Top 10 Best Pixar Movies

Pixar Animation Studios is an American animation studio that has produced many successful computer-animated films since its establishment in 1986. What are the best movies ever made by this renowned animation company?
The Top Ten
1 Toy Story

It's a good movie, and coincidentally, it was first released in the year when I was born: 1995. I have fond memories of this movie, and without it, I would never have even thought of pursuing animation and story development in my career path.

I think the whole franchise is the best of Pixar. If it's really over after the fourth film, I guess Pixar will never have such a great franchise again. I wouldn't say it's #1, though. I think it just gets better as each sequel passes by. Just my humble opinion.

I love this movie. It's my favorite. It has a great story, amazing animation, and memorable characters. I also really love the songs. In my opinion, this is not only the best Pixar movie but also the best animated movie. It's the best, along with Toy Story 2 and 3.

2 The Incredibles

This movie has Sam L. Jackson in it - enough said. But, to be honest, this movie has fantastic animation, likable and relatable characters, clever dialogue, and a good metaphor, what with their personalities and actions relating to their powers. Bob has to be strong to support his family, Helen is a mother, stretching from doing one thing to another, Dash is an energetic child, and Violet wants to be unseen and tries to shut people out.

On a side note, The Incredibles is the first movie in which the human characters don't look like plastic dolls. They had the human animation down just right, and what do they do next? They make a movie about cars with faces. Which is creative, but the movie wasn't all that great.

The Incredibles, in my opinion, is the best Pixar movie due to the fact that it doubles as a kids' film and a film for more mature audiences, thanks to its old spy movie feel, the realistic family dynamic between Helen and Bob, Bob's mid-life crisis, and the scene where Bob finds out that a fanboy he rejected 15 years ago killed almost all of his colleagues and friends. Plus, add to that one of Pixar's best original scores and there you have the best Pixar movie. In my opinion, of course.

3 Finding Nemo

I loved this movie when I was little, and I will admit that even at 15, I still sometimes watch it. Marlin may have been a bit overprotective over Nemo, but that was pretty much the whole point of the movie, and it shows how much he cares for him. I think it has the best and most touching story out of any Pixar movie, as well as amazing animation and a soundtrack. I also thought the actors/actresses fit their characters perfectly and couldn't imagine them being voiced by anyone else, especially Dory, who almost everyone knows by this point is voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. I loved "Toy Story" as well, but this to me is timeless.

Yikes! Talking about Peach (Princess) and Mario on that list and Dot playing against Tails, that's Nintendo and Sega, not Pixar! Not only have the retro fanboys (people who think the old Mario Kart is better than the new Mario Kart) invaded the video games list, but they are also invading Pixar lists too. :(

Anyway, this is my favorite Pixar movie ever. Every single aspect and point of this movie is so impressive and flawless that it easily marks one of the best animated films, if not the BEST animated film, in my opinion.

4 Monsters, Inc.

I personally found this to be one of the most emotional, fantastic, funniest, and most brilliant films ever made. It's a masterpiece, with a fantastic score and storyline. It's original and keeps you on your toes. The song 'If I Didn't Have You', by Randy Newman and sung by Billy Crystal and John Goodman, is easily one of my favorites, right up there with 'You've Got a Friend in Me' and 'I Will Go Sailing No More'. This film has masterful acting, with names like Jennifer Tilly, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman, all talented people. In short, this film is the best, right up there with Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Up.

This movie was twisty, if anything. It had quite a clever plot that kept on taking unexpected turns. Discovering that Mr. Waternoose secretly ran a conspiracy behind the company, or that Randall wasn't actually motivated by having a scare record, but something more sinister, or that everything the monsters feared was based on a lie, or especially the twist ending, where an alternative that saved the company was discovered. The plot is so cleverly written this way, it really leads you on a roller coaster of twists and turns.

5 Up

I remember seeing this movie twice in theaters when I was 9 years old, and it has since then remained my favorite stand-alone Pixar movie (Toy Story 1-3, of course, is still the best of them all). It has a strange and bizarre concept: a house floating all the way to South America, starring an old man, a talking dog, a boy scout, and a dodo bird. That's part of what made the film so amazing. Seeing the opening 10 minutes of Carl's marriage with Ellie barely had any words to it, but the fact that it was able to tell such an emotional and tear-jerking story using very little dialogue really caught my attention. Of course, this is Pixar, so expect outstanding visuals, creative storytelling, lovable characters, a catchy soundtrack, and plenty of great comedy - and this movie has all of that! Well done, Pixar! Well done!

