Inside Out 2’s $1 billion rush crowns new era

Animated movies keep pulling families back to theaters, and the numbers are getting sharper: “Inside Out 2” crossed $1 billion in 19 days, while “Zootopia 2” hit the milestone in 17 days. Here are the 15 highest-grossing animated films of all time, led by “Zoo

The theater rush doesn’t just feel like nostalgia—it’s measured in days.

“Inside Out 2” reached $1 billion in 19 days, the fastest pace ever for an animated movie, according to the box office record highlighted in this ranking. A year later, “Zootopia 2” struck the same $1 billion milestone in just 17 days, while also becoming the fastest PG-rated movie to do so.

That sprinting pace sits on top of a broader post-pandemic comeback. In the meantime. families returned in large numbers to movies like “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” especially after a dry period that devastated theater owners. And in 2026. animation’s momentum shows no sign of slowing: “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” became the first release of the year to hit the $1 billion mark.

Below is where the top 15 highest-grossing animated movies of all time land—each film listed with its worldwide gross.

15. “Despicable Me 2” (2013)
Worldwide gross: $970,766,005
Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and Gru (Steve Carell) first meet in “Despicable Me 2.”

14. “The Lion King” (1994)
Worldwide gross: $979,161,632
“This beloved Disney movie is the oldest on this list,” and it performed so strongly when it opened 30 years ago that it remains safely in the top 15.

13. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (2026)
Worldwide gross: $1,000,617,985
After knocking the original “Super Mario Bros.” out of the park in 2023, Nintendo and Universal expanded the beloved universe in the sequel with more worlds and more characters, resulting in major box office coin.

12. “Zootopia” (2016)
Worldwide gross: $1,025,521,689
This marks the ranking’s first billion-dollar earner. Chronicling Judy Hopps’ adventures in “Zootopia” was a big lift for Walt Disney Animation, which had been searching for another megahit after “Frozen.”

11. “Finding Dory” (2016)
Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989
Pixar created a new story for “our favorite forgettable fish,” and it turned out to be a cash cow for the studio.

10. “Despicable Me 3” (2017)
Worldwide gross: $1,034,800,131
Introducing Gru’s brother in the third movie gave the “Despicable Me” franchise its first billion-dollar earner.

9. “Toy Story 3” (2010)
Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101
Regarded by many as the best movie in the “Toy Story” franchise, Woody and the gang’s journey that leads to them almost being incinerated blended drama and lighthearted fun for an audience that grew up with the franchise.

8. “Toy Story 4” (2019)
Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394
Almost a decade after “Toy Story 3,” the fourth installment arrived with a lighter afterglow—but it didn’t matter at the box office.

7. “Minions” (2015)
Worldwide gross: $1,159,457,503
Illumination knew the Minions were popular. The studio didn’t know just how much of a hit the babbling yellow things were until this stand-alone movie made a killing at the box office.

6. “Incredibles 2” (2018)
Worldwide gross: $1. 243. 225. 667
Fourteen years after Pixar released the hit original. “Incredibles 2” came to theaters and delivered a story that. in some ways. surpassed the Oscar-winning first title. The ranking points to its deeper examination of the superhero family—“Why did they change math?!?!”—as well as its touches on female empowerment and the rigors of caring for a growing child.

5. “Frozen” (2013)
Worldwide gross: $1,310,530,830
From its hit song “Let it Go” to Olaf becoming the latest beloved Disney character, “Frozen” is described as a grand slam for Disney Animation Studios.

4. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (2023)
Worldwide gross: $1,360,879,735
For decades, Illumination was known mostly for the “Despicable Me” movies and for creating the Minions characters. Taking the Super Mario Bros. IP and turning it into a box office smash is described as having made it an animation house that rivals Pixar.

3. “Frozen II” (2019)
Worldwide gross: $1,453,683,476
Though not as memorable as the first “Frozen,” that didn’t matter at the box office. The first movie was such a sensation that audiences returned in droves to see the story continue.

2. “Inside Out 2” (2024)
Worldwide gross: $1,698,863,816
After years of being a box office behemoth, Pixar hit a snag during the pandemic. The ranking says relegating titles like “Luca” and “Turning Red” to direct-to-streaming led to frustration and low morale within the company. But it also says those down times are over as “Inside Out 2” becomes Pixar’s highest grosser yet.

“Inside Out 2” hit the $1 billion global mark in 19 days, the fastest ever for an animated movie. The ranking adds that along with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it is the only other movie released in 2024 that crossed the $1 billion mark.

1. “Zootopia 2” (2025)
Worldwide gross: $1,866,647,950
Nine years after its original release, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde return with another buddy-comedy story that audiences can’t get enough of.

The ranking credits the sequel’s huge success to how well it played in China. It adds that American-made titles haven’t performed well there post-pandemic and that fewer are being released there, but Disney pulled it off, with the title taking in over $600 million in China alone.

The milestone timing also stands out here: “Zootopia 2” hit $1 billion in just 17 days, making it the fastest PG-rated movie ever to hit that milestone.

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