List of most expensive animated films

The following are lists of animated feature films that were the most expensive to make.

Definition
For purposes of awarding Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines an animated film as "a motion picture in which movement and characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, and usually falls into one of the two general fields of animation: narrative or abstract. Some of the techniques of animating films include but are not limited to hand-drawn animation, computer animation, stop-motion, clay animation, pixilation, cutout animation, pinscreen, camera multiple pass imagery, kaleidoscopic effects created frame-by-frame, and drawing on the film frame itself. Motion capture and real-time puppetry are not by themselves animation techniques."

Further, at least 75 percent of the film's running time must contain animation. Narrative animated films must also include a significant number of animated major characters.

The Academy defines a feature film as one with a running time of more than 40 minutes.

Most expensive animated feature films
The years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016 are the most represented, with three films each.

Pixar is the most represented studio with fourteen films. Shrek is the most represented franchise with three of its four main films on the list, followed by Cars with two of its three main films.

Traditional animation
Disney is the most represented studio with 14 films on the list. Winnie the Pooh is the most represented franchise with four films on the list. 2002 is the most represented year with four films.

Stop-motion
The following films are all stop motion animated films that cost over $10 million to create. 2012 are the most represented years with 3 films each.

Laika is the most represented studio with 5 films. Wallace and Gromit is the most represented franchise with two films on the list.

Timeline of most expensive animated films
The following is a timeline of the most expensive animated films since 1937.

Timeline of most expensive stop motion animated films
The following is a timeline of most expensive stop motion animated films of all time. Laika has hold the record the most with four.