5. Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn’t care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It’s the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits – “Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and more – over a 10-year period.
Director: Don Hahn
Revenue: $80
4. The Lion King 1½ (2004)
Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog are best pals and the unsung heroes of the African savanna. This prequel to the smash Disney animated adventure takes you back — way back — before Simba’s adventure began. You’ll find out all about Timon and Pumbaa and tag along as they search for the perfect home and attempt to raise a rambunctious lion cub.
Director: Bradley Raymond
3. Inspector Gadget (1999)
John Brown is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda, a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named “Inspector Gadget” by the press, John — along with his niece, Penny, and her trusty dog, Brain — uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.
Director: David Kellogg
2. The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998)
The circle of life continues for Simba, now fully grown and in his rightful place as the king of Pride Rock. Simba and Nala have given birth to a daughter, Kiara who’s as rebellious as her father was. But Kiara drives her parents to distraction when she catches the eye of Kovu, the son of the evil lioness, Zira. Will Kovu steal Kiara’s heart?
Director: Darrell Rooney
1. The Lion King (1994)
A young lion cub named Simba can’t wait to be king. But his uncle craves the title for himself and will stop at nothing to get it.
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Revenue: $987,483,777
