Written by SkulShurtugalTCG :

Animation has steadily become a genre in its own right. What was once viewed exclusively as a kids-only film category has become a family-friendly class of movies that can be enjoyed by anyone, from the ages of 2 to 102. 2013 is one of the best examples of animation we have in recent history, ranging from the funny to heart-touching.

The first animated film released this year was Escape from Planet Earth. The film opened in American theaters on February 15, to poor reception (a 27% "ROTTEN" score on RottenTomatoes.com), and after all was said and done, it grossed a total of $70,975,954. (This is a box office flop, but in their defense, there wasn't much marketing involved; how many of you even knew this film existed?)

The next animated film was The Croods, which turned out to be a vast improvement over Escape from Planet Earth. Released on March 22, the film, which revolves around a prehistoric family, received a 70% "Fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and opened #1 in its first weekend. It eventually grossed $587,204,668, a tremendous box office success, and securing its place as a brand-new, long-lasting franchise.

Up next is Epic, which was released on May 24. The film benefited from gorgeous scenery and an all-star voice cast, but its lacking in solid story led to a mixed 64% score from Rotten Tomatoes (positive but not "Fresh"). Its final worldwide tally was $267,889,722, enough to make up for its budget but not much more.

Pixar has released a film every year since 2006, and they have a reputation for consistently making tremendous films. This year, on June 21, they released Monsters University, the prequel to their 2001 film Monsters, INC. This film has a 78% "Fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes (which, unfortunately, seems to be a new median for Pixar films, compared to the high-90s they used to have), and ended up with a modest success of $743,559,607. 

Perhaps to the great anticipation of many of you, My Little Pony got a theatrical film this year: Equestria Girls. The film focuses on the main characters, transformed into humans in an alternate universe, and was released in limited theaters during the weekends of June and July. A box office tally is not available, nor a Rotten Tomatoes counter, but the film received generally positive reviews and the DVD sold out within days of its release later in the year. 

One of the most intriguing success stories this year was that of Despicable Me 2. The sequel to the 2010 film opened on July 3, and is currently the second-highest grossing film of 2013 (after Iron Man 3, but it'll probably be passed by Frozen and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). It has currently grossed around $918,969,000 worldwide (it's still in theaters, so it will grow by a few million more by the ends of its run) and has a 75% "Fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

After such a string of great films, it was inevitable that a string of not-so-good films would be released, beginning with Turbo, This DreamWorks film, released on July 17, received mixed reviews from critics (67%), and audiences just couldn't find enough fun in the film to give it more than a $282,570,682 gross. 

Following very closely behind Turbo was Planes, the July Disney Toons spin-off of Pixar's Cars franchise. The film follows a plane (duh) on his quest to win a race, but in such a way that almost makes Cars 2 look good. (almost) The film has a 26% "ROTTEN" rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed a meager $219,788,712. (That being said, this was the first Disney Toons film to get a wide theatrical release since A Goofy Movie in 1995, so it's great to see them making an effort even after almost 20 years of limited-release films.)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 came out September 27, to mixed reviews and even more mixed reception from audiences who found little to connect with. At a 70% approval rating, it was already determined before release that it was good but not great, and a box office tally of $247,949,000 (again, this is still in theaters) backs up the assumption.

The annual Pokemon movie this year showed some promise; while it didn't get an American theatrical release, it got limited releases in other English-speaking countries, on top of its guaranteed release in Japan. This time, the film (Genesect and the Legend Awakened) focused on an old fan-favorite, Mewtwo, and strived to focus more on story than characters. It ended up grossing $49,857,019, a modest success over a small budget.

Speaking of small films, Free Birds was released on November 1. The turkey-laiden film, with its all star cast, snagged an outrageously-low 18% on Rotten Tomatoes (the worst of the year as far as animation goes) and grossed $54,414,000 domesticaly (it has yet to be released worldwide, if it ever will be at all). With this film's release, it seemed almost as if the end of 2013 would be a great disappointment.

But nobody counted on Frozen, the final film of the year, to become such a success. Frozen, Disney Animation's latest film, was released worldwide on November 27. Even the most optomistic predictions did not see its success coming. The film, which has some critics calling it Disney's best since The Lion King, has gotten rave reception from critics and audiences alike. It has an 89% "Fresh" rating, and to date has grossed over $700,000,000 worldwide, and continues to rise! (Of all the films on this list, Frozen is my personal favorite.)

So, those are the numbers and facts. Let's see what you all think. Which of these films was YOUR favorite? Least favorite? Write your comments below, and let's share with each other what we think of 2013's animated films!

All critic information taken from Rottentomatoes.com. All box office data current as of January 5, 2014, and provided courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com.