Highest-Grossing Animated Films of All Time

In 1937, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the year’s highest-grossing film, proving animated features weren’t just for kids, and could be a financially lucrative genre. In the decades that followed, numerous studios followed Disney’s lead, releasing animated films that not only earned critical acclaim, but set box office records as well.

Not every animated film is a guaranteed hit, as notorious flops like Titan A.E. and Strange Worlds have proven. Many animated films, however, exceeded expectations at the box office, appealing to all demos and making hundreds of millions of dollars.

These are the highest-grossing animated films of all time, ranked by global earnings according to The-Numbers.com.

Updated on April 10, 2024, by Vic Medina: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

25 Monsters University (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $743 Million

Would it have been better for Disney to go with their original idea for Monsters, Inc. 2? Sure, but at least fans got to spend more time with John Goodman’s fuzzy James P. Sullivan and Billy Crystal’s adorable green cyclops Mike Wazowski in the prequel film Monsters University. A college-set comedy, it’s basically Animal House for kids, and that’s an interesting take, but it also marked a further step towards more shallow than deep narratives for Pixar.

How Much Did Monsters University Make?

There are two ways to look at Monster University‘s box office performance. On one hand, if adjusted for inflation, 2001’s Monsters, Inc. sold a heck of a lot more tickets. But, for a long-delayed prequel that doesn’t even really seem to need to exist, the film’s $268.5 million domestic take (less than the original, even without a decade-plus of inflation) and $475 million overseas totals were respectable. At the end of the day, it made money.

24 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $747 Million

Dreamworks’ Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted features an all-star voice cast, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and Sacha Baron Cohen, as a group of Central Park Zoo animals mistakenly sent to Madagascar and eager to return home. For the third installment, the band of misfits is traveling with a circus in Europe, and their attempts to get home are sidetracked through a series of misadventures. A group of scene-stealing penguins and a witty script won over audiences in droves.

How Much Did Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Make?

Madagascar 3 was the second highest-grossing animated film of 2012, topped only by Ice Age: Continental Drift. Domestically, it earned over $216 million, and more than doubled that in overseas markets, with $531 million at the box office. Worldwide, the film earned more than Disney’s two films released that year, Brave and Wreck-It-Ralph. Despite its success, a fourth Madagascar film remains stuck in development hell.

23 Shrek Forever After (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $756 million

Billed as the final film in the series, Shrek Forever After reunited the main cast, including Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona. The plot involves Shrek crossing paths with Rumpelstiltskin, who is out for revenge and has a plan to erase Shrek from existence. Released to mixed reviews, the film’s success helped spawn the Puss in Boots spinoff, although a rumored fifth film remains unannounced.

How Much Did Shrek Forever After Make?

The film played strongly both domestically and overseas. It earned over $238 million in North America and an additional $518 million at the international box office. With a total box office of over $756 million worldwide, it’s surprising the franchise hasn’t continued.

22 Coco (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $797 Million

Pixar’s Coco tells the story of Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy whose love of music leads him to the fabled Land of the Dead, where his deceased relatives help him return home. Despite a strong focus on death and the afterlife, the film turned out to be a joyful celebration of life and family, and audiences embraced the film. Coco won two Oscars, for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song.

How Much Did Coco Make?

The film opened in Mexico and became a box office phenomenon, eventually knocking off Marvel’s The Avengers to become the biggest box office hit in Mexico’s history. It earned over $586 million in international markets, and with more than $210 in sales at the domestic box office, Coco earned nearly $797 million worldwide.

21 Shrek the Third (2007)

Worldwide Gross $807 Million

DreamWorks’ animation department got off to one heck of a start with Shrek. With four films (and counting), it’s not an IP that’s lost its financial viability, even if it’s widely accepted the first two Shrek films are far superior to the latter two. In this third installment, Shrek is attempting to have someone take his place as King while Fiona fends off a rebellion from Prince Charming.

How Much Did Shrek the Third Make?

