15) Cars 2 (2011)
This felt like the only Disney Pixar movie that completely catered to children rather than families. The humor was very slap-stick with minimal witty jokes. Guns and bombs played a huge role in this film, which was a big downside since Disney/Pixar is pretty good about appropriate amounts of violence for family films. In my opinion, it is the only Pixar film meant as a child crowd pleaser. Due to the popularity of Mater in the first film, this sequel completely revolved around giving this character as much screen time as possible, only leaving the plot to suffer as a result.
*Just to prepare you, you can expect that the next few films on the bottom of
this list will be all the sequels. Some background – Walt Disney
himself was not a fan of sequels. He did not agree with recycling old ideas.
People begged him to create a sequel to the hit short “The Three Little Pigs.”
Reluctant but eager to give audiences what they want, he obliged. However,
despite the studios best efforts, the popularity was abysmal compared to the
original, and he vowed never to make another film sequel. Obviously, Disney
Animation Studios hasn’t respected his wishes. Yes, Pixar is not Disney
Animation Studios, but it is under the Disney umbrella, so the same rules
apply. Bottom line - sequels lack originality, no matter how entertaining they
are.
14) Monsters University (2013)Monsters University, entertaining as it was, wasn’t exactly an appropriate theme for a family movie. A college setting with Greek life as part of the main storyline was difficult to keep G-Rated. Though to the credit of the film, it was done in good taste. The main story line here was a bit dry, but acceptance of originality and the reminder that when life hands you lemons, make lemon meringue pie after Mike and Sulley’s expulsion is a testament to what Disney Pixar stands for.
13) Toy Story 2 (1999)
Again, a sequel. This film had little emotional pull to it except for two scenes – Sarah McClaghlan’s “When She Loved Me” sequence and the Black and White television scene where Andy sees Woody for the first time. It lacks originality from the first film since it has the same underlying theme except that Woody and Buzz swap roles. However, much appreciation for humor meant for children and adults alike and a decent Star Wars reference with Buzz and Zurg.
12) Toy Story 3 (2010)
Though it is a sequel, it is by far the best of
all of them. This film had young adults everywhere searching the attic for old
toys. Some of the Sunnyside Day Care scenes were a little slow and the Security
Monkey and Big Baby probably scarred children for life (I feel like baby doll
sales took a hit after this film). I’d like to have seen more scenery changes,
but this film is likely to bring a tear to the eye of anyone who ever loved a
toy. Any film that brings back powerful memories through an emotional trigger
is successful. Special shout out for throwing Sid in there and one of my
favorite characters, Mr. Pricklepants.
11) Brave (2012)Though this is a personal favorite of mine, I recognize that it was too similar to the Disney Animation Studios film “Brother Bear,” so it loses a lot of it’s credibility. With a lacking plot line and problems that could have been solved in less complicated ways, it’s quite simplistic. However, it very aptly portrays some of the difficulties of a mother-daughter relationship with personality clashes and given the history of Disney killing of moms, this was venturing outside the comfort zone. Merida certainly carries this entire movie on her back. She’s a very well developed character with a lot of personality and Disney Pixar gets a lot of brownie points for both her appearance and personality. Touch the Sky is an amazing song. As the first historical Disney Pixar film, the animators and composers did a great job of staying true to the cultural time period.
10) The Incredibles (2004)
I’ll probably get a lot of heat for putting this one so far down on the list, but apart from the sequels, it was one of the least original concepts by Pixar Studios. Super heroes are easy to do- they’re a crowd pleaser. It’s also a bit rough when the best characters in the film have minimal screen time – of course I’m referring to Edna Mode, Frozone, and Syndrome. As a rather colorful villain, I did expect Syndrome to have a larger role. There is very little character development in this film and I don’t think it’s as witty as other Pixar creations. I did not feel very emotionally connected to this film and that makes it feel more like a DreamWorks movie than Disney Pixar.
9) A Bug's Life (1998)
One major issue with this film was that “Antz” came out in the same year. As much as I love it, it lacks the emotion that is embedded in most Pixar films. However, its humor really stands out, so it jumps a few spots on the list. You just cannot go wrong with Kevin Spacey as the villain. This film defied gender roles before it was trendy with Francis, the male ladybug. Randy Newman outdid himself with an amazing score for this film. On a side note, it was also the first Pixar film to earn an attraction at Walt Disney World (though I personally hate that 3D theatre).
8) Cars (2006)
7) Finding Nemo (2003)
This was an overall aesthetically breathtaking film. This is
certainly a fan favorite. Marlin and Dory make the perfect oxy-moron duo for an
under sea adventure. This film is down right hilarious and has some of the best
voice acting I’ve encountered. Who would have thought Ellen Degeneres would
make such a great fish? The film has irony and surprise around every corner,
from the vegetarian sharks, to the “squishy” that turns into the scariest fish
ever. It’s pure character connection, showing how emotional beings can affect
each other both for better and for worse. On a side note, it is one of the few
movies brave enough to feature characters with disabilities, something Disney
Animation and Pixar Animation have shyed away from other than The Hunchback of
Notre Dame.
