.6

/115232/

78

/5471/

76

/3057/

3.9

/447757/

94

/149/

86

/2181/

80

/28/

7.9

/242668/

age 5+

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

80

8.0

/195768/

80

/7388/

79

/4540/

4.1

/516616/

78

/7/

8.2

/330602/

age 8+

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

79

7.8

/17484/

80

/1096/

77

/502/

4.3

/72329/

86

/7/

95

/7532/

53

/5/

8.1

/46988/

Four talented alien musicians are kidnapped by a record producer who disguises them as humans. Shep, a space pilot in love with bass player Stella, follows them to Earth. Reprogrammed to forget their real identities and renamed The Crescendolls, the group quickly becomes a huge success playing soulless corporate pop. At a concert, Shep manages to free all the musicians except Stella, and the band sets out to rediscover who they really are — and to rescue Stella.

79

7.8

/24795/

79

/1288/

82

/1189/

3.9

/69957/

8.2

/482877/

One hot summer day a little girl gets lost in an enchanted forest of the mountain god where spirits reside. A young boy appears before her, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. And so a wondrous adventure awaits...

79

7.6

/29375/

79

/2324/

79

/1557/

3.9

/68630/

90

/67/

88

/141/

65

/15/

8.2

/237847/

3.0

age 11+

Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.

78

7.6

/75045/

77

/3898/

78

/2162/

3.9

/118846/

87

/23/

90

/1219/

66

/11/

8.0

/473277/

age 13+

When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to 'leap' backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.

78

7.5

/20247/

78

/1630/

75

/530/

4.1

/84720/

70

/10/

90

/42/

8.2

/221656/

A daredevil driver is determined to compete in Redline, the most popular race in the galaxy. The race only occurs every five years, but in order to participate he must overcome the mafia, the government and even love.

82

78

7.7

/2665/

80

/355/

79

/103/

4.1

/11688/

96

8.3

/206847/

With graduation right around the corner, every member of the Light Music Club except for Azusa will be leaving for good. But the girls aren’t going to let something as silly as graduation tear them apart! For their final hurrah, the girls are going on the ultimate vacation tour— all the way to London! Their overseas journey will lead them on a trip of discovery and friendship as they take the stage one last time for their final encore together.

78

7.2

/23790/

72

/884/

71

/531/

3.8

/28962/

87

/67/

81

/962/

75

/16/

7.5

/48489/

4.0

In the midst of societal conflict in the futuristic city of Metropolis, Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban set out to uncover the mystery behind the first human-like robot, Tima.

77

7.0

/1604/

72

/154/

69

/51/

3.7

/16483/

92

/50/

91

/51/

76

/17/

3.0

age 8+

Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn't play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections.

83

77

7.8

/3357/

80

/253/

77

/76/

4.2

/25540/

100

/15/

98

/30/

71

/4/

8.3

/16650/

age 10+

High school student Dai Miyamoto has his life is turned upside down the day he discovers jazz. Picking up a saxophone and leaving his sleepy hometown for the bustling nightclubs of Tokyo, Dai will find that the life of a professional musician isn’t for the faint of heart, as he must confront what it truly means to be great.

77

7.5

/15666/

74

/774/

77

/536/

4.1

/93907/

82

7.7

/69863/

In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.

76

7.2

/6136/

72

/294/

68

/144/

3.7

/6611/

100

/8/

80

/123/

7.4

/18376/

3.0

On a future Earth, war between the Kingdom of Honneamise and its rival, The Republic, is inevitable. As evolving technology creates new ways to wage war, a small group seeks to propel mankind into space in their world’s first spaceflight program. For astronaut candidate Shirotsugh Lhadatt, it’s a personal odyssey as he grows from an aimless young man into a leader willing to put everything on the line in order to move the human race forward and away from the brink of Armageddon.

76

7.5

/15366/

75

/650/

73

/400/

4.1

/30620/

77

/22/

88

/950/

65

/9/

7.9

/47410/

Two penniless orphans, Black and White, struggle to survive on the mean streets of Treasure Town. When a megacorporation threatens to tear down the town to build an amusement park, Black and White engage in the fight of their life.

76

7.1

/3089/

73

/234/

72

/146/

3.9

/26230/

91

/57/

88

/16/

77

/16/

7.7

/12530/