Pixar Movies: From Worst to Best
Here is what I believe is the definite ranking of all of Pixar's movies, in terms of objective quality and not my personal favorites. (FYI- Toy Story is my personal favorite, but I didn't place it as #1 on this list.)
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- DirectorAndrew StantonStarsBen BurttElissa KnightJeff GarlinIn the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.Out of all of the films Pixar has produced, WALL-E is by far the most believable and the most likely to actually happen someday. Plus, this is one of the few Pixar movies to not throw in annoying comic relief characters, cinematic parodies, or inappropriately timed laughs. It is wholly focused on story. WALL-E is not just the best Pixar movie ever, but perhaps the best animated movie period.
- DirectorPete DocterRonnie Del CarmenStarsAmy PoehlerBill HaderLewis BlackAfter young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.When was the last time you watched a family film that actually dug deep into human psychology? Not only is Inside Out wildly funny and entertaining, but it helps kids to understand how the human mind works, and what we can do to get back in touch with our feelings in life's most difficult moments. I could still nitpick some flaws it has, but overall, this film deserves to be preserved for all of time!
- DirectorAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.There are a lot of characters in this movie, but every last one of them leaves some form of impression on the viewer and plays a specific role in Marlin’s journey to finding his son. It's just a wonderful movie to watch to see the beauty of the entire ocean: the coral reefs, the dingy ruins of sunken ships, the trenches, the currents, the schools of fish, the plankton clouds, the harbor, the plumbing, it's got it all!
- DirectorBrad BirdJan PinkavaStarsBrad GarrettLou RomanoPatton OswaltA rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.Some of you may still not be able to buy in to the idea of a rat chef, but in spite of its oddball idea, it was still approached exactly the way it needed to be. The look of Paris and its food is inspirational for the travel bug, and the structure of the screenplay is a true mastery of craft. It is still strange that a rat can control a chef by tugging on his hair, but I’ll still accept it because Ratatouille proves that Pixar can tell a story right!
- DirectorJohn LasseterStarsTom HanksTim AllenDon RicklesA cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's bedroom.The story of Woody and Buzz learning to become friends to get back to their owner Andy is such a wonderful and touching setup about a movie with talking toys. The upbeat score by Randy Newman is unlike any other, and captures exactly what it felt like for anyone to play with their toys as a child. Just thinking about this movie makes me want to go back to those days now!
- DirectorLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackThe toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.I’m with everyone else here, I also can’t help but choke up during the last few moments of this final installment to the legendary trilogy. But that’s where I think this film’s biggest weakness lies: it’s too focused on tugging on the audience’s heartstrings. But even so, the theme of parting from your childhood closes the trilogy beautifully, and I could not think of a better way to approach this third film myself.
- DirectorJohn LasseterAsh BrannonLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackWhen Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.I can proudly say that this sequel beautifully takes the themes of the first film and expands on them. The characterizations of the main cast are also developed further with a cast of new charming, impressionable characters. One of its main problems is that for some reason or another, and I can't put my finger on as to why, but this just does not have the same playful 90's kid feel as the first Toy Story.
- DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.Everyone remembers this for having the saddest moment of any Pixar film within only its first fifteen minutes. The married life sequence is a definite cinematic triumph that sets the bar for modern animation. But Up almost feels like two different movies are competing against each other. At times it decides to be an emotional drama, and at others it feels more like a nonsensical kid's comedy.
- DirectorAndrew StantonAngus MacLaneStarsEllen DeGeneresAlbert BrooksEd O'NeillFriendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.This goes down in the studio's history as the first time they've made a non-Toy Story sequel that worked. Finding Dory takes the comic side character of the original film, and beautifully expands upon her story in such a heart-wrenching way that both tugs at our souls and gives us hope. Plus, it's got some fantastic new characters and a wonderful view of the Californian seaside!
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsCraig T. NelsonSamuel L. JacksonHolly HunterWhile trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.In my opinion, this has the most gorgeous set pieces out of all Pixar’s films. The animation style gives the magnificent feel of being stuck in the 1960’s, yet weaning on the future. But the main problem with this superhero flick is it focuses on two separate messages: “always be in the moment,” and, “your abilities are nothing to be ashamed of.” It also could use more reasoning as to how this world of supers came to be.
- DirectorJohn LasseterAndrew StantonStarsKevin SpaceyDave FoleyJulia Louis-DreyfusA misfit ant, looking for "warriors" to save his colony from greedy grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troupe.This widely forgotten piece deserves more attention than it's given credit for. While not the most imaginative of the studio's films, A Bug's Life is still a creative take on the stories of Seven Samurai and The Grasshopper and the Ants, backed with a more than transparent anti-communist message that is still relevant for our time. I just wish though that the characters were a bit more appealing than the bug circus that we got.
- DirectorMark AndrewsBrenda ChapmanSteve PurcellStarsKelly MacdonaldBilly ConnollyEmma ThompsonDetermined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.I wish Pixar made more period films, because this movie proves that they can pull it off with their own creative touch! But there is a main issue that strikes a rather devastating blow on the viewing experience- the numerous inappropriate gags; such as the Scotsmen walking with their bare butts to the screen and one of the three triplet boys getting a maiden's keys by jumping into her boobs... You know, for kids!
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.Now look, I’ll give this movie credit for its smartly executed concept of monsters scaring kids for work. But the problem is, there are still a handful of logic issues that prevent me from buying into this universe. For instance: how did these monsters ever get access to the human world in the first place? Why would the parting between Sulley and Boo be so sad if they haven't even known each other for twenty-four hours?
- DirectorJohn LasseterJoe RanftStarsOwen WilsonBonnie HuntPaul NewmanOn the way to the biggest race of his life, a hotshot rookie race car gets stranded in a rundown town and learns that winning isn't everything in life.The idea of California’s big locations being inhabited by an alternate reality of living cars is stupid and childish enough. It doesn't help either that Lightning McQueen is the most selfishly mean-spirited protagonist that Pixar has ever had to offer. But on the bright side, the fast pace of the media and the slow pace of the countryside are contrasted beautifully, and the tone feels very nostalgic to any country lover.
- DirectorPeter SohnStarsJeffrey WrightFrances McDormandMaleah Nipay-PadillaIn a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.There is exactly one saving grace about this movie: huge, gorgeous landscape shots. Other than that, I have practically nothing else to comment on this phoned in movie that appeals to no one beside the 6 and under crowd. The world we are immersed in makes absolutely no sense, and the number of missed opportunities this story had is unimaginably high. Yes, I would agree that this is Pixar's first flop that is not a sequel.
- DirectorDan ScanlonStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanSteve BuscemiA look at the relationship between Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sully" Sullivan during their days at Monsters University, when they weren't necessarily the best of friends.College. Yup, sounds like the ideal setup for a family movie! But honestly, the whole story of Mike and Sulley meeting each other at MU was unnecessary from the start, and the consistency of the world’s rules are nonexistent. On top of that, none of the jokes work, the color palette looks like a kindergartener's class project, and worst of all, the writers deliberately contradict whatever message they attempted to deliver.
- DirectorJohn LasseterBradford LewisStarsOwen WilsonLarry the Cable GuyMichael CaineStar race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.The cheap moral ground of this movie is given low priority next to the commercialized, cartoony silliness, all a clear scam to fish in six-year-old boys and nab at their parents’ wallets. This not only is a horrible motive to set when making a motion picture narrative, but the consistent Michael Bay explosions and James Bond inspired plot prove to be too confusing and violent for kids. Definitely not deserving its G-rating!