10 Highest Grossing Animated Movies Of All Time At The U.S. Box Office

While all kinds of movies can do well in theaters, animated films often stand out as big successes. They attract a broad audience, especially young children who go with their parents or other adults, which means more tickets sold and fuller theaters. People of all ages enjoy animated movies for their beautiful visuals, touching stories, and humor.

These movies are popular globally, particularly thanks to anime, but animated films often do very well in U.S. theaters. Although the ten highest-grossing movies of all time in the U.S. are all live-action, animated features quickly appear as you move further down the list.

Despite the rise of streaming, animated movies are still doing very well in theaters. Several of the biggest animated hits in the U.S. have been released since 2020. In fact, nine of the top ten highest-grossing animated films of all time were released in the 21st century. Here’s a list of the ten most successful animated movies at the domestic box office.

10. The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King, a classic animated film from Walt Disney Studios, starts our list of top 10 movies. Released in 1994, it was a huge hit in the United States, earning $312.8 million. It was the second highest-grossing film that year, only behind Forrest Gump, which made $329.6 million.

However, The Lion King‘s success at the box office didn’t end with its initial run. Disney has re-released the film several times, adding to its overall earnings. A 2002 release in IMAX format earned an additional $15.6 million, and a 3D re-release in 2011 brought in a significant $94.2 million. Most recently, a 30th anniversary re-release in 2024 made $2.1 million domestically.

The Lion King has now earned a total of $424.98 million domestically. This represents 43.4% of its $979.1 million worldwide earnings. Currently, it ranks as the 37th highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S., and the 10th highest-grossing animated film.

If you adjust for inflation, The Lion King would have earned over $1 billion domestically – specifically, $1,034,448,803 – with all of its re-releases. This would make it the highest-grossing animated film in the U.S. by a significant margin.

Whether the 1994 film truly deserves a top 10 spot is open for discussion, especially considering Disney’s 2019 remake. While the remake uses CGI extensively, some argue it’s still a form of animation. However, we’ve chosen not to include it in our list because Disney promoted it as a live-action movie, and it does contain at least one shot filmed with real actors.

9. Zootopia 2 (2025)

At number 9 is Zootopia 2. Released in November 2025, the Disney animated sequel has been a hit with audiences in the United States, earning $426,292,397 at the box office. While still playing in theaters, the film’s earnings could increase a little before it becomes available on Disney+.

The new movie had a fantastic start, earning $100.2 million in its first three days. Including the Thanksgiving holiday, it made a total of $158.8 million domestically. Worldwide, the opening weekend brought in a record-breaking $559.5 million.

While Zootopia 2 earned only about 23% of its total revenue in the U.S., it performed incredibly well internationally, especially in China where it made $650 million. As of March 3rd, the film has grossed a total of $1,859,994,856 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated Hollywood film of all time. It ranks as the ninth highest-grossing film overall and the 36th highest-grossing film domestically in the U.S.

Despite everything, the movie did incredibly well in the United States. It ultimately became the highest-grossing film of 2025, earning more than $424 million – exceeding the total of A Minecraft Movie.

8. Toy Story 4 (2019)

I was so excited when Toy Story 4 came out in 2019, and it definitely didn’t disappoint! It really brought audiences back to the theaters. I remember being amazed that it earned over $434 million domestically – that’s how you know it’s a classic! It’s no surprise it helped Pixar land a spot in the top 10.

The film earned a significant amount of its revenue—$120 million—during its opening weekend. Domestic ticket sales made up over 40% of the movie’s total worldwide earnings, which reached $1.07 billion.

Let me tell you, 2019 was just a stacked year for movies. Because of that incredible competition, Toy Story 4, while a fantastic film, only landed as the fifth highest-grossing movie domestically. Now, looking at the all-time U.S. box office, it’s currently at number 34. But here’s the interesting part: when you only look at animated movies, it jumps up to number eight! That really puts its success into perspective.

7. Shrek 2 (2004)

Released in 2004, Shrek 2 is the second-oldest film on this list and was a huge success. It earned $108 million on its opening weekend and ultimately grossed $441.5 million, making it the year’s top-earning movie.

Shrek 2 has earned a total of $444,978,202 at the U.S. box office. This includes an additional $3.4 million from a special 20th anniversary re-release in 2024.

With a worldwide gross of $932,536,239, Shrek 2 earned 47.7% of its revenue in the U.S. It’s currently the 32nd highest-grossing movie in the U.S. overall, and the 7th highest-grossing animated film.

However, if we account for inflation, the ranking changes significantly. When adjusted for inflation, Shrek 2 earned a remarkable $807,604,046 in the U.S., which would make it the second highest-grossing film on this list.

