History AndYouThoughtItWouldFail / AnimatedFilm

** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'' was announced at a time when most Creator/DreamWorksAnimation movies were receiving mixed to negative reviews (especially ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'') and had suffered from {{Audience Alienating Premise}}s. ''Kung Fu Panda'' was expected to be a movie with a one-joke premise (a fat panda doing Kung Fu), but what audiences got was an action-packed animated flick with enough heart, humor, and fleshed-out characters to go around. Add on respect to Chinese culture and a good message, and you have a movie that not only restored audience faith in Dreamworks, but is also considered to be their best movie (alongside ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''). Its success inspired 3 sequels, 2 TV shows, and countless rip-offs.

** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' was announced at a time when most Creator/DreamWorksAnimation movies were receiving mixed to negative reviews (especially ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'') and had suffered from {{Audience Alienating Premise}}s. ''Kung Fu Panda'' was expected to be a movie with a one-joke premise (a fat panda doing Kung Fu), but what audiences got was an action-packed animated flick with enough heart, humor, and fleshed-out characters to go around. Add on respect to Chinese culture and a good message, and you have a movie that not only restored audience faith in Dreamworks, but is also considered to be their best movie (alongside ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''). Its success inspired 3 sequels, 2 TV shows, and countless rip-offs.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'': After the failure of the [[Film/SuperMarioBros1993 1993 film]] that notoriously created the curse of [[VideoGameMoviesSuck video game movies being bad]], Nintendo had shied away from any and all film adaptations of their properties, save for ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. In 2018, Nintendo had announced it was working with Creator/IlluminationEntertainment to produce an animated film based on the ''Mario'' series. Given Illumination's divisiveness in the animation industry, many had already felt unsure of this decision. It was also directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who are well-known for ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', another divisive animation property. When the cast was revealed years later, [[TaintedByThePreview much criticism and concern over the choices]], including Creator/ChrisPratt as Mario, had arose. When footage was finally shown in 2022, some but not all concerns were alleviated. Upon the film's release in 2023, despite many critics giving the film mixed reviews, Nintendo and Illumination's joint production became openly embraced by longtime ''Mario'' fans and children alike, making more than $300 million in its opening weekend. And following that, it has become not only the highest grossing movie based on a video game, but also the first to hit $1 billion worldwide and the highest-grossing animated film made by a company other than Disney, all within a month of release.