With the recent Christmas Day release of Soul on Disney Plus, check out my personal rankings (from worst to best) of every Disney/Pixar film from the beginning up to Soul.
Duh we are gonna start out with this. Cars 2 is the moment where Pixar entirely sold out to make a film entirely for toy profit. I didn’t hate it when I saw it in theatres as a kid but the more I think about it and revisit certain parts- the film is just one of those lackluster Mater shorts extended to two hours. It does nothing and means nothing.
Brave is just kinda bad though I wish it wasn’t. The original director of the film was a woman who wanted to make an intimate animated film about her relationship with her daughter before being leaving due to “creative differences” and being replaced with a man to finish the film up. This could have been the first warning sign of John Lasseter’s deteriorating relationship with the women at Pixar and in retrospect makes the film feel gross. Outside of that, the film opens with an incredible twenty or thirty minutes before turning south and devolving into a dumb slapstick-y film that feels like a lackluster Disney animated film. Like the pre-renaissance era, it’s odd and riddled with production flaws.
Monsters University is yet another film that only exists to sell tickets. The overall film is so forgettable and hollow that there isn’t that much more to write about it. I expect walking out of a Pixar film awed and I walked out of this one slightly amused.
I can already see the comments. Look, Brad Bird is my favorite filmmaker and we will get to the first film later in this list but I’m a big fan. However, what made the first film so mature and intellectual is taken out of this sequel which is a lot less subtle this time around. Incredibles 2 is a total blast to watch and the Jack Jack Raccoon fight is an all timer- but I left the film feeling absolutely no emotions towards it.
Look- Pixar’s B material can still choke me up. Finding Dory is fine. It’s a pretty safe sequel that doesn’t really need to exist except for the fact that Andrew Stanton wanted to make a sure fire hit after the flop that was John Carter. The result is a film that’s cute and enjoyable that has a few resonate stand out moments and is one that is important to watch- especially for parents with kids that have special needs.
An improvement over Cars 2 certainly. Cruz Ramirez is one of the most interesting characters to emerge out of the franchise and her feminism is pretty refreshing. Yet, outside of compelling elements Cars 3 flirts with it in a way that ultimately feels like a Logan for kids without the real emotional core behind it.
Onward is the first of 2 Disney/Pixar entries in 2020 and it’s certainly Pixar light. I think the idea director Dan Scallion had for the project is personal and raw and the third act of the film resonates in a vintage Pixar way. Unfortunately the road trip leading up to it is less than inspired Pixar. The film has its cute and inspired moments but it’s not fulfilling their full potential.
An animated remake of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, A Bug’s Life serves as a fun time that proves that Pixar films are working at a different level then most animation studios at the time. This film saw them trying to find their footing in storytelling outside of the Toy Story franchise though while they do a good job, its emotional core doesn’t hit like some of the other offerings.
Hot take I know- but I really like The Good Dinosaur. I almost love it but it often gets completely overlooked by Disney fans. Is it a bit on the light side when it comes to story and plotting? Sure. Is it a bit too reminiscent of The Lion King? I guess. But this film is gorgeous. Many have taken issue with its cartoony characters juxtaposed behind super realistic CGI backgrounds but I love it so much. I also love how loose the story is and how the film gives audiences moments to breathe and take in its world. The way it deals with death is quite daring- this movie took some risks. Is it the best thing Pixar has done? No. Is it better than most animated films that come out now? Absolutely.
The Cars films are usually dismissed by Pixar fans as Pixar selling out. As mentioned, Cars 2 is a sell out film. However, the first Cars is delightful. It’s just light and fluffy. While the story of a cocky hot shot being grounded and discovering the rural part of American life is a tale as old as time- this one always gets to me. It shines a light on an often overlooked parts of America and how those little stops along the way mean so much to a community. It’s delightful and Lightning McQueen’s sacrifice at the end chokes me up every time. It’s a really good movie and being a fan of Route 66- there’s a whole lot to admire here.
Okay, I know it’s low. This is just where we are at on the list now. It’s exceptional movies from here on out and Coco is absolutely fantastic. I love the colors, I love how it deals with themes of heritage, grief and death. I love how it deals with destiny and why storytelling is so important. Of course I love the way it shows music as a way to show empathy and connection in such a raw way. Dang it, I’m thinking about Remember Me again. Give me a moment as I’m gonna go bawl again.
Can I stress again that we are only dealing with close to perfect movies now. Toy Story 4 is the epilogue to the original Toy Story trilogy and wraps up the franchise in unexpected and thoughtful ways. Unlike the other Pixar sequels that ranked lower on this list, this film warrants its existence from the very first scene. It’s a film about the self satisfaction we must find within ourselves and knowing when to move on. Gosh, I’m thinking about the ending of this movie and I think I’m gonna go bawl again.
I cannot stress this enough, I love Monsters Inc.. It’s been a childhood favorite and I still find so much warmth and love for it. I’m a huge monsters fan and all the creature designs here are wonderful. The science fiction concept here and the world building is so imaginative and perfect. The story of friendship and sudden parenthood creates plenty of laughs and some genuine tears towards the end. It’s just such a pleasant movie I have such warmth and nostalgia for.
When drafting this list, I was pretty shocked that Inside Out ranked only at number ten because I’m in love with this movie. This movie came out in 2015 and I think I have some others ranked higher purely out of nostalgia. This is such a therapy session of a movie and the perfect example of a binary piece of filmmaking. It takes the abstract concept of our emotional vulnerabilities and turns it into a literal function. It makes it much easier for kids to visualize how their emotions play out in their subconscious. It is maybe the most ingenious coming of age film ever made in that regard.
I’ve seen The Incredibles so many times, I can practically quote the whole film and I continue to never get tired of it. It’s such a tight film with a literally perfect screenplay that continues to have more and more layers over time. It’s one that doesn’t talk down to its target demographic meanwhile grappling with mature themes. It’s scary, it’s poignant and it’s a clever dissection about the trouble with Randian philosophy and how it can almost get your family killed. This is not a film endorsing Rand philosophy in the slightest but that’s another post for another day.
I always struggle on where to rank WALL-E because if I was to rank the first half of the film alone, it could make the top five if not top three. I love the deep Forbidden Planet world mixed in with the comedic sensibilities of Charlie Chaplin. Its visual storytelling is unlike any film from the last ten years. Once the robots go to space it becomes a 2001-lite movie and a bit more of a romp. But it’s not bad- it’s still genius and even the case it makes for humanity is scary and relevant. The line, “I don’t want to survive, I want to live” is one with so many layers. As a kid I thought it was funny but now it’s always such a gut-punch as I understand what that line truly means- to live. It’s a genius movie and it’s one that continues to grow on me the older I get. I could see it even making my the top five someday.
What can I say? Toy Story is one of the greatest films ever made and one of the most revolutionary motion pictures of all time. It completely changed the game in terms of filmmaking but also holds up as a clever and subversive piece of storytelling grappling with the concept of being a toy and serving your function within a society. It’s one that gets very metaphysical, including a whole mental and psychological breakdown when Buzz Lightyear has to discover he is a toy and not a space ranger. Strangely enough, it’s a spiritual journey of self discovery.
The Empire Strikes Back of Toy Story. Toy Story 2 changed the film medium in the way Star Wars did and Empire Strikes Back just made it even better, much like this film did. This film has a much looser narrative that packs so much emotion, poignancy and humor in an hour and a half epic that has as many clever transitions and editing choices as an Edgar Wright movie. It’s perfectly paced, the screenplay is flawless and it’s another film showing that while people will grow apart, that shouldn’t mean one can just avoid ever having good times to avoid heartbreak. A pretty powerful message from a perfect movie.
Up is one of the only three animated films nominated for Best Picture and it’s easy to see why. This movie in every which way is a tour de force. Honestly, it’s one of the wackiest and most ambitious concepts for a film I’ve ever seen. An old man strapping balloons to his house to go to Paradise Falls. It’s actively insane but it’s grounded in a way that the film feels believable and organic. The opening is of course one of the best sequences of film ever made but the film following that continues to be one of the strangest and sometimes even cerebral adventure serials. The point of the story, the journeys you take in this life aren’t always the obvious ones. Cannot stress how perfect this movie is.
I always liked Finding Nemo as a kid but it really wasn’t until later that I realized it was one of the most personal and intimate stories about loss I had ever seen. Even the idea of helicopter parenting is shown here in an interesting light. We all understand Marlin’s concerns but we see that he has to learn to let his son live. The scene that always gets me is when they are in the whale and Marlin tells Dory, “I’ll never have anything happen to my son” and Dory responds and says, “Well that’s a dumb thing to promise, then nothing will happen to him. Not a fun life.” I’m paraphrasing, it’s less clunky in the film but I think about that scene on a regular basis. Not only is it a good lesson for parents to take but for us who are afraid to go out and live just a little. It’s okay to be vulnerable at times and it’s okay to make mistakes, because if we live our lives in fear is that a life worth even living?
It might be early to put Pixar’s latest offering this high up the list but Soul utterly rocked my world. This film offered one of the most complex and cerebral experiences I’ve ever had watching any film. The way it explores the joys and frustrations of living and trying to find that spark will resonate with anyone who feels lost in their current path in life. It’s a film that is as life affirming as It’s a Wonderful Life or Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. It’s a beautiful work of art and I love it so much.
Toy Story 3 has been my favorite movie for a very long time and it’s still certainly one of my favorite movies and one of the most important in my life. If it wasn’t for this movie, I wouldn’t be writing this post. This movie drove me to explore film and tell stories of my own because of how much it resonated with me. Simply put, this movie is the first time I truly realized film could change me. The film continues to grow on me over time as I understand the true importance of Andy’s journey. Especially when I graduated from High School and revisited the film for the hundredth time, I continue to find even more layers. Yet, this is one I can only revisit once a year and I think it’s because it’s so deeply personal that it actually hurts me. I think about my life and what I haven’t accomplished yet and just yearn for the days of simplicity where I played with my Webkinz and we went on adventures. This movie is so good it hurts.
I cannot stress this enough, Ratatouille is my favorite movie. This is something I decided when I rewatched it this year. This is the best movie about a struggling artist that has ever been made. When you love art so much, it hurts you. The simple message, “anyone can cook” is something I think about daily as I go to school and continue to get frustrated in class as I get the camera to do what I want it to do. The ones with the drive and passion to make their art, they can do it. An artist can come from anywhere! The idea of this movie is that starting out on this crazy journey with whatever job you take on, you will feel like a rat in the kitchen. You could be the most talented at what you do but you will always be trying new things. The idea of this movie is despite expectations society places on someone and despite the perceptions of others, you control your own success and happiness if you have the drive to do so. With luck, we can go forward and all decide to create good art together. This is a film I watch multiple times a year and one that continues to make me tear up, but most importantly it’s the film that keeps me going. When I watch this film, I always go back and start sketching or working on a screenplay after I finishing. It just inspires me to do more and reminds me why I write and talk about art in general, which is why this is my favorite film.
still courtesy of Disney
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