6. Moana 2 (2024)

As a huge animation fan, I’ve been following the numbers for Moana 2, and it’s seriously impressive! It landed just outside my personal top 5 animated favorites, coming in as the 6th highest-grossing in the U.S. What really boosted it was that incredible Thanksgiving opening – it made a whopping $225.4 million over those five days, which was a record breaker!

I just looked at the numbers, and Moana 2 really delivered at the U.S. box office, bringing in a fantastic $460.4 million! That represents over 43% of its incredible $1.06 billion worldwide gross. When all was said and done for 2024, it landed as the fourth-biggest film domestically. And get this – it’s now the 28th highest-grossing movie ever in America. A truly impressive run!

It’s amazing how well this turned out, especially since it started as an idea for a show on Disney+.

5. Frozen II (2019)

In 2019, Disney’s Frozen II was a massive hit, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time with a global revenue of over $1.45 billion.

U.S. audiences contributed to over 32% of Frozen II’s total earnings. The film grossed $477.4 million in the U.S. after a strong opening weekend of $130 million and held well over the Thanksgiving holiday, experiencing only a slight decrease in ticket sales.

The movie was the fourth highest-grossing film domestically in 2019. It’s the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time and ranked 25th among all films released in the U.S.

4. Finding Dory (2016)

Just above it in overall U.S. rankings (at 24th) and specifically for animated films (4th) is Finding Dory. Released in 2016, this Disney sequel continued to be a box office hit both in the United States and internationally.

I was so excited to see Finding Dory when it came out, and it totally delivered! It earned an incredible $486.3 million just in the U.S. – it actually broke records with a $135 million opening weekend, which was huge for an animated film! And get this, that U.S. total is just over half of the movie’s worldwide earnings, which reached over $1 billion – a massive $1,029,266,989 to be exact! It’s amazing to see such a beloved story do so well.

It was the second-highest-grossing movie of 2016 domestically, earning just under $532.1 million—slightly less than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Illumination climbed into the top 10 animated movie chart in the U.S. thanks to its collaboration with Nintendo on The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Released in 2023, the film was a huge success, earning a record-breaking $377.2 million worldwide during its opening weekend for an animated film.

The film earned $146.3 million worldwide during its opening weekend, with a four-day total of $166.4 million in the U.S. thanks to the Easter holiday. Ultimately, The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $574.9 million domestically throughout its theatrical run.

The film earned $1,360,879,735 globally, representing 42.2% of its total revenue. In 2023, it was the second highest-grossing movie both in the U.S. and worldwide, surpassed only by Barbie. Currently, The Super Mario Bros. Movie ranks as the 17th highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S., and the third highest-grossing animated film ever.

2. Incredibles 2 (2018)

Pixar’s Incredibles 2 comes in at number two. After a 14-year wait, the sequel lived up to the hype, drawing huge crowds eager to see the super-powered Parr family return.

Incredibles 2 earned over $608.5 million in the United States. It broke records with a $182.6 million opening weekend – the biggest ever for an animated movie domestically. Beyond its impressive debut, the film continued to perform well, becoming the first animated movie to reach $600 million at the American box office.

Surprisingly, almost half (49%) of Incredibles 2‘s worldwide earnings came from international audiences, bringing its total to $1,243,225,667. Even more remarkably, despite its global success, the Pixar sequel was only the third highest-grossing film in the US in 2018, behind Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther.

Despite this, Incredibles 2 was a huge success, becoming the top-grossing animated film in the U.S. for six years. It eventually was surpassed by another Pixar sequel, but it still ranks as one of the biggest domestic movies of all time, currently at number 16.

1. Inside Out 2 (2024)

With over $1.7 billion in earnings, Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film ever at the U.S. box office when it came out in 2024. However, that record didn’t last long – China’s Ne Zha 2 has since surpassed it.

I’m so thrilled with how well Inside Out 2 did! It absolutely crushed it at the box office, bringing in over $652 million domestically. The opening weekend was huge – the second biggest ever for an animated movie here in the US, with $154.2 million! And people kept going back – it stayed in the top ten movies for ten whole weekends, even hitting number one for the first three! It’s amazing to see a movie connect with audiences like that.

Domestic ticket sales made up over 38% of the total earnings for Inside Out 2. It ended the year as the top-grossing film in the U.S., earning $16 million more than Deadpool & Wolverine. Worldwide, the movie is now the tenth highest-grossing film of all time.

Highest-Grossing Animated Movies Of All Time In The U.S.
Rank	Movie	U.S. Box Office Total
1	Inside Out 2	$652,980,194
2	Incredibles 2	$608,581,744
3	The Super Mario Bros. Movie	$574,934,330
4	Finding Dory	$486,295,561
5	Frozen II	$477,373,578
6	Moana 2	$460,405,297
7	Shrek 2	$444,978,202
8	Toy Story 4	$434,038,008
9	Zootopia 2	$434,038,008
10	The Lion King (1994)	$424,979,720

2026-03-06 01:36