The Highest-Grossing Animated Movies of All Time

The highest-grossing animated movies of all time aren’t always touted as the best movies. But they’re still entertaining.

The Lion King (2019)-$1.6B

Thanks to several celebrity voices and a stellar director, this movie made money. It wasn’t the favorite of everyone, but it did the job.

Frozen II-$1.4B

Sequels aren’t always known for doing better than their predecessors, even when it comes to animated movies. But the Frozen franchise was on a high for a while.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie-$1.3B

This is the kind of movie that fans were waiting for, even if one of the live-action actors didn’t think it was that great. Honestly, it was quite enjoyable.

Frozen-$1.29B

This is the movie that, loosely based on the tale of the Ice Queen, captivated the hearts of many young children. It was also what helped to make a couple of actors so well-known for a while.

Incredibles 2-$1.2B

It was a different type of hero movie, that’s for certain. But it had a nice family feel to it as well.

Minions-$1.15B

Somehow the minions just took off, and people still love them today. Hey, sometimes simplicity is best.

Toy Story 4-$1.07B

Amazingly, the sequels did better than the original, but not impossible to believe. Of course, plenty of people still argue about which movie is best.

Toy Story 3-$1.06B

Watching Andy grow up and the toys have to learn how to adapt to big life changes was interesting. But it hit a chord with a lot of people.

Despicable Me 3-$1.03B

It’s fair to state that a lot of people didn’t know what to expect from the first movie. But given that it’s still running one can’t argue against how popular this movie became.

Finding Dory-$1.02B

Dory became one of the more popular characters, hence the reason she got her own movie. She eclipsed Nemo rather quickly.

Zootopia-$1.02B

Some people felt the need to state that this movie played on themes of racism and other matters. But seriously, it was a fun and thoughtful film.

Despicable Me-$970K

Being introduced to Gru initially was kind of odd. But Steve Carell did a great job with the character.

The Lion King (1994)-$968K

Honestly, many fans still think this is the best version of this movie. Not only that, but it was groundbreaking in its time for the animation.

Minions: The Rise of Gru-$940K

It’s always fun to see how a character gets their start. Plus, the way that Gru and the minions came together is fun to watch.

Finding Nemo-$940K

A lot of people really got into this movie. But like it or not, Dory became the overall star.

Shrek 2-$935K

This was a continuation of an idea that had already struck gold with the fans. To think, the main role was supposed to go to the late Chris Farley.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs-$886K

Somehow, this story only got better as it went along. As of now, it’s still fun, but not quite as popular.

Ice Age: Continental Drift-$879K

Think about all the celebrity voice roles in this movie and then you’ll know why it was so great. Plus, one great thing is that voice actors were not changed between movies.

The Secret Life of Pets-$875K

I don’t know about you, but watching a little lap dog kick major butt was a lot of fun. Plus, the fact that she smacked a street cat around, yes, just yes.

Inside Out-$857K

In terms of pleasing the audience, this movie was all types of great. But with a sequel coming up, it’s hitting home even further.

Shrek the Third-$813K

At one point it did feel as though there was an end to Shrek, or that one was needed. But showing how his life changed in stages was fun.

Coco-$807K

You might not fully understand Coco at first if you don’t know much about the culture. But once you get into it, this movie is a lot of fun.

Shrek Forever After-$756K

The plethora of fairy tale creatures in these movies made its longevity make sense. But all the same, it does feel as though this should stand as the last one.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted-$746

You either like this movie or find it quaint. A lot of fans happen to love it, and for good reason.

Monsters University-$743K

I’ll admit it, I watched this movie a few times. After going through the college experience there were many relatable moments.

Ne Zha-$742K

It does take an effort to get into this movie if you don’t know the lore. But initially, it does look interesting.

Up-$735K

Animated movies don’t normally start this sad unless it drives the story. And yes, that happens here in a big way.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse-$690K

Spider-Man experienced a serious uptick in his popularity following the Tobey Maguire movie, and it has yet to die down. Animated movies like this tend to become fan favorites one way or another.

Kung Fu Panda 2-$665K

Po’s story is an interesting one since he’s kind of clueless but also lovable in a way that makes up for it. But finally seeing how he came to be the son of a goose was eye-opening.

Ice Age: The Meltdown-$660K

These movies did a great job of keeping people entertained. But they also made for a touching story that was fun to follow.

Big Hero 6-$657K

Hero movies are kind of hit-and-miss a lot of times. But this animated foray into the superhero genre was well-received.

Moana-$645K

Given that there’s a second movie on the way, it’s fair to state that this movie did quite well. Of course, having a celebrity like Dwayne Johnson probably helped a lot.

Sing-$634K

This movie was just fun. It also highlighted the idea of pushing through and reaching your dreams.

Kung Fu Panda-$631K

It was hard to know what to think about this movie at first. But with a celebrity cast like this, it was fun to watch.

The Incredibles-$631K

What would a superhero family be like? This kind of answered that question.

Ratatouille-$623K

Imagine a French chef allowing a rat into the kitchen. In a cartoon it makes sense.

How to Train Your Dragon 2-$621K

The first movie made it clear that Toothless was amazing and Hiccup was, well, unique. The second movie made it clear that they’re an unstoppable pair.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa-$603K

The cast of this movie made the magic happen, there’s no doubt of that. But the humor is insane, in a great way.

Tangled-$592K

Out of all the Rapunzel-based movies this one hit on a note that a lot of people enjoyed. It does help that the main characters were voiced by popular individuals.

The Croods-$587K

Who would have thought that Nicolas Cage would portray such a great caveman? Emma Stone was also great in this role.

Monsters, Inc.-$579K

It feels like an odd pairing, but Billy Crystal and John Goodman were magic. It’s definitely a meeting of great actors.

Cars 2-$559K

It’s surprising that the first or third movie didn’t make more than this. But then again, with Michael Caine in the cast, it makes a bit more sense.

Puss in Boots-$554K

Could anyone other than Antonio Banderas have played this role? Probably not.

Kung Fu Panda 4-$544K

The progression of Po throughout these movies has been interesting. Plus, the voice actors have been great to listen to.

Despicable Me 2-$542K

It was an odd movie to be certain, but it was still fun. Let’s be honest though, the three little girls helped make this a great movie.

Brave-$538K

This was further proof that Disney princesses don’t always need saving. Merida isn’t the strongest person, but her strength of character is great.

The Simpsons Movie-$536

It does feel as though it was a stretch from TV to the movie theater, but people loved it. Still, it does feel as though TV is where this family has thrived the most.

WALL-E-$532K

Despite not having a ton of dialogue, this movie was great. It touches people on a level that many weren’t expecting.

Ralph Breaks the Internet-$529K

Personally, I liked the first movie a little better. But this was still a lot of fun since it showed Ralph evolving and expanded the video game verse.