The highest grossing animated films of the last year
It is undeniable that children's films, or, rather, animated films, are incredibly popular. Classic and modern animated films have been enjoyed by children and adults alike for decades, making the animated film industry one of the highest grossing. As long ago as 1937 Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made an incredible $418,000,000 when it was released and the industry has grown at an alarming rate ever since.
The Lego Movie
So it seems as though The Lego Movie was right: everything is awesome! For the creators, at least; The Lego Movie is the fourth highest grossing animated film of the last year. After its release in early 2014 it has made $468,060,692 which is incredibly for a film who's protagonist is a Lego figure. The Lego Movie was a hit with children and adults alike, allowing it to become so popular. As with most animated films an abundance of merchandise surrounding the film is also available, allowing the Lego name to successfully break into another medium.
Rio 2
The next two films on the list are somewhat surprising as they are both sequels..and both made more money than the originals! It is often the case that sequels to popular films are not as successful as their originals, however this is definitely not the case with Rio 2. In addition, Rio2 brought in $498,781,117 whereas its predecessor, Rio, made a mere $484,635,760. Perhaps there is less sequel stigma in the world of talking birds as this Blue Sky Studios sequel did extremely well.
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Yes, another sequel! After the incredible success of How To Train Your Dragon DreamWorks animation decided to create a sequel four years later. This sequel made an incredible $618,719,032 at the box office compared to its predecessor's $494,878,759! These two films, as well as classic franchises such as Shrek and Toy Story, prove that, when it comes to animated films, viewers just can't get enough! Although the adult viewership may have been watching it with an ulterior motive: one of the characters is voiced by none other than Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington!
Frozen
Now, although Frozen was released last November, its popularity has grown incredibly ever since. Frozen is only one of two animated films, the other being Toy Story 3, to have a worldwide gross of over $1billion and it's no wonder. With the amount of merchandise and hype surrounding this modern-day classic it's not surprising that Frozen has generated a whopping $1,276,596,763 in the last year! Perhaps it's because it is festive, perhaps it's because one of the characters is a talking snowman; either way Frozen is loved, and will no doubt continue to be loved, by adults and children all over the world. And now, with Christmas fast approaching, you can't walk down the street or through a shopping centre without getting Idina Menzel's 'Let it Go' stuck in your head! Disney is, once again, the undoubted animated film champion of the past 12 months: who will win the title next year?