These 10 animated movies made tons of money at the box office, so why is it that these blockbusters are almost completely forgotten? The world of animation is sink or swim, and it's an expensive medium in general. Though CGI has made them a bit cheaper and easier to produce, animation is still a costly way to work.
The history of feature-length animation is dotted with movies that made a mint but left a minuscule impact on the medium. They earned the distinction of being called blockbusters, but were forgotten almost as quickly as they arrived. While some might be considered cult classics with a small but dedicated fanbase, others have almost completely faded from popular memory.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the movies on this list are bad. In fact, some are actually quite good and deserve more credit than they currently receive. Whether they're groundbreaking adult comedies, or one of Disney's hidden gems, the forgotten blockbusters of animation are a diverse bunch.
10 A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) - $12 Million
Though its box office of $12 million may seem like a paltry sum today, A Boy Named Charlie Brown was one of the 10 highest-grossing films of 1969. The comic strip's first appearance on the big screen follows Charlie Brown all the way to the national spelling bee. The movie charmed moviegoers and critics, all on a $1 million budget.
It's a perfect addition to the larger Peanuts franchise, and certainly isn't forgotten by the die-hard fans of the series. However, it had a shockingly small impact on animation, considering it was one of the medium's biggest hits in the '60s. A Boy Named Charlie Brown was the last blockbuster for the Peanuts until the eponymous movie in 2015.
9 Fritz The Cat (1972) - $90 Million
Western audiences have an extremely limited view of the medium of animation, and it has been largely relegated to family-friendly fare. However, pioneering animator Ralph Bakshi aimed to change that perception with movies like Fritz the Cat. The X-rated black comedy thrived on controversy, and grossed nearly $100 million against a $700,000 budget.
The film spoofs the hedonism and unfocused politics of the baby boomers, but there's a reason it has largely been forgotten. It uses a lot of problematic elements to get its point across, and those have aged poorly. Fritz the Cat deserves credit for being a major moment in the history of animation, but it's best left in the past.
8 Oliver & Company (1988) - $121 Million
Released one year before Disney's renaissance truly began, Oliver & Company was one of the studio's first huge hits in a long time. The adaptation of Oliver Twist swaps out the people for animals, and has a soundtrack of contemporary music by Billy Joel and Huey Lewis. It was a resounding financial success, but critics weren't really impressed.
Oliver & Company is one of Disney's most forgotten blockbusters largely because it isn't very good. There's a cold and calculated nature to its execution that smacks of desperation from a company that was falling behind at the time. Disney was getting lapped by other animation studios, and Oliver & Company was their attempt to stay relevant.
7 Anastasia (1997) - $140 Million
Anastasia was the most profitable film from popular animator Don Bluth, but was also his most mainstream. The magical retelling of the life of the Russian heiress featured soaring music and an A-list voice cast, but drew some ire for being a bit distasteful. Its $140 million box office came against a $50 million budget.
Though Anastasia is a beloved institution to many millennials, it has faded as the decades press on. It's often mistaken for a Disney movie, and it isn't hard to see why. The animation is gorgeous, and the songs are swell, but it doesn't offer an alternative to Disney's usual princess formula. Nevertheless, it does not deserve to be forgotten.
6 The Prince Of Egypt (1998) - $218 Million
Traditional animation is a dying art, and DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt was one of the last great uses of the medium in the West. The Biblical epic saw the studio go for broke and produce one of the lushest animated films ever. Even its massive box office barely put it in the profitable zone when accounting for other costs.
The Prince of Egypt is a gem to those who remember it, but it is overshadowed by DreamWorks' later hits. It was the most successful non-Disney animated film of all time up to that point, but that record has been shattered. The movie's blockbuster status has faded from memory, even if the film itself will live forever as a classic.
5 Bolt (2008) - $310 Million
Box offices were soaring in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and Bolt was a beneficiary of that optimistic period at the movies. Disney's CGI animated flick concerns a dog who plays a secret agent on TV, but thinks he's a real pup of mystery. There's nothing wrong with Bolt per se, but there's also nothing memorable about it either.
Nevertheless, the film made an impressive $310 million at the box office, though its $150 million budget means it might have broken even after everything was added up. Perhaps the only thing Bolt is remembered for today is spurring Disney to change course, and the studio leaned heavily into nostalgia in the coming years with films like Tangled and Frozen.
4 Over The Hedge (2008) - $339 Million
While Disney was struggling to right the ship, DreamWorks dominated the animated movie landscape in the 2000s. Over the Hedge is one of the studio's most overlooked successes, and follows a bunch of woodland creatures who invade a new neighborhood. DreamWorks considered Over the Hedge a disappointment even though it made nearly $340 million against an $80 million budget.
Some animated films live on forever in the hearts of audiences, and others are made to be seen once and forgotten. Unfortunately, the 2008 blockbuster falls into the second category. It's somewhat ugly and its mean-spirited humor doesn't make for pleasant viewing. There are so many better films in DreamWorks' catalog that Over the Hedge is easy to overlook.
3 Dinosaur (2000) - $349 Million
Dinosaur was a rare blockbuster that bombed, meaning it made a ton of money but couldn't break even. The ambitious CGI film follows a dinosaur who must lead his people to safety, and it was Disney's first fully 3D animated flick. It grossed close to $350 million, but couldn't overcome its $127 million budget and soaring additional costs.
It was a groundbreaking experiment, and was a precursor to the future of filmmaking. However, it isn't hard to see the glaring flaws that caused the movie to be left behind. Though the opening sequence is amazing, the film's plot putters along without much motivation, and it lacks that signature Disney magic in its storytelling.
2 The Adventures Of Tintin (2011) - $374 Million
Springing from the pages of the comics and onto the big screen, The Adventures of Tintin brought the beloved Belgian hero to life using motion capture technology. The intrepid young journalist hunts for a secret artifact, and faces many dangerous perils along the way. With Steven Spielberg's name on the project, Tintin soared to a $374 million box office gross.
There's no reason that The Adventures of Tintin should be forgotten, but the blockbuster is already a distant memory. It could be that the character isn't popular in North America, or that the motion capture style of animation has aged poorly. Either way, it's amazing that a smashing success could fade so quickly from the larger pop culture universe.
1 Rio 2 (2014) - $498 Million
With a box office gross of nearly a half billion, it would stand to reason that Rio 2 is one of the most popular animated films ever made. The sequel from Blue Sky Studios was rushed out after the first film's $400 million success, and it got slightly worse reviews compared to its predecessor.
Despite its financial windfall, Rio 2 is hardly remembered at all. The lackluster quality could be one culprit, but that's never stopped films from being popular. Arguably the biggest reason that the animated movie isn't remembered is because a threequel was never produced. With Disney in charge of Fox, it's unlikely that Rio 3 is flying in anytime soon.
Source: Box Office Mojo
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