KPop Demon Hunters debuted on Netflix in June 2025, and briefly order, everybody misplaced their minds. The film obtained tons of of hundreds of thousands of views and even made its method into theaters, a really uncommon feat for a Netflix Authentic that started off on the streaming platform. The phenomenon was so huge and so sudden that retail corporations are nonetheless scrambling to capitalize on it with merchandise like Lego units and video video games.
I get it. The songs are extremely catchy and the film is funnier and extra action-packed than anyone might have anticipated. However whereas everyone seems to be nonetheless so enthusiastic about KPop Demon Hunters, I’d prefer to level out that there are different — and, dare I say, higher — animated motion pictures on Netflix as nicely. There are movies which have stood the take a look at of time, others that managed to carry one thing new to longstanding fandoms, and loads of straight-to-Netflix flicks that didn’t make fairly the identical splash, however are nonetheless arguably superior.
So in the event you’re in any respect fatigued by KPop Demon Hunter-mania, I invite you to scroll proper previous it on Netflix and take a look at these 5 animated masterpieces as a substitute.
5
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
KPop Demon Hunters and The Mitchells vs. the Machines even have fairly a bit in widespread. Each are animated movies that had been produced by Sony Footage Animation and had been launched straight onto Netflix. The Mitchells vs. the Machines reached over 50 million views on the platform inside its first month, which doesn’t actually examine to the mega-hit of KPop Demon Hunters. And but, it was simply one of many largest releases throughout the pandemic.
Written and directed by Mike Rianda, the film focuses on the dysfunctional Mitchell household, who set out on a highway journey to drop Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) off in school. However on the way in which, the robotic apocalypse hits and everybody on Earth, besides the Mitchells, will get kidnapped by a megalomaniacal AI system.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines has strong laughs and a singular artwork type that blends 3D and 2D components, however what’s greatest in regards to the movie is how private it feels and the way actual the characters appear. Because it seems, the explanation for its relatable household dynamics is as a result of these relationships had been copied just about verbatim from Rianda’s precise household, which the filmmaker informed Polygon all about for its fifth anniversary.
4
The Willoughbys
The primary time I noticed The Willoughbys, I swore it was based mostly on a Roald Dahl story. This uncommon darkish comedy made for youths is about 4 weirdo kids with mother and father so horrible and neglectful that the children determine to attempt to kill them by planning essentially the most lethal trip doable. Seems the film is just not based mostly on something by Dahl. As an alternative, it’s based mostly on a ebook by Lois Lowry, a Newbery Medal-winning writer recognized for The Giver and lots of different books.
Nonetheless, I stand by the concept The Willoughbys has a Roald Dahl sensibility to it. Director Kris Pearn brings a beautiful sense of childlike whimsy blended with humor that ought to be method too darkish for youths, but it surely’s employed with such a foolish, clever contact that there’s no method anybody might ever take it severely. Whereas the film might appear to be it is “only for youngsters,” it’s extremely enjoyable for any age and the straight-to-Netflix animated movie deserves to get extra eyes on it.
3
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Film
Of all of the completely different iterations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 2018 animated sequence Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might be essentially the most divisive. It created each a rabid fanbase of devoted followers, together with loads of on-line scorn from old-school TMNT followers. The love for the sequence comes from its high-quality animation and its sharp, quick, humorous writing. The hate comes from its departures from longstanding TMNT lore, like an altered origins story and a household dynamic that’s radically modified by Grasp Splinter (Eric Bauza) being sort of a jerk, Raphael (Omar Miller) being the crew chief, and Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) being a smartass quipster.
However in 2022, when Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Film was launched on Netflix, an amazing many followers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that hated the sequence had been blown away by the movie. The film is about in a future the place a brain-like alien race referred to as the Krang have taken over Earth. To forestall the invasion, the younger soldier Casey Jones (Haley Joel Osment) is distributed again to the early 2020s by his commander, Leonardo. Casey then conjures up the younger, smartass Leo to search out his inside chief and cease the Krang earlier than they take over.
Basically, it’s the story of Leonardo changing into Leonardo, which is why a large cross-section of TMNT followers cherished this film. Excellent could also be a little bit of a attain right here, however in the event you’re a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this film is a must-watch.
2
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Everybody’s favourite man and canine duo made a giant comeback with the discharge of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which debuted on the BBC in December 2024 earlier than touchdown on Netflix in January 2025. The primary new Wallace and Gromit film in nearly 20 years (!) positively didn’t disappoint, telling a contemporary story with beautiful animation that additionally featured the return of iconic villainous penguin Feathers McGraw. Whereas Aardman management has hinted that one other journey may very well be coming quickly, there’s nonetheless no official affirmation of the following Wallace and Gromit outing. So for now, the perfect factor you are able to do is revisit Vengeance Most Fowl. There are positively worse methods to spend a comfy evening in.
1
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Positive, KPop Demon Hunters might have gained an Academy Award for Finest Animated Function Movie on the Oscars in 2026, however so did Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in a yr with a lot tighter competitors.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse tells the story of Miles Morales, who inherits the Spider-Man mantle after the dying of Peter Parker (and after getting bitten by a radioactive spider himself). His first main journey as Spider-Man finally ends up as an interdimensional affair after Kingpin causes a multiversal rip, bringing a number of different spider-powered heroes into his house dimension.
The film is cherished for its breakthrough animation, which celebrated the artwork of comedian books maybe greater than any animated movie in historical past. It additionally had a killer solid, a tremendous story greater than worthy of the trilogy it kicked off. And, sure, a soundtrack that even tops the likes of KPop Demon Hunters.