Buena Vista International had another strong year, surpassing $1 billion at the international box office for the eighth consecutive year. It is the only distribution company ever to achieve this. Its performance was driven by four key films: Monsters, Inc., Lilo & Stitch, Return to Never Land and Signs.

Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. earned over $270 million at the international box office, to become the most successful computer-generated animated film ever released. In Japan, the film grossed $72 million at the box office, making it the most popular American animated film ever released there and the second-best performing title ever released by Buena Vista International in Japan. Results in the United Kingdom also were impressive, with $53 million at the box office, making Monsters, Inc. the second-biggest Buena Vista International film ever released there.

Another stellar performer was director M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, which grossed approximately $175 million through the end of the calendar year and is still in active release. Additionally, Lilo & Stitch became Disney’s first traditionally animated film to ever launch simultaneously in the United States and several overseas markets. It had generated nearly $70 million in box office by fiscal year-end.