The 15 Highest-Grossing Animated Movies Of All Time

One cinematic medium that has continued far-reaching appeal spanning age groups and cultures is animated movies. Animation consistently performs well worldwide, often buoyed by its family-friendly sense of humor, universal messaging, and visually impressive art design. In addition to being a hit with critics, animated films regularly find themselves as the highest-earning movies of a given year, particularly when produced and marketed by larger studios. This has led to lucrative box office runs, sometimes breaking records set by their live-action counterparts.

Many of the highest-grossing films of all time are animated, and many of these major earners were released within the past decade, at least in nominal earnings. With that in mind, we've assembled over a dozen of the highest-earning animated films to date. To clarify, this list includes earners without adjusting for inflation and drawing from cumulative global box office grosses. 

Here are the 15 highest-grossing animated movies of all time, including some Oscar winners, perfect for a fresh rewatch.

For Universal Pictures and Illumination, the "Despicable Me" franchise has been one that continues to endure and thrill audiences around the world. After a strong debut in 2010, the series raised the bar with its 2013 sequel "Despicable Me 2." Reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) is now a dedicated father but finds himself recruited to stop his villainous rival El Macho (Benjamin Bratt). Joining Gru, his daughters, and his army of pint-sized minions is secret agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig).

Doubling down on the supervillain-turned-family-man antics of the original, "Despicable Me 2" effectively pits Gru against a worthy foe. His camaraderie with Lucy throughout the movie is the highlight of the sequel, elevated by Wiig's impeccable comedic delivery. Love them or hate them, the minions continue their usual goofball schtick here, getting into even more misadventures. Audiences clearly loved the yellow cornballs, putting "Despicable Me 2" at over $970 million at the worldwide box office.

Get used to seeing a lot of Disney and Pixar Animation Studios on this list, because Disney continues to be a global powerhouse in beloved animated movies worldwide. 2016's "Zootopia" is a buddy cop movie set in the titular metropolis, vibrantly populated by anthropomorphic animals. The story follows Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), who becomes the first rabbit police officer in the city and constantly butts heads with con artist fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman). The unlikely duo are forced to work together and find the mysterious figure turning carnivores around town savage, threatening the peace between animals.

Powered by a catchy original song by Shakira and a solid ensemble cast led by Goodwin and Bateman, "Zootopia" was a critical and commercial smash success. The movie really leaned on the appeal and vulnerability of its characters to make something that connected with global audiences. "Zootopia" became one of the highest-earning original movies of all time, with a sequel commissioned by Disney. As it currently stands, "Zootopia" has earned over $1.023 billion at the global box office.

Over a decade after Pixar Animation Studios first delved under the sea with the enormously well-received "Finding Nemo" in 2003, it found greater success with 2016's "Finding Dory." Directed and co-written by returning filmmaker Andrew Stanton, the sequel shifts its focus to regal blue tang Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who decides to reunite with her parents. Dory is helped by her best friend Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (Hayden Rolence), along with both new and familiar faces. This journey takes Dory and her friends all the way from the waters surrounding Australia to the California coast.

Pixar continues to prove itself adept at pulling at the heartstrings with "Finding Dory," an arguably more mature and emotional story than its predecessor. And in using new technology, Pixar created an even more breathtaking exploration of the Pacific Ocean, pushing animation to its technical limits. In returning to one of its projects, Pixar proved there was still plenty of colorful life to be had under the waves. Audiences agreed, with "Finding Dory" earning over $1.028 billion globally during its theatrical run, surpassing "Finding Nemo" by a considerable margin.

Just as "Despicable 2" outgrossed its predecessor by a significant margin, 2017's "Despicable Me 3" raised the commercial bar for the franchise yet again. The movie places Gru (Carell) at a crossroads, struggling to foil the stylish supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), leading to his dismissal from the Anti-Villain League. Directionless, Gru reconnects with his long-lost twin brother Dru, also played by Carell, who wants to learn how to become a villain himself. Meanwhile, Lucy (Wiig) has troubles of her own in getting Gru's daughters to accept her as their mother.

While not as critically well-received as the preceding movies in the series, "Despicable Me 3" still has plenty of the zany humor that the franchise is known for. Bratt makes for a welcome change in antagonist, powered by '80s nostalgia right down to its questionable fashion choices. Likely riding the momentum from the successful 2015 spinoff "Minions," the franchise continued to connect with audiences worldwide in this third main installment. This was evidenced by "Despicable Me 3" going on to earn over $1.034 billion around the globe in theaters.

After the 2016 animated movie "Moana" made waves, winning over critics and audiences alike, Disney followed this up with the aptly titled sequel "Moana 2" in 2024. Set three years after the preceding film, the sequel has Moana (Auli'l Cravalho) venture out to raise a mythical island to save her people from certain destruction. This quest reunites her with the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) while pitting them against the Kakamora, a tribe of pirates. As Moana seeks to save her people and bring them closer together, she discovers her own divine destiny along the way.

