Top 10 Pixar films so far
With the studio's 13th feature on the way we take stock of the studio's best
A scene from "Brave"
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This weekend, Pixar Animation Studios will be releasing its 13th feature film, "Brave." It's a milestone for the company in that not only is it the first Pixar film to feature a female protagonist, but a female co-director is also at the helm.
Pixar has built a business on milestones, actually. Going all the way back to its revolutionary short "The Adventures of Andre and Wally B." in 1984, and then again with the company's work in feature film development starting with 1995's "Toy Story," each step has been a willful one and a progressive one.
Indeed, in considering the studio's 10th feature, "Up," back in 2009, I wrote, "Watching Pixar Animation grow and develop as a studio has become almost more fascinating than experiencing one of the company’s many creative films unfold on screen. Beginning with an industry leap in 1995’s ‘Toy Story’ and eventually moving into its daring own with 2008’s ‘WALL·E,’ the studio has, at the very least, shown a desire for creative progression."
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That said, "Brave," as much as I like the film (which I caught at the premiere and grand opening of the Dolby Theatre last night), doesn't register much in the way of progression. It feels like the studio treading a bit of water, leaving the envelope to be pushed another day.
Nevertheless, with all that in mind, it seemed a pretty good time to reassess the studio's best work to date. Three years ago I put together a similar list, which featured the only 10 features Pixar had released at the time. We've seen three more since then, including "Brave," so how does the collective shake down now?
The order here will of course be different for everyone. "WALL·E," for example, was a major high point for many in 2008, but not as much for me. "Monsters, Inc.," on the other hand, isn’t considered top tier Pixar to some, but as you’ll note below, I beg to differ.
Be sure to rank the films as you go and maybe we can suss out what the readership's collective list would be. And as always, feel free to offer up your thoughts and/or your own list in the comments section below.
"Brave" opens in theaters nationwide Friday, June 22.
(NOTE: This list first appeared in part at InContention.com in 2009.)
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Next 66 CommentsMatthew Starr
June 19, 2012 at 3:16PM EST Reply to CommentIncredibles would be in my top three, probably also behind Ratatouille and Nemo. I need to see Monsters Inc again and Bug's Life.
Andrej
June 19, 2012 at 3:29PM EST Reply to CommentMy personal list:
01. Up
02. Toy Story 3
03. The Incredibles
04. WALL-E
05. Ratatouille
06. Toy Story
07. Finding Nemo
08. Toy Story 2
09. Monters, Inc.
10. Cars
I haven't seen Brave or A Bug's Life yet.
Rashad
June 19, 2012 at 3:33PM EST Reply to CommentMonster's Inc and Toy Story 2 are the tops for me. Followed by Up. Though I feel the last 20 minutes of Ratatouille, with Anton and his narration, is the best thing Pixar has ever done.
Wall E is the worst.
SJG I'm in total agreement with you about Anton Ego.
June 19, 2012 at 3:54PM ESTFor me, that character's role in "Ratatouille" is what draws that movie out of "really good kid's movie" territory and straight into "classic film" territory.
To the extent that I'd argue Peter O'Toole was deserving of an Oscar nod. (I can throw support behind Kris's Degeneres love, as well.)
SJG
June 19, 2012 at 3:48PM EST Reply to CommentSo glad to see that I'm not the only person who thinks Wall-E is overrated.
My personal ranking of all that I've seen:
(i.e. my ranking without "Brave" or "Cars II")
(also, nos. 1 & 2 are essentially a tie... so hard to pick)
1. Finding Nemo
2. Ratatouille
3. Up
4. Monster's Inc.
5. The Incredibles
6. Toy Story 2
7. Toy Story
8. Cars
9. Toy Story 3
10. Wall-E
11. A Bug's Life
Yep, I rated "Cars" higher than "Wall-E" or "Toy Story 3". I understand "Cars" detractors, but "Wall-E" ceased to be even remotely good once the setting moved to outer space (IMHO), and "TS3" is one of those movies that I can only enjoy precisely once, and repeat viewing adds nothing for me. It's like "Crash" or "Slumdog Millionaire" in that regard, for me.
"A Bug's Life" only gets included as an acknowledgment of, "Yes, I have watched this." It's by far the worst Pixar movie, unless "Cars II" happens to be worse, as it well may be.
Also, based on what I can tell about "Brave" from advance word and previews, I'm guessing it will rank about #8 for me.