6) Ratatouille (2007)
This one is pretty up there because it’s one of
the few animated pieces of art that is about art. I think it’s extremely witty
and it goes back to the notion that “Not everyone can become a great artist,
but a great artist can come from anywhere.” This is the only Pixar film that
truly goes back to the Disney roots of following your dreams. “Le Festin” is a
beautiful song both lyrically and musically– seriously, look up the
translation. The downside to this film is that Remy using Linguini as a puppet
is a bit ridiculous. The biggest reason I love this movie is because it has
some of the most moving quotes of all the Pixar films. It’s just downright good
writing. I’m including some quotes for good measure.
“If you focus on what you left behind you will never see
what lies ahead.”
“You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try
things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits
because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.
“Change is nature, the part that we can influence. And it
starts when we decide.”
“The only thing predictable about life is its
unpredictability.”
5) Monsters Inc. (2001)
This definitely felt like one of the most
original films. As Pete Docter’s directorial debut, this was a great way to
show off his creativity. Monsters Inc. developed an entire world from scratch
that was fully non-existent except in the minds of the animators and story
developers. It has the perfect balance of adorable-ness, humor, and emotion. This
film has an outstanding cast of voices, aesthetically interesting animation,
the intricate door system from Monstropolis to the outside world, humor for
children and adults alike, and John Ratzenberger as the abominable snowman (my
favorite of his Pixar roles).
4) Toy Story (1995)
This is THE ORIGINAL. The birth of Disney Pixar was Toy
Story. It changed the face of animated films! And what a great way to do it.
Who hasn’t imagined their toys coming to life? This film is the ultimate proof
that Disney Pixar Studios understands its audience, both the young and the old.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are a dynamic duo for this film. The toys visit so many
locations (Andy’s Room, the Gas Station, Pizza Planet, Sid’s room, the back of
a moving van, and then it shows that the sky really is the limit and takes you
to infinity and beyond). This means that the short attention span of children
is not an issue. The connection we feel to these characters is immediate and
Woody is such a humanized character as he has his corrupted-by-jealousy moments
followed by guilt-driven action, and finally becomes empathetic. This movie set
the bar for Disney Pixar films and all the Studio’s success has been built upon
the foundation of Toy Story.
3) WALL-E (2008)This movie could have been a disaster. Instead, it was brilliant. One of Pixar’s more difficult undertakings, it portrays a lot of emotion with minimal dialogue. Leave it to Pixar to create a successful film where robots that don’t talk can captivate your attention for over an hour and a half and make you feel fully connected to their cause. Sure we’ve got the Captain, a couple of other humans, and an evil auto-bot that can talk and take over the ship thrown in every once in a while, but the primitive and innocent WALL-E and the sassy intelligent EVE drive this film to the near top of this list. The sky dance scene is simultaneously adorable and breathtaking. The only downside to this film is that it clearly does not condone biggie sizing your fast food.
2) Inside Out (2015)
This film is the epitome of creative genius. The concept is brilliant and the film has a great balance of the psychology and
emotion of the mind. The different islands of personality, “Dream Productions,”
abstract thinking, the organization of long term memory/lost memories, and
the train of thought are mapped out so well and add some creative science and
organization to the chaos of thought. It touches on the complexity of human
beings as we develop with details such as the increasing size and changing
colors of the control board, the disappearance of Bing Bong representing a loss
of innocence, and the need for sadness and sympathy to become empathetic and
understanding. The voice actors nailed it for the entire film and another
fantastic score left our hearts melting. I did expect to feel a little more
emotionally connected to the main character, which I felt was the downfall of
this film and the reason it is not number one. Additionally, the film felt very
adult and much of it could have gone over the heads of children. The
character development itself and the pure genius of this film makes up for it.
This film pulls at the heart strings almost immediately. I believe that Disney Pixar outranks other
animation companies because of the weight of emotion and character
relationships in their films. Up takes that to a whole different level. The
montage in the beginning of the movie had audiences across the globe
ugly-crying. It’s a masterpiece that connects you so quickly to the life of two
characters with absolutely heart breaking music. That initial connection to
Carl and Ellie’s story resonates with you throughout the film to the moment
that Carl gets to the last page of the adventure book, saves Russell, and both
return home with a newfound friendship where Grape Soda isn’t just a beverage.
The film has enough slap-stick humor for kids with Dug and Alpha’s broken
translator collar. It’s a strange combination of characters that somehow makes
sense like the pieces of a puzzle. Up helps us to remember that sometimes on
our way to achieving a dream, we get lost and find a new one. It reminds us
that Adventure is always out there, no matter where you are in life, and it’s
the people we love that give us the best adventure of all.
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