The 2000s were the decade anime film went to the Oscars and came back with a statue. Spirited Away won Best Animated Feature in 2003, Satoshi Kon made three films in five years, Mamoru Hosoda left Toei and found his voice at Madhouse, and studios like ufotable and Bones proved a TV studio could carry a feature. With Spirited Away's stage play touring North America in 2027, here are the 12 best anime films of 2000–2009, ordered by SenpaiRanks consensus score.
Quick answer
According to SenpaiRanks, the best anime film of the 2000s is Spirited Away (8.74), Studio Ghibli's 2001 Oscar winner, followed by Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle (8.25) and ufotable's The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral (8.21). Gurren Lagann: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars (8.17) and Evangelion: 2.0 (8.13) round out the top five. Madhouse places five films in the top 12, more than any other studio, including two each from Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Hosoda. The Ghibli titles stream on Max (US) and Netflix elsewhere; the Rebuild of Evangelion films are on Prime Video.
Spirited Away — Studio Ghibli
The ranked list
1. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) — 8.74
Studio Ghibli · 2001 · film. A ten-year-old gets stranded in a bathhouse for spirits and has to work her way out. Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece is the only 2000s film that still trades blows with the decade-later Shinkai and KyoAni hits. Its Toho stage version is touring Toronto and Los Angeles in 2027. Where to watch: Max (US), Netflix in most other regions. Ranking page.
2. Howl's Moving Castle (Howl no Ugoku Shiro) — 8.25
Studio Ghibli · 2004 · film. A young hatter cursed into old age moves into a walking castle with a vain, kind wizard. Ghibli's most rewatched romance, and the second-best film of the decade by a clear margin. Where to watch: Max (US), Netflix in most other regions. Ranking page.
3. The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral (Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Mujun Rasen) — 8.21
ufotable · 2008 · film. The fifth Kara no Kyoukai film, a looping apartment-block mystery and the high point of the seven-film series. It's the film where ufotable's later Fate and Demon Slayer look started. Watch the series in release order. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
4. Gurren Lagann the Movie: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Movie 2: Lagann-hen) — 8.17
Gainax · 2009 · film. The second Gurren Lagann film retells the back half of the series with new animation and a bigger finale. Watch the TV series first; this is the encore. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
5. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (Evangelion Movie 2: Ha) — 8.13
Studio Khara · 2009 · film. The Rebuild film where Hideaki Anno stops remaking the TV show and starts changing it. The best of the four Rebuild films on our board. Our Evangelion where-to-watch guide covers the order. Where to watch: Prime Video (all four Rebuild films). Ranking page.
6. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no Tobira) — 8.06
Bones · 2001 · film. Spike and crew chase a bioterrorist through Mars on Halloween. Set between episodes 22 and 23, it plays like the best two-hour Bebop episode ever made. Start with the series if you're new. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
7. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) — 8.02
Madhouse · 2006 · film. A high schooler learns she can jump back in time and spends it on karaoke and pudding until it stops being funny. Mamoru Hosoda's breakout, and still his best-scored film of the 2000s. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
8. Sword of the Stranger (Stranger: Mukou Hadan) — 7.97
Bones · 2007 · film. A nameless ronin agrees to guard a boy hunted by Ming-dynasty assassins. The plot is simple; the final duel is still the best sword fight animated that decade. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
9. Tokyo Godfathers — 7.96
Madhouse · 2003 · film. Three homeless people find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and set out to return her. Satoshi Kon's warmest film, and the easiest entry point to his work. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
10. Millennium Actress (Sennen Joyuu) — 7.93
Madhouse · 2002 · film. A documentary crew interviews a retired film star, and her memories start bleeding into the roles she played. Kon at his most inventive. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
11. Redline — 7.93
Madhouse · 2009 · film. An illegal intergalactic street race, seven years and some 100,000 hand-drawn frames in the making. The story is thin and nobody cares; it's the best-looking racing anime ever made. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
12. Summer Wars — 7.90
Madhouse · 2009 · film. A math prodigy gets framed for an AI attack that takes down a global virtual world, while hiding out at his fake girlfriend's huge family reunion. Hosoda's second film on the list and a natural double bill with Leapt. Where to watch: Check the ranking page for current regional listings. Ranking page.
Just outside the top 12
Two franchise films score as well as Nos. 10–12: Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002) at 7.93 and One Piece Film: Strong World (2009) at 7.92. We kept them off the list because they need their TV series to land. Kon's Paprika (2006) sits at 7.82, Ghibli's Ponyo (2008) at 7.73, and Production I.G's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) at 7.63. The Ghibli entries are ranked against the rest of the studio in our Studio Ghibli movies ranking.
How to read the decade
Standalone picks (Spirited Away, Howl, Leapt, Stranger, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Redline, Summer Wars) need no homework. The rest are franchise films: Kara no Kyoukai is a seven-film series, Gurren Lagann and Evangelion work best after the TV shows, and the Bebop movie assumes you know the crew. To see how the next two decades compare, the best anime films of the 2010s are led by A Silent Voice (8.88) and the 2020s board by Mugen Train. Older classics sit on the best 80s and 90s anime board. Think Paprika belongs in the top 12? Rate it and the order moves.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the best anime movie of the 2000s?
A: Spirited Away (2001, Studio Ghibli) ranks first on SenpaiRanks at 8.74, ahead of Howl's Moving Castle at 8.25.
Q: Which studio made the most great anime films in the 2000s?
A: Madhouse, with five films in the SenpaiRanks top 12: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Redline and Summer Wars.
Q: Where can I watch Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle?
A: Both stream on Max in the United States and on Netflix in most other regions outside the US, Canada and Japan.
Q: Where can I watch the Evangelion Rebuild movies?
A: All four Rebuild of Evangelion films, including 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, stream on Prime Video.
Q: What is the best Satoshi Kon movie?
A: On SenpaiRanks, Tokyo Godfathers (7.96) narrowly beats Millennium Actress (7.93), with Paprika at 7.82.