Movies for little kids are a big business. Each year, studios try to produce the film that all the kids will be talking about on the playground. These kids movies can be box office juggernauts – not to mention a way to sell a whole line of related merchandise.
Throughout movie history, there have been dozens of kids comedies that earned hundreds of millions of dollars – and even a few that crossed the $1 billion mark when adjusted for inflation. (These are the most profitable kids’ movies of all time.)
To determine the highest-grossing kids’ movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on inflation-adjusted box office earnings for kids comedy movies from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services. Only comedies that were rated G or PG were included. Data on audience ratings came from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, and IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. Cast information also came from IMDb.
Click here to see the highest-grossing kids’ comedies of all time
Some of Hollywood’s most successful films are family-friendly animated comedies, but whether animated or live action, these movies often feature familiar themes like talking animals or fairy tale magic, all while making sure to teach young viewers an important lesson. These tropes date back decades, as many of the highest-grossing kids comedies were released over 50 years ago. These are the greatest animated movies of all time.
Children’s movies are sometimes dismissed by adults, but some of the films on this list have transcended being “good for a kid’s movie” and rise to the level of simply being a great film, regardless of genre. Many are now considered all-time classics, with rave reviews from kids and parents alike.
50. Happy Feet (2006)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $277 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4 (176,644 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (168 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (617,444 reviews)
> Cast: Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams
[in-text-ad]
49. Shrek Forever After (2010)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $277 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.3 (193,305 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 58% (201 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (353,320 reviews)
> Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas
48. The Polar Express (2004)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $278 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.6 (187,388 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 56% (208 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (242,647 reviews)
> Cast: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter, Leslie Zemeckis
47. Ice Age (2002)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $279 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.5 (457,611 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (167 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (1,134,979 reviews)
> Cast: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Goran Visnjic
[in-text-ad-2]
46. Dr. Dolittle (1998)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $282 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.4 (94,928 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (52 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 34% (873,830 reviews)
> Cast: Eddie Murphy, Peter Boyle, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt
45. 101 Dalmatians (1996)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $282 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.7 (107,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% (37 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (625,358 reviews)
> Cast: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright
[in-text-ad]
44. The Muppet Movie (1979)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $284 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.6 (34,449 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (51 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (60,103 reviews)
> Cast: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt
43. Sing (2016)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $286 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.1 (142,888 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (187 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (39,683 reviews)
> Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson
42. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $289 million
> IMDb user rating: 5.2 (80,657 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (109 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (310,737 reviews)
> Cast: Jason Lee, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, David Cross
[in-text-ad-2]
41. Despicable Me (2010)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $292 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.6 (517,194 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (202 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (267,653 reviews)
> Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews
40. The Flintstones (1994)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $293 million
> IMDb user rating: 4.9 (78,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 20% (45 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (261,150 reviews)
> Cast: John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Rosie O’Donnell, Halle Berry
[in-text-ad]
39. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 – the Original Motion Picture (1990)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $294 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8 (89,128 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (53 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (252,227 reviews)
> Cast: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, David Forman
38. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $295 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.6 (447,234 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (230 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% (32,495,606 reviews)
> Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter
37. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $300 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4 (148,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (35 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (696,495 reviews)
> Cast: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, Kristine Sutherland
[in-text-ad-2]
36. Monsters University (2013)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $303 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.2 (337,570 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (203 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (305,679 reviews)
> Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren
35. The Aristocats (1970)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $309 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.1 (98,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (33 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (273,572 reviews)
> Cast: Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers
[in-text-ad]
34. A Bug’s Life (1998)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $318 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.2 (277,614 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (88 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (982,652 reviews)
> Cast: Kevin Spacey, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere
33. The Santa Clause (1994)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $327 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5 (103,793 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (58 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (369,626 reviews)
> Cast: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd
32. Cars (2006)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $341 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.1 (387,744 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (203 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (878,408 reviews)
> Cast: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy
[in-text-ad-2]
31. The Love Bug (1968)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $344 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5 (15,273 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (17 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (39,860 reviews)
> Cast: Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson, Buddy Hackett
30. Night at the Museum (2006)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $351 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4 (327,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (138 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (724,121 reviews)
> Cast: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Ricky Gervais, Van Dyke
[in-text-ad]
29. Up (2009)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $358 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.2 (975,977 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (298 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,204,358 reviews)