Kid
June 19, 2012 at 3:51PM EST Reply to CommentMy List:
1. Finding Nemo
2. Up
3. Toy Story 3
4. Ratatouille
5. Wall-E
6. Toy Story
7. Monsters Inc
8. The Incredibles
9. A Bugs Life
10. Toy Story 2
11. Cars (only one I didn't like)
*Haven't seen Brave or Cars 2
Bgklein
June 19, 2012 at 3:55PM EST Reply to Comment1. Toy Story
2. Ratatouille
3. Toy Story 3
4. Finding Nemo
5. Up
6. Toy Story 2
7. Monsters, Inc
8. The Incredibles
9. WALL-E
10. A Bug's Life
Monty Jack
June 19, 2012 at 4:26PM EST Reply to CommentA top-ten list is kin of silly for a studio that's only made 13 movies to date (and everyone puts the Cars movies at the bottom anyways).
Kristopher Tapley And yet I did this same list when they only had 10 three years ago. Someone named "Monty Jack" with an awesome avatar like that should surely be having a little more fun with something like this, no?
June 19, 2012 at 5:08PM ESTThat Werewolf Guy
June 19, 2012 at 4:28PM EST Reply to CommentWhile I enjoyed RATATOUILLE a lot more when I watched it for the 2nd time, I still think it's one of the lesser Pixar movies. Mostly because its troubled production history is very visible. (Like when they give each character in the kitchen a backstory, but then never use any of them, until they all just act like a bunch of dicks and just disappear. Or the anticlimactic ending, which pretty much is just a five minutes long [although beautifully acted] narration.)
Also the 2nd half of WALL-E left me pretty cold, although that might change, once I watch the movie again.
Monty Jack
June 19, 2012 at 4:30PM EST Reply to CommentAnd what's everyone's problem with A Bug's Life? I *love* that movie.
Patrick
June 19, 2012 at 4:30PM EST Reply to Comment01. WALL-E
02. Finding Nemo
03. Up
04. Toy Story
05. The Incredibles
06. Toy Story 3
07. Ratatouille
08. Toy Story 2
09. Monster's Inc.
10. Cars
11. A Bug's Life
I believe WALL-E is Pixar's greatest film so far; not because barely any word is spoken, but because barely anything needs to be said. It tells its story and presents its themes in a way that maximizes on the fact that film is firstmost a visual medium. But with that said, Thomas Newman's score and Ben Burtt's sound are both masterful nonetheless. At the end of the day though, it's no surprise why this is such a highly acclaimed "film".
If anything, I feel that Ratatouille is rated too highly here, with its main flaws coming from the character of Linguini and its use of narration (the only Pixar film to do so, if I'm not mistaken). It still surprises me that people consider Anton Ego's critique scene as the best scene in the film, given that its merits are all in its narration (again, film is visual art). Michael Giacchino's score is lovely though.
Kristopher Tapley Narration isn't a dirty word, you know. It can be employed successfully, and using Anton's review of the restaurant as narration that ties to theme is actually very smart.
June 19, 2012 at 5:09PM ESTJonnybon Indeed. Narration is not always a bad thing.
June 19, 2012 at 5:39PM ESTPatrick I agree that narration isn't always bad; it just has a lower limit of quality for an art form that's more for visuals than audio. And I agree that the use of narration in this scene ties well to theme, but perhaps film isn't the best medium to be expressing the inner conflict of a man writing a critical review? In the same way that a sculpture may not be the best medium to express the beauty of a landscape.
June 19, 2012 at 6:28PM ESTPS. I actually think the best scene in Ratatouille is when Remy falls into the kitchen and scrambles across the floor.
Jonnybon I don't think there are any rules or limits to what can work aurally. Video and audio CAN be of equal importance. There are many things that usually don't work but CAN work brilliantly.
June 19, 2012 at 6:36PM ESTJLPatt That's just ridiculous. Sound (and dialogue) are absolutely just as important to the cinematic art as visuals are.
June 19, 2012 at 10:16PM ESTJohn
June 19, 2012 at 4:32PM EST Reply to CommentI'm happy to see Ratatouille ranked so high here, as I think it's the best combination of farce, theme, and reality (it's about RATS COOKING, and it doesn't forget this) that the studio has put out.
I'll agree with the other poster that the final 20 minutes are my favorite of Pixar's, making me tear up even more than the epic emotional Toy Story 3 ending.
