This post serves as both a ranking but also a chance to talk about the greatness of Pixar which is truly second to none. In reference to that greatness, I want to begin by talking about a revelation I had two years ago that was recently confirmed by Inside Out. I will then use that revelation to explain why I rank Pixar films with relative ease. This will then be followed up with my official rankings of all 15 Pixar movies to date. I suspect this post to be lengthy (but also awesome because, you know, Pixar!)
Two years ago I was sitting in the theater watching Monsters University rebound admirably from Brave the year before and I thought, "This movie is really good, but not quite Pixar". I figured out a short time later that what I meant by that cryptic thought is that it made me feel more grown up (college age) than like a kid. I began scrolling through the Pixar catalogue in my head and quickly realized that Pixar is at its absolute best the more a movie makes me feel like a kid again. What Pixar has done, through some of their greatest successes like Toy Story and Monsters Inc., is redefine what it means for something to be a "kids movie". I greatly enjoy many Dreamworks movies, but they never make me feel like Pixar movies because they are movies targeted at kids with the knowledge that adults will watch them too. This formula is far from bad and produces movies like Shrek which are better than ever after you've grown up and start getting all the jokes.
The Pixar Formula is different. Rather than make movies targeted at kids, I honestly think they make movies targeted at adults with the intent to make them feel like kids. The difference is huge. I genuinely think adults will enjoy Inside Out more than their children because its not so much a "kids movie" as it is an "animated movie that makes you feel like a kid". Pixar is all about the feeling. That's why you can watch wordless umbrellas or volcanos fall in love and cry because it's so awesome. Pixar understands that the chief goal of exceptional filmmaking is not to make tons of money but to make audiences really, truly feel something deeply. This end must be achieved honestly and without manipulation, but that's the goal of every exceptional Pixar movie.
It is for that reason that I am able to rank Pixar movies relatively easily*: because the best Pixar flicks make me feel life most deeply and the worst (which are still pretty great) don't quite get there.
* Turns out, that was way harder than I thought it would be, but it was still pretty easy.
And now here are my rankings of every Pixar Movie:
15. Brave- I strongly suspect Brave is a lot better than I remember it to be, but I know it's last on this list for one really simple reason. It came out 3 years ago and I've only watched it once. My problem with Brave is that it felt a LOT like a Disney movie and not at all like a Pixar movie. It had moments, sure, but it wasn't what I came to see. More on this in a future post.
14. Cars 2- Even though Cars 2 is second to last on this list, I have to say that I REALLY liked Cars 2 and think the world has bashed on it waaaaay too much. Cars 2 was good for what it was which was a spy flick, very sleek and very cool. If Dreamworks had released it, it would be universally lauded, but with Pixar we expected a higher standard, even from sequels. It was a sequel and delivered as such.
13. Monsters University- This movie was exactly as good as I expected it to be, but it was also way funnier (thanks to Charlie Day) and had way more heart than I anticipated. The ending sequence is pure gold. It wasn't as good as the first Monsters flick, but it was a worthy sequel (with a LOADED voice cast).
12. A Bug's Life- Tragically this is perhaps the most forgotten of all the Pixar films. It's a great story of friendship and family that also delivers tension and action. I probably have it this low only because everything else is so great. Also it doesn't follow my Pixar Formula for making you feel like a kid again.
11. WALL-E- This one totally delivers on the "magic" level, but the story fell a little flat. I will admit, WALL-E has grown on me a lot since it first came out and I now like it a lot more. I love the silent movie vibe of the first half, and the more I watch it, the less I mind some of the preachy-ness.
10. Toy Story- I imagine you're yelling at your screens right now saying "Daniel's a HYPOCRITE!!! He just said the best one make you feel like a kid so why's Toy Story so low!!!" That is a fair thing to say, but I'm not a hypocrite because Toy Story doesn't make me feel like a kid. I was 1 year old when that movie came out so I didn't experience it as the technological marvel that it was. I will say that I GREATLY respect Toy Story for what it is, I just don't find it overall as enjoyable as some of the other flicks.
9. Ratatouille- I wasn't totally on board with this one before it came out but have loved it ever since. What I loved about Ratatouille is its innovation. Pixar had delivered plenty of great non-human characters and plenty of great human characters, but this was the first real time they brought those two worlds together.
8. Toy Story 3- THIS movie made me feel like a kid again. Pixar timed it all up so that Andy would age along with viewers on a real timeline of his life. I even took it a step further and somehow didn't see it when it first came out, so I was in my junior year of high school when I saw it for the first time. I cried a lot and it reminded me everything I love about movies and life. In terms of overall quality, it may very well be the finest of the Toy Story franchise.
7. Cars- People bash on Cars a lot, and I don't think any of that hate is deserved. Cars has the best character growth of any Pixar character with a great story and many lessons to be learned. Just because it was about cars doesn't mean there's not a lot to love about Cars.
6. The Incredibles- It's painful for me to not have them in the top 5, but that is the reality of ranking Pixar movies. The Incredibles is my absolute favorite superhero movie with tons of action and great family fun. The technical value is expert and the music is second to one.
5. Toy Story 2- This movie will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it's the nostalgia and maybe it's the opening sequence out in space, but this movie remains one that I cherish very deeply. As already addressed, TS3 is probably better in terms of story and characters, but TS2 will always be my favorite.
4. Monsters Inc.- I've always loved this one, but the true awesomeness of it's blend of action and heart didn't hit me until recently. It's with this movie that we were all introduced to Pete Doctor (who has other films coming Up on the list). Monsters Inc perfectly captured the childhood fear and fascination with the monsters hiding in our closets. Through the lives of these characters we learned not to fear something different than us and that adventure my be inside our very bedroom. Monsters Inc fuels the fire for everyone's imagination and captures childhood expertly.
3. Inside Out- I know this just came out so it's hard to judge against movies I've seen dozens of times, but everything about it makes me think it should rank this highly. I loved every moment of Inside Out which captured childhood better than any other movie ever. Inside Out reveals that childhood is not only about good times but also moments of sadness. Even as kids we're really complex people. We don't know what will shape or effect us. I can't say a lot more without giving away spoilers, but Inside Out captures a certain magic and mystery of Pixar the likes of which I don't think I've ever seen before. It truly is as good as any other movie ever.
2. Up- Hardcore Pixar fans will notice that the 2-4 movies on this list are all the work of Pete Doctor. Because he's awesome. We all know Up is an amazing movie with equal parts humor and heart, but Up gives really good perspective on life from the point of view of a child or an adult that is often missed in other movies. Russell's life isn't great. His family is broken and his dad is missing from the picture. He lives for his wilderness explorer life of adventure. In Russell we see (before Inside Out) that childhood can be a hard thing but there is still adventure and good times to be had. Russell sits at the beginning of his life full of positivity and optimism, while Carl sits looking back on his life remembering the good times and the bad times. The story of Up allows them to meet in the middle where they both find adventure on a grand scale but also a familial scale. Carl flies his house around South America and discovers that the greatest adventure in life is that of your family. Up reminds viewers of all ages that the most important things in life are people and the adventures you have with them. To top all that off, the music is simply the best ever.
1. Finding Nemo- This movie is probably the strongest family movie made as the love of Marlin is greater than the ocean. It reminds kids that their parents are still pretty cool and protective and reminds parents how much they love their kids. It takes us into the mysterious world of the ocean, while at the same time providing us with familiar animals and scenarios. Finding Nemo is probably the funniest Pixar movie with the best pacing and story of them all.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. To sum up the Pixar Formula succinctly it is: Pixar makes kids movies that aim to make adults feel like kids and make kids treasure their childhood. Thanks for reading!
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