Up is a movie with beautiful animation, an interesting but weird plot of a flying house, amazing heartwarming music, and great messages. The beginning and the end made me cry. It really expressed the things in life that matter, and the things you do for others.

Carl Fredricksen, the main character, risked nearly everything for a dream he promised to his wife for the life of another person he valued. He put balloons on his house, and flew it all the way to South America! However, he met an annoying kid along the way named Russel. Russel gets captured, but Carl does not go to save him. Instead, he continues to fly his house to South America because he valued it more.

He then started to look at his wife's adventure book, and he sees that all the time he spent with his wife and enjoying the wonders of life was truly an amazing adventure. He then came to realize the things that he valued more. He then throws heavy, valuable items out of his house to get it to fly again because all of that stuff did not matter to him as much as Russel did.

This movie is so touching. You could really see and feel Fredricksen's bond with Russel throughout the movie, and it proved that in the end because he valued the dream he promised his wife over the life of him. This movie was a great way to show that your life is an adventure, and the people you care for and the things that are ACTUALLY important to you start that adventure.

6 Wall-E

I think this movie is a lot better than what many remember it to be. It had a great motivational story with a bold message that it really pushed throughout the movie. The apocalyptic future world was something that made it thrilling in a way. Everything felt at high stakes, making every decision that was made feel significant. It also presented quite a tough dilemma for the humans on the colonists' ship, one that really has them - and you - thinking. The fact that this all spawned from the problem of product waste really encourages you to be greener and more eco-friendly.

Wall-E is for sure my favorite Pixar movie. Not many people think of it as their favorite - it is not very popular and has very little dialogue. Because it doesn't appeal to many younger kids, it was not as popular as some other Pixar movies, but I really like it. I think the emotions shown were very strong, and it offered a unique perspective - different from other Pixar movies. However, I do think it is a movie that will be appreciated more by older audiences.

7 Toy Story 3

Like Finding Dory, this was a sequel that was sensible to make, unlike some movie sequels that feel like they are just being milked out. It continued something that was left unanswered before. For Finding Dory, it gave the answer to Dory's backstory, and for this one, it expanded on the inevitable problem the toys discussed in the last movie: Andy growing up. This was the kind of sequel that needed to happen in order to provide more satisfaction to the overall story, rather than trying to make a sequel to a movie that already had satisfying ends.

While watching this movie, I'm pretty sure I cried 5 times. This is just a sad story, and I'd be happy if it ended there. But there's a Toy Story 4 that's been released. I haven't watched it yet but definitely will, to see if it was really necessary or if it was just a waste of money. But this movie is definitely awesome. Wonderful animation follows a thrilling storyline. Memorable characters are saying goodbye for the penultimate time.

8 Toy Story 2

Toy Story is like the original Star Wars movie because this movie is the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy. It's so great I can't even fit all of its greatness into this comment. The theme about everything coming to an end and whether we should accept it sooner or wait it out is a very mature dilemma and probably the best in the Pixar movies. The visuals in the movie are purely stunning. The airport scene, Al's Toy Barn, and the scene where Woody gets restored are imprinted in my mind forever and could be shorts on their own. Jessie's backstory rivals that of Up's first 10 minutes of heartbreaking-ness. It should be higher if not number one. Ratatouille should be higher too.

Truly, Toy Story 2 is the best sequel and one of my favorite Pixar movies! This movie took a big step in animation for its time, and everything else about it was just so perfect! All the old and new characters were funny and well written. The music was astounding and perfect with every scene it was playing at. The twist villain was genius, and the theme was really sweet.

The message about putting aside the inevitable and staying loyal to the ones you care for was expressed so wonderfully in this movie. Throughout the entire movie, you see hints that Andy is growing up, and that Andy is gaining less interest in playing with Woody. Woody gets the opportunity to keep his purpose of being loved forever by being a toy display in Japan, and he eventually accepts it.

However, with his friends returning to rescue him, he came to realize that even if Andy may grow up, he still loves him, and being with him is worth every minute. In the end, Woody tells Buzz that even if Andy throws him away or stops playing with him, he will still have his friends to keep him company for infinity and beyond. That part was so touching.

We all have somebody in life who cares for you. Buzz traveled through roads and many miles of exhausting walking just to find Woody. That is the kind of true friend. This is the kind of movie that all families can enjoy, and this movie was part of my childhood. With funny characters, great animation, touching scenes, and just plain enjoyable moments every minute.

I would highly recommend anybody watching this movie at any age. You can skip the first one. This is how movie producers should make any sequel!

