There have been many anime movies that have been nominated for Academy Awards, or Oscars, as they're better known, including Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle. However, only a few have won Oscars. Others anime films have won Golden Globes, New York Critics Films, Annie Awards, and much more. Although there are many anime movies out there that deserve awards, it is a very underappreciated genre.

From The Boy and the Heron winning an Oscar to several other movies winning Annie Awards and other awards from boards of film critics, in recent years there has been more appreciation for anime. As anime as a genre becomes more mainstream, maybe more anime movies will take over at these big award shows. It will certainly be interesting to see which anime movies are nominated for future Academy Awards, Golden Globes, etc.

This anime film by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki was nominated at the Academy Awards in March 2024, and it ended up winning Best Animated Feature. The Boy and the Heron was also nominated at the 81st Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and took home the prize at that awards show as well. Another American award it won was the New York Film Critics' 2023 Rankings for Best Animated Picture. This Studio Ghibli film was also nominated for seven Annie Awards.

The Boy and the Heron not only has amazing animation, but has a very potent plot as well. In this film, a young boy named Mahito moves to the countryside with his father and step-mother after his mom is killed in a hospital fire. At his step-mother's estate, a heron that lives on the property takes an interest in him, and soon he finds himself transported to another world with the heron "creature" as his guide. The Boy and the Heron can be a little creepy at times, but the art is ultimately beautiful, and the story is both entertaining and heartbreaking in certain moments.

To add another famous film by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away was the first Japanese animated film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature. It ended up winning that award and would go on to win other global awards such as the Cinekid Film Award at the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam, and Best Asian Film at the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards. Some other American awards won by Spirited Away include Best Animated Film by the National Board of Review (based out of New York City), and Best Animated Feature at the 30th Annie Awards in California, where Hayao Miyazaki also won a few other awards for the film.

Spirited Away is about a young girl who finds herself interacting with the paranormal, or spirits, as they travel to come to a bath house for the supernatural. She finds herself navigating this strange world as she tries to reunite with her parents, stay safe, and find a dragon boy who promised to help her. The film is full of strange creatures and odd magic. Those who like the Disney film Alice in Wonderland and are looking to get into Japanese films should give Spirited Away a try.

In 2016, Your Name won an award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for Best Animation. This wonderful anime movie also won the Anime Award for Best Film at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Crunchyroll, originally being founded in the United States, makes it another American award for Your Name. It was nominated for other American awards such as through the Annie Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association, and the San Fransisco Film Critics Circle.

Inspired by the frequency of natural disasters in Japan, Your Name follows two teens who begin to swap bodies. They have never met, and being in the other person's body causes chaos in both of their lives. It turns out the girl, Mitsuha, who was living in rural Japan, has wished to be a Tokyo boy in her next life, which led to the strange happenings.

This beautiful historical fantasy film was directed by Isao Takahata before he passed away in 2018. It was nominated for both an Oscar (Best Animated Feature Film of the Year) and a Saturn Award (Best Animated Feature). The Tale of Princess Kaguya was also nominated at several other awards shows including the Annie Awards. It did win Best Animated Film from the Boston Society of Film Critics. The Tale of Princess Kaguya also won Best Animation from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

This is yet another Studio Ghibli film, but the art style is quite different from the rest of the films Studio Ghibli has produced. The art looks like paintbrush strokes rather than clean lines, and it gives the film a sort of antique feeling. The Tale of Princess Kaguya is based off the 10th century Japanese story, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In this film, a bamboo cutter finds a small girl growing inside a bamboo shoot. He takes her home and he and his wife raise her as their own. She grows up and attracts suitors, but her story is ultimately bittersweet.

Another beautiful Studio Ghibli film, this movie was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi who was also nominated for awards because of his beautiful direction on this film. When Marnie Was There was nominated for several American awards including Annie Awards. It ended up winning other American awards like Chicago International Children's Film Festival's Children's Jury Award for Animated Feature Film or Video in 2015. Also in 2015, When Marnie Was There won the Films4Families Youth Jury Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. This award was won for the film's "...beautiful and detailed animation, realistic sound design, and original, bittersweet tale of mystery..."

After 12-year-old Anna Sasaki is sent to the countryside for the summer to help with a medical condition, she begins to notice a girl there of about the same age named Marnie, who is seen around an abandoned house. Through a series of events, Anna begins to suspect Marnie is a ghost. During this time, Anna is having trouble with her foster parents and clings to Marnie emotionally. As it turns out, Marnie is actually the ghost of a relative of Anna's, and having been able to meet and talk to Marnie ultimately helps Anna connect with her foster family and new relatives better.

Having been released in 2018, Mirai is one of the most recent anime films to be nominated for an Academy Award. It sadly lost the title to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse but won other American awards. One of those awards was at the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, where Mirai won Best Animated Film. Mirai also won an Annie Award: Best Animated Independent Feature in 2019. Mirai was also nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Award.

After 4-year-old Kun gets a baby sister, he grows very jealous because his workaholic parents give her the attention he never received as a baby. He storms off, and soon finds himself in another world where his sister is all grown up, and is the one taking care of him. He gains a new love for his sister and after returning home, is able to reconnect with her. Mirai tells the important story of sibling rivalry, parental bonds, and even what it's like to be 4 years old, although some would say Kun is a very complex character for his age.

Paprika was met with some interesting American awards, including the Chlotrudis award, which is part of the Boston film community. To be eligible for the Chlotrudis award, "a film cannot have been released on more than 1,000 screens nationally during its first four weeks." Paprika was also the 2007 Feature Film Award winner in the Animation category at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Additionally, this anime film won two awards at the 2007 Tokyo Anime Awards.

​​​​​As an adult film, Paprika explores some topics that may not be suitable for children. Paprika takes place in a futuristic society, and is about a research psychologist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, who is trying to stop a "dream terrorist" from taking the devices people use to share dreams. Sharing Atsuko's mind is a dream personality called Paprika, who is like a detective. Many people liked Paprika and found the science fiction aspect entertaining, while others disliked the "weirdness" of the film.

Taking a different route with an anime film that won an American award not for its animation, but for its music, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas was given the MVPA (Music Video Production Association) Award for Best Direction of a Male Artist for Abu Bakr Mahim's music in the film. Awards this film was nominated for include 2019 Anime Trending Awards and 2018 Catalonian International Film Festival Awards.

While it might sound like a movie about cannibals, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is actually an adorable and sad love story. The story in I Want to Eat Your Pancreas follows an unnamed male high school student, who finds a book in the hospital waiting room that turn out to belong to his classmate, Sakura. While reading it, he discovers that she is suffering from a fatal illness affecting her pancreas. This movie can be compared to films like A Silent Voice because its both a beautiful story of friendship and love, and a story with a sad ending.

The 2019 anime film Weathering With You may not have won many big American awards, but it did win many awards globally, including the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2019 and the Animation of the Year award at Tokyo Anime Awards in 2020. The American award it won was the New Mexico Film Critics award for Best Animated Film in 2019. Weathering With You was also nominated for other American awards, like the Best Foreign Language Film at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and some Annie Awards.

In Weathering With You, a 16-year-old boy runs away from his home in Tokyo, and soon befriends an orphaned girl who can control the weather. This is another very emotionally charged romance anime movie. This movie takes on concepts of friendship, the supernatural, being abandoned, and wanting to abandon one's old life. Many people like this movie and its interesting concept of "weather girls" which describes the female lead. The movie also has pretty good ratings, including a Tomatometer of 93%.

Lesser0known in the anime film community is From Up on Poppy Hill, which won an award at the Golden Trailer Awards for Best Foreign Animation/Family Trailer. It was nominated for other American awards, including one from the Utah Film Critics Association and one from the Chicago Film Critics Association. From Up on Poppy Hill has won five other awards internationally, including three Tokyo Anime Awards and a shared voice actor award from Behind the Voice Actors with Jamie Lee Curtis.

At first glance, From Up on Poppy Hill is just a story about some high school kids trying to save their club building from demolition. With a deeper look, viewers will find it's about much more than that. It's about love, family, passion, and determination. From Up on Poppy Hill tells a powerful story about the bond two kids can share, and how deeply they can care for not only a school activity, but for each other as well.