20 Best DC Animated Movies of All Time, Ranked by IMDb Score
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While we know that there are a lot of different DC live-action movies, DC actually has more animated movies because DC storylines are often better told in animated films than live-action movies. Of course, over the years, we have seen our fair share of different DC animated movies.
Some people may prefer certain DC animated movies over others. Still, we know that IMDb is an internet movie database that allows people to give their scores to different movies. As such, we can gauge just how much the general public enjoyed a DC animated movie based on its IMDb score. So, with that said, let’s look at the best DC animated movies of all time based on their IMDb score.
20. ‘Batman vs. Robin’ (2015)
IMDb Score: 7.1
Damian Wayne, the son of Batman from Talia al Ghul, has just started living with Batman and is now wearing the mantle of Robin. Of course, he was trained by his assassin mother and assassin master grandfather. That is why Damian was already well-trained when wearing the Robin mask. The problem was that he had trouble with Batman’s no-killing rule due to his assassin background.
As such, Damian is having problems with how his father prefers to do things because he doesn’t believe that they should spare criminals. He eventually finds himself drawn to The Court of Owls, a mysterious secret society that could affect the trajectory of Gotham’s future and Batman’s relationship with his son.
19. ‘Superman/Batman: Public Enemies’ (2009)
IMDb Score: 7.1
The events of ‘Superman/Batman: Public Enemies’ focus on a timeline wherein Lex Luthor had become the president of the United States and now has a group of superheroes working under him. However, he did so when he saw that he had a chance to use a threat to frame Superman.
In that regard, Superman had become public enemy number one, with Batman as his only ally. The two had to find a way to uncover the truth so that Superman’s name could be cleared. On top of that, the duo had to face Luthor’s superhero team, which was strong enough to take on both Superman and Batman.
18. ‘Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (2019)
IMDb Score: 7.1
In one of the few tie-ups between two different franchises from different universes, we see Batman teaming up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in an entertaining movie that allows us to see a cool and unlikely alliance between the Bat Family and our favorite turtles.
However, they didn’t expect that the Shredder had also formed an alliance with Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins. As such, Batman and the Ninja Turtles need to work together to defeat the combined forces of their sworn enemies.
17. ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ (2022)
IMDb Score: 7.1
In this movie, we see the focus shifting to the pets of our favorite DC superheroes. We all know that Krypto the Super-Dog is the inseparable best friend of Superman because they both have the same powers due to their similar origins.
However, what happened in this movie was that Krypto now needs to find a way to master his powers to mount a rescue mission when Superman is kidnapped. He has to do so with the help of the other super-pets working with their superhero companions.
16. ‘Wonder Woman’ (2009)
IMDb Score: 7.2
‘Wonder Woman’ is an origin story movie that focuses on the titular character herself. In this movie, the Amazons live on an isolated island where they keep guard of the Greek god of war, Ares, whom they defeated centuries ago. But Diana has become tired of the boring life on Themyscira and is now looking to explore the world.
A pilot named Steve Trevor ends up on the island and eventually befriends Diana. However, Ares escaped and is now looking to wreak havoc. It is now up to Diana and Steve to find a way to defeat this escaped god and recapture him.
15. ‘Justice League: War’ (2014)
IMDb Score: 7.2
‘Justice League: War’ is one of the first of many different movies belonging to the DC Animated Movie Universe continuity. It explores the start of the Justice League in the rebooted universe that was jumpstarted after the events of the Flashpoint Paradox.
In this movie, the league faces a growing threat as alien creatures start attacking different people all over the world while leaving behind mysterious devices. It turned out that these creatures were working for a warlord named Darkseid, who longed to take over the planet. As such, Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg, and Shazam must work together to defeat this powerful threat.
14. ‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths’ (2010)
IMDb Score: 7.2
In this movie, a parallel Earth from a different universe exists, wherein the roles are reversed. That’s because Lex Luthor is a good guy, and the Justice League in his universe are the bad guys.
This good version of Luthor used his intelligence to find a way to get to the main DC Earth, where the Justice League members are the good guys. He asked for the help of these heroes so that they could fight and defeat their evil counterparts in the parallel dimension.
13. ‘Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two’ (2021)
IMDb Score: 7.2
This movie is the second part of the two-part ‘The Long Halloween’ storyline. Batman is trying to solve a mystery behind a villain named Holiday, who has been stalking the Falcone crime family in Gotham to kill its members. In that regard, it became clear that this killer was connected to the Falcone family.
Batman, of course, is still trying to find a way to uncover the truth behind this mysterious villain as a new class of costumed criminals is now on the rise. He suspects that one of his former allies could actually be the serial killer called Holiday.
12. ‘Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One’ (2021)
IMDb Score: 7.2
‘Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One’ is the first part of a two-part storyline. In this movie, we see how Gotham City is being held hostage by the Falcone crime family, which controls most of the organized crime activities in the city. As such, Gotham is a corrupt and chaotic city.
However, in the middle of the chaos, the mysterious killer called Holiday starts targeting the criminal underworld as this person starts leaving behind a trail of bodies. And it is now up to Batman to uncover the mystery behind Holiday.
11. ‘The Death of Superman’ (2018)
IMDb Score: 7.3
‘The Death of Superman’ is part of the DC Animated Movie Universe and is an adaptation of the comic book storyline of the same title. In this movie, a mysterious and powerful creature attacked the planet and defeated all of the members of the Justice League, except for Superman.
