Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away remains the highest-grossing anime film ever, earning over $395 million worldwide and achieving a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, 20 points above the average animated feature. It outperforms #3 Toy Story, which won only a Special Achievement Award, while Spirited Away secured the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, proving its unmatched critical and cultural impact. The film's hand-drawn artistry uses over 1,200 frames per minute, setting a depth-of-storytelling benchmark that no other entry on this list has matched.