The most expensive animated movies of all time are all from the 2010s or later,suggesting that inflation is at least part of rising costs. However, some of theiconic animated movies that changed animation foreverrequired a larger budget to account for the new technologies the movie’s team pioneered. Still, it would appear that most animators have a ceiling when it comes to their budget, even when their movies are regularly successful.
Pixar accounts for most of the most expensive animated movies,but never spends more than $200 million. Thebest Pixar moviesare proof enough that the studio knows what it is doing, and has reason enough to be confident in spending the extra money or sticking to a budget. However, when working with the material of two of thebest Disney movies of all time, executives decided to dish out even more money to make sure the movie was made correctly.
10Elemental (2023)
Movie’s Budget: $200 Million
Elementalwas met with an average reception and garnered a couple of major awards show nominations despite its disappointment elsewhere. Whereas Pixar had long figured out most of the animation techniques needed for this movie, there was still a lot of creativity involved with applying typical environmental effects to personified characters. Pixar’s president Jim Morris reported (viaVariety) thatElementalwas so expensive to make"because all the characters have visual effects."
Elemental
Pixar’s Elemental focuses on the residents of Elemental City, who are all made of land, air, water, or fire. Originally thinking that elements can’t mix thanks to her father, Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) sets out on a journey with Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) to see the world in a whole new light. Also starring is Catherine O’Hara as Brook Ripple, Wade’s mother, and Ronnie del Carmen as Bernie, Ember’s father.
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This tracks: the fire, water, and cloud people of Element City are all unusual in composition (the earth people might have been easier because they are mostly solid). However, it must have been difficult to revert to old techniques for large background crowds when the crowd is made up of a variety of characters that demand unique animation. Luckily,Elementalcame back after its disappointing first weekend at the box office and turned a profit,allowingEmber and Wade’s storyto shine and the animators' work to pay off.
9Lightyear (2022)
Lightyear’s galactic setting looks like it would contribute to a large budget, with much detail going into the barren planet and space travel sequences. The salaries of the three stars riding on the high point of the MCU also likey weren’t cheap; Chris Evans voiced Buzz, Josh Brolin Zurg, and Taika Waititi Mo Morrison.Lightyearpossibly set itself up for failure by banking on such starsto bring in profits;Lightyear’s cost did not match its box officeperformance.
Lightyear
Disney Pixar branches the Toy Story franchise off with Lightyear, a story that centers around a human version of the Buzz Lightyear toy and his missions with Star command. Set during an exploration mission, Lightyear and his crew are attacked during a scouting mission by alien lifeforms and find themselves stranded on an unknown planet. To help get everyone home, Lightyear volunteers on a dangerous mission to test pilot their means home. However, each test light passes time and the characters age in his absence.
Lightyearstruggled to advertise itself as aToy Storyspinoffcompletely different from any otherToy Storymovie. It came out after the approximated official end of lockdown, but it is safe to say that movie theaters have been struggling, in general, to come back from an at-home movie culture.Lightyearwas almost cheap given how big its concept was and how much earlier movies cost the same amount to make, but it failed to live up to the name of its iconic title character.
8Toy Story 4 (2019)
Interestingly,Toy Story 4cost the same amount to make asToy Story 3, which came out almost 10 years earlier. While costs should supposedly go down as animation techniques are perfected and streamlined,Toy Storypushes the boundaries of the characters' physical forms and the setting’s details with each new movie.Toy Story 4features more plush toys than any of its predecessors, with the fluffy stuffed animals Ducky and Bunny demanding more work.
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 is part of Pixar’s animated franchise, where Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, embarks on a road trip with old and new friends. As Bonnie introduces Forky, an unconventional toy, Woody navigates the challenges of his evolving role while exploring the wider world beyond Andy and Bonnie.
Meanwhile, the carnival and antique shop setting included a lot of minuscule features for production design to figure out, while the cast expanded to include even more A-listers. However,Toy Storyhas yet to see a financially unsuccessful movie, andToy Story 4brought in more than enough profits to make up for its budget.What remains to be seen is if costs will finally go down forToy Story 5, or if the Pixar artists will once again come up with something clever that keeps it as an expensive project.
