Shubhabrata Dutta
Looking at something that’s more real and is happening right before your eyes can have its own charm. These days, movies have so much CGI and so much more to them that we can’t replace them with stage plays. That’s where 3D movies come in. Even with the most unrealistic scenes and visual effects that these modern movies have, they still give us a small dash of realness from the 3D effect that they hold, and that’s probably the reason why we love 3D movies so much.
But it’s not just the 3D effect that makes these movies so amazing. It’s how almost every scene in these movies is shot to make the viewer feel that the characters are coming out of their screens. Netflix houses some of the best 3D movies that you can watch to have a grand time.
16. Pixels (2015)
Based on classic 8-bit video game characters, ‘Pixels’ is a sci-fi action comedy starring Adam Sandler, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin James, and Peter Dinklage. When aliens launch an arcade-mode attack on Earth after intercepting and misinterpreting arcade game feeds as a war declaration, the US president reaches out to his childhood friend/ former video-game champion Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler). He is tasked with leading a team of talented arcade gamers and a military specialist to protect Earth from the extraterrestrials. Blending low-resolution arcade game graphics with cutting-edge 3D CGI, ‘Pixels’ is a visual treat and a rightful addition to this list, underscored by comedy and action. You can watch it here.
15. The Garfield Movie (2024)
Based on Jim Davis’ immortal creation, ‘The Garfield Movie’ centers on the titular feline, an orange tabby Persian cat. Self-absorbed and cynical, Garfield (Chris Prat has voiced) has his pampered lifestyle turned upside down after a chance encounter with his estranged father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson has voiced), eventually sends the duo on a milk heist. An action-packed adventure follows, garnished with humor and sarcasm. The Mark Dindal directorial received a Favorite Animated Movie nomination at the 2024 Kids’ Choice Awards. If you are looking for a fun movie to watch with your kids, ‘The Garfield Movie’ is a good pick. It can be streamed here.
14. Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021)
Produced exclusively for Netflix and under the skilled direction of Nick Robinson, ‘Puff: Wonders of the Reef’ is an Australian nature documentary that offers an immersive voyage through the perspective of a young pufferfish. This cinematic experience provides an unprecedented glimpse into the complex ecosystem of the coral reef, all through the eyes of this remarkable fish. As the narrative unfolds, audiences embark on a captivating expedition alongside the juvenile pufferfish, observing its quest for a home within the vibrant and bustling marine community of the Great Barrier Reef. Feel free to check out the movie here.
13. Green Snake (2021)
Also known as ‘White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake,’ ‘Green Snake’ is a Chinese animated film directed by Amp Wong. Inspired by the Chinese legend of the White Snake, the film follows Verta, a green snake spirit, who has to rescue her sister Blanca, the white snake, from Fahai, a demon-slaying monk. The catch? Xiaoqing doesn’t have her demonic powers. However, she has the assistance of a masked man who helps her escape from the dystopian city of Asuraville, which imprisons demons. Whether Verta saves her sister before it’s too late is what we find out in this fantasy drama. You can watch ‘Green Snake’ here.
12. Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)
‘Stand by Me Doraemon’ is a gorgeous and entertaining animated sci-fi comedy movie based on the ‘Doraemon’ manga series. Directed by Ryūichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki (‘Godzilla Minus One’), it shows how a guy named Sewashi brings Doraemon to the 21st century from the 22nd century to help the former’s great-great-grandfather Nobita succeed in life and not end up in debt that Sewashi’s family will have to clear.
Unless Doraemon delivers on Sewashi’s order, he cannot return to his future. Thus begins the robotic cat’s endeavor to help Nobita be a better version of himself. This includes using Doraemon’s gadgets, which help Nobita regularly with his problems. Will this be fruitful? Winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year and many other accolades, ‘Stand by Me Doraemon’ is the highest-grossing film of the ‘Doraemon’ franchise. It can be streamed here.
11. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
The first stop-motion film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ is directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. It follows cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his intelligent dog, Gromit, who set off to end the rabbit plague that has hit their hometown right before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition.
However, they soon find out they are up against a monster that is closer to them than they might think. A fun-filled movie with a twist, ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ won 10 Annie Awards and the BAFTA for Best British Film alongside the Oscar. It is a part of the ‘Wallace & Gromit’ franchise created by Park. You can watch it with your kids right here and have a wonderful time.
10. Nimona (2023)
Adapted from the 2015 graphic novel by cartoonist ND Stevenson, ‘Nimona’ is an animated fantasy drama. Directed by Troy Quane and Nick Bruno, it revolves around the titular shape-shifting genderfluid teen (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) who loves death and destruction. In the film, she teams up with Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), a knight who has been wrongfully accused of killing Queen Valerin, to prove his innocence and, more importantly, find the murderer. At a sub-plot level, the film shows what made Nimona the way she is: a lonely and dejected soul pretending to enjoy solitude. A brilliant layered storyline accompanied by stunning visuals and characters, ‘Nimona’ received numerous accolades, including an Oscar nomination and an Annie Award. You can watch the film here.
9. Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
A spiritual sequel to ‘Space Jam’ (1996) that stars Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters playing basketball, ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ shows LeBron James “bunny-hopping” with the characters. After being taken hostage, along with one of his sons, by the AI (played by Don Cheadle) of Warner Bros. Studios, James is sent to Tune World and told to form a team and compete against the AI’s team. If he wins, he and his son will be set free. James thus sets off to recruit his team and play the match. His squad includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Granny, Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Lola Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn, the Road Runner, Taz, and Wile E. Coyote. A reunion of our beloved cartoon characters, ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ is a fun-filled live-action/animated movie directed by Malcolm D. Lee. You can watch it here.