> Cast: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer
28. Zootopia (2016)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $361 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.0 (458,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (297 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (101,803 reviews)
> Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
27. Minions (2015)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $365 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.4 (221,609 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 55% (221 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (137,056 reviews)
> Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Pierre Coffin
[in-text-ad-2]
26. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $383 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8 (322,954 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 34% (56 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (909,801 reviews)
> Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara
25. Inside Out (2015)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $387 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.1 (653,819 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (375 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (137,195 reviews)
> Cast: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling
[in-text-ad]
24. The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $390 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.5 (191,062 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (236 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (82,624 reviews)
> Cast: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Lake Bell
23. Gremlins (1984)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $404 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.3 (207,647 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (72 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (451,959 reviews)
> Cast: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, John Louie
22. Toy Story (1995)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $405 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.3 (927,161 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (91 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (1,109,209 reviews)
> Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
[in-text-ad-2]
21. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $415 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.3 (380,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (186 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (369,878 reviews)
> Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove
20. Shrek the Third (2007)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $430 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.1 (291,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (214 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (2,218,576 reviews)
> Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas
[in-text-ad]
19. Shrek (2001)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $434 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.9 (638,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (208 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,378,744 reviews)
> Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
18. Toy Story 4 (2019)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $434 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.7 (222,860 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (452 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (53,157 reviews)
> Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale
17. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $442 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.2 (222,291 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (142 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56% (949,490 reviews)
> Cast: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski
[in-text-ad-2]
16. Toy Story 2 (1999)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $445 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.9 (548,385 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (169 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (1,000,804 reviews)
> Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer
15. Frozen (2013)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $452 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.4 (592,098 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (250 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (307,046 reviews)
> Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad
[in-text-ad]
14. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $470 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.1 (850,959 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (197 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,254,638 reviews)
> Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi
13. Frozen II (2019)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $477 million
> IMDb user rating: 6.8 (152,194 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (332 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (48,821 reviews)
> Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff
12. Aladdin (1992)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $480 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.0 (386,940 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (74 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (939,996 reviews)
> Cast: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
[in-text-ad-2]
11. Toy Story 3 (2010)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $482 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.2 (786,394 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (309 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (607,826 reviews)
> Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
10. Finding Dory (2016)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $515 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.3 (254,567 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (336 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (182,203 reviews)
> Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson
[in-text-ad]
9. Back to the Future (1985)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $548 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.5 (1,113,249 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (83 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,095,654 reviews)
> Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $578 million
> IMDb user rating: 8.1 (984,204 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (268 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (33,356,856 reviews)
> Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
7. Home Alone (1990)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $620 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.6 (507,829 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (58 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (1,027,095 reviews)
> Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
[in-text-ad-2]
6. Shrek 2 (2004)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $651 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.2 (436,517 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (237 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (34,232,524 reviews)
> Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews
5. Ghostbusters (1984)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $660 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.8 (373,097 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (73 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (1,039,975 reviews)
> Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
[in-text-ad]
4. Mary Poppins (1964)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $768 million
> IMDb user rating: 7.8 (163,578 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (54 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (682,586 reviews)
> Cast: Julie Andrews, Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns
3. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $1.4 billion
> IMDb user rating: 7.3 (128,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (43 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (861,349 reviews)
> Cast: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee, Bill Thompson
2. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $1.7 billion
> IMDb user rating: 7.3 (159,886 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (52 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (709,402 reviews)
> Cast: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O’Malley, Martha Wentworth
[in-text-ad-2]
1. Pinocchio (1940)
> Domestic box office, inflation-adjusted $3.7 billion
> IMDb user rating: 7.4 (136,938 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (56 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (279,535 reviews)
> Cast: Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc, Billy Bletcher
Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
