In 2008 AFI’s 10 Top 10 honoured the ten greatest US films in ten classic film genres from 500 nominated films.
Animation
AFI defines “animated” as a genre in which the film’s images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 |
| 2 | Pinocchio | 1940 |
| 3 | Bambi | 1942 |
| 4 | The Lion King | 1994 |
| 5 | Fantasia | 1940 |
| 6 | Toy Story | 1995 |
| 7 | Beauty and the Beast | 1991 |
| 8 | Shrek | 2001 |
| 9 | Cinderella | 1950 |
| 10 | Finding Nemo | 2003 |
Fantasy
AFI defines “fantasy” as a genre in which live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wizard of Oz | 1939 |
| 2 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | 2001 |
| 3 | It’s a Wonderful Life | 1946 |
| 4 | King Kong | 1933 |
| 5 | Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 |
| 6 | Field of Dreams | 1989 |
| 7 | Harvey | 1950 |
| 8 | Groundhog Day | 1993 |
| 9 | The Thief of Bagdad | 1924 |
| 10 | Big | 1988 |
Gangster
AFI defines the “Gangster film” as a genre that centres on organised crime or maverick criminals in a 20th-century setting.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Godfather | 1972 |
| 2 | Goodfellas | 1990 |
| 3 | The Godfather Part II | 1974 |
| 4 | White Heat | 1949 |
| 5 | Bonnie and Clyde | 1967 |
| 6 | Scarface | 1932 |
| 7 | Pulp Fiction | 1994 |
| 8 | The Public Enemy | 1931 |
| 9 | Little Caesar | 1931 |
| 10 | Scarface | 1983 |
Science fiction
AFI defines “science fiction” as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 1968 |
| 2 | Star Wars | 1977 |
| 3 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 |
| 4 | A Clockwork Orange | 1971 |
| 5 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | 1951 |
| 6 | Blade Runner | 1982 |
| 7 | Alien | 1979 |
| 8 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1991 |
| 9 | Invasion of the Body Snatchers | 1956 |
| 10 | Back to the Future | 1985 |
Western
AFI defines “western” as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Searchers | 1956 |
| 2 | High Noon | 1952 |
| 3 | Shane | 1953 |
| 4 | Unforgiven | 1992 |
| 5 | Red River | 1948 |
| 6 | The Wild Bunch | 1969 |
| 7 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | 1969 |
| 8 | McCabe & Mrs. Miller | 1971 |
| 9 | Stagecoach | 1939 |
| 10 | Cat Ballou | 1965 |
Sports
AFI defines “sports” as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raging Bull | 1980 |
| 2 | Rocky | 1976 |
| 3 | The Pride of the Yankees | 1942 |
| 4 | Hoosiers | 1986 |
| 5 | Bull Durham | 1988 |
| 6 | The Hustler | 1961 |
| 7 | Caddyshack | 1980 |
| 8 | Breaking Away | 1979 |
| 9 | National Velvet | 1944 |
| 10 | Jerry Maguire | 1996 |
Mystery
AFI defines “mystery” as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vertigo | 1958 |
| 2 | Chinatown | 1974 |
| 3 | Rear Window | 1954 |
| 4 | Laura | 1944 |
| 5 | The Third Man | 1949 |
| 6 | The Maltese Falcon | 1941 |
| 7 | North by Northwest | 1959 |
| 8 | Blue Velvet | 1986 |
| 9 | Dial M for Murder | 1954 |
| 10 | The Usual Suspects | 1995 |
Romantic comedy
AFI defines “romantic comedy” as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | City Lights | 1931 |
| 2 | Annie Hall | 1977 |
| 3 | It Happened One Night | 1934 |
| 4 | Roman Holiday | 1953 |
| 5 | The Philadelphia Story | 1940 |
| 6 | When Harry Met Sally… | 1989 |
| 7 | Adam’s Rib | 1949 |
| 8 | Moonstruck | 1987 |
| 9 | Harold and Maude | 1971 |
| 10 | Sleepless in Seattle | 1993 |
Courtroom drama
AFI defines “courtroom drama” as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 |
| 2 | 12 Angry Men | 1957 |
| 3 | Kramer vs. Kramer | 1979 |
| 4 | The Verdict | 1982 |
| 5 | A Few Good Men | 1992 |
| 6 | Witness for the Prosecution | 1957 |
| 7 | Anatomy of a Murder | 1959 |
| 8 | In Cold Blood | 1967 |
| 9 | A Cry in the Dark | 1988 |
| 10 | Judgment at Nuremberg | 1961 |
Epic
AFI defines “epic” as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.
| # | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence of Arabia | 1962 |
| 2 | Ben-Hur | 1959 |
| 3 | Schindler’s List | 1993 |
| 4 | Gone with the Wind | 1939 |
| 5 | Spartacus | 1960 |
| 6 | Titanic | 1997 |
| 7 | All Quiet on the Western Front | 1930 |
| 8 | Saving Private Ryan | 1998 |
| 9 | Reds | 1981 |
| 10 | The Ten Commandments | 1956 |