While Disney has released many successful animated movies during its existence, not every film has brought in the big bucks. Because we previously looked at Disney’s highest-grossing animated films, we thought it was time to look at those that didn’t do quite as well at the box office. To do so, we’ll be turning to the stats at Box Office Mojo.
It’s worth noting that not every film (particularly those released during the ’40s) has box office stats. Because of this, certain films won’t be considered.
It’s also worth noting that the gross of each movie doesn’t necessarily indicate its quality or popularity; Okay, sometimes it does — but other times, the decade in which a film was released has a big impact on whether or not it ends up on this list.
With the logistics out of the way, it’s time to take a look at the Disney films that failed to perform as well as the rest in theaters.
Rescuers Down Under ($47 Million)
Though Box Office Mojo reports a domestic box office score of $27 million for The Rescuers’ sequel, other sources indicate its worldwide gross was closer to $47 million. Even with the additional $20 million tacked on, this film ends up as one of Disney’s lowest-grossing animations.
The 1990 adventure film has the starring mice, Bernard and Bianca, heading to Australia to help a young boy escape the schemes of an evil bird poacher.
Though the film underperformed at the box office, it managed to receive mostly positive reviews.
Recess: School’s Out ($44 million)
This Disney TV series Recess scored itself a theatrical movie, which served as the Season 5 finale, in 2001. With a budget of $23 million and a box office score of $44 million, it actually did pretty well in theaters despite its relatively low performance when compared to modern Disney films.
The film has T.J. Detweiler pumped for summer after school lets out. After learning that Dr. Benedict is planning to turn his town into an eternal winter, however, T.J. brings his friends together to stop him.
If this film wasn’t released in the early 2000s, we’d think that Dr. Benedict was getting a little too much inspiration from Frozen’s Elsa.
Mars Needs Moms ($38 million)
Disney hoped that Mars Needs Moms would skyrocket at the box office. Unfortunately, the 2011 sci-fi adventure went in for a crash-landing.
The film tells of a young boy named Milo whose mom gets kidnapped by Martians. He decides to sneak onto the aliens’ spaceship in an attempt to bring her back to Earth.
Though Disney spent $150 million to create the film, it only got back $39 million of it in theaters. It remains one of the biggest Disney flops of all time, with many citing the poor animation style as a huge turn-off.
A Goofy Movie ($35 million)
Though A Goofy Movie managed to score itself a cult following in the years after its release, its focus on North American audiences limited its theatrical reach. Despite this, it was still considered a relative box office success by taking home $35 million across 2,159 theaters.
The 1995 musical comedy has Goofy taking his teenage son Max on a fishing trip, afraid that he is pulling away as he grows older.
The film received a direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie, in 2000.
James Giant Peach ($28 million)
The James and the Giant Peach novel by Roald Dahl got turned into a musical fantasy film in ‘96. Though it received loads of positive reviews from critics, it failed to turn to make up its $38 million budget in the U.S. While it’s possible the U.K. release of the film helped bring in more funds (exact data on the international box office score isn’t available), the film would probably still end up on this list, maybe just in a place or two higher.
The stop-motion-animation/live-action film tells of a British boy who is forced to live under the roof of his mean aunts. Soon after discovering a magical fruit, James finds himself heading to New York City with a group of insects.
The Sword In The Stone ($22 million)
Box Office Mojo only provides data on The Sword in the Stone’s domestic release; It grossed $12 million in North America. However, because other sources suggest The Sword in the Stone grossed $22 million even when considering worldwide releases, it found a way into this lineup.
The musical fantasy, based on the novel of the same name, tells of King Arthur’s orphaned beginnings, where — under the name Wart — he learns of his destiny from the wizard Merlin.
With a budget of $3 million, the 1963 film was successful at the time of its release, despite receiving mixed reviews. A live-action remake is in the works.
Doug’s 1st Movie ($19 million)
Doug’s 1st Movie was considered a box office success for grossing $19 million against a $5 million budget. However, the 1999 film, based on the Nickelodeon series Doug, received negative critic reviews for having the quality of a direct-to-video release.
While the story sees Doug and Patti organizing the school dance, it also has the titular character setting out to find a monster inside of Lucky Duck Lake.
DuckTales The Movie: Treasure Of The Lost Lamp ($18 million)
The poplar DuckTales TV series received a theatrical film in 1990. Though the film made back its budget by grossing $18 million, Disney was disappointed in the adventure movie’s performance
Treasure of the Lost Lamp had siblings Huey, Dewey, and Louie teaming up with their uncle Scrooge McDuck to take back a magical lamp that has fallen into the hands of an evil sorcerer.
Though the film was predictable, it was still enjoyed most viewers who were fans of the series.
Strange Magic ($13 million)
Lucasfilm produced a musical fantasy inspired by the Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2015. Though the film had been in development for 15 years prior to production, and the cast included big names like Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina, it flopped at both the domestic and international box office.
The film follows the leader of the Dark Forest whose disgust for love gets turned around after he meets a fairy princess. Meanwhile, an elf ventures into the forest in an attempt to find the things he needs to make a magical potion.
Critics hated the songs, the character design, the story, and more. The estimated budget of $70 million to $100 million failed to recover itself.
Teacher’s Pet ($6 million)
In 2004, Disney decided to bring the 2000s TV series Teacher’s Pet to the big screen. Unfortunately, even with a budget of only $10 million, it bombed by grossing back only $6 million.
The animated musical tells of a dog named Spot who hopes to become human. After discovering that a Doctor has the power to transform animals into people, Spot jumps at the chance to make his dreams come true. Unfortunately, an accident in the experiment has Spot turning to his owner for help.
Though the film opened in 2,027 theaters and received moderately positive reviews, it failed to bring in crowds worth talking about.
