10 Essential Pixar Movies, Ranked

Since its founding in 1979, Pixar has become a household name synonymous with phenomenal animated films. They rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s by pioneering CGI animated films, which offered audiences an alternative to the wave of hand-drawn films that had emerged to ride the coattails of The Disney Renaissance. They also told surprisingly mature stories, ensuring that their films could be enjoyed by all ages and fighting against the stigma that animation is for kids.

Pixar has sadly fallen from grace in recent years, but there is no denying that its early years saw the release of some of the greatest animated films of all time. Nearly every Pixar film is worth seeing at least once, but some are obviously a higher priority due to their characters, morals, and creative premises.

10

‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)

Directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

After losing his wife and all but one of their children, Marlin the clownfish (Albert Brooks) becomes overprotective of his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). One day, while rebelling against his father, Nemo is snatched up by a human diver who intends to give him as a gift to his niece. As Nemo works with a group of tank fish to escape this fate, Marlin teams up with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to cross the ocean and rescue his son.

Finding Nemo transported audiences to a fully realized underwater world that encapsulates everything beautiful and terrifying about the ocean. The reef Marlin and Nemo live in is vibrant in terms of color and diversity of sea life, but the further away from home Marlin travels, the more colors vanish until he is confronted by vast, open spaces pocketed with dark trenches hiding all sorts of dangers. This ever-shifting landscape is the perfect set piece for a story about trust, surprisingly aimed more a the parents watching than the kids. The character of Dory is also one of Pixar’s most beloved sidekicks thanks to the infectious levels of joy DeGeneres gives her, which led to Dory staring in the sequel, Finding Dory.

9

‘Monsters, Inc.’ (2001)

Directed by Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, and David Silverman

An alternate world of monsters uses special doors to enter the human world and scare human children to use their screams as power sources. The greatest scare team is the duo of James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Krystal), who are set to surpass their company’s scare record. However, the sudden arrival of a human child threatens to throw the monster world into chaos and leads the two to uncover a horrible conspiracy.

Monsters, Inc. is full of meticulously crafted details that go into making the monster world feel like a believable society oozing with creative potential. Its themes range from exposing the evils of capitalism to deconstructing the myth of the “other”, done beautifully through Sully’s bond with the little girl, whom he names Boo (Mary Gibbs). Mike and Sully also have a wonderful friendship, with Sully’s laid-back and friendly disposition perfectly complimenting Mike’s massive ego and cynicism.

8

‘Ratatouille’ (2007)

Directed by Brad Bird

Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a young rat who longs to be a chef, despite the warnings from his father, Django (Brian Dennehy), that humans will never accept him. After being separated from his colony during a hasty evacuation, Remy makes his way to the restaurant founded by his idol, the late Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), now run by his sous-chef, Skinner (Sir Ian Holm). Remy meets a garbage boy named Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), who catches him fixing a soup Linguini almost ruined, and the two team up to become the greatest chef in Paris.

Ratatouille is one of Pixar’s most mature films thanks to its inspirational message about challenging preconceptions. Remy’s status as a rat trying to make it in the human world applies to all walks of life, and the concerns brought up by Django regarding human-rat conflicts are harsh, but not unfounded, and reflect how difficult it is to change societal norms in real life. The film maintains an overall positive morale through Gusteau’s claim that “anyone can cook,” which is beautifully explained during the climax by food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole), easily one of Pixar’s best side characters.

7

‘The Incredibles’ (2004)

Directed by Brad Bird

Robert Parr (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife, Helen (Holly Hunter), used to be Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, two of the world’s most famous superheroes, until public outcry forced all superheroes into retirement. Though the family has expanded to include three children with superpowers of their own, Bob longs to relive his glory days and help people. He gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Mirage (Elizabeth Peña) recruits his help in stopping a rampaging robot, and in doing so, stumbles upon a hidden plot that threatens all superheroes.

The Incredibles is often ranked among the greatest superhero films thanks to how cleverly it both embraces and plays with classic superhero tropes. These include thoughtful looks at how difficult it would be for a superhero to adjust to civilian life to humorous arguments about the impracticality of capes. The character writing is phenomenal: each member of the Parr family – barring the infant Jack-Jack – is given a fully realized personality that makes them feel realistic and empathetic, which makes it all the more satisfying when they come together and complement their powers as a superhero team.

6

‘Inside Out’ (2015)

Directed by Pete Docter

Within the mind of a young girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) are the personifications of her emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). When Riley’s family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, the stress causes Riley to cry in front of her new class, creating a sad core memory. Joy attempts to get rid of it, but in the process shoots herself, Sadness, and all of Riley’s core memories out of headquarters, causing Riley to begin slipping into depression.

Inside Out takes the abstract concepts of emotions and explains them in an easy-to-digest way through creative imagery and simple but likable characters. The major theme on display is demonstrating the importance of sadness since it allows us to develop empathy and work through complex emotions. The film also doesn’t shy away from the hard truth that, as we age, parts of ourselves are lost, but new experiences will fill the gaps and shape who we become.

