The 10 Highest-Grossing Animated Movies Of All Time (Worldwide)

Becoming one of only three animated movies to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture is far from the only historical benchmark Toy Story 3 achieved when it hit theaters in 2010. The third entry in the Toy Story series that helped establish Pixar as a benchmark for Western animation, Toy Story 3’s emotional storyline and daycare-themed riff on The Great Escape (1963) proved to be a perfect one-two punch from the studio.

Toy Story 3 earned $1,066,970,811 at the global box office when it hit theaters, quickly making it the most successful animated film released by that point. The movie remains a high mark in Pixar’s filmography, matching the emotional heights and creative visuals of WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009). Even a decade and a half later, it remains one of the studio’s best films on Disney+. If you’re a fan of the franchise, or enjoy Pixar’s filmography as a whole, Toy Story 3 is a must-watch. 

While Toy Story 3 might have been a perfect send-off for Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the Toy Story cast, the enduring popularity of the characters eventually brought them out for another adventure in Toy Story 4. A road trip gives a newly created toy an existential crisis, while Woody wrestles with his place in the world.

A more adventurous and comedic take on the franchise that feels closer in tone with one of the Shrek or Puss in Boots films (especially Keanu Reeves’ stuntman or Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key’s scene-stealing carnival prizes), Toy Story 4’s success was one of the reasons 2019 remains one of the biggest successes in cinematic history. Earning $1,073,841,394 in theaters, Toy Story 4 overtook its predecessor in terms of raw box-office gains (even if Toy Story 3 remains a more emotionally resonant film). Fans of the movie can look forward to Toy Story 5, which is set to try to replicate that success. 

While the Despicable Me films have all largely been successful, none of them proved to have such an impact as Minions. The spin-off debuted after Despicable Me 2 (2013) and quickly became a surprise behemoth, building off the popularity of Gru’s little, goofy, yellow henchmen to become its own series. Minions earned $1,159,457,503 once it was released, with the Illumination movie fully embracing the needle drops and wacky comedy that have come to define its output like The Secret Life of Pets (2016) and Sing (2016).

Minions remains the biggest success of the Despicable Me franchise in theaters, which even earned it its own sequel in the form of Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). Both movies are delightful for younger audiences who love some good hijinks, with a lot of comedy crossover with something like SpongeBob SquarePants (1999).

The sequel to 2024’s The Incredibles (2004), Incredibles 2 takes the stylistic superheroes on an exciting new adventure that quickly earned Pixar some of its biggest box office results ever. Coming amid the heights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Black Panther (2018) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Incredibles 2 is an engaging riff on the genre that flips the core dynamics and moral questions of the previous film.

The Pixar-style comedy, which makes films like Elio (2025) so charming, is on full display in the subplots, while Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl, takes center stage. A refreshing return to form for director Brad Bird, Incredibles 2 brought in a very impressive $1,243,225,667 at the global box office when it debuted. Similar to the success of Toy Story 4 setting off development, Pixar fans have plenty to look forward to with upcoming sequels like Incredibles 3.

A genuine phenomenon when it hit theaters thanks to the stunning animation and earworm songs like “Let It Go,” Frozen remains one of the biggest animated successes of all time at the box office over a decade after it debuted. Building on the legacy of films like Tangled (2010) to massive success, Frozen has that unique alchemy that Disney has only found a handful of times over the years.

The movie became a genuine smash when it debuted, earning $1,290,000,000 at the box office and earning Academy Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song. Any fan of Walt Disney Animation will find plenty to love in Frozen, and the songs help ensure it remains as catchy for modern musical fans as other recent hits like Wicked (2024) or KPop Demon Hunters (2025). 

The most successful video game adaptation at the box office, The Super Mario Bros. Movie rode a wave of positive vibes and nostalgic excitement to box office gold. Nintendo’s flagship franchise may have inspired an infamously weird adaptation decades prior, but the visual flair of The Super Mario Bros. Movie gels well with its adventurous spirit and wacky turns.

That worldwide fame for Mario and his colorful cast of characters propelled the film to $1,362,566,989 at the global box office. Fans of animated action-adventures, like the Kung Fu Panda movies, or sweet-natured video game adaptations, like Detective Pikachu (2019), will love The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sense of cartoonish adventure.

The sequel to Frozen, Frozen 2 was able to build off the massive success of the first film to even greater results at theaters. By expanding on Elsa and Anna’s adventures in their northern kingdom, Frozen 2 takes all the sense of romance and adventure from the first film and amplifies it. While this can leave the film feeling a little disjointed, the emotional heights (like Elsa’s realization of her family heritage) are genuinely stirring.

Grossing $1,450,026,933 at the box office, Frozen 2 might not have earned the same critical accolades as the first film, but audiences were so excited for Elsa and Anna’s return that they drove the film to better results at the theater. If you love the first Frozen or classic fantasy Disney movies, like Sleeping Beauty (1959), then Frozen 2 is the perfect film to follow up the Disney epic.

The most successful of the Disney modern remakes, The Lion King (2019) was a box office sensation when it hit theaters in 2019. Alongside fellow billion-dollar winners from Disney that year like Avengers: Endgame (2019), Captain Marvel (2019), and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), The Lion King’s massive success at the box office helped ensure that Disney had one of the best single years for any theatrical film studio. 

Based on The Lion King (1994) but animated with more realistic CGI animals, the Jon Favreau-directed reimagining earned Disney $1,656,943,394 at the global box office. While audiences who want something more original in their animated fare may balk at this film, fans who enjoyed Disney’s recent reboots of films Lilo & Stitch (2025) will find plenty to appreciate about the gorgeous visuals and reimagined characters.

Inside Out 2 is the most successful Western animated film to hit theaters at the time of this writing, with the Pixar sequel briefly establishing itself as the most successful animated film of all time. The sequel to 2015’s emotional Inside Out introduces some interesting wrinkles to the previous film’s conceit of personifying emotions, adding a layer of complexity to the story.

A hit with young audiences who’ve grown up with Pixar (and emotionally resonant for the parents who brought them along), Inside Out 2 earned a staggering $1,698,863,816 at the box office. In an era where animated films can struggle at the box office, Inside Out 2 proves that with the right emotional core, movies like Inside Out 2 are a delight for all kinds of audiences.

Currently, the highest-grossing animated film of all time (and one of the most successful feature films to ever be released), Ne Zha 2’s $2,228,420,000 box office gross has made it a genuine game-changer. As the sequel to the very successful Ne Zha (2019), the Chinese animated film adapts Chinese mythology by way of Kung Fu Panda (2008), meshing genuinely impressive fight sequences and gorgeous animation with a lighthearted and immature sense of humor.

Ne Zha 2 benefits from a massive scope that wouldn’t be out of place in an epic like The Lord of the Rings or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), only filtered through some delightful cartoonish touches. Ne Zha 2 is a worthy king of the box office throne when it comes to animated films.