Indian Animation Movies: 10 Titles That Shaped the Industry

The Indian animation movies that shaped the industry include Hanuman (2005), Roadside Romeo (2008), Arjun: The Warrior Prince (2012), Delhi Safari (2012) and Mahavatar Narsimha (2025). In July 2025, Mahavatar Narsimha became the highest-grossing Indian animated film, earning over Rs 300 crore worldwide.

For years, Indian children grew up on Disney and Pixar. Over the past two decades, Indian studios have shown that local stories, from mythology to street comedy, can fill cinema halls too. Here are 10 titles that moved Indian animation forward, in order of release.

1. Hanuman (2005)

Directed by V.G. Samant and produced by Percept Picture Company with Silvertoons, Hanuman released on 21 October 2005. It tells the story of Hanuman from childhood, with simple 2D animation and songs.

Also read8 Best Yash Raj Production Films: Romance, Action and Drama

The film’s success surprised the trade and is widely credited with popularising feature animation in India. It opened the door for a wave of mythology-based animated films in the years that followed.

2. Return of Hanuman (2007)

Released on 28 December 2007, this sequel was directed by Anurag Kashyap, better known for gritty live-action films. Produced by Percept Pictures, it brought the young Hanuman back for a new adventure aimed at families.

The film showed that well-known filmmakers were willing to try animation, and that mythological characters could be placed in fresh stories for children.

3. Roadside Romeo (2008)

Written and directed by Jugal Hansraj, Roadside Romeo was Yash Raj Films’ first animated film and was co-produced with Walt Disney Pictures. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor voiced the lead dogs, Romeo and Laila, in a story set on Mumbai’s streets.

Tata Elxsi’s Visual Computing Labs handled the 3D animation with a team of about 150 artists. The film did poorly at the box office, but it won the National Film Award for Best Animated Film and showed what Indian studios could achieve in 3D.

4. Ghatothkach (2008)

Veteran director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao made this animated film about Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima and Hidimbi from the Mahabharata. It focuses on his childhood and his magical powers.

Coming from a director known for live-action classics, it added weight to the idea that animation was a serious format for Indian storytellers and not only for television.

5. Arjun: The Warrior Prince (2012)

Directed by Arnab Chaudhuri and produced by UTV Motion Pictures with Walt Disney Pictures, this film retells part of the Mahabharata through the eyes of Arjun. It released in India on 25 May 2012 and had a limited run in the United States.

Its painterly look and serious tone stood apart from the usual children’s fare. It was nominated for the Cristal for best feature at the 2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, one of the most important animation festivals in the world.

6. Delhi Safari (2012)

Nikkhil Advani’s Delhi Safari, made by Pune studio Krayon Pictures, follows a group of animals who travel to Delhi to protest the destruction of their forest. Govinda, Akshaye Khanna, Suniel Shetty, Boman Irani and Urmila Matondkar voiced the Hindi version.

The film carried an environmental message with humour and songs. It won the National Film Award for Best Animated Film at the 60th National Film Awards.

7. Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan (2012)

Directed by Rajiv Chilaka of Green Gold Animation, this was the first theatrical feature for Chhota Bheem, already a hit on television. It proved that Indian TV characters could pull children and parents to cinemas.

The franchise has since produced more films, including Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka (2019), and a live-action version titled Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan released in 2024.

8. Motu Patlu: King of Kings (2016)

Directed by Suhas D. Kadav and made by Cosmos-Maya, this was the first feature film for the Motu Patlu characters, who began in Lotpot magazine before becoming a TV series. It released on 14 October 2016 in about 700 cinemas.

The film earned around Rs 4.27 crore, a respectable figure for an Indian animated release at the time.

9. Baahubali: The Lost Legends (2017, series)

This one is a series, not a film, but it deserves a place. Created by S.S. Rajamouli and Sharad Devarajan with Arka Media Works, it premiered on Amazon Prime Video in April 2017 and ran for five seasons.

It expanded the world of the Baahubali films with new stories about Amarendra Baahubali, Bhallaladeva and Kattappa, and showed that a big film franchise could live on through animation.

10. Mahavatar Narsimha (2025)

Directed by Ashwin Kumar in his debut, produced by Kleem Productions and presented by Hombale Films, Mahavatar Narsimha tells the story of Prahlad and Lord Vishnu’s Narasimha avatar. It released in cinemas on 25 July 2025.

Driven by word of mouth, it became the highest-grossing Indian animated film, with worldwide estimates of Rs 300 crore to Rs 325 crore. It began streaming on Netflix on 19 September 2025.

Quick comparison

Title	Year	Director	Why it matters
Hanuman	2005	V.G. Samant	Popularised feature animation
Roadside Romeo	2008	Jugal Hansraj	YRF and Disney 3D film, National Award
Delhi Safari	2012	Nikkhil Advani	National Award, environmental theme
Mahavatar Narsimha	2025	Ashwin Kumar	Highest-grossing Indian animated film

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Further reading: Disney.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Mahavatar Narsimha, Cartoon Brew on the Mahavatar Narsimha box office record, Wikipedia: Roadside Romeo, Wikipedia: Delhi Safari.