8. The House (2022)
‘The House’ is a stop-motion animation anthology film, and each sub-film is directed by the duo Emma de Swaef & Marc Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Paloma Baeza. Set inside the same house, each of the three stories follows humans, anthropomorphic rats, and anthropomorphic cats, respectively. The stories take place in the same house and follow a low-income family of humans, an apprehensive developer rat, and a landlady cat, using the characters to address numerous themes that range from consumerism to capitalism to lunacy. A dark comedy that is a rare find, ‘The House’ is a must-watch and can be streamed right here.
7. Orion and the Dark (2024)
This beautifully animated feature film follows a kid named Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) whose fear of the dark and an active imagination bring Dark (the manifestation of darkness) himself to the kid. Dark (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser) then tries to make Orion understand that darkness is not something to be feared but something beautiful and necessary, without which life would be incomplete. He thus takes Orion on a journey to show his job along with those of his friends Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), and Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel). Orion’s experiences during and after the adventure make ‘Orion and the Dark’ a wonderful watch, especially if you have kids and watch it with them. Based on Emma Yarlett’s children’s book of the same name, it is directed by Sean Charmatz. The film can streamed here.
6. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
Directed by Andy Serkis, the Netflix/Warner Bros. rendition of Rudyard Kipling’s classic stories did not garner the response that the filmmakers were hoping for. Despite Serkis’ unconventional approach to the concept and an ensemble voice cast that includes Christian Bale as Bagheera, Cate Blanchett as Kaa, Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan, and Serkis himself as Baloo, ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ is uneven and loses its way sometimes due to the plot’s over-complexity. However, the film’s crisp animation, combined with the cast members’ stellar performances, makes it an entertaining watch. The film predominantly suffered due to the unfavorable comparison with Disney’s 2016 version of ‘The Jungle Book.’
In his adaptation, Serkis introduces specific changes to the original stories. Matthew Rhys’ character, John Lockwood (named after Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling), doesn’t exactly appear in the source material. Serkis and his writers took the boastful village hunter Buldeo from the stories and turned him into a Jim Corbett wannabe. You can stream the film here.
5. The Magician’s Elephant (2023)
Directed by Wendy Rogers, this animated fantasy adventure flick is based on American children’s fiction writer Kate DiCamillo’s novel of the same name, which was published in 2009. The basic plot tells us about an orphan boy named Peter (voiced by Noah Jupe) who sets off on a journey to look for a magician (voiced by Benedict Wong) and his elephant after being told by a fortune teller (voiced by Natasia Demetriou) that the animal is what will lead him to his missing sister. However, with impressive visuals and strong morals, the movie is a beautiful experience underscored by Peter’s adventures that not only make him wiser but us as well. You can stream the movie here.
4. The Sea Beast (2022)
‘The Sea Beast’ is a captivating computer-animated adventure directed by Chris Williams. This cinematic masterpiece features the vocal talents of Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The narrative revolves around a fearless sea monster hunter and an orphaned girl who becomes an integral part of his crew of monster hunters as they embark on a thrilling 17th-century quest to locate the legendary Red Bluster. You can check out the movie here.
3. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
‘Pinocchio,’ directed by the visionary Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, is a stop-motion animated musical fantasy film. The screenplay, co-authored by del Toro and Patrick McHale, is an inventive adaptation of the classic Pinocchio story, originally penned by Matthew Robbins and subsequently modified by del Toro. Drawing inspiration from Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Italian novel ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’ and the evocative illustrations of Gris Grimly from a 2002 edition of the book, the film brings to life the enchanting journey of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who gains sentience as the cherished son of his creator, Geppetto.
This poignant tale unfolds against the backdrop of Fascist Italy during the interwar period and World War II. The movie is graced with the voice talents of Gregory Mann as Pinocchio and David Bradley as Geppetto. Furthermore, a stellar ensemble cast including Ewan McGregor, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton breathe life into this captivating narrative of love, self-discovery, and the struggle to meet the expectations of a devoted father. ‘Pinocchio’ offers a unique perspective on the true essence of life, all set in a mesmerizing world of fantasy. You can watch the movie here.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
The sequel to the Oscar-winning ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018), ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ shows Miles Morales/Spider-Man, from Brooklyn on Earth-1610, reunite with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, from Earth-65, to track down an enemy called The Spot who can open inter-dimensional portals. However, stopping him becomes a mammoth task for Miles when he encounters Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099, who isn’t ready to let Miles do the needful as it can lead to the disruption of a canon event (what’s bound to happen and cannot be averted) and bring about the collapse of the universe within which the event is supposed to occur. When Miles escapes, O’Hara sends the whole Spider Society after him. Will they be able to catch him before he catches The Spot, who is jumping from one universe to another to gain more power? To find out, you can watch this immensely entertaining, adventurous Spider-Man flick right here.
1. Ultraman: Rising (2024)
Directed by Shannon Tindle, this film is perhaps the most visually stunning animated drama on the platform. Based on the international pop-culture phenomenon Ultraman franchise, the film follows baseball superstar Kenji “Ken” Sato, who is forced to return to his home country, Japan, to take on the Ultraman mantle from his father. However, he also has to perform as a part of his new baseball team, the Yomuri Giants. If these two responsibilities weren’t enough, he must also take care of a newborn kaiju who takes him to be her parent. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), founded by George Lucas, has done the animation. Yuki Yamada has voiced Ultraman/Kenji “Ken” Sato for the Japanese version, while Christopher Sean has lent his voice in the English version. You can watch ‘Ultraman: Rising’ here.
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