Summary
- Pixar's ability to craft timeless stories and characters sets them apart in a competitive animation industry.
- Films like Coco, Inside Out, and Finding Nemo remain beloved classics despite stiff competition.
- Sequels like Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, and Toy Story 4 continue to captivate audiences and break box office records.
Though the animation industry has continued to become increasingly competitive over the years, one company has stayed atop the highest points over time no matter how the world changes. Pixar has, since its inception, continued to dominate at the box office, releasing some of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time.
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Despite Disney having name-brand recognition, Dreamworks having beloved franchises and other companies, like Illumination and Ghibli, also having massive fan bases, Pixar has continued to exhibit an astonishing ability to craft stories, characters and films that have lasted in an age of fleeting moments and lost chances at greatness.
8 Coco
$807,816,196
- Released 2017
- Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal & Benjamin Bratt
Though it remains one of the few Pixar properties never to receive any kind of sequel or follow-up, Coco is a beloved film filled with color, music and incredible culture. This film, despite being an original IP from Pixar, managed to become an instant phenomenon on the level of many of Disney’s more musically inclined films.
Following a young boy who dreams of becoming a musician despite his family banning all music, Coco follows young Miguel as he enters the Land of the Dead and befriends a troublesome spirit. Coco is a vibrant film that remains best as a stand-alone classic in Pixar’s library. It also stays surprisingly high up on Pixar's list of highest-grossing movies despite its many beloved franchises.
7 Inside Out
$857,611,174
- Released 2015
- Starring Amy Poehler, Bill Hader & Phyllis Smith
Though it is the sequel that has been lighting up the box office and news lately, the first Inside Out film was such an original idea that it managed to become a classic as a stand-alone. Following the emotions inside of a young girl’s head, such as Joy and Sadness, Inside Out saw these unique characters embark on a journey filled with wonder, all taking place in Riley’s brain.
Despite Pixar’s penchant for giving various items and concepts sentience when they don’t normally have it, Inside Out was still a revolutionary idea capable of explaining so many complex ideas in simple terms, which makes it perfect for bringing adults and children alike to tears.
6 Finding Nemo
$941,637,960
- Released 2003
- Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres & Alexander Gould
Though box office inflation makes it easier for newer films to get to the top of highest-grossing lists, Finding Nemo has managed to defy all logic to stay relatively near the top of Pixar’s highest-grossing list after over twenty years.
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This timeless story of what lengths a father will go to in order to save his son featured a stellar voice cast, an adventure like few others, and the lovable show-stealing Dory. Finding Nemo has become a classic of the animated genre. It was a huge box office success at the time and has remained dear to the hearts of so many people who saw it at the time or since.
5 Finding Dory
$1,028,570,889
- Released 2016
- Starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks & Ed O’Neill
Though Finding Nemo hasn’t evolved into a huge franchise on the level of the Toy Story films, there was a long-awaited follow-up in 2016, over a decade after the original, in the form of Finding Dory. The lovable Ellen DeGeneres character took center stage this time around as she sought to overcome her short-term memory loss and find her parents.
Another heart-warming, and simultaneously heart-breaking adventure, Finding Dory brought generations together in their love of this character and the world of Finding Nemo. With the name-brand recognition off of Finding Nemo’s legacy, this sequel was always going to be huge at the box office, and it surprised nobody by becoming only Pixar’s second-ever film to reach 1 billion dollars.
4 Toy Story 3
$1,066,969,703
- Released 2010
- Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen & Joan Cusack
The biggest name in Pixar history is the film that started it all. Toy Story was the first film created by the studio and their biggest IP of all. Toy Story 3 was released a decade after the previous entry, and people who had grown up with the earlier films got to experience the most brutally emotional one yet, having grown up in the interval between Buzz and Woody’s adventures.
With the name recognition, the long gap between films and the hype train teasing the idea that the most beloved toys in cinema could actually die, it is no surprise that Toy Story 3 managed to become the first film in Pixar history to hit the billion-dollar mark at the box office. With its ingenious nature and hugely valuable franchises, it was certain not to be the last to hit such heights.
3 Toy Story 4
$1,073,394,593
- Released 2019
- Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen & Annie Potts
Though it has not generally been regarded as well as the third entry, Toy Story 4 is a hidden gem in the Pixar repertoire. This latest Toy Story film also came after about a decade away for the series, something that is beginning to turn into a trend. This entry saw Woody and Buzz in the hands of Bonnie, attempting to help Forky see his important role as a toy.
The full circle nature of this entry, the finality of the ending and the way it played on the emotions of viewers, even ones who had now reached their thirties after watching the original as children. Toy Story 4, and likely any subsequent entries yet to come in the series, will have little trouble making the billion-dollar mark at the box office.
2 Incredibles 2
$1,243,225,667
- Released 2018
- Starring Craig T Nelson, Holly Hunter & Sarah Vowell
Much like the recently released Inside Out 2, Incredibles 2 came only after an extended period during which the first Incredibles movie became known as one of Pixar’s best individual films. For this reason, the hype for a sequel after a decade and a half was incredibly high.
Finding the family switched as Bob attempted to stay home with the kids and let Helen run off as a superhero, Incredibles 2 tested the family in new ways. Filled with comedy, heart and a whole new adventure well worth the impressive six years it stayed atop the list as Pixar’s highest-grossing movie, this sequel remains a fascinating addition to the library.
1 Inside Out 2
$1,466,906,731
- Released 2024
- Starring Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke & Kensington Tallman
The most recent addition to Pixar’s incredible film list is also their highest-grossing ever. Not only that, Inside Out 2 has already managed to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. This impressive feat for the film, which returns to the mind of Riley as she hits puberty and experiences all the emotions that come with such things, has managed to hit harder than most of Pixar’s movies for the mass audiences visiting the cinema to see this new entry.
Inside Out 2 sees the classic emotions, like Joy, trying to deal with new feelings like Anxiety, Ennui and Envy, while Riley attempts to navigate all the things going on inside her head. Inside Out 2 proves the promise that the concept of the first film had was not a flash in the pan, and proves that all kinds of stories can be told in this wondrous, powerful fashion.
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