5

‘Toy Story’ (1995)

Directed by John Lasseter

Woody (Tom Hanks) is a cowboy doll who keeps order among the toys owned by a young boy named Andy (John Morris) as his family prepares to move houses. During Andy’s surprise birthday party, he receives a new toy called Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allan), who thinks that he is a real Space Ranger. As time goes on, Woody finds himself being supplanted by Buzz as Andy’s favorite toy, and his attempt to regain his spot sees him and Buzz sent on a mutually eye-opening adventure.

Toy Story is one of the most important animated films on account of being the first fully CGI film, and though its animation is understandably dated, it remains beloved thanks to its universal story and beloved characters. Woody and Buzz’s story captures life in all of its complexities as the two come to terms with the inevitable nature of change, question their identities and purpose, and realize the importance of friendship and loyalty. These are universal themes that resonate across generations, told through clever jokes, emotional heartbreak, and a gaggle of side characters that capture the audience’s love despite limited screen time.

4

‘Toy Story 2’ (1999)

Directed by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, and Lee Unkrich

When Andy accidentally rips Woody’s arm, he is placed on the shelf and begins to fear that he might be thrown away. During a yard sale, Woody rescues a penguin toy named Wheezy (Joe Ranft), but gets snatched up by toy collector Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight). While Buzz leads the rest of the toys on a rescue mission, Woody meets fellow cowboy toys Jessie (Joan Cusack), Bullseye, and Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammar), all of whom are collector’s items that Al plans to sell to a museum in Tokyo.

Toy Story 2 is one of those rare sequels that manages to surpass the original in every way. Along with smoother animation, the film gives the side characters from the first film, such as Rex (Wallace Shawn) and Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles) active roles in the plot that lead to a slew of hilarious jokes. What makes the film truly special is its story, which explores the sad truth about relationships. Eventually, every relationship, no matter how strong, will end, but it’s better to make the most of these beautiful moments than to close yourself off from the world to avoid the pain of loss.

3

‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)

Directed by Lee Unkrich

As Andy prepares to go to college with Woody, the rest of his toys are accidentally put out with the trash instead of in the attic for storage. Feeling heartbroken, they decide to jump into a donation box bound for Sunnyside Daycare, with Woody tagging along to explain the truth. Upon arriving, they find that Sunnyside is controlled by Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), who subjects the toys to be roughly handled by the youngest children.

Toy Story 3 is the high note that the franchise should have ended on. Continuing with the profound messages of the previous films, this one shows viewers that it’s OK to let go, especially as we get older and move onto new stages of our lives. The ending is one of the most beautiful and poignant endings to any Pixar film, and Toy Story 3 is currently the most recent animated movie to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

2

‘Up’ (2009)

Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

After accidentally injuring a construction worker who damaged his mailbox, Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) is forced by the court to leave his home. However, he chooses to fulfill a promise to his late wife, Ellie, and uses hundreds of balloons to move the house to Paradise Falls in South America. A young boy scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai) accidentally tags along. The journey to the falls proves more difficult than anticipated when Carl and Russell stumble upon an aged explorer obsessed with retrieving a rare bird to the point of killing anyone who gets in his way.

Up is the second animated film nominated for Best Picture and remains one of Pixar’s most emotional films. Audiences and critics fell in love with the first ten minutes, which showed the beautiful story of Carl and Ellie’s lives from childhood until her death without any dialogue. The rest of the film maintains the same strong emotional core, with Carl and Russell developing a strong surrogate father-son relationship, and a universal message about processing grief.

1

‘WALL-E’ (2008)

Directed by Andrew Stanton

When the Earth becomes too polluted for humanity to live on, they go into space while legions of robots work to clean up the mess. Centuries later, only one robot, WALL-E (Ben Burtt), is still functional by salvaging parts from other ruined robots and spending his time watching old movies and collecting trinkets. One day, a robot probe called EVE (Elissa Knight) comes to Earth, and WALL-E is smitten by her. When he shows her a living seedling that he found, EVE takes the plant and WALL-E back to the spaceship Axion, where the plant can be used to bring humanity back to Earth for recolonization.

WALL-E is the crowning achievement of Pixar’s character animation. The robot characters have minimalist dialogue and facial features, yet audiences still fall in love with WALL-E’s playful personality and the sweet romance between him and EVE, thanks to how the animators use small but poignant adjustments to express emotion. The story is also a poignant tale that emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment and warns of the dangers of letting technology take over our lives, which feels more relevant than ever following the rise of AI. Fans of good storytelling owe it to themselves to see WALL-E at least once and immerse themselves in its stellar themes and hopeful message that reminds us that it’s never too late to change and improve.

NEXT: The 15 Highest-Grossing Pixar Movies, Ranked