7Incredibles 2 (2018)
They spared no expense in making everything and everyone in this movie look as sleek as possible.
The cast of major stars all returned forIncredibles 2, along with some new ones to increase costs. However,Incredibles 2possibly cost so much because it was doing justice to concepts that arguably were just ahead of what Pixar was capable of animating at the timeof the first movie’s production.The Incredibleswas Pixar’s first movie to focus primarily on people, and people with unique physicalities at that. They had avoided showing humans as much as possible inToy StoryandFinding Nemowhen toys and fish were easier to create.
The Incredibles 2
The sequel to Pixar’s The Incredibles, Incredibles 2 follows the Parr family as they continue to fight crime as Supers. In a world that has only recently rediscovered its need for superpowered heroes, building trust is key. However, when Elastigirl uncovers a villainous plot to discredit the Super community, the family investigates, putting the Parrs in more danger than ever before.
The people inThe Incredibleslook just a little bit creepy, whilePixar was over-capable when it came time to makeIncredibles 2.They spared no expense in making everything and everyone in this movie look as sleek as possible.Incredibles 2was met with the success of most sequels to Pixar’s classics, prompting a huge Father’s Day weekend family event that brought old fans out in droves for the superhero family’s next adventure.
6Finding Dory (2016)
Ellen DeGeneres reported that she was paid"$75,000 for three years of work"to voice Dory in Finding Nemo (viaBusiness Insider).The Ellen DeGeneres Showpremiered the same yearFinding Nemocame out, the beginning of her campaign to make aFinding Nemosequel. It is a safe assumption thatDeGeneres and Pixar’s net worths were both much higher by the time ofFinding Dory;in addition to her salary, there is whatever they paid for Signorey Weaver’s voice.
Finding Dory
The sequel to Pixar’s Finding Nemo, Finding Dory focuses on the character of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) as she sets off to locate her parents. Still living with amnesia after the events of Finding Nemo, Dory is unable to remember her parents, but an unexpected flashback prompts her to find them. Her journey takes her not only across the ocean but also out of it, enlisting all manner of marine life to help her in her quest.
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Many more impressive stars joined the cast for the highly anticipated sequel, which included the challenging animation of the big blue sea, as well as the aquatic settings within the aquarium.DespiteFinding Dory’s weaknesses, pure nostalgia carried it to the $1 billion markat the box office. Given how belovedFinding Nemois, it would be very difficult for any movie remotely related to it to fail.
5Monsters University (2013)
Billy Crystal and John Goodman were always huge stars forMonsters, Inc.to have recruited, let alone get back for a prequel. Additionally, like withElemental,it is hard to use standard animation techniques for background characters in a world like that ofMonsters Universitywhen everyone has a unique design.Monsters Universityis an average addition to the franchise that didn’t necessarily need to happen, but it made a sizable profit at the box office.
Monsters University
This prequel to Monsters, Inc. takes viewers back to a time before James P. “Sully” Sullivan and Michael “Mike” Wazowski formed the most successful “scarer” team in Monsters, Inc. history.
New movies attached to something from the Pixar golden age likeFinding DoryandIncredibles 2are almost guaranteed to find success.What’s interesting aboutMonsters Universityis it is a prequel rather than a sequel,promising the fun setting of a university for monsters rather than a workplace. It loses the novelty and emotional variety of its predecessor, depending too much on prequel clichés, but is a serviceable movie.
4Cars 2 (2011)
Cars 2saw new actors, more settings, more races, and everything in between. However, it is also essentially James Bond meetsCars, racking up costs where some of the secret agent special features are concerned. With explosions to go around,Cars 2had its work cut out for it. Unfortunately for Pixar, this movie did not live up to their expectations or fans' fondness for the down-to-earth original movie.Cars 2technically made a profit,but this is where anything good to say about it ends.
