Summary

• "Toy Story 4" is the highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time, earning a whopping $1.07 billion worldwide. The film introduces new characters and continues the beloved Toy Story franchise.
• "Finding Nemo" and its sequel "Finding Dory" were both massive successes, with the latter surpassing $1 billion at the box office. These heartwarming underwater adventures captivated audiences around the world.
• "Incredibles 2" was a powerhouse at the box office, grossing $1.2 billion worldwide. The superhero family's thrilling and humorous sequel became the highest-grossing Pixar film, showcasing Pixar's ability to create successful franchises.

The highest grossing Pixar movies of all time might not quite reach the level of Disney Animation movies, but with the critical acclaim added on, they might be even more impressive. Pixar Animation Studios got started in 1979 as part of LucasFilm before breaking away and becoming its own animation studio under Steve Jobs and Apple. After making a short film called Luxo Jr. in 1986, the studio worked hard to create the first-ever CGI animated movie in 1995 called Toy Story. That was just the start, as Pixar quickly became one of the top critically acclaimed animated movie studios in cinema history.

Using data from Box Office Mojo, the highest grossing Pixar movies worldwide have an impressive list of films, titles that can compete with anything from Disney, DreamWorks, Sony, or any other animation studio pumping out feature films. These include stories about sentient toys, a world where cars exist, but people are nowhere to be found a world where monsters deliver screams and laughs to remain alive, and even a world where the emotions in a child's mind like the upcoming Inside Out 2, are living beings that help determine people's actions and reactions.

20 A Bug's Life (1998) - $363.2 million

A Bugs Life was the second-ever Pixar movie following Toy Story, and while it made more than the first Pixar movie, few people talk about it anymore. One problem with its release was that DreamWorks also had a movie about bugs hitting that year in Antz. While A Bug's Life made almost $200 million more than Antz, it was still not a huge take at the box office and ranks near the bottom of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time. The movie still carried on the Pixar method of delivering a smart story with brilliant animation, this one based on the Aesop fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.

19 Cars 3 (2017) - $383.9 million

By the time Pixar released Cars 3, it had delivered a couple of disappointing releases with the misunderstood Brave and poorly received The Good Dinosaur. Add to the fact that people had soured on Cars after the first two movies, and it kept people away from theaters for this third movie. That is disappointing because Cars 3 was the best of the three and delivered the type of story Pixar specializes in. Much like Woody in the Toy Story franchise, Lightning McQueen needed to figure out where his place in the world was when he saw the end closing in. This third movie held back the zany humor and had a lot of heart, which might lead to Cars 4.

18 Cars (2006) - $461.9 million

The first Cars movie wasn't received overly favorably by critics, but it still made good money for Pixar. The movie was a love letter to the iconic Route 66 and how interstates helped kill the small towns along the roads that Route 66 connected. While it didn't get good reviews, there were fans who connected with the story, and they helped the movie rise up the charts of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time, and while it made less than its first sequel, it still finished with a respectable $461 million at the worldwide box office.

17 Toy Story 2 (1999) - $487.0 million

The first Toy Story movie remains an iconic classic, but that was Pixar's first movie, and it wasn't going to be a huge box office success thanks to that. However, Pixar had a chance to recoup on their newfound popularity with the sequel, Toy Story 2. One thing that has set Pixar apart from many other studios is that the sequels are often even better than the originals, especially in the Toy Story franchise where the second movie eclipsed the first and the third was better than the second. The movies in that specific series also made more money with each installment, with the second making more than the first, but not as much as the third and fourth.

16 Elemental (2023) - $489.4 million

In what might be the biggest surprise in Pixar movie history, Elemental moved up the list of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time despite everyone calling it a bomb. The reason people dismissed Elemental was because it had a bad opening weekend. However, no one foresaw the movie having the legs it did. While some thought it was going to fail like Lightyear, the difference is that Elemental was an original idea and those need positive word of mouth, even if it is a Pixar movie. It picked up that word of mouth and almost ended up at $500 million and proved to be a hit.

15 WALL-E (2008) - $521 million

Wall-E, which earned $521 million worldwide, is a movie that proved Pixar are masters at what they do. The movie features 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 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) - $538 million

A Pixar film that deserves more attention, Brave is the studio's take on a Disney Princess movie, and it shows how Pixar was able to turn the tropes of a Disney Princess movie on their heads, grossing $538 million worldwide in the process. The princess in this movie, Merida, does not need a man to help save her, and she confronted both the curse that she unknowingly placed on her family and the expectations that come with her societal role, with determination and courage. The combination of it being a familiar genre and Pixar's history at this point helped it be a hit.

13 Cars 2 (2011) - $559 million

Though Cars 2 is one of Pixar's less successful works critically, it grossed $191 million domestically and $559 million worldwide. The story of Cars 2 flips the script of the original movie and turns the fish out of water story into a spy caper, as Lightning McQueen sets out to stop crime overseas. Cars 2's critical reception did not signal the end of the Pixar franchise. Far from it, in fact, as it was followed by a sequel, and help spawned the spin-off movie series Planes.

