Pixar—the Disney-owned studio known for creating iconic CGI-animated movies—has produced over 21 feature films. With heartfelt stories, original characters, and impressive visuals, viewers flock to the theaters when a Pixar film releases. And every new movie-goer means more dollars at the box office.
We’re here to find out which 10 Pixar films have brought in more cash than all the rest. Using data from Box Office Mojo, we’ll first be paying attention to how much a movie has brought in domestically and secondly taking a look at how it performed worldwide. The film occupying spot number one happened to come out on top in both categories.
Put on those 3D glasses; It’s time to journey through the expansive world of Pixar.
Updated on May 30, 2020, by Shawn S. Lealos: When Pixar released Onward in 2020, it ended up as the first movie in the franchise to flop due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down theaters across the world right after its release. However, even in its short release window, it still made over $100 million, and that is no surprise for Pixar animated films. Even the worst of them broke $300 million and the heights for the best rival even the top blockbusters at the box office.
15 WALL-E (2008) – $532 million
Wall-E was yet another movie that proved Pixar are masters at what they do. In this movie, there is almost no dialogue, which seems ludicrous for a kid’s movie. However, it worked beautifully. WALL-E is a robot left on Earth to clean up the mess after humans had to abandon the planet due to the pollution causing toxic poison in the air. He soon sees and falls for another robot called EVE, and the two of them try to send the message that Earth is ready to give humans a second chance.
14 Brave (2012) – $554 million
Brave was the one attempt that Pixar made to make its own Disney Princess movie. However, the film was not a critical success, although looking back on it shows how Pixar was able to turn the tropes of the Disney Princess movie on its head. The Disney Princess in this movie, Merida, does not need a man to help save her, and she and her mother defeated evil and save the day on their own. Critical reviews aside, it reached audiences and made $554 million.
13 Monsters, Inc. (2001) – $559 million
Monsters, Inc. tells the original story of Mike and Sulley, as they work to power the city of Monstroppolis by collecting the screams of human children. Unfortunately, when one kid escapes into the monster world, Mike and Sulley have to put her back without their co-workers or boss noticing.
Monsters, Inc. scared its way to a $289 million domestic gross in 2001. Worldwide, it took in $577 million. And even if you think that’s enough, Disney’s not done capturing audiences with this franchise yet. A Monsters, Inc. television show spinoff called Monsters at Work is set to hit Disney+ streaming services in 2020.
12 Cars 2 (2011) – $560 million
Cars 2 is one of the least-loved movies from Pixar as far as many critics are concerned. It is also from the franchise that most critics ripped apart. However, fans see it differently, and that is why there were three movies and several spinoffs from this series, which saw the second movie make $560 million worldwide. The story flips the script and turns the fish out of water story into a spy caper as Lightning McQueen sets out to stop crime overseas.
11 Ratatouille (2007) – $626 million
Ratatouille was a film that took Pixar around the world as the story takes place in Paris in the world of fine cuisine. It seems almost above the level of most little kids, but at least it involves a cute little rat who wants to be a world-class chef. The tale is one of a young boy who, with the help of a rat, saves his restaurant and impresses the otherwise harsh food critic. The moral is that a great artist came come from anywhere, and anyone can work to become successful at what they love.
10 The Incredibles (2004) – $631 million
The Incredibles follows a family of superheroes who find themselves in a world that no longer accepts superheroes. However, when Mr. Incredible gets a secret offer that will let him go back into hero work on a mysterious island, he jumps at the offer leaving the rest of the Parr family behind to figure out what’s going on and what to do about it.
The first of the Incredibles movies rescued $261 million from the domestic box office in 2004. It ultimately saved $631 million worldwide.
9 Up (2009) – $731 million
Up follows a retired man who wishes to visit Paradise Falls in South America — a destination he and his wife had planned to visit before her passing. After being asked to move into a retirement home, he takes his dreams into his own hands and flies his house there using a load of helium balloons. Things become more complicated when he finds a kid who accidentally comes along for the journey, an exotic tennis-ball-eating bird, and a pack of talking dogs. Adventure is out there!
