Sequel to Disney’s $1.27 billion hit is expected to set new record for its animation studio
The first round of tracking for Disney’s “Frozen II” arrived on Thursday, and as expected, it is huge. Early estimates are predicting that Anna and Elsa’s return will bring the first $100 million-plus opening for an animated film released outside of the summer.
The first “Frozen,” released on Thanksgiving weekend in 2013, had a three-day opening of $67.4 million and a five-day opening of $93.6 million. It went on to leg out to $400 million domestic, $1.27 billion worldwide, and become Disney’s most lucrative in-house IP with countless billions made in merchandise.
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With that in mind, “Frozen II” is coming into theaters with extreme amounts of pre-release awareness from audiences, so much so that Disney moved the film’s release to before Thanksgiving weekend. If it meets tracking projections, it will rank among the top 10 highest November openings of all-time — the record belongs to “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” with $158 million — and shatter the opening record for Walt Disney Animation Studios. That studio record currently belongs to “Zootopia” with $75 million.
“Frozen II” follows Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf as they venture far beyond Arendelle to investigate a new threat to their home. To stop it, Elsa will have to discover where her ice powers came from and find a way to become even stronger. “Frozen” directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck return along with original voice cast Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad. Newcomers to the cast include Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina and Martha Plimpton.
30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
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A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
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Pixar Animation Studios30. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734
In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
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29. "Sing" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679
Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
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Disney
28. "Moana" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111
Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."
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Disney Animation Studios
27. "Big Hero 6" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612
Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
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Twentieth Century Fox
26. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780
Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
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Dreamworks Animation Studios
25. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)
Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281
With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
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Pixar Animation Studios
24. "Up" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082
The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
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Pixar Animation Studios
23. "Monsters University" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437
Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
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Dreamworks Animation Studios
22. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
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Dreamworks Animation Studio
21. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867
The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
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Dreamworks Animation Studio
20. "Shrek the Third" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162
Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
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Disney/Pixar
19. "Coco" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196
Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
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Disney/Pixar
18. "Inside Out" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174
Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
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17. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)
Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937
Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
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Twentieth Century Fox Animation
16. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $877,244,782
Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
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Twentieth Century Fox Animation
15."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671
While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
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Dreamworks Animation Studio
14. "Shrek 2" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758
DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
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Pixar Studios
13. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536
"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
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Disney Animation Studios
12. "The Lion King" (1994)
Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777
Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
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Illumination Studios
11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885
Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
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Disney
10. "Zootopia" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195
Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
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Pixar
9. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889
The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
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8. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409
Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
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Pixar Studios
7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703
Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
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Disney
6. "Toy Story 4" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,073,394,593
Nearly two decades after the last film, Woody and Buzz and the gang returned for the top-grossing film in the series (not adjusted for inflation, that is).
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Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
5. "Minions" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397
The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
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Disney/Pixar
4. "Incredibles 2" (2018)
Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359
The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original -- but far surpassed the original film's box office haul.
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Disney Animation Studios
3. "Frozen" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335
Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
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2. "Frozen II" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,450,026,933
Though it failed to garner an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature, this sequel still managed to outgross its predecessor.
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Disney
1. The Lion King (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000
Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new "Lion King" was computer animated, so we're putting it on the list.
Cartoon characters that cleaned up at the global box office, from ”The Lion King“ to ”Incredibles 2“
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
Jeremy Fuster
Box Office Reporter • jeremy.fuster@thewrap.com • Twitter: @jeremyfuster