Joe7827
June 19, 2012 at 5:20PM EST Reply to CommentTop Three: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E. I can't order them; too tough. All three are all-time classics.
Next Tier: Monsters Inc, Cars 2, Ratatouille.
Next Tier: The Incredibles, Cars.
Not In Love With: Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Up.
Haven't Seen: A Bug's Life
Bryce H
June 19, 2012 at 5:25PM EST Reply to Comment1. Toy Story 100
2. Toy Story 3 100
3. The Incredibles 85
4. Up 80
5. Toy Story 2 80
6. Ratatouille 80
7. WALL-E 80
8. Monsters, Inc. 75
9. Finding Nemo 70
10. Cars 2 55
11. Cars 50
12. A Bug's Life 45
Frank Lee
June 19, 2012 at 5:34PM EST Reply to CommentI found "Wall-E" insufferable. If a conservative studio had made a preachy children's movie denigrating drug use or promiscuity, the critics would have had a hissy fit, and rightly so, even though drug use and promiscuity can, indeed, be very harmful. But when a liberal--sorry, "progressive"--studio makes a preachy movie denigrating consumerism and mass consumption (which, granted, can be harmful things), the critics respond with hosannas. I just found the whole enterprise inappropriate. I say leave the kids alone and let them have a fun narrative without interference from your political obsession of the moment. That kind of propaganda isn't even very effective usually. For example, what's going to happen in ten or fifteen years once the global warming hysteria has finally run out of steam? Aren't the thirty-somethings of 2025 going to remember all the preachy b.s. they were fed growing up and react against any future environmentalist blather?
June 19, 2012 at 6:19PM ESTKristopher Tapley Indeed, Alex. But surely you can admit that a movie "denigrating consumerism and mass consumption" is rather ironic coming from a company like Pixar, right?
June 19, 2012 at 6:26PM ESTIntellectual Ninja Ah, but Kris... it's the immortal dance played between the artiste and their patron.
June 19, 2012 at 7:28PM ESTThe artiste cannot exist without the patronage they loathe so personally.
I mean, we see it every day. And that's not even getting into the self-loathing the creative-types get into with their over-the-top shouting of their ideological beliefs to try and drown out their own hypocrisies.
Like Jon Stewart, for example, who can't go 15 minutes without reminding us Mitt Romney is REALLY rich and makes 57,000 a day, while conveniently forgetting to tell his audience that HE makes 41,000 a day and has THREE luxurious residences under his PETS NAMES in order to hide them from the tax code.
I mean... crazy, right? Jon Stewart is a complete fraud, and we know he hates himself on a very deep level for the way he attacks OTHER rich people for being rich, like HE is, who happen to not share his ideological beliefs.
But the funny thing is, PIXAR and Disney (or Viacom or Comcast/Universal, whatever), they'll let their creative types have their say, fill their films with whatever they want, as long as they continue to make PIXAR and Disney BILLIONS of dollars every year, with some of that money going to to the coffers of BOTH major political parties in this country to hedge their bets, politically speaking.
Kristopher Tapley I can't speak to any of that Jon Stewart stuff. Nothing that I'm aware of. But hey, it's okay to be hypocritical when you're right.
June 19, 2012 at 8:31PM ESTThe rest: I hear you.
Intellectual Ninja Haha. I disagree, but I understand where you're coming from.
June 19, 2012 at 8:43PM ESTSamuelM If you read or listen to anything Andrew Stanton has said about Wall-e, he makes it quite clear that the anti-consumerist message was very much a secondary concern of his - in fact, it was barely a concern at all. In his commentary of the movie and in interviews he said he was interested in a story about how love overcomes programming and he felt like this post-environmental-apocalypse world was what worked best for that story. Whatever environmental themes exist in the movie were borne out of his desire to tell that love story.
June 19, 2012 at 10:59PM ESTOf course there are anti-consumerist messages in there; but it's quite reductive to suggest that it's some barely concealed environmentalist propaganda movie. There's a whole lot more going on in Wall-e than just that. And, look, I'm deeply suspicious about quite a number of aspects of the modern environmental movement, but Wall-e is not a part of that.
Besides, I hardly think Pixar is an especially politically progressive studio. Apart from the Brad Bird films, they're all quite conservative in their themes and values. I think you could argue that Cars, Up, and the Toy Story movies are all deeply conservative.
CaptainCanada Climate change has been on the agenda for 40 years now, and it's unlikely to be going anywhere, particularly since its effects are only being more evident with time.
