23 Animation Scripts To Spark Movie Magic

From whimsical worlds to heartwarming tales, animated films have captivated audiences of all ages for over a century. But behind every colorful character and fantastical adventure lies a foundation of great storytelling: the screenplay. 

As I continue to consult on projects at Cartoon Network, I’ve experienced a surge of inspiration to write animated and mixed media films and television shows. (These projects include Marnie and the Meerkat, Brewing, The Strawberry Bus Stop, and Honey and Henson.) 

And nothing helps screenwriting more than reading scripts – a lot of scripts. Whether you’re a budding screenwriter, an animation enthusiast, or simply a lover of great stories, enjoy some of the best animated screenplays that I could find online. 

Anomalisa

Anomalisa is a decidedly different kind of animated film, being a stop-motion drama written and directed by absurdist filmmaker Charlie Kaufman.

Coco

Lee Unkrich had the idea for Coco after the release of Toy Story 3. Longtime Pixar collaborator Adrian Molina was hired for his first writing assignment and went on to become a co-director on the project. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Based on the children’s novel by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animated film written by Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach. 

Finding Nemo

Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, & David Reynolds, Finding Nemo made a splash in 2003.

Frozen

The fable of The Snow Queen was brought to life with thanks to Jennifer Lee of Pixar. 

Inside Out

Crafted by screenwriters Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, & Josh Cooley, with story help by Ronnie del Carmen.

The Incredibles

Writer and director Brad Bird imagined brought a new take to superheroes. 

Kubo and the Two Strings

Written by Marc Haimes & Chris Butler, Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion samurai epic fantasy. 

The Lego Movie

Written by Chris Miller & Phil Lord, The Lego Movie is just plain fun to read.

The Lion King

Written by Irene Mecchi & Jonathan Roberts, The Lion King touched on universal themes of loss, betrayal, and the warrior’s journey. 

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Mitchells are a dysfunctional family driving their wannabe filmmaker daughter Katie to college. On the road, they’ll have to deal with the typical road trip problems—bad food, cheap roadside attractions, the pains of leaving family behind and surviving a robot apocalypse.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton’s poem The Nightmare Before Christmas was later translated into this great script about. 

Ratatouille

A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant. Written By: Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava & Jim Capobianco

The Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets, written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, and Brian Lynch. 

Shrek

A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back. Written By: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio & Joe Stillman & Roger S.H. Schulman (screenplay), based on the book by Willaim Steig

Soul

Pete Doctor first conceived of the idea for Soul when he began to think about where human personalities are formed — a place devoid of time or space between life and death. When he and co-writer Mike Jones settled on the protagonist being a jazz musician, they hired Kemp Powers to add authenticity to the character. 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse broke the conventions of animated superhero films by finally making use of the source material: comic books. 

Toy Story

A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy’s room. Written by John Lasseter & Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton.

Up

Written by Bob Peterson and Pete Doctor with help on the story by Tom McCarthy, Up features one of the greatest opening scenes in animated film history. 

Wall-E

Wall-E is a heartwarming futuristic tale written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was groundbreaking in that it combined live-action with animation written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman.

Wreck-It Ralph

A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives. Written by: Rich Moore and Phil Johnston & Jim Reardon & Phil Johnston &
Jennifer Lee 

Zootopia

Written by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, with a story developed by the Disney Story Trust — a development engine that was directly inspired by Pixar’s Brain Trust.

Need more inspiration for your animated projects? Check out this list of some of the greatest animated movies of all time: