Animated music videos: you love them. I love them. They’re the perfect form for bridging the gap between the poetic realism of music and the surrealist imagery we construct through lyrics. We’re going to break down a variety of the best animated music videos by looking at what makes them tick. By the end, you might be inspired to make your own animated music video!
Cool Animated Music Videos
Jarvis Cocker – Aline
Best Animated Music Videos • Christophe’s Aline, Performed by Jarvis Cocker
DIRECTED BY WES ANDERSON, ILLUSTRATED BY JAVI AZNAREZ
The great film director Wes Anderson delivered an excellent music video to accompany his 2021 film The French Dispatch. Cocker's rendition of the Christophe classic tune get's the full animated treatment. The video’s illustrations – which were drawn by Javi Aznarez – are wonderfully expressive; stylistically, they look like a cross between Yellow Submarine and Persepolis.
Popular Animated Music Videos
Mac Miller – Good News
Music Videos That Are Animated • Mac Miller’s Good News
DIR. ANTHONY GADDIS & ERIC TILFORD, VIDEO BY JUSTIN BOYD
The music video for the late Mac Miller’s "Good News" – which was released posthumously by his estate – is nearly indescribable. It’s part FMV (full motion video), part collage, part CGI, and part illustration – but ultimately, it transcends its animated components to become something unique.
Best Animated Music Videos of All Time
JAY-Z – The Story of O.J.
Best Animated Music Videos • JAY-Z’s The Story of O.J.
DIRECTED BY MARK ROMANEK AND JAY-Z
Mark Romanek and JAY-Z took the racist imagery of animation’s past and critiqued it via the latter’s piercing lyrics. "The Story of O.J."is a profound song that comments on racial discrimination and generational wealth. And themusic video highlights these issues through intoxicating visuals.
Cool Music Videos
Post Malone, Swae Lee – Sunflower
Top 10 Animated Music Videos • Post Malone, Swae Lee’s Sunflower
DIRECTED BY PHIL LORD & CHRISTOPHER MILLER
We gave Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse the top ranking in our greatest animated movies of all-time list – so how could we not put it’s music video for "Sunflower" here? I suppose it’s somewhat cheating to include the "Sunflower" music video since it’s mostly Spider-Verse clips… but hey, it’s still an amazing music video!
Best Animated Music Videos of All Time
Childish Gambino – Feels Like Summer
Cool Music Videos • Childish Gambino’s Feels Like Summer
DIRECTED BY DONALD GLOVER, IVAN DIXON & GREG SHARP
Childish Gambino’s "Feels Like Summer" may be a chill R&B track, but its accompanying music video is a serious commentary on race, in and out of the music industry. Whether it’s Michelle Obama hugging Kanye West, O.J. sitting next to a melting cup of mixed ice cream, or J Cole telling kids to “get off his lawn” – there’s a reference for everybody.
Best Animated Music Videos of All Time
a-ha – Take on Me
Best Animated Music Videos • a-ha’s Take on Me
DIRECTED BY STEVE BARRON
We can’t talk about animated videos without bringing up a-ha’s technical masterpiece, "Take on Me." The video is an all-time great – not just for its infectious beat, but for its mind-bending rotoscope visuals as well.
Today, Barron’s video remains one of the most popular music videos, animated or otherwise, in the world.
Top 10 Animated Music Videos
Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
Music Videos That Are Animated • Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc.
DIRECTED BY ARTISTS UNKNOWN
The virtual band Gorillaz has more than a few iconic music videos, but the animated video for "Feel Good Inc." is an all-time classic. The video broaches themes of social dystopias and tortured artists while lulling you into hypnosis with one of the grooviest bass lines you’ve ever heard.
Cool Animated Music Videos
The Strokes – Ode to the Mets
Best Animated Music Videos • The Strokes’ Ode to the Mets
DIRECTED BY WARREN FU
To quote Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes.” And who wouldn’t? The Strokes are some of the coolest guys in music; even when they’re lamenting the sorry state of loving something that’s eternally disappointing, like the New York Mets. The music video for "Ode to the Mets" was directed by director Warren Fu, who’s worked with just about everybody in the music industry.
Awesome Music Videos That Are Animated
R.E.M. – Man-Sized Wreath
Best Animated Videos • R.E.M.’s Man-Sized Wreath
DIRECTED BY CRUSH INC.
The augmented-reality music video for R.E.M.’s "Man-Sized Wreath" is an absolutely bonkers display of 2000s voxel-based tech. It’s also a surreal journey through a rapidly-shifting cityscape. Does that tie into the thematic aim of the song? Call me crazy, but I think it may.
Cool Animated Videos
Bill Wurtz – got some money
Best Animated Music Videos • Bill Wurtz’s got some money
DIRECTED BY BILL WURTZ
Bill Wurtz of “history of the entire world fame” makes music videos like no one else. His 2021 video for "got some money" is no exception. Fans of Wurtz know that his videos frequently feature Microsoft Paint styled animation with colorful special effects – but "got some money" represents a technical step forward via 3D graphics.
Awesome Music Videos That Are Animated
Radiohead – Paranoid Android
Popular Music Videos • Radiohead’s Paranoid Android
DIRECTED BY MAGNUS CARLSSON
The music video for "Paranoid Android" appears on just about every list of the best animated music videos, because one: it’s Radiohead, two: it’s directed by famed Swedish animator Magnus Carlsson, and three: it’s hard to forget. My only question after watching it was: what in the world is going on? Which is a hallmark indicator of surrealism.
Best Animated Music Videos of All Time
Dua Lipa – Levitating
Dua Lipa’s Levitating
DIR. YU TSUBAKI & KENTA ORISAKA, ANIMATED BY NOSTALOOK
Who would’ve thought a Dua Lipa music video would serve as the perfect staging ground for an anime-styled send-up? Not me, that’s for sure – but alas, the music video for "Levitating"does just that, with colorful characters and futuristic cityscapes to boot.
Great Music Videos That Are Animated
Billie Eilish – my future
Best Animated Music Videos • Billie Eilish’s my future
DIRECTED BY ANDREW ONORATO
Animated videos had a big resurgence after one of the world’s biggest pop-stars – Billie Eilish – decided to make a few. The music video for "my future" features some stunning animation 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, Sarah Schmidt, and Sean Anderson.
Top 10 Animated Music Videos
Daft Punk – One More Time
Best Music Videos • Daft Punk’s One More Time
DIRECTED BY KAZUHISA TAKENOUCHI
Did you know that Daft Punk had a movie companion to their hit album Discovery directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi? If you didn’t, it’s called Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Nowadays, it’s most famous for the "One More Time" video.
Classic Music Videos That Are Animated
Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two
Music Videos That Are Animated • Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two
ARTWORK BY GERALD SCARFE
Pink Floyd is known for having lucid music videos – but honestly, it’s a bit surprising that they don’t feature animation more. I suppose that works to the benefit of "Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two" from the endlessly venerated album, The Wall. The music video for this track boasts unique and trippy animation from English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Funky Music Videos That Are Animated
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Sick Love
Popular Music Videos • Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Sick Love
DIR. & ILLUSTRATED BY BETH JEANS HOUGHTON, CHIEF ANIMATION BY JOSEPH BRETT
Turns out a surrealist video was the "ying" to Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Sick Love"yang." The animation and music go together like two peas in a pod; even when the imagery seems a bit forced.
Top 10 Animated Music Videos
American Pop – Night Moves
Best Animated Videos • Bob Seger’s Night Moves in American Pop
DIRECTED BY RALPH BAKSHI
Ralph Bakshi has undoubtedly inspired countless animators to pursue making animated videos. As such, I’d be remiss if I brushed past the influence of American Pop; which features rotoscoped video to accompany music from Janis Joplin, The Doors, and more. But despite those big names, perhaps the most enduring example from American Pop is Bakshi’s music video for Bob Seger’s "Night Moves."
Popular Animated Music Videos
Starbomb – The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid
Popular Animated Music Videos • The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid, Animated by Studio Yotta
ANIMATION BY STUDIO YOTTA
The internet has paved the way for a new generation of animated videos: a point perhaps best proven 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 Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of Ninja Sex Party. Hanson animated a few of the album’s music videos – but the video for "The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid" (which is perhaps the least raunchy of the album’s tracks) was animated by Studio Yotta.
Best Animated Music Videos of All Time
Pearl Jam – Do the Evolution
Best Animated Music Videos • Pearl Jam’s Do the Evolution
DIRECTED BY KEVIN ALTIERI & TODD MCFARLANE
Technically speaking, the music video for Pearl Jam’s "Do the Evolution" may be the best on this list. I suppose that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering it was co-directed by Kevin Altieri (Batman: The Animated Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man) and Todd McFarlane (The Amazing Spider-Man, Spawn).
Needless to say, "Do the Evolution" passes the eye test and more.
Top 10 Animated Music Videos
Kanye West – Heartless
Kanye West’s Heartless
DIRECTED BY HYPE WILLIAMS
Notice anything familiar about Hype Williams’ music video for "Heartless"? Oh yeah, it looks a lot like American Pop. That’s no coincidence either; both Williams and West reportedly wanted to replicate the style of Bakshi’s rotoscope animation – and they succeeded enormously.
Up Next
Best Animation Software Programs
There are a lot of great animated music videos – but there could be more! Do you want to step into the arena with your own music video? Check out our next article on the best animation softwares: 2D, 3D, paid and free options. We’ll show you how to get the best bang for your buck in pursuit of becoming a music video artist.
Up Next: Best Animation Software →
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FAQs
Why are music videos animated? ›
Music videos are made to promote an artist or song, and to give them extra air time in order to increase sales and awareness. And due to the current global situation, many artists have chosen to use an animated format to accompany their recent releases.
What was the first animated music video? ›Released in 1979, Elvis Costello and the Attractions' Accidents Will Happen is widely considered to be the first fully animated music video.
How much is an animated music video? ›Our prices range between USD 4000 - 8000 for 60 seconds animated video production. The factors which might affect the pricing are the animation style, video duration, timelines, content complexity and feedback time.
How do you animate music? ›How to Animate Music and Sound | FX Animation Tutorial - YouTube
What is the #1 music video of all time? ›1. Michael Jackson, 'Thriller' (1983)
What's the most watched music video? ›Upon its premiere last week, the “Pink Venom” music video broke the record as the most-viewed music video of the year in its first 24 hours, with a jaw-dropping 90.4 million views.
What is the oldest AMV? ›The first anime music video was created in 1982 by 21-year-old Jim Kaposztas. Kaposztas hooked up two videocassette recorders to each other and edited the most violent scenes from Star Blazers to "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles to produce a humorous effect.
What is mad Japanese? ›MAD is shorted for "music anime douga", similar to "anime music video" aka AMV.
What AMV means? ›AMV stands for Anime Music Video, a type of video edited by fans which mixes anime footage with popular music.
Why are AMV so popular? ›
The Diverse Variety of Stories
The wide range of genres in anime is the first reason why it is so popular. Every person enjoys a different story, genre, and style in anime! Romance, comedy, action/adventure, mystery/suspense, and horror are just a few of the many genres explored by anime plots.
What Is Anison? Anison is a Japanese music genre comprising pop and rock songs from the soundtracks of popular anime films and television series.
Who made the 1st music video? ›Some suggest that the first music video was created in 1894 by Joseph Stern and Edward Mark, who set a recording of their song “The Little Lost Child” to a moving slide show and marketed it as an “illustrated song.” Though the average American did not yet own equipment to play a recording of the song, over 2 million ...
How much does a 1 minute animation cost? ›Most studios will produce 1 minute of animation for between about $2,500 and $10,000. Some can achieve basic animation for $1,000 per minute and in situations such as Pixar films, you can expect animation to cost upwards of $100,000 per finished minute.
How long does it take to animate 1 minute? ›Therefore, a 1 minute animation: 60 seconds = Between 6 to 12+ days. You should also assume that an animator will work extra days into this to allow for: Storyboarding.
How much does a 30 second animation cost? ›How much does a 30-second animated explainer video cost? A 30 second, high quality animated explainer video production costs between $2000 – $4500, depending on the style and number of revisions in the process.
How do you make a 3d music video? ›My BEST TIPS for Making a 3D Music Video *WISH I KNEW WHEN ...
What is the Top 10 music? ›- Pink VenomBLACKPINK.
- I Like You (A Happier Song) (with Doja Cat)Post Malone, Doja Cat.
- As It WasHarry Styles.
- I Ain't WorriedOneRepublic.
- About Damn TimeLizzo.
- Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52Bizarrap, Quevedo.
- Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 2018 RemasterKate Bush.
- Bad HabitSteve Lacy.
What is the most viewed video on YouTube? The most viewed on YouTube is Baby Shark Dance - Pinkfong Kids' Songs & Stories (simply called Baby Shark). It has received more than 7 billion views worldwide. It's a children's song, believed to have originated from a campfire song or chant, about a family of sharks.
Who had the most Top 40 hits? ›For those keeping score, Drake now has the most top 10s (40), top 40 hits (113) and entries on the Hot 100 (224), helped by his prevalence in the streaming era, in which many more songs from albums reach the chart in general, and his standing as one of the acts most tapped for collaborations and featured roles.