June 19, 2012 at 11:24PM ESTAnyway, it wasn't the main point of Stanton's making the movie, anyway.
DylanS Samuelm- Just because Stanton says it was a secondary concern doesn't mean that it wasn't prevalent in the final product. The filmmaker can guide a film toward certain themes, but other themes can occur organically out of the storytelling process.
June 19, 2012 at 11:29PM ESTSamuelM Dylans - that'd pretty much what i was saying: it wasn't his intention but it clearly did come out organically out of his storytelling.
June 20, 2012 at 12:07AM ESTMy point was in relation to the original comment above which accuses Wall-e of being anti-consumerist propaganda, which is patently false. The intention of the filmmaker might not matter when themes grow out of a story, but they definitely matter if they're making propaganda.
funkylovemonkey Intellectual Ninja, maybe not attack Jon Stewart with allegations by the Daily Caller, an organization run by Tucker Carlson who has a special vendetta against Jon Stewart since he humiliated him on television when he guest starred on Crossfire.
June 20, 2012 at 12:11AM ESTFirst of all, your number that you throw around is based on a Forbes article that is something of a guess of 14 million a year. His actual salary is 1.4 million a year, its likely that Forbes misplaced the decimal. Which means that Jon Stewart actually makes $3,835 a day instead of 41,000.
Jon Stewarts house are in separate trusts. That does not mean he did not pay taxes on those houses. That only has to do with the estate tax, which will influence what his children have to pay after he dies. Not some insidious attempt to hide from the tax code like you say. It's a fairly common practice by people who own a lot of real estate and is perfectly legal.
Finally, Jon Stewart constantly points out that he's a member of the 1% and does not demonize anyone just because they're rich. By saying that illustrates that you've never actually watched his show and instead believe only what you read about him on the Daily Caller. That might reinforce your world view, but its about as accurate as getting your news from forwarded emails from your grandma.
Edwin I read through this comment and the responses to it, and I felt compelled to contribute my two cents. While there are undeniably messages and themes in Pixar's movies that may certainly be construed as political in nature, I think it says more about how politicized and partisan our society has become that so many people can't seem to get past even the subtlest messages in what are still just kids' movies at heart. Granted, they may be particularly sophisticated kids' movies, but that doesn't change the fact that their purpose, first and foremost, is to be entertaining and accessible to people of all ages.
June 20, 2012 at 1:34AM ESTPointing out underlying themes is one thing, but to refer to "WALL-E" as propaganda is a huge exaggeration, if not altogether absurd. Not that anyone here suggested it, but I've seen and heard people imply elsewhere that "WALL-E" (in addition to other movies) is an attempt to brainwash children. To me, that speaks volumes of the political paranoia and compulsive demagoguery that all too many people seem to demonstrate these days.
Besides, one can hardly accuse Pixar of being a "liberal studio" when it's much more difficult to point out left-wing themes in their other movies. Most of them don't have overt political themes at all if you ask me, and it would take an overly involved reading of them to find any. In fact, besides "WALL-E," the only other one for which it doesn't seem like a stretch to identify political themes is "The Incredibles," and that could more easily be classified as a conservative movie (though, again, I think it's silly to suggest it has an overt political agenda). In fact, the National Review compiled a list of the greatest conservative movies ever made a few years ago, and they ranked "The Incredibles" at #2, so clearly not everyone thinks Pixar is a studio communicating some kind of force-fed liberal agenda to children.
Side note to SamuelM: I fail to see how Cars, Up, or Toy Story are "deeply conservative," or political at all for that matter. Maybe Cars very subtly for its theme of small-town America, but it's far from preachy about it. Toy Story or Up I just don't see at all though. But again, I'm not actively seeking out political themes in these movies.
The fact of the matter is that, although it is certainly possible to identify political subtext in these movies, the extent to which that alters one's perception of the movie says much more about the viewer than it does the film, in my opinion.
SamuelM Edwin, i totally agree - they're not political movies. I'm just pointing out that if you were really trying to seek out political motives in Pixar movies, the themes of those movies are probably more conservative in nature.
June 20, 2012 at 2:24AM ESTBut that's only if you're really looking for those things. I think it's clear that none of them are meant to be politically charged, so you're spot on when you say that it says more about the viewer than the film if someone is upset by some political subtext.
It's probably also worth noting that I'm not American, so when I use the term "conservative" it shouldn't be read as interchangeable with "Republican" or "free-market" or anything like that. I'm using it in the broad traditional sense.
