Every Pixar Movie Ranked

First things first, I have not seen The Good Dinosaur and truthfully I did not even know it was a Pixar film until I made this list. So for all you die-hard The Good Dinosaur fans out there, feel free to explain to me what I am missing.

#20 - Cars 2 & Cars 3

Every movie studio has its shame, and there is no greater outlier in a studio's resume than the Cars sequels. Quite simply, these two films were so forgettable and bad, that I lumped them together to save time. While I can forgive Cars 3 for trying a little bit, Cars 2 had no right to exist. However the $8 billion that the franchise has grossed in toy sales begs to differ. I try not to blame Pixar too much, because I'd like to think they only made these to fund their imaginative and groundbreaking future projects. There was only one takeaway from these, and that was that Mater is the most annoying side character ever.

#19 - A Bug's Life

The beauty of Pixar is that, from here on out, I will never consider any of these movies bad. In their own right, each one is a good movie but now I am going off my own preference. Some of my earliest movie memories are from watching this. As a film, the plot is pretty by-the-books and doesn't take many risks. However, the writing and humor holds up even now. At the time, the animation was continuing Pixar's growing reputation of accomplishing the impossible. To this day, I rewatch the "blooper" reel they added to the credits which I continue to laugh at 20 years later.

#18 - Brave

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It will always have a spot in my heart for its ode to Scottish culture, great protagonist, and beautiful atmosphere. I don't know how else to explain it, but if this movie had a scent, it would be the smell of fresh pine. The reason why this movie wasn't as groundbreaking as it should be was because it was a tad late to the party in terms of self-reliant female protagonists that use a bow and arrow. Also, can we appreciate the time and effort the animators put into animating Merida's hair?

#17 - Cars

The best way I can describe my feelings about this movie is that it reminds me of my childhood summers at the neighborhood pool where Nickelback played in the background. Nostalgia about toys, a carefree attitude, and a damn good American soundtrack shine through with this movie. I was a young boy when I first saw this, so I loved the fast and shiny cars. The plot is simple, but the message of slowing down to appreciate the beauty in life is something I can appreciate more as an adult. It's a shame Pixar drove this premise into the dirt to make a quick couple billion, but I say that like I wouldn't totally do the same.

#16 - Finding Dory

I feel a storm of hate coming for putting this so low on my list, but just hear me out Dory-loyalists. Let's put aside Ellen Degeneres's current scandals and look at this through our inner kid eyes. This movie was damn entertaining, even though it continued Pixar's tradition of taking the likable side-character and giving them their own movie. Baby Dory was freaking adorable, the comedy was pretty good considering I was surrounded by children in the theater, and the new characters introduced were just as diverse and layered as Finding Nemo. The reason It's not any higher is simply because it doesn't offer anything new in terms of imagination and it felt a tad like Pixar was backtracking in terms of new movie ideas. What I love about Pixar is its ability to instill very adult-like themes into a movie for children and how they walk the line of pleasing every age group seamlessly. Finding Dory was very fun, but it didn't make me think too much.

#15 - Monsters University

Damn it, I hate putting this so low because I love this movie. It was perfect timing for Pixar and came out right when those of us who watched it as kids were preparing for college. It's the only Pixar movie that's a prequel, so it doesn't take many risks. I would call it the Solo: A Star Wars Story of the Pixar Animated Universe because it gets an unwarranted hate for no reason because it didn't satisfy Pixar fans' high standards and because its a prequel that focuses on how the characters became who they were. However, I thought it was hilarious and I just have a soft spot for its clever take on college life for monsters.

#14 - Onward

This movie had heart, man. First off, I love the fantasy genre, and the way they integrated fantasy into a modern setting was so impeccably charming that I couldn't help but smile the whole time. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland as brothers was heartwarming and their mission to bring their deceased father back to spend one more day with him will make you tear up every time. It is not as thought-provoking as other Pixar movies, but I'd call this movie "If Field of Dreams was a Pixar Movie" because every guy watching this will have their heartstrings pulled at this perfect father-son movie.

