Claim: Minions out-grossed other films.

Included on the list are charts of the top box-office earners , a chart of high-grossing animated films by calendar year , a timeline showing the transition of the highest-grossing animated film record , and a chart of the highest-grossing animated film franchises and series . All charts are ranked by international theatrical box office performance where possible , excluding income derived from home video , broadcasting rights and merchandise .   Animated family films have performed consistently well at the box office , with Disney films enjoying lucrative re-releases prior to the home video era . Disney also enjoyed later success with its Pixar brand , of which the Toy Story films , the Finding Nemo films , and Inside Out have been the best performers ; beyond Pixar animation , the Shrek , Ice Age , Madagascar and Despicable Me series have met with the most success . The Peter Pan , Jungle Book , Mickey Mouse , and Bambi series saw successful returns after lying dormant for decades .   DreamWorks Animation films have grossed the most , with over $ 14 billion across 34 films , while Illumination Entertainment films have the best average with $ 752 million per film across six films . John Lasseter 's films have grossed the most of any animated director , with a total of $ 18 billion , while Chris Meledandri has the best average $ 611.4 million per film across 10 films as of March 2017 .