An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of more than 40 minutes, in which movement and characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. Motion capture by itself is not an animation technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture's running time.
Contents
- Most expensive animated feature films
- Traditional animation
- Stop-motion
- Anime
- Timeline of most expensive animated films
- Timeline of most expensive computer–animated films
- Timeline of most expensive traditionally animated films
- Timeline of most expensive stop motion animated films
- See also
- Notes
- References
—Rule Seven - Special Rules For The Animated Feature Film Award : I. Definition[ citation needed ]
The following are lists of animated feature films that were the most expensive to make.
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016 are the most represented years with three films each.
Pixar is the most represented studio with fourteen films. Shrek is the most represented franchise with three of its four main films on the list, followed by Cars with two of its three main films.
Disney is the most represented studio with 14 films on the list. Winnie the Pooh is the most represented franchise with four films on the list. 2002 is the most represented year with four films.
The following films are all stop motion animated films that cost over $10 million to create. 2012 are the most represented years with 3 films each.
Laika is the most represented studio with 5 films. Wallace and Gromit is the most represented franchise with two films on the list.
Title | Year | Studio | Budget (est.) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Missing Link | 2019 | Laika | $100,000,000 | [117] |
The Little Prince | 2015 | ON Animation Studios | $77,500,000 | [118] |
Coraline | 2009 | Laika | $60,000,000 | [119] |
ParaNorman | 2012 | [120] | ||
The Boxtrolls | 2014 | [121] | ||
Kubo and the Two Strings | 2016 | [122] | ||
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! | 2012 | Aardman | $55,000,000 | [123] |
Chicken Run | 2000 | Aardman | $45,000,000 | [124] |
Corpse Bride | 2005 | Tim Burton | $40,000,000 | [125] |
Fantastic Mr. Fox | 2009 | AEP | [126] | |
Frankenweenie | 2012 | Tim Burton | $39,000,000 | [127] |
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | 2005 | Aardman | $30,000,000 | [128] |
Shaun the Sheep Movie | 2015 | $25,000,000 | [129] | |
The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1993 | Tim Burton | $18,000,000 | [130] |
Title | Year | Studio(s) | Budget (est. ¥ ) | Budget (est. $ ) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Boy and the Heron | 2023 | Studio Ghibli | >¥5,200,000,000 | >$53,300,000 | [73] |
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | 2013 | ¥5,200,000,000 | $53,300,000 | [74] | |
Stand by Me Doraemon | 2014 | Shirogumi / Robot Communications / Shin-Ei Animation | ? | $35,000,000 | [131] |
Ponyo | 2008 | Studio Ghibli | ¥3,400,000,000 | $34,000,000 | [74] [84] |
Space Pirate Captain Harlock | 2013 | Toei Animation / Marza Animation Planet | ¥3,000,000,000 | $31,000,000 | [132] |
The Wind Rises | Studio Ghibli | ¥3,000,000,000 | $31,000,000 | [74] | |
Pokémon: The First Movie | 1998 | Oriental Light and Magic (OLM) | ? | $30,000,000 | [90] |
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 | 1999 | Oriental Light and Magic (OLM) | ? | $30,000,000 | [91] |
Steamboy | 2004 | Sunrise / Bandai Visual | ¥2,400,000,000 | $26,000,000 | [133] [98] |
Howl's Moving Castle | 2005 | Studio Ghibli | ¥2,400,000,000 | $24,000,000 | [74] [107] |