Up flew to impressive box office heights. It swept in $293 million at the domestic box office and $731 million worldwide.
8 Monsters University (2013) – $743 million
Monsters University is the prequel to Monsters, Inc. that follows Mike and Sulley from back in their college days. Though they first find themselves at odds, they soon team together as they compete to become the best of scarers.
Monsters University didn’t only send Mike and Sully to school; It also sent Disney $268 million from the domestic box office and $743 million from the worldwide one.
7 Coco (2017) – $799 million
Coco took the idea of the Day of the Dead, the Mexican celebration, and told the story of a boy who not only discovered his heritage but also helped teach his family the true meaning of love. Miguel is a boy who dreams of being a musician, but his grandmother prohibits it, meaning his parents also won’t allow it. His great-grandfather was a musician who ran out on his family. When Miguel retrieved a legendary guitar by his idol Ernesto de la Cruz, he ends up in the land of the Dead and learns the truth about what happened that fateful day many years ago.
Coco made a low $209 million domestically but finished off with an impressive $799 million worldwide.
6 Inside Out (2015) – $857 million
Inside Out tells the story of a hockey-loving girl who grapples with the reality of moving. Only this story isn’t narrated from the real world; Rather, it is narrated by the personality-driven emotions inside her mind. Being that these characters are voiced by comedy greats, including Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Mindy Kaling, you can bet they have some feelings.
The 2015 Pixar film starring Riley and her five emotions brought in $356 million at the box office and $857 million worldwide.
5 Finding Nemo (2003) – $936 million
Clownfish are naturally shy, so Pixar decided to find out what happened when one of these creatures was forced to venture through the ocean to track down his son. The resulting film was heartwarming and breathtaking, causing theme park rides, a stage show musical, and a sequel to come after it.
Finding Nemo floated its way to a $380 million domestic gross, adding on an additional $559 at the foreign box office that led it to a $940 million worldwide gross.
4 Finding Dory (2016) – $1.02 billion
Finding Dory explores the origins of Pixar’s favorite Blue Tang. When Dory begins to get flashbacks of the past, she ends up on a journey to track down her parents.
The popular sequel to Finding Nemo swam its way to $486 million at the domestic box office and $1 billion worldwide. It was given exceedingly positive reviews for further exploring this favorite character of many while staying true to the series.
3 Toy Story 3 (2010) – $1.06 billion
Toy Story 3 explores Woody and the gang’s attempt to return home after they are donated to a daycare before Andy leaves for college. Things get tense when the Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear—a stuffed animal who was abandoned by his owner—drags the toys through an agenda of his own.
The third installment in the Toy Story series played its way to $415 million at the box office. It accumulated $651 million overseas, leading to a gross of over $1 billion worldwide.
2 Toy Story 4 (2019) – $1.07 billion
The latest and final film in the Toy Story franchise might still be in theaters, but it has already managed to pull in $381 million domestically and $866 million worldwide (as of July 23, 2019).
The new adventure explores what happens when Woody’s kid, Bonnie, makes her own toy using a spork and googly eyes. Things get even more intense when “Forky” runs away, and Woody runs into Bo Peep outside an old antique shop. Like the series’ early installments, the latest Toy Story movie is hilarious and just as tear-causing.
1 Incredibles 2 (2018) – $1.2 billion
The superhero sequel to The Incredibles remains the highest-grossing Pixar film of all time, raking in $608 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide.
The new film—which takes place directly after the conclusion of the first one—explores Mrs. Incredible’s new secret missions that are designed to bring supers back into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Mr. Incredible must deal with the kids at home, learning to understand Violet’s boy problems, Dash’s homework, and Jack-Jack’s new powers.
Even though Pixar has ruled out the possibility of sequels for a while, cast members have expressed interest in a second sequel, and the rest of the team confirmed there is no shortage of ideas to run with in the future.
