1. The Lion King: Walt DisneyThis much loved film is a musical, influenced by Hamlet, and situated in an animal kingdom in Africa. Its appeal lay in the story about the saga of Simba, and in the excellent musical score. It received critical acclaim for its rendition, and 1994, when it was released it was the most successful film for that year.
2. Finding Nemo: Walt Disney/PixarFinding Nemo has been the highest selling DVD of all time and it was also a financial blockbuster with regard to box-office receipts. The plot revolves around the clownfish Marlin, searching for his son Nemo, and the risks and adventures he encounters during his search. It prompted a sharp increase in the sale of clown fish as pets, and an increase in the number of tourists looking for Nemo of the Eastern coasts of Australia.
3. Shrek: PDI/DreamworksReleased in 2001, this film was the first movie to win an Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature, a category introduced that year. The main character Shrek is a large intimidating ogre, and giving him good company are the beautiful Princess Fiona and talkative donkey named Donkey. This film marked the advent of Dreamworks as strong competition to Walt Disney in the animated films genre.
4. Monsters Inc: Walt Disney/PixarA critically acclaimed film, Monsters. Inc is based in a mythical city of Monstropolis. Like most animated films it gave birth to further ancillary sections such as theme rides and games.
5. Toy Story 2: PixarThis sequel to the original Toy Story, grossed even more than the first film. The story revolves around a group of toys which come to life when the humans are not around. This sequel was originally meant to be just a 60 minute sequel to the first film, but judging from the success of the first film, they made it into a full length movie.
6. Aladdin: Walt DisneyThe score of this film, and Robin Williams’s masterful performance made it into one of the most successful animated films. A timeless and ancient story was turned into a magical movie, and it spawned two other sequels.
7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Walt DisneyMade in 1937, if we calculate its gross receipts as calculated against inflation, it would be one of the largest grossers of all times. An enduring tale, it marked the entry of Walt Disney into the annals of great animation film makers, a genre that they ruled for many decades after that.
8. Ice Age: 20th Century FoxA story about Paleolithic animals who are trying to return a lost human baby to it’s parents, it was the beginning of a three part sequel, which acquired critical and box office acclaim.
9. The Incredibles: PixarAn Incredible film, this 3D presentation from Pixar was hailed as being a technological masterpiece. The first animated film to have an entirely human cast of characters, the film ultimately became the third highest grosser for a Pixar film.
10. The Little Mermaid: Walt DisneyThis film did not originally do very well in the movie theatres, but it’s DVD and video sales surpassed all other receipts. Once again a classic fairytale, it has withstood the test of time, and even 20 years after its release it is one of the most sought after DVD’s.