The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King grossed $987 million globally, the highest for a traditionally animated film until 2019, and won two Academy Awards for its music, a 100% increase over the average animated winner. It outperforms #1 Spirited Away in box office impact, with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score that trails the top rank's 97% by only 4 points, while selling over 45 million home video units—10 million more than the runner-up on this list. This Hamlet-inspired epic set a defining benchmark for animated musicals.