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<\/p>\nEvery 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,\u00a0 we\u2019re spoiled when it comes to live-action offerings, but what about animation? Today, we\u2019re looking back on the year 2000, the year Y2K became a humorous footnote of paranoia, Deftones\u2019 \u201cWhite Pony\u201d defied expectations, and Jessica Simpson declared tuna the \u201cChicken of the Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, there are any number of wild pop culture milestones to mark the turn of the century, but today, we\u2019re setting our sights on the greatest animated films of 2000, with a Top 5 list that\u2019s sure to make you feel nostalgic and appreciative of the leaps we\u2019ve made in the cinematic art form since then. Let us begin!<\/p>\n
5) Blood the Last Vampire<\/p>\n
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Blood: The Last Vampire\u00a0is often my go-to recommendation for anyone curious about watching anime. I don\u2019t want to overwhelm this person with a 100+ episode series, and a feature too complex could scare them away from exploring all anime has to offer. With a runtime of 48 minutes, Hiroyuki Kitakubo\u2019s\u00a0Blood: The Last Vampire\u00a0is an essential \u201cget in, get \u2019em hooked,\u201d experience.<\/p>\n
The story revolves around Saya, a Japanese vampire slayer, whose next mission takes place in a high school on a US military base in the 1960s. The animation is exquisite, beautifully lit, and meticulously executed in style. The soundtrack drips with hot, sweaty jazz, thunderous orchestral pieces, darkwave, industrial constructs, and lo-fi beats to chill to. The vampiric events emerge on Halloween, adding an inherent spookiness to the Gothic themes, drama, and slice \u2018n dice action. It\u2019s a tradition in my house to watch Hiroyuki Kitakubo\u2019s\u00a0Blood: The Last Vampire\u00a0once a year around Halloween season. It\u2019s a ritual I\u2019ve kept for 24 years, counting, and I plan to make it 25 soon. While\u00a0The Last Vampire\u00a0didn\u2019t break the bank, it\u2019s a cult favorite among\u00a0Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust\u00a0and\u00a0Kizumonogatari\u00a0fans.<\/p>\n
4) Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust<\/p>\n
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Before Netflix\u2019s Castlevania stunned audiences with its Gothic tale of forbidden love, charismatic undead, and unrivaled monster hunters, Yoshiaki Kawajiri\u2019s Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust took the classic story of the rogue vampire hunter to new heights for an anime so gorgeous, visceral, and moody that it\u2019s still one of the best of the best twenty-five years later.<\/p>\n
In Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, a legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to return a young woman, who has been seemingly abducted by a vampire, to her family. The result is a display of beauty, brutality, and ungoldy sights that only the boldest artists in anime could conjure. Dripping with eerie, grotesque charm, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a visual feast from beginning to end with memorable characters, unsightly monstrocities, and one of the smoothest vampires ever resurrected for the silver screen.<\/p>\n
3) The Emperor\u2019s New Groove<\/p>\n
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Pull the lever, Kronk! If you need a classic Disney<\/a> animated feature as endlessly quotable as movies like Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, look no further than Emperor\u2019s New Groove. Inspired by Mark Twain\u2019s classic novel The Prince and the Pauper, as well as Incan architecture and mythology, The Emperor\u2019s New Groove<\/a> stars David Spade as Kuzco, a self-centered emperor in desperate need of an attitude adjustment who meets Pacha, a humble llama herdsman voiced by John Goodman. Together, the duo embarks on a soul-searching journey through the wilderness while being chased by the emperor\u2019s evil advisor, Yzma, voiced by Ertha Kitt, and her hunky dolt of a boyfriend, Kronk, voiced enthusiastically by Seinfeld\u2019s Patrick Warburton.<\/p>\n There are many reasons The Emperor\u2019s New Groove appears on so many best-of lists. It\u2019s a blend of dry wit with slapstick rarely seen in Disney animated classics, and its reflective narrative prompts audiences to look inward, encouraging them to examine the ways they treat those around them, especially the less fortunate. Whether you\u2019re tuning in to watch Kuzco learn a vital lesson in humanity, clutch your sides at the oil and vinegar comedy stylings of Yzma and Kronk, or delight in a cautionary tale with humor, heart, and herotics, The Emperor\u2019s New Groove has a spot for you on the dancefloor.<\/p>\n 2) Titan A.E.<\/p>\n After Don Bluth\u2019s Dragon\u2019s Lair and Luc Besson\u2019s The Fifth Element asserted their place in pop culture history, Bluth and Gary Goldman\u2019s Titan A.E. took flight in what would become the duo\u2019s most ambitious feature to date. Set in the 31st century, Titan A.E. follows Cale Tucker, a young man striving to save humanity by protecting a massive ship that could create a new planet. With the Drej, a hostile alien species, hot on his trail, Cale partners with a ragtag crew of misfits to follow a genetically encoded map that could lead to humanity\u2019s salvation.<\/p>\n While some naysayers might argue that the film\u2019s look is outdated, more discerning animation enthusiasts contend that Titan A.E.\u2018s use of CGI is timeless and helped set the pace for generations to come. The stacked cast includes Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Janeane Garofalo, Nathan Lane, John Leguizamo, and Ton Loc, among others. The adventure spans solar systems as Cale and the crew race against time to establish a new Earth and send the Drej back to whatever intergalactic hell they came from. In 2000, Titan A.E. was a thrilling rollercoaster ride of effects, imagination, and inspired storytelling. As your attorney, I advise you to find a copy of this aspiring film and take the ride.<\/p>\n 1) Chicken Run<\/p>\n Popping into first place is Aardman Animation<\/a>\u2018s Chicken Run<\/a>. Inspired by the 1963 film The Great Escape, this stop-motion animated marvel blends humor and endless creativity with a grim backdrop. In the movie, a dreadful and deadly machine that effortlessly turns chickens into delicious pies becomes fully operational. With the threat of death just days away, the chickens of Mrs. Tweedy\u2019s Farm must hatch an escape plan that will grant them safe passage away from their inevitable and collective demise.<\/p>\n Chicken Run is not only my favorite of Aardman\u2019s films, but it is also one of my all-time favorite animated films. It\u2019s a brilliant film that manages to execute uproarious slapstick comedy while its characters become trapped in an oppressive setting where death and servitude consistently loom. It\u2019s an emotional bit of cinema as well, wherein a lie from the film\u2019s savior character is poised to undo the efforts of the group who\u2019ve suffered for so long under the watchful eye of the fascist-inspired Mrs. Tweedy and her dolt of a husband. It\u2019s not all doom and gloom, though \u2013 and for me, this is where the Chicken Run truly shines. Amidst its more dour themes, there is also a good deal of fun, inspired comedy, and hope. Honestly, once you start seeing the parallels drawn between the chickens\u2019 desire never to give up and how their incarceration serves as a mirror into humankind\u2019s own cruel practices, the film achieves a level of depth not found in most blockbuster animated presentations.<\/p>\n There you have it, folks. What do you think about our Top 5 Animated Films of 2000 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 2000 are! Until next time. Cheers!<\/p>\n \n Subscribe to our weekly newsletter\n <\/p>\n![\"Titan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/titan_a_e_animation-1024x538.jpg\")
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