With its story originally intended as a spinoff television series, "Moana 2" overcomes the challenges of that formatting pivot to stand as a worthy sequel. The technical advances over the eight-year gap make the 2024 film a visual marvel just to look at, let alone for its captivating performances and solid original soundtrack. The decision to make a full-on sequel to "Moana" rather than a show certainly paid off, given the movie's blockbuster success. Released over the Thanksgiving weekend, "Moana 2" earned over $1.059 billion worldwide at the box office, surpassing the 2016 original considerably.

The "Toy Story" series is the franchise that revolutionized CG animation for cinema and put Pixar Animation Studios on the map. For a film series that has been around since 1995, "Toy Story" has always maintained a high bar of quality across its movies, especially including 2010's "Toy Story 3." The movie has teenager Andy Davis (John Morris) prepare to leave home for college, unsure what to do with his large toy collection. This leads the toys to accidentally be donated to a local daycare center, with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) searching for a way to return home.

"Toy Story 3" remains the most emotionally resonant and, at times, intense of the film series to date, with its themes of mortality and belonging. Some critics and fans continue to regard the sequel not only as the best in the franchise but the best Pixar movie overall. The film became the highest-earning Disney animated movie of its time and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as earning a Best Picture nomination. Commercially, "Toy Story 3" also connected with audiences, earning over $1.066 billion at the box office.

Though "Toy Story 3" seemed like the definitive end to the main film series, fans were thrilled when the franchise returned for 2019's "Toy Story 4." After being adopted by a new kid, Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), in the previous movie, the sequel has Woody (Hanks) struggle to find his place in this new household. During a family road trip, Woody leaves to rescue Bonnie's favorite toy, the crudely constructed Forky (Tony Hale), only to reunite with his long-lost love Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Meanwhile, Buzz Lightyear (Allen) mounts his own rescue mission to recover Woody, getting sidetracked at a traveling carnival, complete with its own toys.

Just when a more cynical viewer might think "Toy Story" has overstayed its welcome, the franchise pulls out all the stops for another emotionally stirring installment. That's definitely the case for "Toy Story 4," which proves that putting its fan-favorite toys on the road is just the change of pace the series could benefit from. The sequel is just as funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking as the movies that came before it while exploring a fresh direction. In addition to its critical acclaim, "Toy Story 4" became the franchise's top-earner, with over $1.073 billion grossed at the box office.

The highest-earning "Despicable Me" movie isn't from the main series at all but rather the first installment of the "Minions" spinoff series. The 2015 movie chronicled the origins of the pint-sized yellow critters, serving various antagonistic figures throughout history. However, because of the Minions' inherent clumsiness and general incompetence, their actions usually result in their overseers' failure and destruction. This trend continues with the Minions' employer for the majority of the movie, supervillain Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) in 1968 London.

The Minions were always the breakout characters from the "Despicable Me" movies, so a spinoff film was a no-brainer. That decision clearly was a smart one, given the enormous box office success that the 2015 movie saw worldwide. International markets especially turned out for the spinoff, with overseas earnings more than doubling what "Minions" made in North America. "Minions" earned an impressive $1.159 billion at the box office, with over $823 million of those earnings from international audiences.

It had been nearly 15 years since 2004's "The Incredibles" that audiences got a full sequel to the acclaimed Pixar superhero movie. 2018's "Incredibles 2" reunited filmmaker Brad Bird with much of the original movie's fan-favorite cast, picking right up where the story left off. After a botched mission causes millions in property damage, the superhero community finds itself cutoff from federal financial assistance. As the Parr family looks for a way to improve public perception of superheroes, they have to contend with the conniving new supervillain Screenslaver (Catherine Keener).

Even after such a lengthy hiatus, "Incredibles 2" proves that Bird, his cast, and the vibrant world they've created haven't slowed down at all. The sequel goes bigger and even more bombastic with its superhero action while similarly upping the family-based comedy and emotional arcs. "The Incredibles" helped save the box office in 2004, but "Incredibles 2" went on to outperform its predecessor. Proving this franchise still has superhuman legs, "Incredibles 2" earned over $1.242 billion with its cumulative box office gross.

One of the biggest Disney blockbusters of the 21st century is 2013's "Frozen," inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 19th century fairy tale "The Snow Queen." The story centers on two royal sisters, Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell), with the former isolated when she develops cryogenic powers. After her magical abilities are discovered, the persecuted Elsa flees north, inadvertently plunging the kingdom into a perpetual winter. Anna sets out to reconcile with her sister, restore their home, and contend with a threat to the throne.