Arrietty | 2010 | ? | $23,000,000 | [84] | |
My Neighbors the Yamadas | 1999 | ¥2,360,000,000 | $21,000,000 | [108] [109] | |
Princess Mononoke | 1997 | ¥2,350,000,000 | $20,000,000 | [111] | |
From Up on Poppy Hill | 2011 | ¥2,200,000,000 | $28,000,000 | [74] | |
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light | 2004 | Gallop / 4Kids Entertainment | ? | $20,000,000 | [115] |
Tales from Earthsea | 2006 | Studio Ghibli | ¥2,200,000,000 | $19,000,000 | [74] [134] |
Spirited Away | 2001 | ¥2,000,000,000 | $19,200,000 | [135] | |
Pokémon 3: The Movie | 2000 | Oriental Light and Magic (OLM) | ? | $16,000,000 | [136] |
When Marnie Was There | 2014 | Studio Ghibli | ¥1,200,000,000 | $11,300,000 | [74] |
The Red Turtle | 2016 | Studio Ghibli / Why Not Productions / Wild Bunch | ? | $11,000,000 | [137] |
Akira | 1988 | Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment) | ¥700,000,000 | $5,500,000 | [138] |
Metropolis | 2001 | Madhouse | ¥1,000,000,000 | $15,000,000 | [139] [140] |
Dragon Ball Super: Broly | 2018 | Toei Animation | ? | $8,500,000 | [141] |
Robotech: The Movie | 1986 | Tatsunoko Production / Harmony Gold USA / AIC | ? | $8,000,000 | [142] |
Porco Rosso | 1992 | Studio Ghibli | ¥900,000,000 | $7,100,000 | [74] [143] |
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie | 1994 | Group TAC / SEDIC / Sony Music Entertainment Japan | ? | $6,000,000 | [144] |
Kiki's Delivery Service | 1989 | Studio Ghibli | ¥800,000,000 | $5,800,000 | [145] [146] [147] |
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise | 1987 | Gainax / Bandai Visual | ¥800,000,000 | $5,531,000 | [148] |
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' | 2015 | Toei Animation | ? | $5,000,000 | [149] |
Castle in the Sky | 1986 | Studio Ghibli | ¥800,000,000 | $4,700,000 | [74] [150] |
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem | 2003 | Toei Animation / Daft Life / Wild Bunch / BAC Films | ? | $4,000,000 | [151] |
The Castle of Cagliostro | 1979 | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | ¥500,000,000 | $2,300,000 | [152] [153] |
In This Corner of the World | 2016 | MAPPA | ¥400,000,000 | $3,750,000 | [154] [155] |
Macross: Do You Remember Love? | 1984 | Studio Nue / Artland / Topcraft / Tatsunoko Production | ¥400,000,000 | $2,000,000 | [156] [157] |
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | 1984 | Studio Ghibli | ¥400,000,000 | $2,000,000 | [74] [157] |
Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato | 1978 | Academy Productions / Group TAC | ¥360,000,000 | $3,600,000 | [158] |
Paprika | 2006 | Madhouse | ¥300,000,000 | $4,000,000 | [159] [160] |
Tokyo Godfathers | 2004 | ¥300,000,000 | $2,400,000 | [161] [162] | |
Millennium Actress | 2002 | ? | $1,200,000 | [162] [163] | |
Space Battleship Yamato | 1977 | Academy Productions / Group TAC | ¥200,000,000 | $745,000 | [164] |
Biohazard 4D-Executer | 2000 | Visual Science Laboratory | ¥150,000,000 | $1,400,000 | [165] [166] |
Title(s) | Year(s) | Studio | Budget (est. ¥ ) | Budget (est. $ ) | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior | 2006–2008 | TMS Entertainment | ¥2,500,000,000 | $24,300,000 | [167] [163] |
My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies | 1988 | Studio Ghibli | ¥1,200,000,000 | $9,400,000 | [74] [147] |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020) |
This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic.(February 2020) |
The following is a timeline of the most expensive animated films since 1937.