While Shrek the Third didn’t generate as much audience interest as Shrek 2, that’s understandable. The first sequel rode the first film’s capturing of the zeitgeist to great effect, and the fact that it was an even better film than the original certainly didn’t hurt. Considering the Third doesn’t hold a candle to Shrek 2, its $323 million domestic tally and $485 international haul is nothing to scoff at. Not to mention, its budget was a pretty reasonable $160 million, so the final product quintupled what it cost to make it.

20 Inside Out (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $851 million

Pixar’s Inside Out signaled a shift toward telling more sophisticated stories. Pixar still offered child-oriented films, but Inside Out took a very mature turn with its story about the emotions in a young girl’s mind, which take the form of personalized characters like Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), and Anger (Lewis Black). It was still accessible to kids, however, and the film was a hit, earning critical acclaim and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

How Much Did Inside Out Make?

Inside Out certainly stirred happy feelings among moviegoers, racking up over $356 million at the domestic box office and over $494 million internationally. Selling over $850 million in tickets means only one thing at Disney: a sequel, with more emotions and a focus on the anxiety of puberty, according to director Kelsey Mann.

19 Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)

Worldwide Gross: $880 million

2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift is the fourth film in the highly popular series from Blue Sky Studios, and proved the franchise still had legs after a decade of films. Continental Drift finds Scrat the saber-toothed squirrel (voiced by Chris Wedge) accidentally stranding the main cast (including Ray Romano’s Manny the Woolly Mammoth) on an iceberg, where they cross paths with prehistoric pirates.

How Much Did Ice Age: Continental Drift Make?

Continental Drift grossed an impressive $880 million worldwide, and in America, was the highest-grossing animated film of 2012 and the fifth-biggest film of the year overall with a $161 million haul domestically. It set box office records in Russia, France, Sweden, and throughout Latin America, where it became the second highest-grossing film of all time. It grossed over $718 million internationally.

18 The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $886 Million

The Secret Life of Pets follows Max, a terrier with an owner all to himself until she adopts the bigger, fluffier Duke. When they get lost in the middle of New York City, they have to survive speeding cars, rude people, and run-ins with the human-hating bunny Snowball.

How Much Did The Secret Life of Pets Make?

With a $369 million domestic tally and $517 million international haul, The Secret Life of Pets finished its run with a $886 million total. It stands as a major success, particularly as Illumination and Universal produced it on a respectively small budget of $75 million. With its lovable pet characters, it was also a goldmine for merchandise sales. The sequel, however, didn’t make half that, and it came out in 2019, so there’s no COVID excuse to be found.

17 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $886.7 million

The third time was certainly the charm for the Ice Age film series. The original 2002 Ice Age was a runaway hit for 20th Century Fox, which followed the exploits of a group of zany creatures living in prehistoric times. In the third film, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the gang, which includes Manny the wooly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary), goes on a mission to rescue Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) from an angry T-Rex.

How Much Did Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Make?

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was the highest-grossing animated film of 2009 in North America, raking in nearly $200 million in ticket sales domestically. However, the film was a bonkers hit overseas, earning over $690 million in international theaters for a total gross of over $886 million.

16 Shrek 2 (2004)

Worldwide Gross: $935.5 Million

The most successful of Dreamworks Animation’s franchises, Shrek had to peak somewhere and it did so with Shrek 2. That’s no small compliment considering the original was an unexpected smash in both the critical and commercial sense. The film picks up where the original left off, with Fiona (now fully an ogre) taking Shrek and Donkey to meet her parents. Along the way, they meet interesting new fairy tale folk, including the audacious Puss in Boots.

How Much Did Shrek 2 Make?

Shrek was a hit, especially over time, but the first sequel was a smash right out of the gate. On a budget of $150 million, Shrek 2 netted over $900 million worldwide, led by international ticket sales of $494 million. That said, the second film was the apex for several reasons. One, the first film developed the following it did, effectively owning the animation discussion for several years. Secondly, Shrek 2 is flat-out the strongest of the films, so it stands to reason it benefited far more from any positive word of mouth or repeat viewings than 2007’s Shrek the Third or 2010’s Shrek Forever After.