It is now up to the Man of Steel to defeat this incredibly strong and vicious monster to prevent it from causing more damage to the planet. And it might have to take him everything he has to defeat the monster and keep his beloved Lois Lane safe from its devastation.
10. ‘Batman: Year One’ (2011)
IMDb Score: 7.3
‘Batman: Year One’ explores Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman as he had just returned from a long absence from Gotham because he spent years training to become the aforementioned masked vigilante. Meanwhile, another new face joins the ranks of Gotham City as a cop named James Gordon has just moved his family from Chicago to this city.
It turns out that the lives of Batman and Gordon intersect unexpectedly as they learn that they need to work together to try to prevent Gotham from sinking even deeper in terms of how corrupt the city has become. As such, the movie explores the early beginnings of the lives of these two characters and how they eventually became unlikely allies.
9. ‘Batman: Assault on Arkham’ (2014)
IMDb Score: 7.4
In this movie, we see Batman and the Suicide Squad in the same storyline, as they both have their roles to play. Batman, of course, works hard to find a bomb planted by the Joker.
On the other hand, Amanda Waller formed the Suicide Squad, a collection of criminals, to break into Arkham to recover information that the Riddler stole. The stories of Batman and the Suicide Squad intersect in this unique animated movie.
8. ‘Justice League: Doom’ (2012)
IMDb Score: 7.4
We all know that Batman has always been someone who prepares for the worst, and that’s why he has compiled intel and contingency plans on every member of the Justice League in case they ever went rogue. The problem is that Vandal Savage steals Batman’s contingency plans and allows the different rivals of the members of the Justice League to use this intel against the heroes.
It is now up to Batman to undo the damage caused by his contingency plan, as he has to work hard to help his allies. The problem is that the members of the Justice League aren’t sure if they could ever trust Batman again.
7. ‘Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker’ (2000)
IMDb Score: 7.7
‘Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker’ takes place when Bruce Wayne had already retired and passed the mantle on to a new Batman named Terry McGinnis. The problem is that Bruce’s old enemies start appearing once more.
The Joker is mysteriously back with a vengeance as he is now looking to wreak havoc again. Terry, the new Batman, now has to solve the mystery behind the return of the Clown Prince of Crime as he has to prepare to face Bruce’s greatest rival alone.
6. ‘Justice League Dark: Apokolips War’ (2020)
IMDb Score: 7.7
Known as one of the most brutal out of all of the DC animated movies, ‘Justice League Dark: Apokolips War’ is the final film of the DC Animated Movie Universe and concludes the whole storyline with a huge war involving Darkseid, who had found a way to take over the planet after defeating the Justice League.
It is now up to John Constantine to try to fix the problems involving Darkseid’s takeover of the planet, and he has to work together with a weakened Superman and a few other heroes who survived the war against Darkseid. He has to work together with a few unlikely figures to try to undo the damage done by the evil New God to the planet.
5. ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993)
IMDb Score: 7.8
As part of the popular ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ universe, ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ is the first movie of this popular series. Of course, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their legendary roles as Batman and Joker, respectively. But there’s a new villain that Batman has to try to defeat.
In this movie, Batman is wrongly implicated in a series of different murders of mob bosses as the police and the general public believe that there’s only one person who could have done this to the different criminal masterminds of Gotham. However, the truth was that a new vigilante assassin committed the murders. And it is up to Batman to stop the new vigilante’s actions.
4. ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1’ (2012)
IMDb Score: 7.9
In this movie, it had been ten years since Bruce Wayne had retired, as Batman had not been seen for an entire decade. However, he is forced back into action when a new breed of criminals starts rampaging throughout Gotham.
The problem is that Batman is now 55 and no longer the same spry hero he once was. He has to find a way to fight crime in a new era, even though he is now a relic of the past.
3. ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’ (2010)
IMDb Score: 8
In this movie, a new vigilante appears out of nowhere as this mysterious assailant has been brutalizing criminals under the moniker of Red Hood. As such, Batman needs to uncover the mystery behind this new vigilante.
The problem is that Red Hood is somehow connected to Batman’s past and one of the most traumatizing events in his career as a hero. As such, old wounds begin to reopen as the truth behind this vigilante comes to light.
2. ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ (2013)
IMDb Score: 8.1
Often called one of the greatest animated movies ever made, ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ is based on the comic book storyline of the same name. And it puts the Flash at the center of a narrative that explores what happens when someone meddles with the past.
In this movie, the Flash returns to the past to prevent the death of his mother when he was still just a kid. The problem was that this single act altered the course of the world as he no longer recognized the world he once lived in. Instead, the planet had become chaotic, and it was now up to him to fix this problem. This movie is also the first of the DC Animated Movie Universe as its events rebooted the DC Universe.
1. ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2’ (2013)
IMDb Score: 8.3
This film is the second part of ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ as it continues from where the first movie left off. That means Batman successfully dealt with the new criminals that wreaked havoc throughout Gotham. But now that he had returned from retirement, Batman became a threat to the government.
The authorities are now seeking to arrest Batman, and that is when the Feds actually have to ask the help of none other than Superman to stop Batman’s vigilante actions in a world that seemingly no longer needs vigilantes. As such, the movie allows us to see a showdown between Superman and an elderly version of Batman.
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