My favorite season, fall, is here. And with it comes the opportunity to rewatch all my favorite animated movies and shows. Whether you want to get together with your friends for a cozy movie night or just need something to watch in the background to set the mood, all these animated picks encapsulate the warmth, spookiness, and nostalgia of autumn.
Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Available to stream on Hulu
Over the Garden Wall’s animation is gorgeous, and it’s also genuinely spooky. The short animated series follows two brothers, Greg and Wirt, as they get lost in a mysterious forest called “The Unknown.” Vintage-inspired animation and old-Americana folk and jazz music immediately immerse you in a whimsical world that transcends time. From smiling pumpkin people to a dark forest entity, it blends playfulness with an eerie overarching mystery.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
Available to rent on Amazon Prime
One of my favorite movies from my childhood is Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, which follows the mystery gang that we all know and love as they investigate the haunted MoonScar Island in Louisiana. It breaks the traditional Scooby-Doo formula with some real, dark monsters, and it crafts a convincing mythology of the titular bayou island. The grainy, saturated ’90s animation just adds to the nostalgia, and it’s a film I revisit every Halloween.
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Available to stream on HBO Max
Kiki’s Delivery Service follows a young witch in training, Kiki, and her adorable talking black cat, Jiji, as they settle in a quaint seaside town. Kiki starts her own delivery service and starts working for a small bakery. The film’s gentle pacing, along with beautifully hand-drawn animated shots of loaves of bread and parcels with bows, make for a comforting and charming movie on a rainy fall afternoon.
Coraline (2009)
Available to stream on Disney+
Of course, no fall watchlist is complete without Coraline. The film follows a young girl, Coraline, as she moves into a mysterious new home with a hidden door to an alternate world, full of delicious foods, sprawling gardens, and another set of parents with button eyes. The movie is just as eerie as I remember it was when I was little, and I love to revisit the quirky side characters and dazzle in the detail of the claymation animation bursting with vibrant colors.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Available to stream on HBO Max
Another claymation film produced by the same studio as Coraline is Corpse Bride. It follows a groom, Victor, as he accidentally proposes to an undead bride, Emily. Fans of Tim Burton’s work will love the gothic, stylized look of the animation. Beyond the spooky Victorian town and bright colors of the land of the dead, it is a really heartfelt film that grapples with mortality and love.
Gravity Falls (2012)
Available to stream on Disney+
Gravity Falls is an original animated series that follows twins Dipper and Mabel in the quirky, supernatural town of Gravity Falls as they spend the summer with their Great Uncle (Grunkle) Stan. Similarly to shows like Scooby-Doo, it follows an episodic structure of individual, smaller mysteries in the town that lead to a greater conundrum. The small-town vibe with oddball side characters and the Pacific Northwest landscape reminds me a lot of Twin Peaks.
As the leaves change and the weather gets chillier, it’s the perfect time to stay inside, light a candle, bake some cookies, and curl up to watch these films or shows. Happy fall and happy watching!