I think you could have a really interesting discussion about the politics of Pixar movies (not in the partisan sense, just in general), but this is probably not the place for it.
Kristopher Tapley funkylovemonkey FTW
June 20, 2012 at 1:34PM ESTJonnybon
June 19, 2012 at 5:40PM EST Reply to CommentI would pretty much agree with this list if Wall-E swapped places with Ratatouille :)
Nate
June 19, 2012 at 5:57PM EST Reply to Comment1. Incredibles
2. Up
3. Toy Story 3
4. Wall-E
5. Toy Story
6. Monsters Inc.
7. Finding Nemo
8. A Bug’s Life
9. Ratatouille
10. Toy Story 2
Intellectual Ninja
June 19, 2012 at 7:21PM EST Reply to CommentI cannot...
I simply...
... damn, Kris... you put The Incredibles, Up, and WALL*E in the BOTTOM FIVE???
Wow.
When did you switch brains (or hearts) with... nope... as much as I disagree (VEHEMENTLY) with this list, I can't go there with that comparison.
Damn... usually, with lists, they're fun and lead to nice discussion and good-natured ball-busting and so-on, but I am really having an almost allergic reaction to this one. And I know that's completely silly, but there you are.
I cannot believe you have The Incredibles at 9 and WALL*E at 8.
Intellectual Ninja My list would be:
June 19, 2012 at 7:32PM EST1) WALL*E
2) The Incredibles
3) Finding Nemo
4) Toy Story 3
5) Up
6) Toy Story 2
7) Ratatouille
8) Toy Story
9) Monsters, Inc.
10) ??? (not A Bug's Life, Cars, or Cars 2, films geared to the Barney crowd with little to know depth that I did NOT like)
bigdan
June 19, 2012 at 7:41PM EST Reply to CommentGlad to see Nemo, Ratatouille and Monsters Inc rank so higly on your list!
m1
June 19, 2012 at 7:51PM EST Reply to CommentI also agree that doing a top 10 is a bit silly with only 13 films as choices, so I will make a top five and then talk about all the films in no particular order.
1. Ratatouille
2. Toy Story
3. WALL-E
4. Toy Story 3
5. Finding Nemo
Ratatouille is at the top for me mainly because of how amazingly original it is. Patton Oswalt's voiceover work is outstanding and the movie never seems to stall out or run out of plot. It's amazing. It is also one of the reasons why I take Rope of Silicon with a grain of salt. Toy Story is a very innovative, funny, heartfelt movie and its sequels depict the fear of growing up with such intelligence. WALL-E rubbed me the wrong way when I first saw it (probably because it was much darker and quieter than Pixar's other work) but repeated viewings of it are very rewarding. Monster's Inc. is truly creative and hilarious. A Bug's Life is very underrated; it takes a cliche "odd man out becomes popular" storyline and makes it funny and original. The Incredibles is a great superhero movie that is ten times better than the crap that has been released recently. Cars is a sweet, nostalgia-evoking movie with clever pop culture references. Up is very endearing, adventurous, and cute. Cars 2 is certainly the weakest, but it had an interesting story at the very least. It just focused on the wrong character. I can't wait to see Brave, though.
Kristopher Tapley Why is it "silly?" There are at least 10 to choose from and it's a fun ranking exercise.
June 19, 2012 at 8:32PM ESTJesus, people.
Intellectual Ninja I think... the reason for my "allergic" response is in the DNA of PIXAR films themselves.
June 19, 2012 at 8:47PM ESTThese films touch our hearts & souls in ways most other films can't or simply won't.
And sometimes we can't articulate the whys. To even you, WALL*E is a good film, technically brilliant, all of that stuff, but there is a reaction I had, deep down in my gut that I can't explain to that film.
Maybe next time you can step away from trying to rank something so personal to people, like these PIXAR films are, and maybe rank films with less importance in people's lives.
Like maybe the Star Wars films. ;-) Heh.
Chris138
June 19, 2012 at 9:02PM EST Reply to CommentRatatouille is my favorite by a long shot. I'd put it in my top 5 of the last decade.
cinejab
June 19, 2012 at 9:02PM EST Reply to Comment1. Up
2. Toy Story 3
3. Finding Nemo
4. Wall-E
5. Monsters Inc.
6. Toy Story
7. Ratatouille
8. Toy Story 2
9. The Incredibles
Harrison
June 19, 2012 at 9:14PM EST Reply to CommentCouldn't agree more with each and every placing on that list.
