Top 20 Animated Music Videos - Ranking (2023)

DIRECTED BY WES ANDERSON, ILLUSTRATED BY JAVI AZNAREZ

The great film directorwes andersondelivered an excellent music video for his 2021 movieThe French office. Cocker's version of Christophe's classic song gets the full animated treatment. The illustrations in the video, drawn by Javi Aznarez, are beautifully expressive; stylistically they look like a crossroadsYellow SubmarinemiPersepolis.

VIDEO BY DIRECTOR ANTHONY GADDIS AND ERIC TILFORD, JUSTIN BOYD

The music video for the late Mac Miller's "Good News," released posthumously by his estate, is almost beyond words. It's part FMV (full motion video), part collage, partC.G., and partial illustration, but it finally transcends its animated components and becomes something unique.

DIRECTED BY MARK ROMANEK AND JAY-Z

Mark Romanek and JAY-Z took the racist images of animation's past and criticized them through their piercing lyrics. "The O.J. Story"is a profound song that comments on racial discrimination and generational wealth. And the music video highlights these issues through heady imagery.

DIRECTED BY PHIL LORD AND CHRISTOPHER MILLER

We gaveSpider-Man: In den Spider-Versthe best ranking in ourList of the best animated movies of all time– So why not put the music video for “Sunflower” here? I guess it's a bit of a misnomer to include the "Sunflower" music video, since it's mostlySpiderversoClips... but hey, still a great music video!

DIRECTED BY DONALD GLOVER, IVAN DIXON AND GREG SHARP

Childish Gambino's "Feels Like Summer" may be a laid-back R&B track, but its accompanying music video is a serious commentary on race, both inside and outside the music industry. Be Michelle Obama hugging Kanye West, O.J. Sitting next to a cup of melted ice cream, or J Cole telling the kids to "get off the lawn," there's a reference for everyone.

DIRECTED BY STEVE BARRON

We can't talk about animated videos without mentioning a-ha's technical masterpiece Take on Me. The video is always great, not only because of its infectious rhythm, but also because of its hallucination.rotoscopiosalso visually.

Today, Barron's video remains one of the most popular music videos in the world, animated or not.

DIRECTOR ARTIST UNKNOWN

Virtual band Gorillaz have more than a few iconic music videos, but the animated video for "Feel Good Inc." It is an all time classic. video directionssubjectsof social dystopias and tortured artists as they lull you into hypnosis with one of the best bass lines you'll ever hear.

DIRECTION BY WARREN FU

To quote Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, "I just wanted to be one of the Strokes." And who doesn't? The Strokes are some of the nicest guys in music; even as they lament the sad state of loving something that is eternally disappointing, like the New York Mets. The music video for "Ode to the Mets" was directed by director Warren Fu, who has worked with just about everyone in the music industry.

DIRECTED BY CRUSH INC.

The augmented reality music video for R.E.M. It's an absolutely insane display of 2000's voxel-based technology and a surreal journey through a rapidly changing urban landscape. Does that fit with the thematic purpose of the song? Call me crazy, but I think you can.

DIRECTED BY BILL WURTZ

World Fame Story's Bill Wurtz makes music videos like no other. His 2021 video for "got some money" is no exception. Wurtz fans know that his videos often feature Microsoft Paint-style animations with colorful special effects, but "making some money" means a technical breakthrough through 3D graphics.

DIRECTED BY MAGNUS CARLSSON

The music video for "Paranoid Android" appears on almost every list of the best animated music videos because, firstly, it's Radiohead, secondly, it was directed by famous Swedish animator Magnus Carlsson, and thirdly, it's hard. to forget. My only question after watching it was: what the hell is going on? what is a brandsurrealism.

DIR. YU TSUBAKI & KENTA ORISAKA, ANIMADOS PARA NOSTALOOK

Who would have thought that a Dua Lipa music video would be the perfect setting for you?animesShipping method? Certainly not, but unfortunately the music video for "Levitating"it does exactly that, with colorful characters and futuristic cityscapes.

HEAD POR ANDREW HONORED

Animated videos experienced a huge resurgence after one of the world's biggest pop stars, Billie Eilish, decided to make them. The music video for My Future features some stunning animations from a talented team of artists including Alex Dray, Andrew Onorato, Annie Zhao, Cliona Noonan, Ian Ballantyne, João Monteiro, Josh Trotter, Keith Kavanagh, Maddie Brewer, Nancy Li and Sarah Schmidt. Sean Anderson.

REGIE VON KAZUHISA TAKENOUCHI

Did you know that Daft Punk had a companion film to their hit album Discovery directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi? If not, it saysInterstella 5555: O 5tory des 5geheimen 5tar 5ystems. He is best known today for the "One More Time" video.

WORK BY GERALD SCARFE

Pink Floyd is known for having clean music videos, but to be honest it's a bit surprising that they don't feature more animation. I guess that credits "Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two" from the endlessly adored album,Wall. The music video for this song features unique and impressive animation by English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.

DIRECTED AND ILLUSTRATED BY BETH JEANS HOUGHTON, CHIEF ANIMATOR BY JOSEPH BRETT

A surreal video turns out to be the "Ying" of the Red Hot Chili Pepperslove Sick"yang". Animation and music go together like two peas in a pod; Even if thePhotosseems a bit forced.

DIRECTED BY RALPH BAKSHI

Ralph Bakshi undoubtedly inspired countless animators to continue making animated videos. As such, it would be remiss to ignore the influence ofpop americano; with rotoscopic video to accompany the music of Janis Joplin, The Doors and more. But despite these big names, perhaps the most enduring example of thispop americanois Bakshi's music video for Bob Seger's "Night Moves."

YOTTA-STUDIO-ANIMATION

The Internet paved the way for a new generation of animated videos: a point perhaps best made by Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson. Over the past 20 years, Hanson's animated videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views. In 2013, Hanson released an album with Ninja Sex Party's Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht. Hanson animated some of the album's music videos, but the video for "The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid" (which might be the least raunchy track on the album) was animated by Studio Yotta.

DIRECTED BY KEVIN ALTIIERI AND TODD MCFARLANE

Technically, Pearl Jam's "Do the Evolution" music video might be the best on this list. I guess it's not a big surprise considering Kevin Altieri (Batman: The Animated Series,the spectacular spiderman) y Todd McFarlane (The incredible Spiderman,To generate).

Needless to say, "Do the Evolution" passes the eyesight test and more.

DIRECTED BY HYPE WILLIAMS

Notice anything familiar in Hype Williams' "Heartless" music video? oh yes it seems a lotpop americano. This is not a coincidence either; Both Williams and West reportedly wanted to emulate Bakshi's style.Rotoscoping-Animation– and they were very successful.

follow

The best animation programs.

There are many great animated music videos out there, but there could be more! Do you want to enter the arena with your own music video? Read our next article on the best animation software: 2D, 3D, paid and free options. We show you how to get the best bang for your buck to become a music video artist.

Next: Best animation software →