Cars 2
Cars 2: Released in 2011, Cars 2 follows Lightning McQueen and Mater as they journey overseas for the World Grand Prix. While McQueen focuses on the race, Mater becomes entangled in international espionage, transforming their adventure into a high-stakes mission beyond the track.
Cars 2is generally considered one of the worst Pixar movies and at least its worst sequel. It didn’t have as much time to build up nostalgia as some of the studio’s other legacy sequels and completely abandoned the tone and themes of the original.Pixar at least learned from its mistakes withCars 2and returned to a story about fame and career inCars 3,not one of Pixar’s best movies but at least better than the installment that came before it.
Pixar went for bigger and better withToy Story 3.
Pixar went for bigger and better withToy Story 3. The human characters finally look like real people, the cast list expands, and there are more complex settings than ever before. The toys admittedly move around a lot in the first two movies, but upon revisiting them, it is possible to see how the settings' designs are much simpler.It paid off whenToy Story 3was received as the perfect, then assumed to be the end of the franchise,which was nominated for Best Picture.
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 continues the beloved animated series, reuniting Woody, Buzz, and the gang as they face new challenges when they are mistakenly sent to a daycare center. With Andy headed to college, the toys must collaborate to navigate the perils of their new environment and find their way back.
Sunnyside Daycare has a lot of moving pieces, while a bigger variety of toys appear.Toy Story 3was also the first Pixar movie to use the then brand-new Dolby Surround 7.1 technology,costing them extra dollars (viaSlashFilm). However,Toy Story 3is one of the most tear-jerking Pixar movies there is, depicting all the feelings about growing up and moving away through the eyes of Andy’s toys, and it was worth Pixar spending the extra money to make it special.
2The Lion King (2019)
Movie’s Budget: $260 Million
Most people can probably guess why JonFavreau’sThe Lion Kingcost so much to make, a movie that is labeled as"animated"due to all the characters being rendered on computers — even if they are designed to look much more realistic than regular animation. In comparison,Favreau’sThe Jungle Bookcost $175 million. The combination of the movie’s accoladed cast and its groundbreaking technology drove costs far above even Pixar’s highest budget.
The Lion King
Jon Favreau directs this 2019 live-action adaptation of Walt Disney’s popular film, The Lion King. Starring Donald Glover, Alfre Woodard, Seth Rogen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, this release follows young Simba as he grows up to become a mighty lion and take vengeance on his dastardly uncle, Scar.
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The Lion Kingis a direct product of the Disney live-action remake era, which keeps bringing in profits despite some annoyance among audiences. However,no one can deny thatThe Lion Kingis a huge accomplishment of CGIand design and that the cast of new and oldLion Kingactors is very impressive. Disney felt emboldened enough by its success to make theMufasaprequel, utilizing the same techniques.
1Tangled (2010)
The most expensive animated movie of all time label goes not to Pixar nor a crazy"live-action"feature, but the now-classic rompTangled, Disney’s first 3D-animated Disney Princess movie.Tangledwent through a lot of rewrites and an extensive production cycle due to the animation of Rapunzel’s hair,racking up costs (viaCBR). After the lackluster period of the 2000s for Disney Animation, they were committed to getting this movie right — and were successful, setting the stage forFrozenthree years later.
Tangled
An adaptation of the fairytale of Rapunzel, Disney’s Tangled follows the long-haired princess as she journeys to discover her real identity. Kidnapped as a child by the evil Mother Gothel in order to exploit the healing properties of her magical hair, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has lived her whole life isolated in a tower. A chance encounter with a smooth-talking fugitive called Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) sees Rapunzel venture out into the dangerous world to find the kingdom of Corona and unlock the secrets of her past.
3D animation had proven to be risky at Disneywith the failures ofTreasure IslandandMeet the Robinsonsin the 2000s. The studio spent a lot of money onTangled, but this was arguably a long-term investment when figuring out this technology meant the success of later movies. It still may come as a surprise thatTangledis the most expensive animated movie ever made, but this is partially because it was made at a time and by people who were still learning their way around this animation style.
