8 Sci-Fi Animation Masterpieces to Watch
- Leia Emeera
- Jul 8, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Science fiction has no concrete definition. It’s a genre with extensive subgenres that falls underneath the umbrella of speculative fiction. Generally, it deals with human reactions to advanced technology.
This could include time and space travel, the extremes of artificial intelligence, and/or extraterrestrial life—which barely scratches the surface of the genre.
The Origins of Science Fiction
It’s been speculated that this genre has archaic precursors (better known as proto-science fiction) that date all the way back to Mesopotamia—while others argue that science fiction’s emergence was the result of the scientific revolutions of a comparatively more current time.
More definitively, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Mary Shelley are hailed as the pioneers of the genre—with many more important figures that came after them that have further explored science fiction, birthing new genres and concepts that we often see in our present day.
Naturally, this literary genre has diverged past written work and onto different forms of storytelling, including animation. From sci-fi movies, anime and video games, here’s a list of 8 animations.
Table of Contents
8 Recommended Sci-fi Animation
1. Paprika (2006)
Release date: November 25, 2006
Genre: Sci-fi animation, Thriller, Mystery, Action
Animation method: Limited Animation
Country of Origin: Japan
Director: Satoshi Kon
Rated: R
Paprika is a Japanese sci-fi animation movie, based on the 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui. The anime centres around Dr Atsuko Chiba, a scientist and a dream detective.
Atsuko and her peers work together to build a device with the purpose of helping psychiatric patients by entering their dreams—which ends up being stolen. Dreams and reality merge, and Atsuko must now retrieve the device before irreparable damage is caused.
This sci-fi anime utilised hand-drawn, limited animation techniques to portray the psychedelic visuals characteristic of Paprika and its themes.
Expressions were dramatised and buildings seemed structureless with the assailant’s manipulation of reality—an overall stunning animated adaptation of Tsutsui’s titular sci-fi novel.
2. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Release date: July 7, 2006
Genre: Sci-Fi animation, Tech Noir, Action
Animation method: Rotoscoping
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Richard Linklater
Rated: R
An adaptation appears once more on this list.
A Scanner Darkly is a rotoscoped sci-fi animation of Phillip K. Dick’s novel of the same name. It’s a dystopic, cautionary tale about surveillance states and the misuse of drugs.
It follows the undercover cop Bob Arctor, played by Keanu Reeves, who spends his time trying to track the source of a narcotic called “Substance D”. Through technology like “holo-scanners” and “scramble suits”, he surveys the household he’s been dispatched to—while battling substance abuse himself.
As previously mentioned, this sci-fi animation is a product of rotoscoping. Essentially, rotoscoping is an animation method where artists trace over live-action scenes, which often results in smooth, yet uncanny visuals.
However, this translates well in terms of the themes and plot of A Scanner Darkly. The movie appears to be a manipulation of reality, reminiscent of the psychoactive drugs central to the story.
3. Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Release date: April 3, 1998
Genre: Sci-fi animation, Neo-noir, Space Western
Animation method: Traditional Animation, CGI
Country of Origin: Japan
Director: Shinichirō Watanabe
Rated: MA
This sci-fi anime series is a comedic, neo-noir space western story—and it’s a mouthful to introduce. It ran for 26 episodes and is about a group of bounty hunters.
The world of Cowboy Bebop is set in 2071, where Earth is rendered uninhabitable, and humans reside on nearby terrestrial planets and moons. The crew goes on misadventures, but the plot’s main focus is on the rivalry between two characters: Spike and Vicious.
This sci-fi animation series was the result of a blend of hand-drawn animation and CGI. It creates immersive landscapes and action sequences that convince audiences of the fictional technological advancements of Cowboy Bebop’s universe.
Overall, it’s a sci-fi anime that has been, and will continue to be, talked about for years on end.
4. System Shock (1994)
Initial release date: September 23, 1994
Genre: First-person shooter, Survival horror, Action-adventure, Role-playing
Platforms: MS-DOS, Mac OS, and PC-98
Developer: Looking Glass Studios
A part of a video game’s experience is its graphics and animation, in which System Shock hadn’t cut corners on. This game falls under the subgenre of cyberpunk—which we can thank William Gibson for popularising—and is set in the year 2072.
Players assume the role of a hacker who is situated on a space station, pitted against a ravaging AI called Shodan.
System Shock is one of the first games to truly be in 3D. It’s filled with sequences and cutscenes of sci-fi animation. Aside from its cinematics, the game is packed with careful details, big and small, to ensure the environment truly feels alive.
Blinking lasers and gritty backgrounds encapsulate cyberpunk wholly—gameplay aside, there’s little to wonder about why this game had a great impact on the industry.
