As a college student, I find it weird that people are calling me an adult all of a sudden, and yet I don’t feel like I’ve grown up (or ever will). I guess the main reason for this is that some of my peers criticize me for watching animated movies that are meant for kids. Let me just say this in response: losers.

But in all seriousness, I think that these animated movies are actually still great when you’re an adult. Especially as of late, more and more jokes are put into kids movies that are just meant for adults to enjoy. I remember when I took my younger siblings to see “Inside Out,” I was cracking up at references to older movies like “The Great Escape” and “Chinatown” while my siblings just stared at me and didn’t get it. Hollywood inserts a lot of great jokes and material that are definitely for the adults and not the kids. I’m not even going to go into how many innuendo jokes are in kids movies (more than you’d think).

I also know I’m not the only one that feels this way. A lot of my friends still watch these kids movies all the time. I passed some friends in the library who were taking a study break by watching “Despicable Me 2.” There’s a club in my college that is dedicated to watching Disney movies, and I’ve eagerly gone to one or two of their events. To this day, my favorite Disney film is “Aladdin,” mainly because of Robin Williams’s Genie whose comedic references make me and my brother laugh all the time.

I know you might be thinking that the old Disney movies are okay because I’m reliving my childhood, but I’ve got to tell you that the newer animated movies are just as good. This past year, for instance, I was bored and checked out some of the new animated movies for fun, and was pleasantly surprised at how many times I laughed out loud. Watching an animated movie shouldn’t be looked down upon, but instead should just be like watching another movie. The only difference is that the whole family can enjoy this together. Here are some animated features that I recommend.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

If you like Wes Anderson movies, this shouldn’t be far off your watchlist. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this is the story of Mr. Fox, who wants to go on one more farmers raid before calling it quits to be a responsible parent. This was full of cherishing lessons on responsibility and being different, and included Wes Anderson’s deadpan humor in the dialogue. I went with my brother to see this in theaters and we now own it on DVD for the whole family to enjoy.

The Peanuts Movie

I vaguely remembered the animated show from when I was a kid, and I’ve read the comics at my grandparents's house, so I thought, why not? This movie not only successfully brought back the nostalgia of the little I remember, but made me laugh out loud from Charlie Brown’s struggles to impress the new girl by proving he’s a winner, to Snoopy’s fight against the Red Baron. Even for those who never had a feel for the original “Peanuts” show and movies, I highly recommend this coming-of-age story that reminds us how special we all really are.

The Curse of The Were-Rabbit

I remember my father showing us Wallace and Gromit claymation movie shorts when I was a kid, and this was the best reminder. Wallace is a wacky, cheese-loving inventor and Gromit is his anthropomorphic dog who is much smarter than he appears. These two lovable characters get into a bunch of crazy adventures, mainly from Wallace’s inventions, but this movie takes them on a strange, yet comedic, spoof of classic werewolf movies for the whole family to enjoy. I promise you that it won’t be long before you’re laughing at Wallace’s ingenious inventions and Gromit cleaning up after his master in this spooky and fun tale.

Zootopia

A more recent movie, this is about a city where animals live like humans while still retaining their animal characteristics and habits. In this story, we follow a bunny police officer who struggles to prove that, despite her size, she can make a difference, as she tries to solve a case of disappearing animals. Filled with deadpan humor and many references to movies and pop culture that we experience daily, this movie about accepting one’s differences is something that we can all enjoy. Plus, Jason Bateman plays a fast-talking fox: what more could you want?

Robots

Robin Williams, again. Enough said. This movie about a world full of robots. A young inventor robot travels to the big city to try and make his dreams come true, but instead finds that not everything was as he expected it to be and must put things right. Like I said, this has Robin Williams in it along with Mel Brooks, so you can expect a lot of fast-paced humor and innuendo to slide right under your nose if you don’t catch it in time. This was an incredibly entertaining movie and full of so many great references: people of all ages can laugh and enjoy it too.