Disney animated movies and anime may seem like two completely different worlds, but the Mouse has greatly influenced Japanese animation. In fact, most anime trademarks, like the large expressive eyes, are a carryover from characters like Betty Boop. Plus, legendary names in anime and manga, like Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki, have cited Disney as an influence.

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Anime fans looking to get their Disney-loving friends into the medium should have no problem looking for a series to recommend. These shows combine the magic of Disney with a Japanese feel, most of them being family-friendly affairs focusing on fantasy, friendships, and several heartwarming and emotional moments.

10 Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

MyAnimeList Score: 7.99

• Release Date: April 20, 2023
• Creator: Yu Tomofuji
• Studio: J.C. Staff
• No. of Episodes: 24
• Japanese Title: Niehime to Kemono no O

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts can be seen as a shojo retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a livelier female lead. Ozmargo, the kingdom of beasts, and the human kingdom have been at war for a hundred years, but finally, they've reached a compromise. Every year, they send a human sacrifice to the Beast King to maintain peace between the kingdoms.

Saripphi, the latest sacrifice, has no qualms about her fate. After all, she has no home or family to go back to. This greatly resonates with Leonhart, the king of beasts, who has his own problems with loneliness. Little by little, they warm up to each other and form a unique bond.

9 Belle

MyAnimeList Score: 7.50

• Release Date: July 15, 2021
• Creator: Mamoru Hosoda
• Studio: Chizu
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Japanese Title: Ryu to Sobakasu no Hime

Belle was directly inspired by both the original Beauty and the Beast and its 1991 Disney retelling. Suzu Naito, a talented but shy teenager, joins a popular virtual reality social media network called 'U'. Under her online persona 'Belle', she becomes a musical sensation on U and in the real world.

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She encounters a mysterious beast known as 'The Dragon' at one of her concerts and finds he's nothing like the ferocious monster he appears to be. And just like the classic tale, the two grow closer as they understand each other better.

8 Sound of the Sky

MyAnimeList Score: 7.54

• Release Date: January 4, 2010
• Creator: Mamoru Kanbe (director), Hiroyuki Yoshino (writer)
• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• No. of Episodes: 12
• Japanese Title: So Ra No Wo To

As an iyashikei anime focusing on young girls joining the military, Sound of the Sky has a ton of cute and heartwarming moments. A young orphan named Kanata Sorami, after hearing a rendition of 'Amazing Grace' on the bugle, decides to join the Helvetian Army as a bugler and gets assigned to the 1121st platoon.

Along with pilot Noel Kannagi, gunner Kureha Suminoya, Sergeant Major and fellow bugler Rio Kazumiya, and second Lieutenant Filicia Heidemann, she finds a new family in a post-apocalyptic world.

7 Aria: The Animation

MyAnimeList Score: 7.68

Set on a terraformed version of Mars, now named Aqua, in the 24th century, Aria: The Animation follows Akari Mizunachi in her journey to become a gondolier. Coming from the planet Manhome, formerly known as Earth, she moves to a city on Aqua named Neo-Venezia, a city that resembles Venice to a tee.

Akari's ultimate dream is to become an Undine, a type of gondolier who also acts as a tour guide. She makes many friends along the way in the backdrop of the lush and gorgeous Neo-Venezia.

6 Little Witch Academia

MyAnimeList Score: 7.81

• Release Date: January 9, 2017
• Creator: Yoh Yoshinari (director), Michiru Shimada (writer)
• Studio: Trigger
• No. of Episodes: 25

The cheery and optimistic Akko Kagari has always dreamed of becoming a powerful witch like her idol Shiny Chariot. She enrolls at the Luna Nova Magical Academy to become a witch, though having a non-magical background proves to be a hurdle. To her delight, however, she finds Shiny Chariot's wand, the Shiny Rod. Akko then embarks on a journey to find her idol and manifest her witch powers.

Like most Disney animated movies, Little Witch Academia has a plucky, happy-go-lucky female lead and features themes of friendship, perseverance, and self-confidence, all set in a fantasy world with magic and witches.

5 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

MyAnimeList Score: 8.01

Based on several tales from The Arabian Nights, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic tells the story of a young magician named Aladdin whose magical flute can summon a powerful djinn named Ugo. Along with his friend, Alibaba, he goes on a journey to explore magical, treasure-filled labyrinths known as Dungeons.

The anime has many similarities to Disney's Aladdin, including a Middle Eastern setting and fantasy elements, adding a heavy dose of shonen action to top it all off.

4 Natsume's Book of Friends

MyAnimeList Score: 8.31

High school student Takashi Natsume can see yokai or spirits, something which he inherited from his late grandmother Reiko. He also inherited a mysterious book called the 'Book of Friends', which contains the names of the spirits Reiko had formed a contract with during her lifetime.

Natsume takes it upon himself to free the spirits from their contracts, accompanied by a lucky cat yokai named Madara. Throughout the anime, he meets a variety of yokai, some friendly, some not so much. Natsume's Book of Friends follows Natsume as he comes to terms with his powers and tries to improve the relationships between humans and yokai.

3 Cardcaptor Sakura

MyAnimeList Score: 8.17

Cardcaptor Sakura is a great gateway into the Magical Girl genre. It follows ten-year-old Sakura Kinomoto, who, upon accidentally scattering a bunch of cards from a mysterious book, is bestowed with the title of 'Cardcaptor' from the cards' guardian, a cute weasel mascot named Keroberos a.k.a Kero.

Tasked with finding the magical cards, Sakura has to balance her school life with her duty as the Cardcaptor. The series features themes of friendship, romance, and magic, with a determined and optimistic female protagonist to boot.

2 Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light

MyAnimeList Score: 8.28

• Release Date: September 17, 2011
• Creator: Yuki Midorikawa
• Studio: Brain's Base
• Runtime: 44 minutes
• Japanese Title: Hotarubi no Mori e

Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light clocks in at only 44 minutes, but what is offered is incredibly sweet and heartwarming. Hotaru Takegawa, a six-year-old girl, gets lost in a forest filled with yokai. Hearing her cries for help, a mask-wearing yokai named Gin offers to help her. When Hotaru tries to hug him, he fends her off, telling her that he'll disappear forever if he's ever touched by a human.

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Hotaru visits Gin year after year, with her getting older and him never aging, the two slowly develop feelings for each other, even though she can't touch him. The movie ends on a bittersweet note, emphasizing themes of love and loss.

1 Spirited Away

MyAnimeList Score: 8.77

While any Studio Ghibli film could count, due to Hayao Miyazaki being openly inspired by Disney films, Spirited Away in particular has had a huge influence on both Western and Eastern animation and was the most successful anime film of all time before it was unseated by Demon Slayer - The Movie: Mugen Train.

Ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents discover an abandoned amusement park when traveling to their new home. Chihiro is more than a little apprehensive about the place, especially since her parents turned into pigs upon eating some food at an empty restaurant. Chihiro, having unknowingly traversed into the spirit world, is instructed to take a job at the bathhouse by a boy named Haku. And so begins her journey to return home and free her parents.

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