5. E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy (2011)
Initial release date: July 29, 2011
Genre: Science Fiction, Role-playing game, Action, Indie
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Streum On Studio
Another video game that is representative of the cyberpunk subgenre is once more on this list. In this dystopic RPG game, players represent a member of the E.Y.E. group, a force of cybernetically enhanced warriors.
This playable sci-fi experience throws players into the middle of warfare between two rivalling groups—Jian Shang Di and the Culter Dei.
It may not have elaborate cutscenes of lengthy sci-fi animation, but the game shines most in its atmosphere. Great, imposing structures lie in the background as players fight enemies from a first-person point of view.
Levels are akin to the destruction the backstory speaks of, where spaces are either bleak and grey or plastered with jarring neon signs and adverts—quintessential cyberpunk.
6. Paris 2054: Renaissance (2006)
Release date: March 15, 2006
Genre: Sci-fi animation, tech noir,
Animation method: Motion Capture, CGI
Country of Origin: France, United Kingdom, Luxembourg
Director: Christian Volckman
Rated: R
A unique sci-fi film with its black and white CGI animation, which won the Cristal for Best Feature at the 30th Annecy International Animation Film Festival. It was also honoured with the prize for Best Feature Film in the 5th Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials.
Renaissance is animated entirely in black and white, just like Spider Noir in Spider-Man: Into Spider-Verse, which combines multiple animation styles in one film. It is a story about a French policeman investigating the whereabouts of a kidnapped scientist.
The movie is set in the year 2054, so the advancement of science has improved greatly to the point that the key to eternal life might have been discovered by the kidnapped scientist. An interesting take on a futuristic Paris but depicted in black and white.
7. Ghost in the Shell (1995–2023)
Release date: Since 1995 to 2023
Genre: Sci-fi, cyberpunk, action
Animation method: Traditional Animation, CGI
Country of Origin: Japan
Owner: Masamune Shirow
Rated: PG-13
Originally a manga, Ghost in the Shell is one of the science animation movies that’s a fan favourite for Japanese Animation from the 90s. It offers an interesting take on a cyberpunk military, focusing on the story of the protagonist, Major Motoko, a counter-cyberterrorist.
Ghost in the Shell has not only been adapted as an animation but also as novels, theatrical plays and video games too. Proving the impact of manga on the entertainment industry.
Each film that was adapted and animated holds different arcs and stories from the manga, making each animated film and series a new experience for the audience.
Surprisingly, this Japanese animation was the source of inspiration for many iconic films like The Matrix and James Cameron’s Avatar. This series is one of the more well-known sci-fi anime recommendations for people to watch.
8. Love, Death + Robots (2019 – Present)
Release date: 2019 - Present
Genre: Sci-fi, comedy, horror
Animation method: Variety of animation styles from traditional 2D to photorealistic 3D CGI
Country of Origin: United States
Director: Tim Miller and David Fincher
Rated: R
An adult animated anthology that streams on Netflix. Each episode may not be connected entirely and is animated in different animation styles. So, it is one of the few shows that, if you like experimenting, Love, Death + Robots would be a good show to do that.
Essentially, this show is a collection of short films. Hence, an anthology.
Different studios were in charge of different episodes, making it one of the few animated shows that purposely involved several animation studios to create the series.
This show has won several awards, like the British Academy Scotland Awards for Best Animation and the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
TESSR For Your Next Animation Projects
Animation projects come with components that involve multiple departments and even external animators and freelancers. Traditional project management software is rarely suited for animation projects that require easier visual feedback and collaboration.
Hence, TESSR can fulfil those concerns with these features:
Review
When it comes to reviewing animation projects, it can be a struggle to give contextual feedback with the ability to outline frame-by-frame comments. These are all possible through TESSR’s Review module. Annotations and uploading multiple renditions of animation projects are made easier.
Scene Hub
This feature gives access to progress details and assigned comments for each project in one hub. So, you’ll be able to focus on the tasks without needing to hunt down your tasks. It also contains an activity log to help keep track and refer to previous updates
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is hard science fiction?
Hard sci-fi focuses on the accuracy and logic of the science depicted in the literature—a famed example is Liu Cixin’s “Three-Body Problem”.
2. What is soft science fiction?
Soft sci-fi typically puts more attention into human reactions to technology, so politics, economics and sociology are majorly focused on, as opposed to scientific plausibility. “Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess is a soft sci-fi novel.
3. What’s an example of retro sci-fi animation?
Fantastic Planet was released in 1973—and is arguably one of the first of its kind.
4. What is the No. 1 sci-fi movie?
Currently, the highest-grossing film for the sci-fi genre is held by Avatar by James Cameron, with Star Wars as a close second.
5. What is the best animation of all time?
While this question is debatable, according to the IMDB list, Toy Story holds the No. 1 spot for the best animation of all time.
Authors Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR, and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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