Entertainment
7 Animated Movie Trilogies Where Every Film Is a Masterpiece
Long-running franchises are more common nowadays, with series milking their IP as much as possible, for better or worse. However, everyone loves a good trilogy, like The Lord of the Rings. Animation, in particular, has become more popular, with viewers hoping for more trios in the medium.
With the rise of animation, now is the perfect time to rank the seven best movie trilogies, with each entry a masterpiece. Based on animation, writing, popularity, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and the overall quality of each film, here are seven must-watch trilogies that define the genre’s best.
1
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc (2012–2013)
Berserk is arguably one of the greatest manga series of all time, but its anime adaptations have received mixed reception. This set of movies adapts the Golden Age arc, a flashback about Guts’ backstory, from meeting the Band of the Hawk to fighting many battles, to the one moment that changed his life forever.
The later adaptations of Berserk are much worse, but luckily, these films are at least good, if not as good as the manga. Still, this story is timeless, and the trilogy does an excellent job of highlighting this iconic fantasy arc. It is dark, compelling, and rich in storytelling, making for a worthy adaptation of one of the best manga stories. Fans are better off reading the manga, but these movies are still masterpieces in their own right.
2
The Lego Movie Trilogy (2014–2019)
Everyone grew up playing with LEGOs, so it was only a matter of time until it got its own movie. The LEGO Movie had only two films, but this entry also includes The LEGO Batman Movie. Emmett (Chris Pratt) is an average construction worker, but now he is the one chosen to lead the resistance against evil.
No one expected The Lego Movie to be so good, but it instantly became a family classic and a staple animated movie. It was fun and creative, relating to everyone who has ever played with Lego. Next is The Lego Batman Movie, which was another shockingly fascinating and entertaining film that did well by the character while also offering new moments and humor, resulting in a fun and quirky trilogy that many fans want a new movie of.
3
Puss in Boots Trilogy (2011–2022)
Shrek is one of the most iconic trilogies of all time, but it sadly didn’t make this list since not all of them are masterpieces. However, that created an equally great spin-off, Puss in Boots. The titular cat has three films, each taking him from encounters with a bad egg and three adorable but feisty kittens to a face-to-face encounter with death itself.
Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos isn’t a masterpiece, but it is still a solid and enjoyable film that shouldn’t keep this trilogy off this list. The first film is an entertaining romp, but nothing more. However, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the greatest modern animated films, conveying a sense of emotional weight heavier than most. The themes, story, and villain create a masterpiece that rivals most animated trilogies.
4
Kizumonogatari Trilogy (2016–2017)
There are a handful of anime films on this list, but one of the greatest anime series of all time featured is the Monogatari Series. The Kizumonogatari trilogy is the first part of the franchise chronologically, following Araragi as he gains the powers of a vampire. However, if he wants to live as a human, he must retrieve the limbs of the vampire who took his blood, sending him off on a perilous journey.
The Monogatari Series is one of the most polarizing anime series because of its controversial themes and sexual content. However, the Kizumonogatari movies feature less of that and more of a cohesive story, making it the series’s best arc. The animation is gorgeous, fluid, and distinct, and the direction, editing, and style create an unconventional yet mesmerizing movie. Kizumonogatari is a wild ride with action, gore, romance, and drama, and each film is better than the next.
5
How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy (2010–2019)
Live-action adaptations of animated films are all the rage nowadays, even if they rarely turn out well, but one of the most recent was also one of the best. How to Train Your Dragon is a staple of the 2010s, following Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a Viking boy too weak in a world of cold-hearted warriors. Instead of killing a dragon, he tames it, hoping the rest of the clan and these creatures can live in harmony.
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is one of the most consistent, with each of the three movies offering a fun adventure with plenty of drama, emotion, action, and magic. The messages are wholesome and important, bolstering this already essential film with worthwhile subtleties. Each movie is grander than the next, and the natural progression and aging of the characters is a nice addition, creating an essential 2010s animated trilogy.
6
Makoto Shinkai’s Disaster Trilogy (2016–2022)
Most of the anime films on this list are part of a franchise or adaptation work, but Makoto Shinkai’s Disaster Trilogy is an original story. The trilogy consists of Your Name, which follows two teenagers who try to find each other after they switch bodies; Weathering With You, where a runaway student meets a girl who can control the weather; and Suzume, where the titular protagonist can see supernatural forces and tries to stop the world from ending.
What starts as a wholesome adventure in Your Name quickly becomes a high-stakes race against time. Often hailed as one of the greatest anime films of all time, this is the trilogy’s best, known for its visual beauty, powerful themes, and a profound romantic story. Weathering With You is the least popular of the bunch, but it is arguably the most daring. Choosing an unexpected plot twist, the story is ingrained in everyone’s memory. The atmospheric storytelling and gritty urban style set it apart from other idealistic films. Suzume is a direct response to the 2011 earthquake, detailing a deeply personal film that is also the most important. It ends the trilogy on a fantastic note, with masterful writing, themes, and animation.
7
Toy Story Trilogy (1995–2010)
After a string of lackluster originals, Pixar has leaned heavily into sequels, some of which panned out, while others failed. However, their magnum opus is undoubtedly Toy Story. When Andy accidentally forgets his toys when moving, his old reliable cowboy, Woody (Tom Hanks), and new and improved space man, Buzz (Tim Allen), begrudgingly work together to find him. Toy Story 2 is about the gang trying to escape a greedy collector, and Toy Story 3 follows the usual crew trying to escape a center for abandoned toys after mistakenly being donated.
Technically, Toy Story isn’t a trilogy, as the fourth film in 2019 made it a tetralogy, and the upcoming Toy Story 5 will make it even longer. Still, the original three is too perfect a conclusion not to be considered its own trilogy. The first three films are a flawless, complete story, wrapping up character arcs and bringing themes full circle. Each has a powerful message that is something new and inventive. In the end, the Toy Story trilogy might be the greatest of all time.
Toy Story
- Release Date
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November 19, 1995
- Runtime
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81 minutes
- Director
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John Lasseter
- Writers
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John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joss Whedon, Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen, Joe Ranft, Pete Docter
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Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear (voice)
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