Disney had been interested in adapting Andersen's fairy tales since its earliest days, revisiting the possibility intermittently over the subsequent decades. It turns out that some of the best plans are well-worth the way, because when "Frozen" did see the light of day, it was an all-around critical and commercial success. The 2013 movie's legacy expanded into a line of sequels, merchandising, and an enduring cultural impact that only continues to deepen and grow. The original "Frozen" earned over $1.31 billion at the box office but, rest assured, that's not the last you'll see of this franchise on this list.

The highest-earning Illumination movie isn't a "Despicable Me" film but rather 2023's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." Adapting the flagship Nintendo video game franchise, the movie has siblings Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) whisked away to the Mushroom Kingdom. After Luigi is kidnapped by the fiery Bowser (Jack Black), Mario works with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to rescue him. This leads to Mario crossing paths with the smiling simian Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) as part of his fantastic journey.

In working with Nintendo to create an animated movie around video game's most iconic character, the odds of box office success were high. Fortunately, for all parties involved, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" faithfully translated Nintendo's iconic designs to the silver screen while possessing its own quirky sense of humor. The movie proved to be a box office smash, cementing the Nintendo franchise's timeless appeal, with a sequel fast-tracked into production. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" went on to earn over $1.36 billion globally, giving Illumination and Nintendo another massive hit.

Given the extraordinary success of the first "Frozen," it was something of an inevitability that Disney would commission a sequel, which premiered in 2019. "Frozen 2" features Elsa (Menzel) and Anna (Bell) exploring the legacy of their parents and grandfather after powerful elemental spirits are awakened. Traveling into the Enchanted Forest, the sisters and their friends encounter the spirits and learn they each have distinct personalities. Elsa learns of her magical place among the spirits while the sisters work to bring peace with a rival kingdom by resolving an old feud.

"Frozen 2" goes deeper into its main characters' history as well as its narrative themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Most of the main cast and crew from the previous film returned for the sequel, giving the movie a greater sense of organic continuity. Audiences responded in kind, with "Frozen 2" outperforming its predecessor and becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. More than doubling its domestic box office take overseas, "Frozen 2" earned over $1.45 billion.

While the 2019 version of "The Lion King" falls in with Disney's other live-action remakes of its classic animated properties, for all intents and purposes, it's an animated movie. It is an impressively photorealistic animated movie in depicting its various African animal species, but many award associations included the film with other animated features for award consideration. The movie itself is a faithful retelling of the conventionally animated 1994 masterpiece, itself an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Young lion Simba (Donald Glover) goes into exile after his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) is killed, returning as an adult to reclaim rule over Pride Rock.

The 2019 remake of "The Lion King" is a showcase of modern movie-making marvels in bringing its environments and characters to gorgeously realistic life. The story is familiar, filmmaker Jon Favreau sticks with the source material's proven narrative, with the movie's performances and visuals giving it its fresh twist. These creative decisions and the movie's astonishing technical presentation connected with viewers when it was released in the summer of 2019. International audiences, in particular, embraced "The Lion King," doubling its domestic earnings, with the remake grossing over $1.662 billion worldwide.

In making so many emotionally resonant movies, one of Pixar's best films, 2015's "Inside Out," explored the nature of emotions themselves. The 2024 sequel "Inside Out 2" went even bigger and deeper with this premise, introducing more emotions as teenager Riley Andersen (Kensington Tallman) progresses into her teenage years. The new emotion, Anxiety (Maya Hawke), stages a coup over controlling Riley, exiling Joy (Amy Poehler) and her friends into a memory vault. Joy tries to regain control of Riley in developing her sense of self as the teenager becomes embroiled in a competitive ice hockey summer camp.

Even by Disney and Pixar's winsome standards, "Inside Out 2" was a staggering box office success. When the movie's theatrical run ended, the sequel not only outperformed its predecessor, but became the highest-grossing film overall of 2024. Audiences and critics lauded the movie for being another effectively emotional Pixar film that raised the subconscious scope of the original. "Inside Out 2" earned over $1.698 billion globally, and was the highest-grossing animated movie at that time.

The highest-grossing animated movie of all time is also one that many American readers have likely never heard of. Serving as the sequel to 2019's hit Chinese animated movie "Ne Zha," The 2025 sequel "Ne Zha 2" is the top animated theatrical earner by a huge margin. Based on the Chinese mythological character Nezha, the movie has Ne Zha (Lü Yanting) and Ao Bing (Han Bo) undertake three trials to create an immortal body for Ao Bing. As these epic challenges against demons and other monsters begin, this is complicated by Ne Zha and Ao Bing having to share the same body.

Upping the action and the technical presentation, "Ne Zha 2" was an immediate and enormous hit with local audiences when it opened in China in January 2025. Breaking box office records around the world, what makes the movie's success all the more impressive is that the majority of its earnings come from a single country – China. Since then, the movie has seen openings in various foreign markets, helping add to its cumulative gross. To date, "Ne Zha 2" is the only animated movie to earn over $2 billion in its theatrical run and is the highest-grossing non-English language film ever.