I think "Up" is definitely the second funniest (Behind "Finding Nemo") and has one of the most powerful sequences out of all Pixar films: the montage of Carl and Ellie. Unfortunately it does struggle to find its feet at times.
Carb
June 19, 2012 at 9:36PM EST Reply to CommentFinding Nemo is the most overrated Pixar film by far.
Matt T
June 19, 2012 at 9:44PM EST Reply to Comment1-3: Toy Story 1/2/3
4: Finding Nemo
5: The Incredibles
6: Wall-E
7: Ratatouille
8: Monsters, Inc.
9: Up
10: A Bug's Life
11: Cars
12: Brave
13: Cars 2
Don't take this as me disliking Brave. I'm a huge Pixar fanboy, so I really loved my top 10 Pixar movies. I thought Brave was a little bit too predictable with everything it did, and didn't quite have the emotional resonance as Cars did. Visually, it was incredible, but they all are.
SamuelM
June 19, 2012 at 10:40PM EST Reply to CommentMy list:
12. Cars 2
11. Cars
10. A Bug's Life
9. Monsters Inc.
8. Toy Story
7. The Incredibles
6. Toy Story 2
5. Ratatouille
4. Up
3. Toy Story 3
2. Finding Nemo
1. Wall-e
And i obviously haven't seen Brave yet.
Though Cars comes in outside the best 10, for me it's pretty interchangeable with Monsters & Bugs. I think Cars gets a bad rap because it has to sit alongside so many other great films Pixar has made. But it's actually quite good, if a bit long. The themes of the death of small town America and the nature of community are actually quite subtle and adult in Cars, it gets held back, though, by overdrawn comic relief and the racing sequences. I would gladly defend it as being better than most non-Pixar animated fare of the last decade.
Cars 2 on the other hand, while being entertaining enough in parts and being spectacularly animated, is not much good at all.
DylanS
June 19, 2012 at 11:20PM EST Reply to CommentKris: As always, where I disagree with your choices (and rankings) you always explain WHY you feel that way with a clarity that reminds that these lists can only ever be subjective (though haters will continue to pick apart your choices like they're the almighty word of the Pixar Gods;)
Having also re watched many of these films recently, I offer my own PERSONAL rankings.
1) WALL-E- A film that gains in both emotional and cinematic appeal with each viewing, my favorite film of that year and most likely my favorite animated film of all time. ...and to think Kris thinks "Bolt" was the better animated film that year... oh wait, SUBJECTIVE, sorry I forgot there for a second ;)
2) "Up"- Agree about the poorly-sketched villain, but that's not where the films core is anyway. Pixar's most subtly inventive film and the most overtly emotional (in a good way), as I find myself an emotional wreck after the first fifteen minutes.
3) "Finding Nemo"- I can't say that I share at all in the affection for Ellen Degeneres' voice work in this film (though I always find her a bit irritating), but Brooks' performance as well as much of the supporting cast make up for that. A very touching film with typically gorgeous animation.
4) "Toy Story"- always in my mind better than its predecessors (though the debate isn't unreasonable) with Tim Allen giving one of the most brilliant performances in the studio's strong collection and a film thats equal parts entertaining, emotional and memorable.
5) "The Incredibles"- The family dynamics feel so authentic and it never gets lost underneath all of the action, IMO. I used to say it was the best superhero film ever, right until TDK came along.
6) "Ratatouille"- Despite sharing a director with my last choice, there's a pretty big drop-off here in terms of quality, but that's more a statement on the overall quality of Pixar's output. Probably tops a list of best animation, but that's most of what I think the film has to offer. Still very enjoyable and made my top 10 in that year.
7) "Toy Story 2"- Inferior to the classic that was the original, but admirable for not duplicating the formula of the original. Totally its own separate entity but with a faithfulness to the characters. The Jessie abandonment montage, a sequence loved by most, is to me a low point for Pixar. An incredibly mawkish and misguided sequence that pulls so deliberately at the hartstrings without the subtlety that accompanies similar gestures in later films.
8) "Monster's Inc"- A film that i've grown to admire more each time I see it. John Goodman is great and the chase through the bedroom doors clothesline (if that makes any sense) is the most brilliant animation set-piece I've ever seen.