15 Finding Nemo (2003)

Worldwide Gross: $936 million

Pixar’s fifth film ever, Finding Nemo, tells the heartwarming story of an overprotective clownfish (voiced by Albert Brooks) who sets out on a search for his son Nemo, who has been caught and put on display in an aquarium. Directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, the film’s strength is its supporting characters, particularly Ellen Degeneres as Dory, a forgetful tang fish who joins in the search for Nemo. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2004, with additional nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Editing.

How Much Did Finding Nemo Make?

Finding Nemo continued Pixar’s winning run at the box office, earning over $380 million at the domestic box office. That was enough to edge out The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as the year’s top-grossing film. It did even better in international markets, with over $555 million in ticket sales, with a final tally of $936 million worldwide.

14 Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Worldwide Gross: $939.3 Million

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Minions: The Rise of Gru, the fifth installment of the overall Despicable Me saga, does something the original film only did in its final scene. Specifically, it brings back Steve Carell’s (young) Gru, this time as he bombs his audition to join the supervillain team, the Vicious 6. When he steals their precious Zodiac Stone, they come to hunt him down. Unfortunately, Minion Otto has sold it off for a goofy pet rock.

How Much Did Minions: The Rise of Gru Make?

Minions: The Rise of Gru showed that Despicable Me 3‘s drop from the second film was nothing to be concerned about. The franchise was doing just fine; in fact, better than ever. Even with audiences still skeptical about returning to the theater “after” COVID, Minions: The Rise of Gru became the saga’s top earner. At least in terms of domestic ticket sales. Specifically, the sequel to the spin-off pulled in a whopping $939.3 million worldwide, with $370.2 million from domestic screens and $569 million from international markets. Minions: The Rise of Gru is available to stream on Prime Video.

13 Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $975 Million

2010’s Despicable Me found itself to be not only a box office hit, but an absolute money printer when it came to merchandise. Perhaps even more than PAW Patrol or Frozen, people of all ages love the little yellow Minions Steve Carell’s Gru has by his side. They get a lot to do in Despicable Me 2, which has Gru recruited by Lucy Wilde of the Anti-Villain League to take down a big bad named El Macho. Wilde is portrayed by Kristen Wiig, who reprised the role in the third film, and interestingly played a different, much smaller part in the original film as Miss Hattie.

How Much Did Despicable Me 2 Make?

Despicable Me 2 made the first film’s $251.6 million domestic haul and $291.6 international tally look like child’s play. Specifically, the first sequel netted a wildly impressive $368 million from U.S. and Canadian screens and a further $607 million overseas, exemplifying just how rapidly the franchise was growing across the globe.

12 The Lion King (1994)

Worldwide Gross: $986 Million

With impressive and well-aged animation, terrific vocal work from the cast, and a great soundtrack, The Lion King was and remains one of Disney’s most iconic releases. As far as ’90s Disney films go, The Lion King was the top dog (lion?). The story follows young Simba, a lion cub whose father is killed in front of him in a stampede. Unbeknownst to him, this was done by his sinister uncle, Mufasa, who has now claimed the late Mufasa’s throne for himself.

How Much Did The Lion King Make?

On a pretty darn small price tag of $45 million, The Lion King garnered over $421 million from domestic screens and an additional $564.4 million overseas. Add in a successful 3D re-release and the 1994 classic now sits at nearly a billion dollars worldwide, making the $45 million investment more than a little worth it. The Lion King is available to stream on Disney+.

11 Zootopia (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1.0 Billion

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A smart film, wily like a fox if you will, Disney’s Zootopia showed that the Mouse House’s Pixar wasn’t the only wing releasing legitimately great animated films. The especially deep animated mystery follows a fox and a police officer rabbit as they attempt to get to the bottom of why many predators in their society have recently been abducted.

How Much Did Zootopia Make?

Zootopia‘s strong marketing campaign did a wonderful job selling the fact that not only is the film thoughtful, but it’s also entertaining as can be, to boot. From gorgeous animation to sublime leading vocal performances from Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, and Jenny Slate, Zootopia is a must for young cinema lovers. With over $1 billion worldwide (including nearly $350 from U.S. and Canada venues), Zootopia was a hit all over.

