( CNN ) -- He 's made more money at the movies this year than Adam Sandler , Seth Rogen , invading aliens and yes , even Justin Bieber . His name is Rango , a strange-looking lizard with the voice of Johnny Depp , and he 's the current king of the box office . In 2009 , only one fully animated film , `` Up , '' was among the 10 biggest domestic grossers of the year . In 2010 , the box office crown was taken by `` Toy Story 3 , '' and it was among five films in the top 10 . In both years , animated films grossed well over $ 1 billion . `` Rango '' is n't alone at the box office this year , either . Live-action/animation hybrid `` Hop '' has been the No . 1 movie for two weekends running , while the last weekend in February saw Disney 's computer-animated romantic comedy `` Gnomeo & Juliet '' holding its own in its third week in theaters , just barely coming in second to that weekend 's new comedy `` Hall Pass . '' `` Gnomeo '' is approaching a total take of $ 100 million in the United States . This weekend sees the release of the animated musical `` Rio , '' which has already made more than $ 50 million internationally . The sequel `` Hoodwinked Too ! Hood vs . Evil '' is out later this month . Animation as a box office force ( despite a few exceptions ) could n't come about only because of families with young kids . Rabid fans of the genre often follow every release and enjoy the artistic aspect of it as well as the fact that so many of the films work on a completely different level for adults . `` The output of animated features in the last few years has definitely opened up from when I was a kid 20 years ago , '' said Michael Howe , a writer for JimHillMedia.com , who has a degree in animation from Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago . `` There is a variety to the marketplace these days that can allow us to pick and choose from the pop-culture oriented fare from DreamWorks or allow us to seek out the unfamiliar like Studio Ghibli 's 'Spirited Away . ' `` Chicago resident Howe has been inspired since childhood by the medium : `` With animation , there is the potential to take us to new worlds or environments that seem somehow familiar , but have been tweaked in little ways . You can see this in the style of the very angular world of the film 'Madagascar , ' and even the vehicle-themed environments in the world of 'Cars . ' '' Twenty years ago , hand-drawn animation experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to `` The Little Mermaid , '' `` Beauty and the Beast , '' and later , `` The Lion King . '' When the first `` Toy Story '' was released in 1995 , it heralded the eventual takeover by computer animation in feature films . Still , Disney was practically the only game in town . Toronto resident Mike Bastoli is one of many hardcore fans of Disney 's Pixar animation studio , which has won the Best Animated Feature Oscar the past four years . `` The way they combine the art of storytelling with the technology they use is incredible , '' said Bastoli , who created the fan site The Pixar Blog in 2007 and was flown out to visit the studio last year . `` They really put a lot of attention into their story , more than any film studio out there , be it animated or live action . The story is what makes the movies work . '' `` Pixar is really the only bulletproof brand left in Hollywood , '' said Boxofficeguru.com editor Gitesh Pandya . `` They have n't had a flop yet . '' David A . Gross , editor and publisher of MovieReviewIntelligence.com , said a big reason for that is the broad appeal of the studio 's recent releases . `` You hear adults talking about how they were moved by 'Toy Story 3 , ' and 'Up ' was a great story about an older character . When they fire on all cylinders like that , the ( box office ) can really take off . '' In 2001 , the game changed again , when DreamWorks found success with `` Shrek , '' the first of four movies in that franchise ( with the spinoff , `` Puss in Boots , '' due later this year ) . `` We 've been very excited to see the growth and popularity of animation , '' said Anne Globe , head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation . In recent years , the studio 's hits have included the first two `` Madagascar '' movies ( a third is on the way in June 2012 ) and `` Kung Fu Panda , '' whose sequel , following the adventures of Jack Black 's character , Po , will be released on May 26 . Globe pointed out that `` Panda 's '' official Facebook page has had great success , with more than 3 million `` likes '' from users . `` Certainly that is attributable to the popularity of the character , '' she said . `` Po and Shrek are both very popular on Facebook . '' In 2002 , the first of many `` Ice Age '' movies became a blockbuster for 20th Century Fox 's Blue Sky Studios ( a fourth film is due next year ) , and the company hopes to see similar success with `` Rio , '' especially with teens and beyond . The movie 's partnership with the popular `` Angry Birds '' online game has been a huge success , and a performance by two of the movie 's stars , Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am , on `` American Idol '' attempted to attract that show 's audience via the soundtrack . `` Animated movies have become very unique in that in the last several years , they have become all-audience movies , '' said Jeffrey Godsick , executive vice president of marketing for 20th Century Fox . Through marketing campaigns like the one for `` Rio , '' he said , `` We are able to speak to the widest audience possible and can speak to different audience segments . Adults also know that there are jokes in the movie for them , that there 's an emotional story for them . '' It 's hard to find a studio that has n't jumped into the animation game . `` Almost all of the studios have really broken through : Sony did well with 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , ' and Fox has done well with 'Ice Age , ' '' said Gross . `` It 's no longer just a Disney brand . '' Paramount is the latest studio fairly new to the animation world to have a smash hit on its hands with `` Rango . '' `` When you look at these animated movies like 'Despicable Me , ' it was cute but it also had raw humor for adults . It was hip , '' said Gross . `` You see the same thing with 'Rango ' now . It 's cool looking . Johnny Depp appeals to everybody . These are much bigger than a 'kiddie ' movie . '' DreamWorks also strives to put out movies that will have broad appeal . `` It makes for a great audience response to our films , '' said Globe . `` In addition to the family audience , we 've had great success with teens and tweens , and we hope to see the same reaction to 'Kung Fu Panda 2 . ' '' Animation is a fact of life in Hollywood beyond `` Shrek '' and `` Toy Story . '' `` ( Computer-generated imagery ) , which is used more and more in normal live action films , is now the bread and butter of the animation world , '' said iReporter Brett Martin , a film critic for the past 10 years and former entertainment reporter at Atlanta 's WAGA-TV . `` In fact , CGI has advanced so much it is hard to tell the difference between animation and reality these days . '' There seems to be no limit to the amount of animated fare we 'll see coming out of Hollywood in the near future . `` With three major sequels , a prequel and a handful of other nicely timed releases , 2011 animation has the potential for similar growth '' to last year , said Martin , who gave his most glowing review of the year so far to `` Rango . '' Aside from `` Puss in Boots , '' other highly anticipated films this year include `` Cars 2 , '' `` Happy Feet 2 , '' `` The Adventures of Tintin : The Secret of the Unicorn , '' and the hand-drawn `` Winnie the Pooh . '' DreamWorks recently announced several upcoming animated features , including `` How to Train Your Dragon 2 , '' and a new version of `` Mr. Peabody & Sherman , '' for 2012 and beyond . For the `` Dragon '' franchise , a second movie is just the beginning . `` We were thrilled with the response for the first film , and subsequently fans are interested in what the sequel will be , '' said Globe . `` Also , Cartoon Network will be bringing forth a TV series in 2012 . '' ( Cartoon Network , like CNN is a Time Warner company . ) As long as the big box office numbers keep rolling in , moviegoers will continue to see more . As Pandya put it , `` When the movie is well-made and the marketing is done well , the rewards are enormous . ''
Animated films have dominated the box office more and more in later this year . Many studios are getting in on the action , beyond Cartoon Network and Gnomeo . Fans admire the artistry and clever storytelling of these films . Wide appeal helps bring in more than $ 50 million a year in Atlanta alone .