Many successful animated movies seem to have a sequel, which is usually because they make a ton of money. Animated films account for 21 of the top 100 highest-grossing movies of all time, 14 of which are sequels. Many factors can determine a movie’s success but usually, it’s their box office returns.
Unfortunately, studios often focus on quantity over quality and rush a sequel to capitalize on the original movie’s success. While some fail to capture what made the first film great, others are just as good or even better than the original. Just like any movie franchise, it can be hard to strike gold twice, but some animated films just keep getting better with each installment.
10 Cars Is Pixar’s Most Uneven Series
Set in a world that’s entirely populated by anthropomorphic talking cars and other vehicles, Cars follows race car Lighting McQueen and his friends from Radiator Springs. The Cars franchise is easily Pixar’s least well-received by critics and fans. While the first and third films were good, the second entry, which is often cited as Pixar’s worst film, tanks the overall series.
Despite this, the Cars franchise has grossed a total of $1.4 billion. While that is an incredibly large number, that isn’t even where this franchise makes most of its revenue. Merchandising has brought in an additional $10 billion to this franchise, which isn’t bad for talking cars.
9 Finding Nemo And Finding Dory Are Among Pixar’s Best
Finding Nemo is set under the sea and centers on a widowed clown fish named Marlin and a blue tang fish named Dory. The pair swims to Sydney to find Marlin’s lost son, Nemo. The film was a smash hit for Pixar and was given a sequel, Finding Dory, over a decade later.
When Finding Dory was released, it accomplished what few sequels do and outperformed its predecessor. Both films were very well received and garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Film, which Finding Nemo won in 2003. Together, the films grossed just over $1.9 billion at the box office and are considered to be some of Pixar’s best movies.
8 Wreck-It Ralph Offered Disney Fans Something New
Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney computer-animated film that tells the story of the titular arcade game villain who rebels against his “bad guy” role and dreams of becoming a hero. The movie is filled with multiple video game references and self-aware humor that made it feel fresh and original.
Wreck-It Ralph was a commercial and critical success, earning close to $500 million at the box office and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. A sequel titled Ralph Breaks The Internet was released six years later and garnered similar success. The Wreck-It Ralph films have grossed over $1 billion and have spawned tie-in comic books and video games.
7 Incredibles 2 Doubled Its Predecessor’s Box Office Returns
The Incredibles takes place in a universe where superheroes co-exist with civilians and are occasionally forced into action despite a ban issued on them by the government. When The Incredibles came out in 2004, it was a massive hit for Pixar, grossing a staggering $630 million and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Its sequel, Incredibles 2, was twice as profitable, grossing $1.2 billion. This makes Incredibles 2 Pixar’s highest-grossing film to date. The sequel also went on to be nominated for Best Animated Feature but did not win. Both films are considered to be two of the best-animated films ever made.
6 Ice Age Kept Making More And More Money With Each Installment
The Ice Age movies are set during the prehistoric Pleistocene era and center around a woolly mammoth, a sloth, and a saber-toothed tiger trying to survive the ice age. The first film in the series was met with positive critical reception, the only film in the series to do so, and did well enough at the box office to garner a sequel.
While the quality of the films certainly diminished with each installment, their box office returns certainly did not. With each subsequent installment doing better than its predecessor, the Ice Age series has amassed a total gross of over $3.2 billion, making Ice Age the fourth highest-grossing animated film series of all time.
5 Kung Fu Panda Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down
Kung Fu Panda was the first installment in what would become one of DreamWorks’ most popular series. The films are set in a version of Ancient China that’s populated by anthropomorphic animals. Kung Fu Panda centers around an overweight panda who’s shockingly chosen as the protector of the kingdom and is given the title Dragon Warrior.
The franchise consists of three TV series and three films, with a fourth in development for release in 2024. The franchise also includes video games, a live arena show, theme park rides, and tons of animated shorts. The films alone have grossed over $2 billion through the box office and DVD sales. The Kung Fu Panda movies have all received positive critical reception, averaging a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84 across the three films.
4 Despicable Me Is The Highest Grossing Animated Series Of All Time
Despicable Me was Illumination’s first ever film and was successful in every sense of the word. The movie tells the story of a supervillain who adopts three orphan girls and devises a plan to steal the Moon with the help of his minions. The movie did well critically and commercially, spawning a franchise that would become a global media powerhouse.
While the Despicable Me films are extremely successful in their own right, its spin-off films, Minions and Minions: Rise of Gru, made this franchise the highest-grossing animated film series of all time. The films pulled in over $4.5 billion in total, which is impressive for characters who mostly only speak in gibberish.
3 Shrek Is DreamWorks’ Most Commercially Successful Film Series
When DreamWorks released Shrek in 2001, it marked a major shift in animation because the film catered to adults just as much as kids. Set in a fairy tale world, Shrek centers around the titular ogre who goes on a quest with a talking donkey to rescue a princess. It was a massive success both critically and commercially and won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Shrek has since spawned three sequels, spin-off movies, theme park rides, and even a Broadway musical. Shrek is DreamWorks’ most successful franchise. The studio’s four highest-grossing movies are Shrek films, which have grossed $3.5 billion.
2 How To Train Your Dragon Is DreamWorks’ Most Critically Successful Film Series
While Shrek may be DreamWorks’ most commercially successful film series, How To Train Your Dragon is its most successful from a critical standpoint. Each film has been nominated for Best Animated Feature and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% or higher. In total, the three films have grossed over $1.6 billion, with the second installment being the highest earner.
The film series is set in the mythical world of Vikings and wild dragons. How To Train Your Dragon follows a teenage Viking, Hiccup, as he befriends a rare dragon. Part of the films’ success is how beautifully animated they are, which is partly thanks to legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who worked as a visual consultant on the first film.
1 Toy Story Remains The Gold Standard For Animation
Toy Story was Pixar’s first-ever animated feature and was an absolute game changer that revolutionized the world of animation. It was the first popular computer-animated film and raised the bar of what an animated film could be. However, what really sets the Toy Story franchise apart from the rest is the quality of its films.
Since 1995, Toy Story has remained the gold standard for storytelling, voice acting, and animation, which only get better with each installment. The series is set in a world where toys come to life when humans are not present. The Toy Story franchise has a total of four films and has grossed over $3.3 billion, making it the third highest-grossing animated franchise of all time.
Read More:10 Great Animated Movies With Successful Sequels
2022-09-05 16:39:34
