But it turned out that it was the pundits, not the auds, who were confused.

Sure, a few films got lost in the shuffle, but by and large, the category boomed. "Cars" and "Ice Age: The Meltdown," for instance, proved to be two of the year's biggest box office performers, together earning more than $1 billion worldwide.

And if auds did get confused between "Over the Hedge" and "Open Season," it didn't stop either pic from raking in big coin in theaters.

"The more the merrier," says "Cars" director John Lasseter, who now boasts the title of chief creative officer for both Pixar and the Walt Disney Co. "Look, there's 52 weekends a year, and 14 to 16 animated films came out this year, so there's still plenty of room. I'd much rather be part of a healthy industry than be the only player in a dead industry."