12 Monsters, Inc. (2001) - $578.2 million

Monsters, Inc. tells the original story of Mike and Sulley, as they work to power the city of Monstropolis by collecting the screams of human children. Unfortunately, when one kid, Boo, 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 $290 million domestic gross in 2001. Worldwide, it took in $578 million. It was followed not only by a feature-length prequel but also a Disney+ release which acts as a sequel, titled Monsters at Work.

11 Ratatouille (2007) - $623 million

Ratatouille is a film that took Pixar overseas, as the story's setting is Paris, in the world of fine dining cuisine. Its story follows Remy, a rat who wishes more than anything to be a chef, and Linguini, the human who becomes his friend. Together, they save a restaurant and impress an otherwise harsh food critic. Showing that a great artist can come from anywhere, Ratatouille's heartwarming story not only made $623 million at the worldwide box office but is one of several Pixar films to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

10 The Incredibles (2004) - $631 million

The Incredibles follows a family of super-powered individuals who find themselves in a world that no longer accepts superheroes. However, when the family's dad, Mr. Incredible, gets a secret offer that will let him get back into hero work, he jumps at the offer, leaving the rest of his family behind to figure out what's going on and what to do about it. The first Incredibles movie was not only a critical and box office success, grossing $631 million worldwide, but it also introduced audiences to one of Pixar's funniest characters, the iconic Edna Mode, making it an even more memorable affair.

9 Up (2009) - $735 million

An emotional and lovely story, Up follows a retired man, Carl, 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 helium balloons. The adventure was a hit with fans, as it swept in $293 million at the domestic box office and $735 million worldwide. Full of lovable characters, talking dog Dug later received his own spin-off series of shorts on Disney+, titled Dug Days.

8 Monsters University (2013) - $743 million

Monsters University is the prequel to Monsters, Inc. which follows Mike and Sulley back in their college days. Though they first find themselves at odds, they soon come together as they compete to become the best of their university's scarers. Monsters University helps establish how Mike and Sulley come to be at their jobs in Monsters, Inc., and capitalized on the pair's chemistry to earn a humongous $743 million worldwide.

7 Coco (2017) - $807 million

Coco takes its inspiration from the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and follows a boy, Miguel, who dreams of being a musician but is forbidden to become one by his family. A string of events lands Miguel in the Land of the Dead, where he meets his ancestors and uncovers secrets of his family history. Particularly celebrated for its gorgeous visuals and soundtrack, Coco made $210 million domestically but finished off its run with an impressive $807 million gross worldwide, one of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time.

6 Inside Out (2015) - $858 million

Inside Out tells the story of a hockey-loving girl, Riley, who grapples with the reality of moving. The movie is largely told from the perspective of the emotions in Riley's mind; Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. Together, they aim to help Riley settle into her new home, discovering the complexity of emotions along the way. The animated movie deals with serious issues in a way that's easy for viewers of all ages to understand, and its success led to the announcement of a sequel, Inside Out 2, scheduled for release in 2024. Inside Out made $356 million domestically and $858 million worldwide.

5 Finding Nemo (2003) - $940 million

Clownfish are naturally shy, so Pixar decided to find out what happened when one of these creatures, Marlin, was forced to venture through the ocean to track down his son, Nemo, in Finding Nemo. The resulting film is heartwarming and breathtaking, leading to theme park rides and a sequel. Finding Nemo raked in a $380 million domestic gross, adding on an additional $559 at the foreign box office that led it to take $940 million worldwide, easily moving it into the running for one of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time.

4 Finding Dory (2016) - $1.02 billion

Finding Dory explores the origins of Pixar's favorite blue tang fish, Dory. When the largely forgetful 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 earned $486 million at the domestic box office, contributing to a gigantic $1.02 billion worldwide. It received exceedingly positive reviews for further exploring this favorite character while staying true to the tone of its predecessor. It was the love for the first movie that helped this become one of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time.

3 Toy Story 3 (2010) - $1.06 billion

Toy Story 3 explores Woody and the gang's attempt to return home after they are mistakenly 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 was released eleven years after the second and played its way to $415 million at the domestic box office. This combined with the overseas takings led to a gross of over $1.06 billion worldwide, one of the highest grossing Pixar movies of all time.

2 Toy Story 4 (2019) - $1.07 billion

The most recent entry in the iconic Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 4, outdid all entries in the series that came before it to earn $1.07 billion dollars worldwide. The toys' latest adventure explores what happens when Woody's new kid, Bonnie, makes her own toy using a spork and googly eyes. Things get even more intense when this created toy, Forky, runs away, and Woody runs into Bo Peep outside an old antique shop. Like the series' earlier installments, Toy Story 4 is both hilarious and emotional and help set up Toy Story 5.

1 Incredibles 2 (2018) - $1.2 billion

The highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time is Incredibles 2, raking in $608 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide. The sequel takes place directly after the conclusion of the first film, and explores Mrs. Incredible's new secret missions, which 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. It wasn't quite as well received as the original but was still another strong entry for Pixar.