Pixar films take us on exciting journeys. They make us laugh, help us find our courage, and teach us that we’re not so different from one another. But anime can often evoke similar feelings and help us learn meaningful lessons also. So, here are six anime that even the most die-hard Pixar fans will love.
Fruits Basket
Long before the Parrs learned to balance ordinary life with having extraordinary powers in The Incredibles, there was the Sohma family. An extraordinary curse causes twelve members of the Sohma family to transform into one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac whenever they’re stressed or hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Oh, and when they return to human form — they’re naked.
Yes, life is complicated for the cursed Sohmas, especially Yuki Sohma, who just wants to be a normal high school student. Unfortunately, when a homeless classmate, Tohru Honda, moves in with Yuki and his cousins, she discovers the family’s secret. Like The Incredibles, Fruits Basket is about finding the courage to be yourself. It also teaches us that we’re not so different from one another — even though some of us may transform into an adorable rat or tiger cub.
The Ryou’s Work Is Never Done! (TRWiND)
The Cars trilogy is about legacies, which means passing down your knowledge to someone who shares your passion so they can carry on the torch. In Cars, Doc Hudson passes his legacy on to Lightning McQueen, who does the same for Cruz Ramirez in Cars 3. Similarly, The Ryou’s Work Is Never Done (TRWiND) is also about a legacy — but a shogi (Japanese chess) one.
At just sixteen, Yaichi becomes a ryou, the highest title in professional shogi, but he’s long since lost his passion for the game. That is until a gifted nine-year-old girl named Ai demands to be his student. Ai’s natural talent impresses Yaichi, and he agrees to become her teacher. Together, they take on the world of professional shogi, which is full of eccentric geniuses, offbeat masters, and Japanese pop culture.
TRWiND is a parody of several anime genres and tropes, which makes it a great starting point for newcomers and a treat for long-time anime fans. Like Cruz Ramirez and Lightning McQueen, Ai reignites Yaichi’s passion for shogi. The young girl teaches him that competing isn’t about winning, but having the courage to give your all.
Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time
Pixar’s short films pack loads of humor and heart into a few minutes. So, with episodes only seven minutes long, its no wonder that Tonari feels like a bingeable collection of Pixar shorts. Tonari follows Yokoi, an earnest student seated next to “the master of killing time,” Seki. As his nickname implies, Seki has a special talent for wasting class time with outrageous and impossible projects all from his desk.
Yokoi and Seki share a friendship that resembles the one between the dedicated stork, Peck, and the baby-making cloud, Gus, in Pixar’s Partly Cloudy. Yokoi is both appalled and fascinated by Seki’s talent — just like Peck, who is both frightened and appreciative of Gus’ creations. Like Peck, Yokoi finds the courage to brave danger (or detention) for the sake of their friendship, eventually becoming Seki’s accomplice.
Natsume’s Book of Friends
In Up, we knew Carl and Russell needed each other, even though they had trouble being honest about their feelings. In Natsume’s Book of Friends, Takashi Natsume and Madara need each other, too. Like Carl and Russell, it will take an amazing adventure to bring them together.
Youkai (Japanese spirits) are invisible to most humans. Inheriting his grandmother’s ability to see youkai has only caused Takashi pain. When he inherits her Book of Friends, a book that binds the youkai named within it to the book’s owner, things go from bad to worse until a youkai named Madara becomes Takashi’s bodyguard.
Just as Carl had to let go of his past to rescue Russell from Charles F. Muntz, Takashi must let go of his painful past to understand the true power of the Book of Friends. With Madara’s protection, Takashi finds the courage to help humans and youkai understand they’re not so different.
Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the Gods
We fell in love with the intimate, poetic storytelling style seen in WALL-E. The anime Gingitsune shares the same narrative qualities as the Pixar great. We meet Saeki Makoto, a shrine maiden able to see her shrine’s fox spirit, Gintaro.
After her mother’s death, Saeki lives alone with her father and Gintaro until Satoru Kamio, another shrine priest with the ability to see spirits, and Haru, a distrustful fox spirit, move in. Like EVE in WALL-E, Satoru isolates himself, choosing to focus solely on his shrine duties. It isn’t until Saeki, who craves friendship like WALL-E, finds the courage to reach out to Satoru that he begins to open up and form a bond with her.
Noragami
We cried in Finding Nemo when Marlin lost Coral and all the Marlin Jrs. After something like that, who could blame Marlin for being overprotective of Nemo? But we also totally get Nemo’s need to spread his fins. In Noragami, Yato sees his regalia (or partner), Yukine, as a son he wants to protect and train, but, unfortunately, Yukine resents Yato’s efforts.
Once a god of calamity, Yato wants to make amends to humanity and reinvent himself as a benevolent god. He tries answering wishes, but they’re few and far between in our modern world. To make matters worse, each time Yukine sins, it physically harms Yato. Can they learn to understand each other before Yukine’s rebellious nature destroys Yato?
Like Finding Nemo‘s Marlin, Yato needs a second chance. He learns that acceptance, like reinventing yourself, takes courage. Noragami tackles darker topics than Finding Nemo, like suicide, but it never loses its heart or humor.