9 Inside Out

It has such a good message about how we need all emotions, not just joy, and represents it extremely well. It also has lovable characters, and to make a good story, it is an absolute necessity to have good characters that the audience will relate to or admire. It also (of course) has a lot of emotion, which makes an interesting movie. There's too much to talk about with this amazing movie, and if I were to talk about the scenery, it would take about an hour since the imagination in this is too much to handle. I don't think Pixar will ever top this movie, and if it does, Pixar would have basically conquered the world. Congrats to you, Pixar, for not only making one of the best Disney movies but also making one of the best movies in film-making history!

It's official, Inside Out is now my new favorite Disney movie of all time, putting Big Hero 6 in second place. I've only watched the film twice, and I have to say, nothing has made me love a film that quickly after watching it the first time. Seriously, what's not to love about Inside Out? Everything about it is absolutely A-grade worthy. The animation, the visuals, the voice casting, the humor, the drama, EVERYTHING! This is a film that I would definitely watch over and over again and still love it. It's that brilliant!

P.S. Sorry BH6, your days at the top of my list are over. Inside Out all the way. Period.

10 Ratatouille

I have 5 favorite Pixar movies. The only Pixar movies I don't like are Cars 2, Cars 3, and The Good Dinosaur. All the other ones (besides my top 5) are just movies that I like. They're not my favorites, though. Anyway, here's my top 5 favorite Pixar movies (don't judge me):

5. Turning Red
4. Toy Story
3. Inside Out
2. A Bug's Life
1. Ratatouille

1. Ratatouille because he is a rat and he is friends with a human. 2. Wall-E because it shows how much humans are polluting the earth. 3. Finding Nemo because Marlin and Dory go all across the sea to save a little cute fish. 4. Toy Story 3 because it shows how much toys care for their owners. 5. The Incredibles for its funny story of a superhero family. 6. Toy Story for its amazing story and the You've Got a Friend in Me song. 7. Up because it has romance, tragedy, funny moments, action, and more, but still, Ratatouille kicks butt. Hello!

This is easily the most underrated Pixar movie. It is funny. The animation of Paris is gorgeous, the characters are memorable, and it really sucks you into the environment. Some of my favorite animated scenes come from this movie. Aside from The Incredibles and maybe Up, this is the best Pixar movie.

The Contenders
11 Coco

I've watched all of Pixar's films, and no film is as emotional as Coco. The scene where Miguel sings Remember Me to Coco is just so heartwarming. I would say it's as emotional as the first 10 minutes of Up. The twist villain is great, and the animation is obviously spectacular. The story is also really well put together, the comedy hits, and the songs are memorable.

I love this movie! This is so beautiful. It should be higher! It is so emotional, and the part where Hector sings "Remember Me" to Coco was so emotional. I love it! The songs are not cringy or annoying. In fact, they are really catchy and fun. For you Disney haters, if you say that Disney movies are boring and unemotional, I challenge you to either watch Coco or Inside Out!

Coco is now my favorite Pixar movie because it has great mystery and pushes the limits about death. Cars 3 just mentions Doc's demise, Up tells a love story where Ellie dies, but Coco goes into the universe about death, and the supervillain, Ernesto De La Cruz, is one I love to hate. The tiger was super cool. Nothing like a mystery thriller from Pixar.

12 Cars

Okay, every year, we tend to revisit movies we ignored as children. This movie, along with Rango, is no exception. I watched Cars when it came out with my friends in a Lowe's movie theater in downtown Hoboken, and it was pretty good. Ignoring the fact that they are sentient cars, this movie has some deep stuff going on. Like the economic decline of Radiator Springs shown in a flashback, which hits hard if you've lived in a small American town that turned out that way. Don't forget James Taylor singing at his vocal finest, and you have many grown-up tears watching this. My favorite line in this movie is, "He did WHAT in his cup?"

Okay, this movie is far better than Ratatouille because, for goodness sake, it's a rat touching food! Disgusting! And this movie really shows what racing is really like because my dad is a dirt track racer, and I grew up watching this movie, pretending that Lightning was my dad and Sally my mom. And Tow Mater was my dad's best friend Beaver (his nickname) because he has buck teeth like Mater. This movie is amazing! It tells about a guy whose ego is huge, and it makes him a total jerk to some people. But then he gets lost and meets a country girl living in a small city, kind of where I live. My dad was an awesome racer, and he and she went to Myrtle on a high school trip and met each other, so it's not exactly getting lost, but you get the picture. Just saying, this movie is real in many ways to me, especially...

13 A Bug's Life

Truly, A Bug's Life is underrated! Sure, it was not the best Pixar movie, but everything about it was just so great. Sure, some of the scenes were dark for a Pixar movie. Sure, it was a tiny bit forgettable. