There was once a time when Pixar was a near-perfect movie studio. Every film seemed to be both a critical darling and a box office smash. But few studios suffered at the hands of the global pandemic more than Pixar, and the animation studio has had difficulty navigating things since. Pixar films in the upcoming Disney movies list used to be guaranteed hits, but no longer.
But are the more recent Pixar films really lesser than those that came before? Has Pixar lost its magic? Not necessarily. We took a look at every Pixar animated feature from Toy Story to Inside Out 2 and ranked them all to determine which movies truly don’t cut it, but most importantly, which is the best Pixar movie ever.
28. Cars 2
Cars 2 is frequently cited as the worst of the Pixar flock, and while I would argue that the film is a good deal better than it gets credit for, it still qualifies for the bottom of the list. While a Pixar spy movie isn't a terrible idea by any means, it's not clear why anybody thought Cars was the right world to place it in. Following the release of Cars 3, the first sequel looks even more out of place, with its over-the-top storyline and focus on Mater rather than Lightning McQueen, a character that not everybody connected with.
27. The Good Dinosaur
There's nothing inherently wrong with The Good Dinosaur, the fact is that there just isn't a lot to recommend in it, either. The Pixar Dinosaur movie went through a much wilder production than nearly anything else Pixar has done, seeing the original version of the film entirely scrapped and entire character performances re-recorded by new actors. The result was just a mess of different ideas that told a decent enough story but lacked the magic that Pixar usually brings. It's saved from the bottom of the list for being one of Pixar's most technically impressive productions. It is truly visually stunning, but that's all the movie has going for it.
26. Monsters University
Monsters University has a unique message among animated films. Namely, the idea that just because you have a dream, it doesn't mean you're going to achieve it. Considering this is coming from the same parent company as "When You Wish Upon A Star," that's more than a little subversive, and I can support that. Unfortunately, the good part of the film that gives you this message is at the end, and the movie that builds to it takes too long to get there. Overall, as a complete movie, this sequel isn't anywhere near the level of its predecessor. The heart that put the original movie much higher on this list is completely missing until the finale, making it difficult to even want to get there.
25. A Bug's Life
Until you saw the picture above, you might have forgotten that A Bug's Life had ever happened. Pixar's second feature isn't bad, but while Toy Story resonated with viewers in a remarkable way, spawning an iconic franchise, A Bug's Life just didn't. It's an entertaining enough story, and a significant step in Pixar's animation skills from the first film, but in the grand scheme of things, this movie has been largely forgotten.
24. Onward
Onward is a good movie. Let's get that out there right at the start. There's nothing about Onward that is bad. It's got a great setting, a suburban fantasy world where centaurs are cops, elves go to high school, and Manticores run themed entertainment restaurants. It's got solid characters, great voice acting, and exactly the sort of heartwarming emotional finale that you would expect from Pixar. But that's maybe the problem. Onward gives us what we expect, and not very much more. It felt like going through the motions more than most Pixar films.
23. Brave
It breaks my heart a little bit to put Brave so low on the list, as the movie does so many unique things that are worthy of note. It's got a female protagonist to start, the first Pixar film to do that. However, while Merida is a fantastic original character, the story that her movie tells is less so. The strongest character arc belongs to the protagonist’s mother, who spends most of the movie as a bear. It makes the story less satisfying for the audience.
22. Cars 3
Cars 3 was something of a return to form for the franchise. While it may not have been the surprise that the original film was, the newest entry in the Cars franchise from Pixar brought the story back to its core strengths, focusing on the relationship between Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson and expanding on that story while starting Lightning down a new path with new friends. It's also a solid sports movie, a genre Pixar had never really touched before, but the studio shows admirable skill in dealing with the intricacies of racing. While not as good as its original entry, it's a vast improvement over the previous sequel.
21. Lightyear
While Lightyear may have been a story about a character whose name we knew, it was otherwise completely unique.The film’s premise was so odd it required an on-screen explanation. It was not the story of the Buzz Lightyear toy that we knew from the Toy Story movies, but the movie that inspired the toy in the first place. It was Pixar’s first attempt at a more traditional science fiction action movie, and while not all audiences were on board with Lightyear, it should be given credit for trying something so different with something so familiar.
20. Up
If we were ranking Pixar movies based on the first 10 minutes, Up would be at the top of this list. However, Up ultimately suffers from the opposite problem as Monsters University. While Up has one of the best openings in film history, the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to where it begins. The love story that drives Carl gets a bit lost in the adventure, and while the adventure isn't without fun or heart, the entire movie isn't as good as the only part you actually remember. Still, that opening though. Damn.
19. Luca
While Pixar movies often have fantastical plots taking place in imaginative worlds, they are at their best when the core of the story is about the relationship between people. While Luca and Alberto may be sea monsters from beneath the waves, the story of Luca is one of deep friendship, or perhaps something more, and that’s why it struck such a chord with so many.
18. Finding Dory
Pixar took a chance with Finding Dory. Similar to what the studio did with Cars 2, it took a popular supporting character and built an entirely new movie around them. However, in this case, they did a much better job. Finding Dory makes a hero out of a character with a disability, something millions can relate to but that rarely gets any attention on a movie screen. Dory is as emotionally touching as anything produced by Pixar. The film truly finds something new to say with this sequel, and it should be worthy of being in the top 10. If only there weren't so many other great Pixar movies.
17. Toy Story 4
Following Toy Story 3, fans assumed we were done with the adventures of Woody, Buzz, and the rest. Throughout the production of Toy Story 4 fans wondered why this was a movie that needed to be made. And maybe it didn't need to be made, but without question, Pixar and director Josh Cooley found a new story to tell worthy of the franchise. It reminded us that Toy Story is ultimately about Woody's journey, and that journey didn't end when Andy left for college.
16. Incredibles 2
Of the various sequels to Pixar movies that we've seen over the years, the one that seemed the most obvious was also the one that took the longest to come along. If The Incredibles was a simple superhero story then what makes more sense to a superhero franchise than a sequel? And Incredibles 2 mostly delivers. Picking up right where the last one left off, the sequel follows Elastigirl as she becomes the new face of superheroes and Mr. Incredible is left to try and do all the stuff mom used to handle. It's a simple and obvious enough premise but it's pulled off with near clockwork precision. The finale may leave a bit to be desired, but it's one of the best Pixar sequels not called Toy Story.
15. Inside Out 2
The biggest knock against Inside Out 2 may be that being a sequel to the absolutely amazing Inside Out, its near-perfection wasn’t a surprise. It takes the story of emotions in a logical direction, looking at how puberty affects us, and the way it can radically change us. The new emotions, led by Maya Hawke’s Anxiety, are perfect foils, and perfect compliments to the existing cast. It’s a story all of us can relate to, or will be able to one day. Which explains Inside Out 2’s box office success.
14. Turning Red
A little Pixar short called Bao was one of the most unique pieces of storytelling that we had seen from the studio in quite some time, so when its director, Domee Shi, was given the reins of her own feature, we knew we were going to get something special. Turning Red found inspiration in boy bands and anime, not exactly typical Pixar material. It was a breath of fresh air, but one that still retained the emotional core we expect from Pixar.
13. Cars
While the lead characters of the Cars films may be the least human when compared to anything else Pixar has created, there is something about the world they inhabit that is the most real. Somehow, the inner humanity of the characters comes through in a story about finding oneself and learning what is truly important, even though the characters are machines. Also, it's got the best music of any film Pixar has made. There's a reason this franchise has endured as well as Toy Story, and this film is it.
12. Elemental
Pixar is certainly no stranger to love stories, but Elemental was on another level. A true character drama that was entirely about two people and their relationship. Watching Ember and Wade fall in love was as beautiful as it has ever been for two human characters on film. Combined with some of the most complex animation we’ve ever seen from Pixar, Elemental is beautiful on every level.
11. Monsters Inc
What else can be said about a movie with a relationship so powerful it spawned the unified theory of the Pixar universe? While the relationship between Sully and Boo is the emotional core of Monsters Inc, the friendship between Sully and Mike can't be overlooked, either. It may exceed the Woody/Buzz dynamic as Pixar's top friendship. These two are as close as brothers, and it was their relationship that eventually spawned a sequel. It also succeeds where many Pixar movies tend to stumble, in the villain department. With Randall, the movie has a foil that many Pixar movies either do without or tend to do poorly.
10. Toy Story
Make no mistake, Toy Story isn’t just one of the best ‘90s movies, it’s one of the most important films ever made. When Pixar first released a movie that was entirely computer animated nobody was quite sure how well it would work. While the movie has begun to show its age in some ways (take a look at the animation for Andy today) the fact is that without Toy Story the rest of this list wouldn't even be here. It's a remarkable achievement in the history of filmmaking and will always be remembered as one of the best for that reason alone. But also, it's a really good movie about friendship and acceptance.
9. Finding Nemo
Just start crying at the beginning and don't quit until the movie is over. Finding Nemo is the movie that showed us what an emotional punch Pixar was capable of delivering, and they've rarely done it better since. A character is faced with the loss of his child, the most terrible thing a father could endure, and he goes to the ends of his earth to get him back. It's an adventure and a quest worthy of Joseph Campbell. Seeing the father and son reunited in the end is one of Pixar's great emotional rollercoasters.
8. Toy Story 2
The middle child of the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 2 doesn't have the benefit of being the surprising first installment or the emotionally cathartic end to the trilogy. Still, it's a significant step forward for the franchise, and it worked as proof that Pixar could do sequels right. Everything from the animation to the story is taken to the next level. Also, we got introduced to Jessie (Joan Cusack), and her story, a much darker view of what it means to be a toy, is the main reason the movie is so good.
7. Coco
Pixar is great at creating magical worlds, but they're usually inhabited by equally magical characters. Coco, while it's still full of magic and wonder, is the most human story the studio has yet to tell. While the focus is a culture that will be foreign to many, the themes of the importance of family are universal. Miguel is a real person and the most relatable protagonist Pixar has ever created. Coco is a movie that celebrates a particular culture, and one that can be enjoyed by all of them. The Land of the Dead is a visual treat throughout, and while it's not Pixar's first musical, it's proof Pixar could make one.
6. Ratatouille
The criminally underrated Pixar movie award without a doubt goes to Ratatouille. Patton Oswalt is fantastic as the rat Remy who simply wants to cook. While many films are about chasing dreams, there is no more an underdog story than this one. It's truly unique as a film, even among Pixar's eclectic mix, and shouldn't be overlooked by anybody. Everything about the movie, from its focus on cooking to its French location, is more than a little weird, but it all just plays into the fact that Pixar has never made a movie quite like this one.
5. Toy Story 3
For a generation that grew up with Pixar's Toy Story series, the end of the trilogy was a special experience. Toy Story 3 had a lot it needed to accomplish, but it did all of it nearly perfectly. It brought the characters full circle, wrapped up the story of Andy's childhood, created a solid villain for the movie to overcome, and did it all while still being funny. It also has one of the most truly chilling moments that Pixar has ever envisioned, a frightening moment that probably scarred a generation of children.
4. The Incredibles
Before superhero movies reached the absolutely explosive levels that they now have, Pixar showed Marvel and DC how to do it right with their own film in the genre. The Incredibles is a fantastic superhero movie and a beautiful family drama. Each member of the family is complete and fully realized, and while the film still has the emotional core that we expect from Pixar, it's also a fantastic action movie. Truly, it's still one of the best superhero movies yet made.
3. Inside Out
There are great movies and then there are important ones. Inside Out is both. It should be shown to every growing child in school as they begin to mature and learn to deal with their own new emotions. An incredibly simple premise, giving personality to different emotions, becomes so much deeper upon closer examination. It's a story that literally anybody can relate to and one that can't help but kick you right in the heart, even on repeat viewings. It's the pinnacle of not just what animation, but filmmaking, is capable of doing. It holds a mirror up to life and helps us understand ourselves just a little bit better.
2. Wall-E
You know you've done something special when you can tell an epic love story without saying a word. Up did it in the first 10 minutes of the movie, but Wall-E, one of the best movies of the 2000s, does it for the entire runtime of the story. There's barely a word of dialogue in the first half of the story but that doesn't keep us from falling in love with Wall-E and Eve as they fall in love with each other. The animation has to tell the story and it does so perfectly. A movie like this was a serious gamble but it paid off big time with one the best science fiction movies ever made.
1. Soul
Soul is the culmination of everything Pixar has done to date. Maybe, if Soul had arrived at a different time, it would have meant something different, but it arrived during a pandemic and it asked its audience to do the most radical thing imaginable, appreciate being alive. A jazz soundtrack melds with the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score perfectly. Next-level animation creates the world of "the great before" in a way that feels perfectly ethereal. It's just a special film and the best we've seen from Pixar so far.
Several more Pixar movies are already on the way. We’re getting another original story with an Elio release date set for 2025. Then we’ll get what is sure to be a massive sequel with the Toy Story 5 release date in 2026. Several more, as yet untitled upcoming Pixar movies are also planned. How they’ll all rank, only time will tell.
