The list of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time contains one or two surprises. Partly due to inflation, rising ticket prices and population increases, each of the top 10 are movies which have come out since 2010. Unsurprisingly, Disney dominates the box office.

While the biggest box office records are mostly reserved for live-action movies, there are still plenty of recent animated hits which have pᴀssed the billion-dollar mark. Just like with live-action movies, being part of a big franchise is key, as eight of the highest-grossing animated movies are sequels.

10

Moana 2 (2024)

$1.036 Billion (Still In Theaters)

Moana is one of Disney’s best movies of recent years, but its $687.2 million box office doesn’t compare to some other big-budget animated movies. The sequel made up for this, soaring past the billion-dollar mark and opening the door to a potential third movie.

Moana 2 follows the тιтle character on a journey across the ocean after a warning from her ancestors in a vision. It delivers another swashbuckling adventure with a splash of magic and humor, just like the first movie, and it brings back some beloved characters while introducing some new faces.

9

Toy Story 3 (2010)

$1.068 Billion

The Toy Story franchise has broken several box office records over the years, both cumulatively and with individual movies. Toy Story 3, which was released 11 years after the franchise’s previous entry, became the first animated movie to top $1 billion globally. It’s still one of Pixar’s highest-grossing movies.

Toy Story 3 picks up with Andy later in his life, when he’s ready to head off to college and leave his toys behind. This sends Buzz, Woody and the rest on a journey to find a new purpose. Although Toy Story 3 has plenty of great jokes, it’s also one of Pixar’s most emotionally devastating movies.

8

Toy Story 4 (2019)

$1.071 Billion

Toy Story 4 barely beat the box office total of the franchise’s previous entry, and Toy Story 5 could easily do just as well. There wasn’t much of a need to continue the story after Toy Story 3, but Toy Story 4 created an original story that was worthwhile, following Woody in the next chapter of his life.

One thing that Toy Story 4 does well, like the other Toy Story movies, is expand the world of toys, showing new characters in different circumstances. This intelligent worldbuilding is a big reason why Toy Story 4 manages to create a new story without Andy, suggesting that the franchise could keep rolling.

7

Minions (2015)

$1.157 Billion

Minions is a rare example of a spinoff surpᴀssing the original franchise, at least in terms of revenue. Before Minions, neither of the Despicable Me movies had cracked the billion-dollar mark at the box office, and it remains the franchise’s highest-grossing movie yet.

The minions quickly became a cultural phenomenon after the first Despicable Me movie, easily eclipsing Gru as the most recognizable characters in the franchise. A spinoff movie leveraging this popularity was destined to do big numbers, even though Minions received mixed reviews. It holds a 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even lower audience score of 49%.

6

Incredibles 2 (2018)

$1.242 Billion

Incredibles 2 isn’t always seen as one of Pixar’s best movies, but it’s one of the studio’s most profitable. The fact that the sequel performed so well at the box office without hitting the heights of the first movie explains why Pixar’s business model is currently geared toward making the most of their existing franchises.

Incredibles 2 suffers from comparisons to the original, but it’s still a thrilling action movie with some gorgeous retro style. The sequel shifts focus from Bob to Helen, which sets up some great action scenes featuring Elastigirl’s super-stretching powers. Incredibles 3 has the potential to explore Dash and Violet, and it could be another box-office smash.

5

Frozen (2013)

$1.271 Billion

Frozen helped Disney establish their new idenтιтy after a transitional period in the 2000s. Many of the studio’s animated movies since Frozen have tried to implement its style, both in terms of the animation and the playful humor. Frozen also has a soundtrack that ranks among Disney’s best.

The story of Elsa and Anna has the fairy-tale allure of many much older Disney classics, but it has a modern twist that still helps it feel tailor-made for a new generation. This winning combination boosted Frozen to a record-breaking box-office total. It remained the highest-grossing animated movie ever until Frozen II.

4

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

$1.359 Billion

For a long time, Hollywood couldn’t figure out how to make video game adaptations, but this curse seems to have been banished in recent years. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is proof of this, blowing away box office projections and earning rave reviews from audiences. Its Rotten Tomatoes score sits at just 59%, but its audience score is 95%.

The Super Mario franchise is one of the biggest video game series ever, so an animated movie adaptation always had the potential to do big numbers at the box office. The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s cast was also a boost, with big names like Chris Pratt, Jack Black and Anya Taylor-Joy. The sequel could be just as popular.

3

Frozen II (2019)

$1.451 Billion

Frozen II soared past the box office total of its predecessor, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time for five years. It seems likely that Frozen 3 will perform even better when it finally comes out in 2027. Frozen II didn’t achieve the same level of overwhelming critical acclaim as the first movie, but it’s still a solid sequel with a great soundtrack.

Frozen II takes place a few years after Elsa’s coronation, as she leaves Arendelle on an adventure with her friends. It continues Disney’s work from the first movie, pushing the boundaries of its 3-D computer-generated style to create something bold and new. Its sweeping landscapes are the perfect accompaniment to an ambitious soundtrack.

2

Inside Out 2 (2024)

$1.698 Billion

Inside Out 2 had a short-lived run as the highest-grossing animated movie ever, but it still holds plenty of other records. The Pixar sequel blew away its box office projections, practically doubling the global gross from 2015’s Inside Out. Disney has plenty of big animated movies on the horizon, so it remains to be seen how long Inside Out 2 will remain the studio’s highest-grossing animation.

Inside Out 2 picks up with Riley as she attends a hockey camp with her friends, all while her emotions are forced to accommodate some new arrivals in her head. Anxiety starts to run the show in Riley’s head, causing her to act out of paranoia and fear. It’s another emotionally intelligent offering from Pixar, and it opens the door to more potential Inside Out sequels.

1

Ne Zha 2 (2025)

$1.89 Billion (Estimate – Still In Theaters)

English-speaking audiences might not know about Ne Zha 2, but its remarkable box office success has caused fans of animated movies all over the world to sit up and take notice. The Mandarin-language movie has shattered plenty of box office records, and it isn’t done yet.

2019’s Ne Zha was the highest-grossing Chinese animated movie of all time, so the sequel was always expected to perform well, but few could have predicted just how well. The story takes inspiration from a centuries-old Chinese book, The Invesтιтure of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin. The тιтle character is a demon hunter, and the sequel pits him against the dragon kings.