Steve
Every year without fail, Hollywood and other foreign markets bring unforgettable cinematic experiences to the masses, feeding our senses with creativity, imagination, and in rare instances, the impossible. In many cases, we’re spoiled when it comes to live-action offerings, but what about animation? Today, we’re looking back on the year 2002, the year The Osbournes bit the head off of reality TV, for a look behind the scenes at one of heavy metal’s most iconic family units. Clone High gave the MTV generation an alternate history lesson, and Ben Affleck was named the “Sexiest Man Alive.”
Looking back, there are any number of wild pop culture milestones to mark the palindrome year, but today, we’re setting our sights on the greatest animated films of 2002, with a Top 5 list that’s sure to make you feel nostalgic and appreciative of the leaps we’ve made in the cinematic art form since then. Let us begin!
5) Treasure Planet
Unleashed in theaters when Disney was still obsessed with scratching its science fiction itch, Treasure Planet reimagines Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island for an action-adventure epic that pushes the limits of the studio’s computer-generated capabilities while still keeping plenty of 2D elements on display. Helmed by John Musker and Ron Clements, Treasure Planet follows Jim Hawkins, a young troublemaker with a desire to go beyond the stars, on a swashbuckling mission across the cosmos to uncover a fabled pirate’s treasure.
Starring the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, David Hyde Pearce, Martin Short, Emma Thompson, and more, Treasure Planet isn’t as character-rich as most Disney classics. It won’t earn any points from me for its soundtrack, but what it lacks in personas and song is made up for with stunning visuals, imaginative worldbuilding, and alien extras that keep your eyes busy throughout the journey. Treasure Planet feels like a Don Bluth movie, with artistry that evokes the style of Windsor McKay, as seen through the lens of Jacques Cousteau.
4) Eight Crazy Nights
Anyone in the late 1990s knows Adam Sandler‘s The Chanukah Song. Having performed it on Saturday Night Live, on his comedy albums, and in concert tours, Sandler’s ode to Jewish celebrities is a fan favorite that spawned this musical film. A rare holiday film about the Festival of Lights, Eight Crazy Nights features Sandler portraying four different characters in a weed-soaked parallel to Tom Hanks’ multiple roles in The Polar Express. All of Sandler’s repertory players are here, including Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz, and Carl Weathers. Featuring songs written by Sandler exclusively for the movie, Eight Crazy Nights was panned by critics and failed to recoup its $34 million budget.
Despite the prevalent toilet humor, Sandler’s ode to the Jewish holidays has gone on to become something of a cult classic. Animated by multiple studios, Eight Crazy Nights hailed from the same artists who worked on 1999’s masterpiece The Iron Giant. This film shares the same classic hand-drawn animation style as Brad Bird’s film and maintains a similar retro vibe, a rarity in today’s era of computer-generated animation. Eight Crazy Nights would be Sandler’s only animated film for a decade until his voice work on Hotel Transylvania and the only animated film produced by Meatball Productions, the animation division of Happy Madison Productions. While Sandler’s animation work has become more prevalent in recent years, Eight Crazy Nights remains a unique entry in his filmography and one of the few Hanukkah-themed holiday films to emerge from Hollywood.
3) The Powerpuff Girls Movie
Before Rumi, Mira, and Zoe empowered the Honmoon in KPop Demon Hunters, three pint-sized warriors infused with Chemical X by the names of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup kept the world safe from ne’er-do-wells and other baddies of the villainous variety. In Craig McCracken’s directorial debut, the Powerpuff Girls unleash their colorful brand of badassery to keep Townsville from falling into ruin at the maniacal paws of Mojo Jojo.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie serves as a prequel to the Cartoon Network animated television series that swept the world, beginning in 1998. The delightfully derranged and energetic film tells the origin story of the superpowered trio, from the onset of their powers to inadvertently destroying Townsville and aiding a villain in his quest for world domination. McCracken’s film is ceaselessly adorable, action-packed, surprisingly emotional, and just as funny as the core series. The story teaches young audience members that even superheroes make mistakes, and if you come by your faults honestly, redemption is always within reach. While some fault the film for being slightly more violent and darker than the series, this puts the movie at an advantage, as it offers something different and treats its themes with respect. It would have been too easy to make this film as sugary sweet as the Powerpuff Girls themselves, but it also packs a bit of spice, which, as we know, makes everything nice.
2) The Cat Returns
Animation isn’t always the first genre of entertainment that comes to mind when audiences hear the term “spin-off,” but occasionally, animators get inspired to treat fans to more of a good thing. Such is the case with Studio Ghibli’s The Cat Returns, a whimsical adventure spinning out of 1995’s coming-of-age drama Whisper of the Heart. Featuring characters like Baron the Cat and Muta, The Cat Returns centers on Haru Yoshioka, a young woman with the unusual ability to communicate with cats. After saving a cat from being hit by a truck on a busy road, that cat turns out to be Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom. To thank Haru for her heroism, Lune offers his paw in marriage, which Haru confusedly accepts. Realizing she’s made a terrible mistake, Haru partners with the cat Muta, and together, they’re transported to the Cat Kingdom to sort out the miscommunication. Magical hijinks ensue, creating another enchanting excursion into the wondrous world of Ghibli.
Speaking as an unabashed cat lover, The Cat Returns is pure cinematic catnip for someone with my sensibilities. The film is positively darling from beginning to end, with all manner of feisty feline merriment inviting audiences into a world only realized in our wildest dreams. Beautifully animated and as charming as you’d expect, The Cat Returns presents animal lovers and audience members of all ages with an imaginative journey into a fantastical world populated by one of nature’s sweetest and most loyal inhabitants. There’s nothing quite like watching The Cat Returns with your favorite kitty curled up on your lap, their purr like a fine-tuned motorboat carving through an ocean of dreams filled with treats and mice.
1) Lilo & Stitch
After taking audiences under the sea with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and exposing the truth behind what goes bump in the night with Monsters Inc., Walt Disney Feature Animation traveled to Hawaii for Lilo & Stitch, an animated adventure about an unlikely friendship between a young girl and a cuddly, mischief-making alien. While still filed under Disney’s sci-fi era of animation, alongside films like Atlantis and Treasure Planet, Lilo & Stitch harkens back to a simpler time for Disney, when buddy comedies warmed the hearts of audiences, young and old, and their lead characters endured throughout generations to become something more than flash-in-the-pan scene stealers.
Co-directed by How to Train Your Dragon visionary Dean DeBlois and The Wild Robot‘s Chris Sanders, Lilo & Stitch promotes strong familial bonds alongside a sense of belonging, regardless of how much of an outsider one may feel. The staying power of this Disney animated classic is undeniable, as the live-action version earned the House of Mouse over $1 billion worldwide in 2025, making a swift recovery from the nightmare that was Marc Webb’s reimagining of Snow White. Lilo & Stitch seamlessly blends classic 2D animation with watercolor backgrounds to create a stunning visual style that evokes an old-school Disney feel. Few Disney animated films since have felt as tactile and hand-crafted as Lilo & Stitch, and I doubt they ever will again.
There you have it, folks. What do you think about our Top 5 Animated Films of 2002 list? Are your favorite films represented here? Are there any grievous omissions? Leave us a comment and let us know what your Top 5 Animated Films of 2002 are! Until next time. Cheers!
