Squideo is going to break down ten animated music videos to explore a range of styles and genres, suitable for a range of budgets. If you are interested in creating your own animated music video, check out Squideo’s recent work for Spell With Me or get in touch with us directly for expert guidance. 

01. Yellow Submarine by The Beatles (1968)

Before the launch of MTV in 1981, The Beatles created a feature-length music video with their film Yellow Submarine. The titular track was included in the film and this sequence has since been used to create an individual music video for the song. Yellow Submarine is considered a landmark in 2D animation and contributed toward the legacy of the song. 

Led by animators Robert Balser and Jack Stokes, the psychedelic style of the film reflects the dreamy nature of the lyrics (Yellow Submarine was written by McCartney/Lennon as a children’s song) and the bright pop-art colours make a memorable splash. 2D animation is utilised to support the song’s narrative, as well as the film’s overall narrative of The Beatles travelling through an underwater paradise. 

02. Take on Me by A-ha (1985)

Combining 2D animation with live-action, this iconic eighties track set the trend of animating music videos. The original live-action video inspired little success for the 1984 song, which caused a major rethink at Warner Brothers (A-ha’s record label) before a second video was released. Combining line animation, rotoscoping and live-action, this music video made Take On Me a global hit.

The music video for Take On Me became iconic and has been parodied numerous times in film and television, as well as by other musicians. Take On Me is considered a milestone in animated music videos and certainly inspired a trend continued by other entries on this list. 

See Also: Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul (1988); Hope for the Future by Paul McCartney (2014) and; Caught in the Middle by Paramore (2018).

03. Money for Nothing by Dire Straits (1985)

3D animation, which now includes computer-generated imagery (CGI), helped Dire Strait’s music video stand out at a time when animated music videos were having their biggest moment. Trading in 2D for 3D, Money for Nothing still incorporated live-action elements to the video to showcase the artists’ skill, which were rotoscoped for added visual interest.

Its use of 3D images, particularly of human characters, was a gamble since the technology was still in its infancy but the novelty of the format is what contributed to the song’s success. While the band was initially reluctant to create a music video, its success on MTV is credited with propelling the single to No.1 and making it Dire Straits’ most commercially successful song. 

See Also: Go to Sleep by Radiohead (2003).

04. Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel (1986)

This stop-motion live-action animated music video made Peter Gabriel a chart-topping artist, and it went on to be the most-watched MTV music video of all time. The use of stop-motion animation creates a visual distortion which matches the destructiveness of the titular object (the sledgehammer). 

An early showcase for Nick Park, later of Wallace and Gromit fame, plasticine was also utilised for this stop-motion masterclass. While it wasn’t the first music video to use these techniques – see Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads – the deftness in which they were employed has made Sledgehammer the benchmark for all stop-motion animated music videos that proceeded it. 

See Also: Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads (1985), Leave Me Alone by Michael Jackson (1989); Fell in Love with a Girl by The White Stripes (2002), and; Strawberry Swing by Coldplay (2009). 

05. Innuendo by Queen (1990)

The penultimate album by Queen and the last released before Mercury’s death, Innuendo was its title track. The band’s first number one hit since Under Pressure in 1981, Innuendo’s accompanying music video was created with rotoscoped animation, live-action footage and stop-motion. Rotoscoping is an animation technique which overlays live-action footage frame-by-frame to simulate realistic movements and facial features. 

This technique made the production of Innuendo’s music video a relatively simple process as no new footage was required to create the video, instead clips were taken from previous Queen music videos and spliced together with animation to create new and unique content.

See Also: Go With the Flow by Queens of the Stone Age (2003) and Heartless by Kanye West (2008). 

06. Do The Evolution by Pearl Jam (1998)

Produced by comic book legends Kevin Altieri (of Batman: The Animated Series) and Todd McFarlane (of Spawn), from the moment of its conception Do The Evolution was going to be a fantastic piece of 2D animation. It ended up taking over 100 artists a month to animate the video and for their efforts Do The Evolution was rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video (ultimately losing out to Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson). 

Heavily influenced by the artistic style of American comic books, the video pays homage to several sources including Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and animator Hugh Harman. It remains one of Pearl Jam’s most popular music videos, despite the single failing to break into the Top 30 charts.

See Also: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me by U2 (1995); Superheroes by Stormzy (2019), and; At the Door by The Strokes (2020).

07. Move Your Feet by Junior Senior (2002)

Like many music videos created with pixel animation, Move Your Feet was visually inspired by video games of the 1980s and 1990s. This budget production was created using EA’s Deluxe Paint, proving that a music video hit doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. 

The video was produced by a British art collective who produced animated and live-action artwork. The video helped Move Your Feet become Junior Senior’s highest ranking hit, particularly in the UK where it ranked at No.3 on the singles chart. 

See Also: Careless Whisper by Seether (2009); Wait for Me by Moby (2010), and; We Come Together by Goldfish (2011).

08. Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz (2005)

Many animated music videos featured on this list are standout videos for the artist(s) involved, but in the case of Gorillaz it is a staple of their brand. Their iconic Feel Good Inc. video merges regular 2D animated characters with live-action footage of the band’s collaborators. 

Each of the band members have their own animated counterpart, with rich fictional backstories that inform the narrative of the band’s music videos. Gorillaz videos are influenced by Japanese manga, particularly the work of Hayao Miyazaki whose film Castle in the Sky inspired some scenes in Feel Good Inc.

See Also: Paranoid Android by Radiohead (1997); Feels Like Summer by Childish Gambino (2018), and; Birds by Imagine Dragons (2019). 

09. Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys (2013)

This line animated music video uses a simple black background and white line which could easily be replicated for a budget music video. Infused with 2D animated scenes, the music video for Do I Wanna Know? stylistically reflects the album cover (AM) and the consistently minimalistic style of the band’s brand. 

In 2020, it became one of only a dozen rock genre music videos to reach over 1 billion views on YouTube (as of 2022). This genre traditionally sticks to live-action music videos, but the success of Do I Wanna Know? suggests that animation could be the best way to stand out. 

See Also: Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park (2004).

10. Levitating by Dua Lipa (2020)

Produced in collaboration with the social media platform TikTok, Levitating’s original music video is a mixed-media marvel which includes a CGI levitating “intergalactic dance floor.” This collaboration video, in which Dua Lipa is accompanied by DaBaby, was followed by a solo video which was fully animated. 

Produced in a Japanese anime style reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s, this version shows that there is still a trend for 2D animated music videos which can be traced right back to the beginning of this list. From the pop-art colours reminiscent of Yellow Submarine to the Japanese-inspired characters like those in Feel Good Inc., Levitating uses animation to create a truly memorable video.

See Also: One More Time by Daft Punk (2001) and Starlight Brigade by TWRP (2018).

Get Started with Your Animated Music Video

If you’re feeling inspired by this list of the Best Animated Music Videos and are ready to get started on making your own, watch Squideo’s video below to get a better understanding of how Squideo can create the perfect videos to suit your project brief. 

If you want to discuss how one of our videos can benefit you, get in touch with the Squideo team today!