9) "A Bug's Life"- Tends to get picked on somewhat unfairly I think as a lesser entry for Pixar. I've always enjoyed it and think that the hints toward a imperial/colonization theme represent a breakthrough for Pixar as not just an emotional of filmmaking, but a cerebral brand of filmmaking explored further in "WALL-E"
10) "Toy Story 3"- Didn't love it as much as everyone else did at the time (though a reviewing seems necessary), but a worthy final chapter for one of the greatest trilogies of all time (despite the declining value). The incinerator scene has always made me uncomfortable in what I think is another somewhat dubious example of gross emotional manipulation, but a film that still hits interesting notes for the franchise and the studio.
CaptainCanada
June 19, 2012 at 11:22PM EST Reply to Comment1. The Incredibles - probably the best superhero movie ever made; in my all-time top 10.
2. WALL-E - classic, demonstrates the artistic possibilities of going without dialogue as well as any movie ever has. Also in my top ten.
3. Toy Story 3 - builds off the strength of the first two movies, of course, but caps the most consistent film trilogy in history.
4. Toy Story 2 - the first sign of the true greatness of the studio.
5. Up - This and TS2 could probably trade places depending on the day.
6. Ratatouille - Apart from perhaps "WALL-E" this is the most artistically ambitious Pixar film in a lot of ways, and the last kid-friendly.
7. Finding Nemo - Fun.
8. Toy Story - The one that started it all, and it holds up, but it's only a beginning and lacks a lot of the story risk of later films (like "Snow White", its mere existence was a big enough risk).
9. Monsters Inc. - honestly don't remember a whole lot about this one.
Haven't seen:
A Bug's Life
Cars
Cars 2
Matt
June 20, 2012 at 12:05AM EST Reply to CommentI genuinely like every movie Pixar has ever made. I thought "Cars 2" was a thoroughly fun film and retroactively made me feel better about the original. "A Bug's Life" may be ranked last, but I still enjoyed it without reservation.
1. WALL-E (A)
2. The Incredibles (A)
3. Up (A-)
4. Toy Story 3 (A-)
5. Finding Nemo (A-)
6. Ratatouille (A-)
7. Toy Story 2 (A-)
8. Monsters, Inc. (B+)
9. Toy Story (B+)
10. Cars 2 (B+)
11. Cars (B)
12. A Bug's Life (B)
via collins Holy cow, why throw Kris all this heat over what's actually a thoroughly popular, and fun thread topic? Yeesh.
June 20, 2012 at 2:20AM ESTI've only seen 8, I hold the Top 5 in more or less the same esteem. I've never really considered it in numbers, but are Pixar the most successful, pount for pound, production house ever?
1. Up
2. Toy Story 3
3. Toy Story
4. The Incredibles
5. Finding Nemo
6. Monsters Inc
7. Ratatouille
8. A Bug's Life
Manuel
June 20, 2012 at 6:50AM EST Reply to CommentWell this is fun.
1. Finding Nemo (one of the best films of all time, period - and true, Ellen DeGeneres should have been nominated for major acting awards)
2. The Toy Story Trilogy as a whole (each one has given me so much joy and were so original and creative in further developing the toys' life and the theme of friendship, I can't rank them individually)
5. A Bug's Life (I am surprised to read so many here haven't seen this. Go rent this people!)
6. Ratatouille (brilliant, very funny and moving - the one thing that kind of bugs me is the puppeteering thing Rémy does with Linguini when helping him cook)
7. The Incredibles
8. Wall-E and Up (both had brilliant first 30 minutes and than kind of lost it)
10. Monsters Inc. (that never did much for me but seems more coherent in retrospect and had a great ending - maybe I should revisit that as well)
Definitely not a fan of the Cars pictures and I haven't seen Brave.
JJ1
June 20, 2012 at 11:28AM EST Reply to CommentI've never been an OMG Pixar person to begin with. But in ranking them, I suppose I'd go:
1) The Incredibles
2) Wall-E
3) A Bug's Life
4) Toy Story 3
5) Finding Nemo
6) Cars
I pretty much found everything else overrated in varying levels.
While I really liked Toy Story 3, it was the cumulative effect that got me, because I was actually never wild about Tpy Story 1 and 2.
Ratatouille was gorgeous but 'so what' for me.
And I feel like Up was amazing to those who loved the characters. While I liked the backstory when he was young, I didn't care for Carl(?) when he was old. I wasn't wild about the kid. And I thought the climax atop the derigible/blimp was ridiculous.
Cars 2, meh.
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