10 Finding Dory (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1.02 Billion

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Andrew Stanton’s heartwarmingFinding Dory isn’t quite as strong as Finding Nemo, but it’s a successful sequel nonetheless. Evidently, audiences showed plenty of interest in the continuance of the series. That is, as long as it’s done right, and Finding Dory did it right. The narrative follows the forgetful fan-favorite fish Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) as she searches for her parents, which leads her right to the middle of an aquarium.

How Much Did Finding Dory Make?

Finding Dory scored a wildly impressive $486.3 million domestically and did even better elsewhere at $538.7 million. All in all, it crossed $1 billion across the globe. It’s not surprising, as the spin-off sequel is sweet, riddled with noteworthy messages that parents would be wise to expose their kids to, and even has a legacy sequel thing going for it. It’s hard to imagine Finding Dory doing any better than it did.

9 Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $1.03 Billion

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Despicable Me 3 sticks to a familiar formula, leaning heavily on Steve Carell’s outrageous humor and the shenanigans of the Minions. The 2017 threequel finds the reformed Gru discovering he has a twin brother named Dru (both voiced by Carell) intent on carrying on the family’s legacy of villainy. The film proved the franchise could still be fresh and fun, thanks to a voice cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan, Julie Andrews, and Trey Parker as a former child star-turned supervillain.

How Much Did Despicable Me 3 Make?

The Despicable Me franchise became the most successful animated franchise of all time thanks to the billion-dollar box office haul of Despicable Me 3. The film earned over $264 million in North America and over $768 million in international markets. Those little Minions are big business, it seems.

8 Toy Story 3 (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $1.06 Billion

Pixar’s most beloved IP showed that it could be an all-around hit three times in a row with Toy Story 3, which is arguably the best installment released thus far. The film follows Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of their sentient plaything pals as they wind up being accidentally donated by Andy’s mom to a daycare center. There, they find kids who play rough, beat-up toys, and a seemingly-kind stuffed teddy named Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty).

How Much Did Toy Story 3 Make?

At the very least, the third film has the best ending. Not to mention, outside the original movie’s Sid, Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear is the franchise’s most memorable and loathsome villain. Toy Story 3 was perfect summer fare, and viewers turned out in droves, allowing it to surpass the domestic and worldwide totals of both its predecessors. It even managed to cross $1 billion worldwide, with over $415 million in domestic ticket sales and nearly $654 million overseas, which more than covered the film’s $200 million price tag. In other words, it’s not surprising there was a Toy Story 4, but that doesn’t mean it was even really necessary.

7 Toy Story 4 (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1.07 Billion

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Toy Story 4 may have been unnecessary, but it was solid and sweet nonetheless. The narrative again follows Buzz, Woody, and their pals, this time as they go on a road trip with the third film’s Bonnie and her family. When Bonnie’s DIY toy Forky leaps from the family’s RV, Woody does the same in pursuit…and soon sees a very familiar, and very dearly missed face.

How Much Did Toy Story 4 Make?

With nine years of inflation taken into account, Toy Story 4 underperformed compared to its direct predecessor. But, that’s the only sense in which it underperformed, as the furthering of a completed narrative still scored $1.07 billion on a budget of $200 million (figures that are near or exact in comparison to Toy Story 3). A $434 million domestic haul was outdone by over $638 million in ticket sales internationally.

6 Minions (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $1.16 Billion

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Plenty of cinematic antagonists have had their minions. But name one minion more lovable than the yellow little fellows of Minions. The plot of the Despicable Me prequel follows them from microscopic organisms at the beginning of time all the way to their fateful meeting with Gru with other failed (A.K.A. now-dead) potential evil genius bosses along the way. Then there’s also Sandra Bullock’s Scarlet Overkill, Earth’s first supervillainess.

How Much Did Minions Make?

It’s pretty impressive for a spin-off of an established IP to out-gross the first hit installment of that core IP. That’s not small bananas (nor are the Minions), and there’s little doubt Universal execs were over the moon once the $74 million dollar film grossed over $1 billion worldwide. A healthy $336 million domestic box office was bolstered with international earnings of over $821 million, proving it was money well invested.