#13 - Toy Story 4

I swear, this franchise DOESN'T MISS! When this was announced, I had my doubts because Toy Story 3 was so perfect I didn't want them to elaborate any more. I was scared it would be too much of a good thing, but thankful I have been proven wrong. It somehow found a way to tap into some untouched material in this franchise that I didn't know I wanted. It introduces new characters perfectly and still gives ample screen-time to the original characters. Well done, Pixar. Well done.

#12 - The Incredibles 2

I am super biased about The Incredibles, which I will get into when I start raving about that movie. So, it's only natural that I'll love its sequel. The Cars sequels have kept my sequel expectations super low for Pixar, but every one has managed to do something new without ruining the original. The idea of Helen getting her time to shine as a superhero and have Bob stay home with the kids was genius and a perfect way for us to revisit what is one of my all-time favorite takes on superheros. Also, the battle between Jack-Jack and that raccoon is one of the funniest moments in Pixar. However, it's important not to overthink the fact that Jack-Jack low-key possesses the power to destroy the human race.

#11 - Monsters Inc.

Emotionally, this movie is not as dense as some of the others on this list, but what it lacks in emotional weight, it makes up for by being one of the most clever and fun additions to Pixar's stellar lineup. The duo of Sully and Mike is probably my favorite in Pixar and the humor in it is Pixar at its best, especially when they manage to leave jokes that go right over kids heads and let the adults enjoy themselves. When I was a kid, did I understand it's metaphor for corporate greed? Nah, I just thought the monster child saying "Mike Wazowski" and then biting him was the funniest thing ever. I still kinda do.

#10 - Finding Nemo

The top ten list is going to be hard because these are all masterpieces in my mind, so be aware there is little wiggle room between these picks.

To start, I have the fondest and scariest memories watching this movie. I will never forgive barracudas for what they did to Marlin's wife and kids, and as a result, scarring me emotionally. However, this movie's charm, humor, and imagination run wild throughout its entire runtime. My god, the underwater imagery was incredible for its time and sent everyone, young and old, on an emotional journey with amazing side characters and one-liners. I cannot wait to show my kids this and probably scarring them for life after they see the barracuda scene.

#9 - Toy Story

It would be slanderous to say this is my least favorite Toy Story movie, because that implies that I disliked it even a little. FALSE, this movie is nearly perfect. However, I can only call it the Toy Story movie that had the smallest impact on my life as a kid. Remember, this is my preference. I have to give credit where credit is due though, because this is the Iron Man of the Pixar Cinematic Universe. It was the movie that launched Pixar's unparalleled reputation and gave birth to a new generation of animated movies that nobody at the time could have dreamed of. If it wasn't for this movie and its success and imagination, there would be a gaping hole in all of our childhoods, so please pay your respects.

#8 - Up

You could be the hardest dude in the world and you could not tell me you didn't cry with the Carl and Elle montage playing beautifully to the tune of Michael Giacchino's brilliant piano score. The first 10 minutes alone are worthy of an Oscar, but the movie holds your attention for the rest of the run time with emotion and humor. Doug the talking dog is by far, hands down, the greatest animal sidekick of all time. Pixar doesn't miss.

#7 - Toy Story 2

"You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you." Holy shit, when that Sarah McLachlan song played during the montage of Jessie and her previous owner, I'm pretty sure it cemented my tendency to attach way to much sentimentality to my stuff. Mom, please don't throw away my pencil case from elementary school, it will never forgive me for abandoning it. But actually, how great was this sequel. I preferred it to the first because of its new characters and slightly darker tone (which is a weird thing to say about a kid's movie about sentient toys).

