Top 5 Money Earning Animated Films
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I like animated movies, who doesn’t? With the upcoming release of Toy Story 3, it’s interesting to see which animated movies have earned the most money. Will Toy Story 3 soon be on this list? History shows that sequels often make more green than the originals (Shrek, anyone?). In the meantime, here are the top 5 all-time money makers in the animated world—as of October 2009.
Here's Where I Got My Info
1. Shrek 2
Shrek 2 was released on May 19, 2004 and had an opening weekend of $108,037,878. It went on to gross over 440 million dollars. The song “Accidentally in Love” was also nominated for an Oscar. That’s not too shabby for a sequel, I’d say. The original Shrek is number 6 on the all-time list, having made over $267 million.
2. Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo opened in theaters on May 30, 2003 and quickly made $70,251,710. Obviously, word of mouth and other advertising methods were effective; as it went on to gross over $339 million. The fact that it won Best Animated Feature and was nominated for three others at the 2004 Academy Awards probably helped too.
3. The Lion King
The Lion King was released in theaters on June 15, 1994 and earned a little under $1.6 million dollars opening weekend. While that may seem like a slow start, it continued on to make more than $328 million. The Lion King was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, and won for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” beating out two other songs from the movie “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.” It has also become a successful Broadway show.
4. Shrek the Third
Shrek the Third hit theaters on May 18, 2007 and made $121,629,270 opening weekend. It ended up generating over $322 million, which is $55 million more than the original. However, it’s the only movie in the trilogy that was not nominated for an Oscar.
5. Up
Up was released on May 29, 2009 and made $68,108,790 that weekend. Its total earnings reached over $292 million. Although it is too early for it to be nominated for an Academy Award, Up walked away with the Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie: Comedy. I wonder if Carl has taken to riding surf boards instead of flying houses in response to this award :0)
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Comments
WALL-E is #11 on the list with over $244 million. I have to agree that it is a quality movie. You should have seen it a few more times in theaters to help it crack the Top 10 :0)
I saw Up 3 times, and it gets better with every viewing. I agree about Wall-E. It is visually superb and the story is too sophisticated for kids. Pixar seem to cater for older audiences almost as well as they do for young'uns! Great list!
I love Up as well. I don't know how it will stand on this list after the new Shrek and Toy Story movies come out.
Old Man Salas says:
2 months ago
The criteria for making this list are obvious, but where was WALL-E? This is not only in my top five animated movies, it's in my top 5 ALL TIME. What can I say, it was the second and last time I cried - just a little - in a theater.