Kids movies have a way of delighting the young and the young at heart. Whether you are watching Simba grieve the loss of his dad or Dory finding her parents across the ocean, these movies can reach deep into your soul and touch your heart in a way you may never thought a children’s movie could. While many fantastic kids’ movies have been released for all to enjoy, the genuinely amazing ones all have one thing in common: they can entertain children and adults alike. The top-grossing kid’s movies since the 1980s have repeatedly proven that kids’ movies can be funny without relying too heavily on gross humor.
The movies on this list each have their unique appeal. Some are heartwarming, delivering important messages that children can carry with them as they grow. For instance, the value of staying true to oneself (as seen in Frozen) or the courage to discover one’s strength even if it means leaving behind the familiar (as in Moana.) Other kids’ movies, like the Mario movie, offer a nostalgic trip down memory lane for parents, allowing them to share a piece of their past with their children.
No matter your child’s interests, so many amazing kids’ movies spark joy in both parents and kids. If you are wondering about the best movies to watch on your next movie night, look at the top-grossing kids’ movies since the 1980s. Whether you and your kids love something sweet or something hilarious, there’s a movie on this list for everyone.
To determine the top grossing kids movie each year since 1985, 24/7 Tempo reviewed historical box office data from film industry site The Numbers. Movies were ranked based on domestic box office. Supplemental data on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score and IMDb user rating are current as of June 2024. ( Also Read: The Most Disappointing Superhero Movies in History )
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $193.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 72% (157 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (43,000 votes)
- Starring: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $574.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 59% (282 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (240,618 votes)
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $370.3 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 70% (185 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (87,000 votes)
- Starring: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Alan Arkin
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $162.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 72% (137 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (88,365 votes)
- Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Domestic box office: $146.1 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 63% (244 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (105,930 votes)
- Starring: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $543.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 52% (429 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (226,408 votes)
- Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $608.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 93% (387 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (268,984 votes)
- Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell
Source: Tristan Fewings / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
- Domestic box office: $264.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 59% (198 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (122,143 votes)
- Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $486.3 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 94% (336 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (254,567 votes)
- Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
- Domestic box office: $356.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 98% (375 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (653,819 votes)
- Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Domestic box office: $257.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 96% (253 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (334,943 votes)
- Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $401.0 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 90% (250 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (592,098 votes)
- Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $237.3 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 78% (252 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (388,254 votes)
- Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Source: 2011 Disney Parks / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
- Domestic box office: $191.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 40% (219 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (171,809 votes)
- Starring: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $415.0 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 98% (309 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (786,394 votes)
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Domestic box office: $219.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 20% (84 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (46,231 votes)
- Starring: Jason Lee, Zachary Levi, David Cross
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Domestic box office: $215.4 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 87% (190 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (438,504 votes)
- Starring: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
- Domestic box office: $322.7 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 42% (214 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (291,321 votes)
- Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Domestic box office: $250.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 43% (138 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (327,360 votes)
- Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Ricky Gervais
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
- Domestic box office: $206.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 83% (230 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (447,234 votes)
- Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly
Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution
- Domestic box office: $441.4 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 89% (237 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (436,517 votes)
- Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $380.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 99% (268 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (984,204 votes)
- Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Domestic box office: $176.4 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 77% (167 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (457,611 votes)
- Starring: Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
- Domestic box office: $290.1 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 96% (197 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (850,959 votes)
- Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs
Source: Getty Images / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
- Domestic box office: $261.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 49% (142 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (222,291 votes)
- Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $245.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 100% (169 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (548,385 votes)
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $162.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 92% (88 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (277,614 votes)
- Starring: Kevin Spacey, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- Domestic box office: $105.3 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 56.000000000000007% (54 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (74,675 votes)
- Starring: Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $128.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 64% (55 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (113,752 votes)
- Starring: Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $192.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 100% (91 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (927,161 votes)
- Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- Domestic box office: $421.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 93% (130 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (983,962 votes)
- Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $41.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 87% (30 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (44,277 votes)
- Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Alder
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
- Domestic box office: $21.1 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 63% (16 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (28,857 votes)
- Starring: Samantha Mathis, Christian Slater, Robin Williams
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $206.3 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 94% (118 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (428,336 votes)
- Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- Domestic box office: $27.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 71% (28 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (40,553 votes)
- Starring: Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
- Domestic box office: $111.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 93% (71 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (247,125 votes)
- Starring: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Rene Auberjonois
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
- Domestic box office: $49.6 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 50% (50 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (46,164 votes)
- Starring: Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
- Domestic box office: $6.8 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 75% (8 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (5,315 votes)
- Starring: Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Dody Goodman
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
- Domestic box office: $47.5 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 71% (28 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (50,979 votes)
- Starring: Dom DeLuise, Christopher Plummer, Erica Yohn
Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
- Domestic box office: $22.9 million
- RT Tomatometer score: 43% (7 reviews)
- IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (5,312 votes)
- Starring: Georgia Engel, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Burroughs
The post The Top Grossing Kids’ Movie Every Year Since 1985 appeared first on 24/7 Tempo .
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