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It’s undeniable that long movies can make for more challenging watches. In a world where it feels increasingly hard to pay attention to things, films that are a good deal longer than two hours may seem less attractive to certain viewers. Even film critics and directors seem to like shorter films that slip in below 90 minutes, as demonstrated by some choices in the most recent Sight and Sound poll in 2022.
Few types or genres of movies seem to be as closely associated with shorter runtimes as animation. Sometimes, it’s because certain animated films are aimed at younger audiences who might not have great attention spans, but more broadly, the laborious process of animating something to a high standard may mean long runtimes are less feasible. It ensures that longer animated movies that breach the two-hour runtime are worth celebrating.
Updated June 29, 2023, by Jeremy Urquhart:
The release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse rejuvenated interest in the longest animated movies of all time, as it’s significant for being one of the longest of all time, especially when compared to other U.S. releases. That doesn’t make it literally the longest animated movie in existence, but maybe the longest mainstream, wide-release English-language animated movie of all time. There are a few from other countries that exceed it in runtime, but it’s hard to deny it’s certainly a competitor for the title of longest animated film.
13 ‘The Congress’ (2013) — 122 minutes
The Congress is a strange, surreal science-fiction movie incorporating live-action footage and striking animation. It follows an actress struggling to find work, so she sells her likeness to a movie studio that then uses it for various computer-animated films. However, the deal also prevents her from acting in live-action roles ever again.
It’s a timely story, given that it not only sounds like something that could happen, but it may also already be happening. Talk of making a film with a CGI version of James Dean caused a great deal of controversy approximately six years after The Congress came out. It also means that this underrated and partly-animated sci-fi movie may be worth re-evaluating.
12 ‘Fantasia’ (1940) — 124 minutes
There isn’t exactly a plot to the 1940 Disney classic Fantasia, seeing as it’s a collection of short films that don’t tie directly into each other. The core premise is that each of the eight short films is set to a different piece of classical music, and each segment is introduced in a live-action segment by composer/music critic Deems Taylor.
Certain parts of the film are more iconic and well-remembered than others, but for its time, it was a groundbreaking work of animation, and it’s always neat to see the images on screen complement the music. Fantasia‘s also the longest animated film made by Disney, though it admittedly reaches 124 minutes by essentially being a collection of shorter films packaged into one.
11 ‘Akira’ (1988) — 124 minutes
Few anime films that weren’t produced by Studio Ghibli are as well-known as Akira. It’s a historically important and arguably timeless animated science-fiction movie set in a futuristic Neo-Tokyo and involving a plot that sees an underground military project turn a biker into a huge, angry creature with psychic powers.
It’s pretty remarkable how good Akira still looks and sounds, despite its age. When it comes to its length, it’s easy to argue that it might not be long enough, seeing as it’s a condensed adaptation of a much longer manga and, therefore, could’ve been turned into a series. Still, at 124 minutes, at least it fits a decent amount of story into its runtime.
10 ‘Spirited Away’ (2001) — 125 minutes
Hayao Miyazaki is the kind of highly regarded filmmaker who will make movies for as long he’s alive. A decent number of his movies hover around the two-hour mark, with Spirited Away being one of them, clocking in at 125 minutes.
It’s a fantastical and sometimes quite frightening film about a young girl having to get by in a strange land completely unlike the one she’s used to, all the while looking for a way to get her parents back since they’ve been transformed into pigs. The quality of the hand-drawn animation is detailed and very impressive, meaning that it would have taken a great deal of time to make such a great-looking animated film look so good for the whole runtime.
9 ‘A Silent Voice’ (2016) — 130 minutes
A Silent Voice is a coming-of-age anime film that follows a group of high school students with a lead character who starts off very unlikeable. His name’s Shouya, and he bullies a classmate who’s deaf to the point where she leaves their school, which in turn makes Shouya’s friends shun him.
Part of the film follows him at a slightly older age, where he’s shown to regret what he’s done, and he sets out on a journey to redeem himself and apologize to his ex-classmate. It’s grounded and character-focused, and while it’s undeniably sentimental in parts, it works quite well as an animated film and proves to be fairly moving.
8 ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (1978) — 132 minutes
Not to be mixed up with the Peter Jackson trilogy that came out in the early 2000s, 1978’s The Lord of the Rings is a very different beast. Most noticeably, it’s animated. While 132 minutes is a decent length for an animated film, it’s still not much time to capture such an epic fantasy story, demonstrated by the theatrical version of Jackson’s adaptation being approximately nine hours in length.