#6 - Toy Story 3

Here it is, the prime example of perfect timing. This movie came out about 10 years after Toy Story 2 was released, giving its original target audience time to grow up and thus, grow out of their child-like wonder and imagination. Setting the story around when Andy is leaving for college was brilliant and the setting of being in a daycare was hilarious. I especially loved the antagonist of Lotso the Bear, one of the greatest antagonists Pixar gave us who was essentially Negan from The Walking Dead. It had comedy and heart, but what separates it from the rest was the finality of it all. We all remember where we were and how we felt when we clinched in horror watching the gang slowly descend into the fire, hand-in-hand, accepting their demise. We all remember how we felt when they were saved by the fabled "CLAAAWWWWW". And we remember the existential crisis we felt when we saw Andy pass the gang over to a new owner who would love and appreciate them like he did. Simply one of the greatest trilogies of all time.

#5 - WALL-E

What I think I loved about this movie the most was that it was able to be so many things at once, all while barely saying a line of dialogue. For one, it was one of the most beautifully rendered piece of cinema I have ever seen. It was also a cute robot love story, and a carefully-crafted warning of our treatment of our planet disguised as a science-fiction movie. It was able to do all of this, as well as portray a wide range of emotions by simple animated robot eye movements. This film acts more like an art-house piece made for kids, but made to truly be appreciated by adults.

#4 - Coco

This film, without a doubt, is the most visually stunning thing I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I mean, look at those colors. It gained my respect with the visuals alone, but what I truly respected is that it did what Pixar does best - creatively portray and explain an adult theme so that kids can better understand it. That theme being death, and what better way to do it than setting the story in a rich culture that celebrates death instead of dreading it. Say what you will about the rumors that Pixar stole the story and screwed over the source material, but you cannot deny the careful respect it gives to Mexican culture and traditions. Oh, and the music is amazing.

#3 - Inside Out

Pixar is known for toying with your emotions through carefully-crafted animated masterpieces. It was only a matter of time before they cut out the middleman and toyed with your emotions directly. Inside Out is for everyone, and I mean everyone. I remember seeing this in theaters and hearing a dad sniffling behind me followed by a kid saying, "Daddy, are you crying?" It was true imagination and the idea of animating your emotions is a stunningly original concept that will make you truly think about your childhood and how emotions work in all of us. Thank god they made it about a young girl's mind and not a young boy's mind or it would have probably been rated differently.

#2 - Ratatouille

This movie is Pixar's Magnum Opus. It's the film that perfectly encapsulates what Pixar was created to do. To tell kids (and secretly adults) that they can do anything and be anyone is nothing new. We've all been told this a thousand times before, and I feel like we became numb to it. So what did Pixar do? They made a story about a French rat who hides in a noodle-named chef's hair and secretly cooks for him. It's easy to scoff at, but what they did was find an innovative way to talk about all of our desires to create something and do something even though the odds may be stacked against us. The fact that they used food and cooking was brilliant and truly made me wish I had the slightest culinary bone in my body. Alas, I can only watch with awe as they somehow make cooking appear to be an art form in a way that Cake Boss couldn't dare touch. If Pixar had to have a tag-line it would be this film's iconic quote, "Anyone Can Cook."

#1 - The Incredibles

Here it is, the greatest Pixar movie ever made. This might be controversial to some, because I've debated this being the best of Pixar with many people. Well guess what, it is the best no matter what you say to me I shan't apologize. It's not just the best Pixar movie, but also one of the best superhero movies. The reason I love The Incredibles so much is because it is the most human out of all of Pixar's movies. I love a good movie about toys coming to life or being transported to the world of the dead just as much as the next guy, but this movie is truly the great unifier (which is a word a think). It deals with a mid-life crisis, fighting with your spouse in front of your kids and then explaining to them what happened, trying to capture the wonders of your youth again, the desire to be recognized, and it even had a montage of Bob finding out all of his former superhero buddies had been killed off one by one. That shit is dark. This is a family drama/coming of age story first and a superhero movie second. But somehow this movie makes it work, due in part to its excellent villain who I can totally see being a real person somehow. A super nerd whose hero doesn't live up to his expectations so he lashes out? Definitely plausible in my mind. Combine all of these with incredible music, a visually stunning retro-era style that hearkens back to the nuclear family of the 50's, and some of the best side characters in movies, and you have a masterpiece that has the power to appeal to literally everyone no matter how old you are or where you're from. In other words, it does what Pixar movies do best.