Who has the most 1 billion views on YouTube? ›
This Friday, July 15, marks the 10th anniversary of Psy's “Gangnam Style” music video release — and the Korean artist's combo of stylish quirkiness, trademark dance moves, synth hooks and satirical edge made it the first viral video to top 1 billion views on YouTube.
How much is 1 billion YouTube views worth? ›In theory, a good content creator might earn anywhere from $240k to $5 million based on 1 billion views on YouTube. This income is based solely on potential ad revenue based on viewership. However, the reality is that there are a lot of other factors that influence how much you can make on YouTube.
What is the top 10 most viewed music video on YouTube? ›- “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong Kids' Songs & Stories (9.53bn views)
- “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee (7.59bn views) ...
- “Johny Johny Yes Papa” by LooLoo Kids (5.82bn views) ...
- “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (5.50bn views) ...
| Rank | Title | Views (millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Butter" | 108.2 |
| 2. | "Dynamite" | 101.1 |
| 3. | "Pink Venom" | 90.4 |
| 4. | "How You Like That" | 86.3 |
The most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours was viewed 108,200,000 times, and was achieved by BTS (Republic of Korea) with the video titled "BTS (방탄소년단) 'Butter' Official MV," on 22 May 2021.
What is the most viewed video on YouTube that is not music? ›The 17th episode of Russian cartoon "Masha and the Bear."
It's not entirely clear why this video is not only the most-viewed non-music video on YouTube, but also one of the most-disliked videos on the entire platform.
AMVs are illegal copyright infringement. Without permission by the anime producers and the recording artist for the song, you are looking at a takedown wherever you share that, and possibly a lawsuit. (Although those are rare.)
What does ova mean in anime? ›Original video animation (Japanese: オリジナル・ビデオ・アニメーション, Hepburn: orijinaru bideo animēshon), abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first ...
Do people still make AMV? ›The practice is still popular, though video editing has definitely gotten better -- looking up "AMV" in a search bar won't just take you to old, blurry examples recorded by camcorder or be edited like a slideshow with WMM.
Where is Japan near? ›Japan is bounded to the west by the Sea of Japan (East Sea), which separates it from the eastern shores of South and North Korea and southeastern Siberia (Russia); to the north by La Perouse (Sōya) Strait, separating it from Russian-held Sakhalin Island, and by the Sea of Okhotsk; to the northeast by the southern Kuril ...
What is a flow edit? ›
Edit Flow is free WordPress plugin that helps you manage your editorial calendar, process, and team. It comes with a variety of different modules that you can pick and choose as needed: Calendar – View and edit the Edit Flow calendar so you can see what articles are being published and when.
How do you write Pagal in Japanese? ›- owe.
- 償
- pay.
- pagal.
Slang / Jargon (5) Acronym. Definition. PMV. Picture Music Video.
What does GMV mean on YouTube? ›GMV means "Got My Vote."
Can you make money on YouTube with AMVs? ›You can profit from an AMV. Just get the written ok from whoever owns the rights of the anime in Japan as well as the artist of the song you are using. Good luck with that. Also because you'll most likely post it on YouTube, Google will want a cut of whatever money you make from the ads.
How big is anime in Japan? ›In 2019, Japan's anime industry was valued at $24 billion a year with 48% of that revenue coming from overseas (which is now its largest industry sector). By 2025 the anime industry is expected to reach a value of $30 billion with over 60% of that revenue to come from overseas.
Do Japanese like anime? ›So, yes, anime is popular in Japan. However, it wouldn't be so surprising if we were to find out that Japanese people often ask, why is Disney so popular in America? These would be good questions. Yet, we know, living here, that, really, not everyone likes or even watches Disney Shows.
Why is anime called anime? ›The word "anime" is simply an abbreviation of the word "animation." In Japan, "anime" is used to refer to all animation. Everywhere else in the world, people use "anime" to refer specifically to animation from Japan.
How do you find a music video by describing it? ›- Write a Few Lyrics Into Google.
- Do a YouTube Search.
- Post It on a Song Naming Community.
- Advanced Google Search.
- Use a Song Identifier App.
- Search up the Artist's Discography.
How to Edit Anime Music Video AMV for Beginners in Premiere Pro
Who animated the Come Together music video? ›
Developed by an illustrator, Albino Blacksheep, for the band's website back in 2001, the animations were made in Flash and released as a Blu-Ray "1+" four years later. The animations take us on a psychedelic journey of members of the band dressed exactly like the classic album cover.
How do you make animated visuals for music? ›How to Create Epic Animated Visuals for Your Music for Free - YouTube