The characters and basic premise are familiar, but the quest to destroy the One Ring is ultimately cut short because this adaptation doesn’t adapt any material from the trilogy’s third part, The Return of the King. It naturally feels less complete than the live-action trilogy from the early 2000s, but it might still be worth a watch for big fans of The Lord of the Rings.
7 ‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997) — 134 minutes
Hayao Miyazaki’s longest film, Princess Mononoke, is also one of his best. It’s a sometimes dark and almost fairytale-like movie that follows a sstory about a young man going on a journey to heal a potentially deadly curse put upon him and stumbling into an intense conflict between the people of an industrial town and beings that live in a nearby forest.
Through this premise, it explores themes surrounding environmentalism and humanity’s shaky relationship with the natural world. At the same time, it’s also a beautiful-looking and wonderfully scored fantasy movie. It excels because it delivers a good story complemented by strong, relevant themes.
6 ‘Consuming Spirits’ (2012) — 136 minutes
A dark and personal animated movie that works in showing that animation isn’t just for kids, Consuming Spirits is the directorial debut of Chris Sullivan. Not only did he direct the film, but he’s also credited with writing, producing, and editing it, and being its cinematographer, making it an undeniable passion project for the filmmaker.
It takes place in a fictional town, and obtains its length largely by depicting the lives of three different people throughout its runtime, with their various storylines all intersecting more and more as the film goes on. It’s the kind of animated movie that’s surely not for everyone, but provides an unusual and captivating experience for those who are after something out of the ordinary.
5 ‘The Tale of the Princess Kaguya’ (2013) — 137 minutes
Even at 134 minutes, Princess Mononoke can’t claim it’s the longest Studio Ghibli movie with the word “Princess” in its title, seeing as The Tale of the Princess Kaguya exists and it’s three minutes longer.
It was directed by the late co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, and is a fantasy fable of sorts about a girl who’s discovered inside a bamboo stalk and then goes on to become a princess. The animation in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya has an undeniably unique quality, and the film deservedly stands as one of the best-known Japanese animated movies of the 2010s.
4 ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023) — 140 minutes
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is something of an epic when it comes to animated movies, with its scope and ambition also making it one of the best superhero movies of all time. It continues the story of Miles Morales as started in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, following his universe-hopping journey and introducing many more Spider variants than ever seen before.
Beyond continuing Miles’ story, it also gives a great deal for Gewn Stacy to do, and various other characters who weren’t seen before this movie are introduced, and all make an impact (including new villain The Spot). It’s also incredibly fast-paced, making for a long film that doesn’t feel long, being one that’s so packed with detail and jaw-dropping animation that multiple viewings may be needed to take it all in.
3 ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’ (2021) — 155 minutes
Four Rebuild of Evangelion movies were released between 2007 and 2021, and they collectively aimed to remake and give a new conclusion to the famed series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion‘s a series that’s usually controversial when it comes to endings, but the fourth movie in the Rebuild series, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, was generally well-received by fans.
It’s arguably one of the most ambitious animated movies of all time and stands as one of the longest theatrically released animated movies ever. At over two-and-a-half hours long, it feels like a true epic. It uses its length to provide a definitive final statement on the overall Evangelion series without leaving any loose ends.
2 ‘The Tragedy of Man’ (2011) — 160 minutes
Directed by Marcell Jankovics, who’s best known for making 1981’s Son of the White Mare, The Tragedy of Man is an incredibly ambitious blend of fantasy/sci-fi and drama with an epic runtime. It runs for just 20 minutes shy of three hours, and is set across a span of countless years, following Biblical figures observing life and commenting on the meaning within it, or the lack thereof.
It has the kind of obscure premise that might not make it appealing to those who don’t already like arthouse cinema, and the runtime likely makes it even harder to penetrate. However, it’s admirable for its ambition and length, as well as the fact that it took so long to complete, with production beginning in 1988 and ultimately ending more than 20 years later.
1 ‘Space Battleship Yamato – Final Chapter’ (1983) — 163 minutes
Space Battleship Yamato is best known for being a defining anime series from the mid-1970s that ultimately spawned a franchise. Due to the success of the series, there have been numerous films set within the same universe, including five animated movies released between 1977 and 1983.
The fifth and final one was released in 1983 and is the longest, with a runtime of 163 minutes. The story sees an alien race called the Dinguil setting their sights on flooding Earth and making it their new home, with the titular space battleship the only thing that has a chance to stop them. It’s wild how long it ends up being, but it is a pretty engaging watch for fans of sci-fi-themed anime.
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