The best films for a group don't flatten the experience - they create one. You want something that generates opinions, debates, a reason to stay up later than planned.
Looking back, the 2000s were a golden era for this kind of filmmaking - studios still willing to fund serious work, directors still pushing at the edges of what was expected.
Animation removes the barrier of physical reality, which means it can go places nothing else can.
Liana and Alexa are best friends who share everything, including their love of singing. Upon meeting a girl inside a mirror, the duo embark on a journey that will put their friendship to the ultimate test.
Demons that once almost destroyed the world, are revived by someone. To prevent the world from being destroyed, the demon has to be sealed and the only one who can do it is the shrine maiden Shion from the country of demons, who has two powers; one is sealing demons and the other is predicting the deaths of humans. This time Naruto's mission is to guard Shion, but she predicts Naruto's death. The only way to escape it, is to get away from Shion, which would leave her unguarded, then the demon, whose only goal is to kill Shion will do so, thus meaning the end of the world. Naruto decides to challenge this "prediction of death."
When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters-an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire-to rescue him.
Adventure awaits 12 year old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. In order to finish Brother Aiden's book, Brendan must overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him beyond the abbey walls and into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. Will Brendan succeed in his quest?
Ninjas with bloodline limits begin disappearing in all the countries and blame points toward the fire nation. By Tsunade's order, Kakashi is sacrificed to prevent an all out war. After inheriting charms left by Kakashi, Naruto fights through friends and foes to prevent his death while changing the minds of those who've inherited the will of fire.
These films use the freedom of animation to go places live-action won't. They earn every tear.
The Planet Express crew return from cancellation, only to be robbed blind by hideous "sprunging" scam artists. Things go from bad to worse when the scammers hack Bender, start traveling through time, and take Earth over entirely! Will the crew be able to save the day, or will Bender's larcenous tendencies and their general incompetence doom them all?
Manny the mammoth, Sid the loquacious sloth, and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger go on a comical quest to return a human baby back to his father, across a world on the brink of an ice age.
Wallace and Gromit open a bakery, accidentally getting tied up with a murder mystery in the process. But when Wallace falls in love, Gromit is left to solve the case by himself.
Cyborg detective Batou is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by gynoids-doll-like cyborgs, which all malfunctioned, killed, then self-destructed afterwards. The brains of the gynoids initialize in order to protect their manufacturer's software, but in one gynoid, which Batou himself neutralized, one file remains: a voice speaking the phrase "Help me."
The Joker is back with a vengeance, and Neo-Gotham's Dark Knight, Terry McGinnis, needs answers as he stands alone to face the old Gotham's most infamous Clown Prince of Crime.
The best hopeful films aren't naive. They acknowledge the difficulty and find the humanity anyway. These do that.
A great animated film reminds you that the most universal emotions don't need to be rendered in flesh and blood to feel completely real.