5 Eye-Catching Games That Capture the Look of Animated Films

Ever since the PS2 generation, it seems like there’s always a handful of games that come around that leaves writers and gamers claiming that they “look like Pixar a film”. Ratchet and Clank is actually a series that has had that said about it multiple times, and across several generations. The most recent example in the entry is Rift Apart, and those comparisons definitely came out once again when actual gameplay footage started to be shown. With Kena: Bridge of Spirits about to release, it seems fitting to take a look at four other games that do a great job of capturing the look of animated films.

Gris

The most striking aspect of Gris is by far its watercolor aesthetic. The first film it brings to mind is Eiichi Yamamoto’s Belladonna of Sadness. The 1973 Japanese anime film is a masterwork of animation, and one of the most visually arresting adult animated movies of that time period. Gris was directed by Spanish artist Conrad Roset, and one look at his body of work will immediately remind you of the great Japanese film. As a part of the game’s story, you’ll slowly add more color to the world. While you add reds, blues, greens, and yellows to the world, you’ll see the surrounding areas on this canvas slowly continue to bring new life to the world.

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From the time it was shown off, Gris stunned audiences on its appearance alone. It remains one of the most visually striking video games in the last decade. Its stunning use of color and animation is still unlike anything that has been released since. It would go on to win multiple awards when it was released, as well as winning the prize for Best Character Animation in a Video Game at the 46th Annie Awards, a show which primarily focuses on the animated film and television industry. Nomada Studio’s work on Gris is a masterpiece of the visual medium, and truly one of the most intoxicating games from an imagery point of view. It really does feel like you’re playing through an animated film. It’s for those reasons that the wait for their next game is growing increasingly difficult.

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Kingdom Hearts III

Kingdom Hearts III is one of the most interesting examples on this list, simply due to the fact that the game itself is working with multiple animated film properties. One of the biggest draws in the series has always been its connection to Disney, and particularly its animation department. The thought of having a Final Fantasy x Disney game was something that a large portion of gamers could get behind. However, going back now and playing through the many Kingdom Hearts games in the HD collections, there’s no doubt that they’re showing their age. However, the same can’t be said for the latest entry.

Certain Disney worlds and character models in the earlier Kingdom Hearts titles definitely still have charm, but they leave a lot to be desired. For as many problems as some fans might have had with Kingdom Hearts III, the way the game visually presented itself wasn’t one of those complaints. One of the first Disney worlds you’ll make your way to is the Toy Box, which recreates a number of different areas from the Toy Story films. Andy’s room specifically was shown off heavily before the game was released, and it was definitely impressive then. Seeing the game in motion firsthand, however, was like a transformative experience.

The game continues to shine the further you get into it, as you see areas like San Fransokyo and Arendelle. Not only that, but being able to interact with characters like Elsa, Rapunzel, and Baymax, among many others, in new scenes for these characters, is really fun. It’s one of the most visually impressive games of the last generation, and the team at Square Enix put together something truly special when recreating these beloved Disney worlds. It’s surprising that it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves because it’s an incredible feat. Watching these familiar scenes that you might already know, like the ending of Tangled, all while Sora, Donald, and Goofy are in the background is funny to see, yet incredibly impressive from an artistic perspective. If there were ever a game that should have the “it looks like a Pixar film” comments attached to it, it should be this one, for obvious reasons.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

This one selection doesn’t come as a surprise if you look at the team behind Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Ember Lab, the developers behind the game, made a name for themselves with a number of short animated videos before they pivoted to game development. By far their most famous short was a fan film for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, entitled “Terrible Fate.” As of this writing, the video has 11 million views and was the last major project to be published by the team on their YouTube page. There was 3 years of silence before Kena was announced.

It’s awesome that you can still see all of their videos on their YouTube page, where they now share a space with Kena trailers. It’s a great way to see their evolution as a team. Kena looks to bring their style of animation to life, and the early trailers and gameplay appear to promise something incredibly special. Though this is the only game on the list that hasn’t been released, it still looks incredibly impressive. It truly seems to capture the current animated look of the likes of Pixar and Dreamworks.

Cuphead

A lot of the same characteristics that the games on this list share are that they entranced audiences the moment they were first shown. The same can definitely be said for Cuphead. Its debut trailer premiered in late 2013, but the game itself would later release in 2017, almost four years after its initial debut. However, the end result is truly something spectacular. It’s a game that so perfectly captures the animation style of the 1930s. It’s no wonder that the game is getting a Netflix animated series called The Cuphead Show. There are clear influences that jump out right away: Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, or of course, Disney and Mickey Mouse.

What Studio MDHR does so effortlessly is that it doesn’t just mimic the style of the 30s, but instead translates the creativity behind the designs into a more game-like format. It’s clear that the animation process behind Cuphead is incredibly labor-intensive, as simply evidenced by the time between the initial reveal trailers and the release date. There are also the ongoing delays that the various projects in the series have had to face. We’re now in 2021, and the DLC for the game was first announced at E3 2018. By the time it comes out, that means content from the game will have almost reached a decade since its first reveal. It makes you really appreciate the continued effort into this type of animated format, especially when translating it to a video game.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was a game that took a lot of people by surprise last year. In reality, it shouldn’t have been that big of a shock, as it was coming from Vanillaware, a developer that has continually impressed from a visual perspective. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is interesting in that it’s a game that transfers its inspirations from the the various mediums that they originate, and brings them to an incredibly well animated game. Whether it’s movies like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Solaris, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, or one of the many other manga or animated series the game draws influence from, it’s obvious that director George Kamitani and artists Yukiko Hirai and Emika Kida had a clear vision that’s beautifully brought to life in the final product.

Scenes like the nighttime bike scene with Ei and Iori, as they jet across the skyline with buildings buzzing in the background, are simply gorgeous to look at. In an interview with PlayStation Blog, producer Akiyasu Yamamoto talked about how the team utilized light sources in a cityscape, and its expert implementation shows in the final product. The game gives off a futuristic feel that works in an interesting way when you’re telling a story that takes place over multiple time periods, both in the past and future. This 2D style brought to life on these gorgeously crafted backgrounds makes for a stunning experience that makes you feel like you’re playing through your own epic sci-fi animated film.

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