Title | Established | Budget (est.) (millions) | Studio | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 | $1.49 | Disney | [168] |
Pinocchio | 1940 | $2.29 | [169] | |
Cinderella | 1950 | $2.9 | [170] | |
Peter Pan | 1953 | $4 | [171] | |
Sleeping Beauty | 1959 | $6 | [172] | |
The Black Cauldron | 1985 | $44 | [173] | |
The Lion King | 1994 | $45 | [79] | |
Pocahontas | 1995 | $55 | [174] | |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996 | $100 | [175] | |
A Bug's Life | 1998 | $120 | Pixar | [176] |
Tarzan | 1999 | $130 | Disney | [177] |
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | 2001 | $137 | Square Pictures | [178] |
Treasure Planet | 2002 | $140 | Disney | [57] |
Shrek 2 | 2004 | $150 | DreamWorks Animation | [179] |
The Polar Express | 2004 | $165 | ImageMovers | [180] |
WALL-E | 2008 | $180 | Pixar | [18] [19] |
Toy Story 3 | June 2010 | $200 | [6] [7] | |
Tangled | November 2010 | $260 | Disney | [1] [2] [3] [4] |
Title | Established | Budget (est.) (millions) | Studio | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Toy Story | 1995 | $30 | Pixar | [181] |
Antz | October 1998 | $42 | DreamWorks Animation | [182] |
A Bug's Life | November 1998 | $120 | Pixar | [176] |
Dinosaur | 2000 | $127.5 | Disney | [183] |
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | 2001 | $137 | Square Pictures | [177] |
The Polar Express | 2004 | $165 | ImageMovers | [40] |
WALL•E | 2008 | $180 | Pixar | [18] [19] |
Toy Story 3 | June 2010 | $200 | [6] [7] | |
Tangled | November 2010 | $260 | Disney | [1] [2] [3] [4] |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2020) |
This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic.(February 2020) |
Title | Established | Budget (est.) (millions) | Studio | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 | $1.49 | Disney | [168] |
Pinocchio | 1940 | $2.29 | [169] | |
Cinderella | 1950 | $2.9 | [170] | |
Peter Pan | 1953 | $4 | [171] | |
Sleeping Beauty | 1959 | $6 | [172] | |
The Black Cauldron | 1985 | $44 | [173] | |
The Lion King | 1994 | $45 | [79] | |
Pocahontas | 1995 | $55 | [174] | |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996 | $100 | [175] | |
Tarzan | 1999 | $130 | [177] | |
Treasure Planet | 2002 | $140 | [57] |
The following is a timeline of most expensive stop motion animated films of all time. Laika has hold the record the most with four.
Title | Established | Budget (est.) (millions) | Studio | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1993 | $18 | Tim Burton | [130] |
Chicken Run | 2000 | $45 | Aardman | [124] |
Coraline | 2009 | $60 | Laika | [119] |
ParaNorman | 2012 | $60 | [120] | |
The Boxtrolls | 2014 | [121] | ||
The Little Prince | 2015 | $77.5 | ON | [118] |
Missing Link | 2019 | $100 | Laika | [117] |
Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, from a screenplay written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow and a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.
Pixar Animation Studios is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Since 2006, Pixar has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, a segment of the Walt Disney Company.
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was written by Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds from a story by Stanton. The film stars the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and Geoffrey Rush. It tells the story of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (Brooks) who, along with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (DeGeneres), searches for his missing son Nemo (Gould). Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo taking care of himself.
Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the Toy Story franchise and the sequel to Toy Story (1995), it was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich, and produced by Helene Plotkin and Karen Robert Jackson, from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, and Chris Webb, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, Brannon, and Pete Docter. In the film, Woody is stolen by a toy collector, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to rescue him, but Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, and Laurie Metcalf reprise their roles from the first Toy Story film and they are joined by Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Estelle Harris, Wayne Knight, and Jodi Benson, who play the new characters introduced in this film. This is the last Toy Story film to feature Varney as the voice of Slinky Dog before his death the following year.
A Bug's Life is a 1998 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's second feature-length film, following Toy Story (1995). The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Andrew Stanton, and produced by Darla K. Anderson and Kevin Reher, from a screenplay written by Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ranft. It stars the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Denis Leary, David Hyde Pierce, Joe Ranft, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Bonnie Hunt, Brad Garrett, Michael McShane, John Ratzenberger and Richard Kind. In the film, a misfit ant named Flik, looks for "tough warriors" to save his ant colony from a protection racket run by a gang of grasshoppers. However, the "warriors" he brings back turn out to be an inept troupe of Circus Bugs. The film's plot was initially inspired by Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.
