I’ve always been a big fan of animated movies — that hasn’t changed in a long time. Of course we all loved them as kids. We grew up watching animated shows and films that didn’t just entertain us, but expanded our creativity and left us in awe. But here’s the thing — it doesn’t stop at childhood. A lot of adults, including me, still love animated movies and honestly, there’s no limit in enjoying them. In fact, watching them as adults feels different. You start noticing things you never did before. And that’s exactly what this article is about — the little (not-so-little) things I’ve picked up from animated movies, now that I’m watching them with a grown-up mind.

I don’t just watch movies casually. If I like one, I sit with it — I try to understand the characters, their emotions, and why they do what they do. Animated movies are no different for me. I listen closely to the dialogues, and some of them hit deep. They give me hope. There’s so much quiet wisdom in lines you wouldn’t expect. Take Kung Fu Panda for example — one of my absolute favorites. It’s hilarious, yes, but at its core, it’s about Po slowly finding himself and realizing his potential overtime. I laugh my heart out at so many moments, but there are lines that just stay with you. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery and today is a gift — That is why it is called present” or “I am not trying to turn you into me, I’m trying to turn you into you.” You can’t help but feel a kind of warmth hearing things like that. Every time I watch it, I feel lighter — like life isn’t as hard as I make it out to be. Coco is another one that lives in my heart. A story about family, music, and holding on to your passion — even when no one understands it. No matter how many times I watch it, I always end up crying. And then there’s Encanto — Mirabel, a girl without powers in a family full of magic — yet she’s the one who holds everything together. Her love, her empathy, her determination to fix what’s breaking — that’s what saves her family. It’s a gentle reminder, that not all strengths are loud and visible, sometimes empathy is the superpower.

How could I talk about animated movies that changed my life, and not mention Inside Out? That just won’t make sense. Inside out is a film about emotions inside a young girl’s mind and the way it portrays the importance of each emotion is just beautiful. The very idea of making emotions into characters living inside our head is so creative. And then Inside Out 2 takes it a step further. Now she’s a teenager, and suddenly the original emotions — joy, sadness, anger and disgust have to make room for new ones like anxiety, envy, and embarrassment. That shift feels so real. When Anxiety says “I just wanted to help” towards the end….yeah, that was my cue to cry. That movie reminds us that we are not meant to be perfect, we’re meant to feel everything. Our flaws, our messy emotions, our contradictions. That’s what makes us human. And there’s something incredibly comfortable about learning to accept that. And then there are movies like Brave, Moanna, Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon. Each one of them in their own way shows the strength girls and women carry — courage, resilience and ability to stand up for what they believe in. 

Big Hero 6 is definitely one of the movies that’s close to my heart — feels like a warm hug to my soul, just like ones Baymax gives. And then there’s Turning Red. A girl trying so hard to meet her mother’s expectations, hiding parts of herself, carrying hurt she doesn’t fully understand, and that hurt — only to realize it’s been passed down from her grandmother to her mother, and now to her. All that bottled up of emotions turning into something so visible — a red panda. It’s such a powerful way to show puberty, growing emotions, friendship, and chaos of figuring yourself out. It’s honestly such a brilliant film. 

By now you’ve probably realized how much I love animated movies — the way they make me feel, the way they let me read into emotions a little deeper. But then again you already know this about me — I am someone who reads deeply into emotions. Of course, there are so many more beautiful films out there, each carrying its own lessons and moments that stay with you. Consider this a gentle reminder to maybe check out the ones I’ve mentioned in this article. Trust me — you’ll be doing your inner child a very sweet favor.