Tangled is a 2010 American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" in the collection of folktales published by the Brothers Grimm, the film was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, and produced by Roy Conli, from a screenplay written by Dan Fogelman. Featuring the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy, Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the aid of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the Toy Story series and the sequel to Toy Story 2 (1999). It was directed by Lee Unkrich, the editor of the first two films and the co-director of Toy Story 2, produced by Darla K. Anderson, and written by Michael Arndt, while Unkrich wrote the story along with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, respectively, director and co-writer of the first two films. The film's ensemble voice cast includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jeff Pidgeon, Jodi Benson, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf and R. Lee Ermey, reprising their roles from previous films. Jim Varney, who voiced Slinky Dog in the first two films, died on February 10, 2000, 10 years before the release of the third film, so the role of Slinky was passed down to Blake Clark. The returning cast is joined by Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, Bonnie Hunt, and Jeff Garlin, who voice the new characters introduced in this film. In Toy Story 3, Andy Davis (Morris), now 17 years old, is going to college. Woody (Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Allen), and the other toys are accidentally donated to Sunnyside Daycare, a daycare center, by Andy's mother (Metcalf), and the toys must decide where their loyalties lie.
Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney, it is the oldest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023), and hundreds of short films.
Bolt is a 2008 American animated action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Chris Williams and Byron Howard and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Williams and Dan Fogelman. The film stars the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton and Greg Germann. This was also one of the final film roles for Lipton before his death in 2020, the other being Igor, which was released the same year as Bolt.
Cars 2 is a 2011 American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to Cars (2006), the second film in the Cars franchise, and the 12th animated film from the studio. The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Brad Lewis, produced by Denise Ream, and written by Ben Queen, Lasseter, Lewis, and Dan Fogelman. In the film's ensemble voice cast, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Guido Quaroni, Bonnie Hunt, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles from the first film. George Carlin, who previously voiced Fillmore, died in 2008, and his role was passed to Lloyd Sherr. They are joined by newcomers Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, Eddie Izzard, and Thomas Kretschmann. In the film, Lightning McQueen and Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix which promotes a new alternative fuel called Allinol, but Mater accidentally becomes involved in international espionage that could determine both his and Lightning's fate.
The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. These were mostly musical adaptations of well-known stories, similar to the films produced during the era of Walt Disney from the 1930s to 1960s. The resurgence allowed Disney's animated films to become a powerhouse of successes at the domestic and foreign box office, earning much greater profits than most of the Disney films of previous eras.
Toy Story is an American media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company. It centers on toys that, unknown to humans, are secretly living, sentient creatures. It began in 1995 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, which focuses on a diverse group of toys featuring a classic cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear.
Monsters University is a 2013 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae, and written by Scanlon and the writing team of Dan Gerson and Robert L. Baird. John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich served as the film's executive producers. The music for the film was composed and conducted by Randy Newman, making it his seventh collaboration with Pixar. It is the prequel to Monsters, Inc. (2001), making it the only time Pixar has made a prequel film. Monsters University tells the story of the main characters of Monsters, Inc., James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, and their time at college where they start off as bitter rivals but slowly become best friends. They are paired in a series of competitive scare-oriented events with their fraternity, and Wazowski ultimately learns that some things cannot be taught. John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, Bob Peterson, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles as James P. Sullivan, Mike Wazowski, Randall Boggs, Roz, and the Abominable Snowman, respectively, while the new cast were joined by Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Nathan Fillion and Aubrey Plaza, while Bonnie Hunt, who voiced Ms. Flint in the original film, voices Mike's teacher Mrs. Karen Graves.
Frozen is a 2013 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale, "The Snow Queen", it was directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee from a screenplay by Lee. Featuring the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad and Santino Fontana, the film follows Anna, the princess of Arendelle, who sets off on a journey with the iceman Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and the snowman Olaf to find her estranged sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped their kingdom in eternal winter.
Finding Dory is a 2016 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Angus MacLane, produced by Lindsey Collins, and written by Stanton and Victoria Strouse. The second installment to the Finding Nemo franchise, the film is a both a sequel and spin-off following the events of Finding Nemo (2003). Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks reprise their roles from the first film, with Hayden Rolence, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy joining the cast. The film focuses on the amnesiac fish Dory (DeGeneres), who journeys to be reunited with her parents.
Finding Nemo is a CGI animated film series and Disney media franchise that began with the 2003 film of the same name, produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The original film was followed by a sequel, Finding Dory, released in 2016. Both films were directed by Andrew Stanton. The film series received widespread critical acclaim from critics and audiences with two films released to-date, the series has grossed $1.9 billion worldwide.
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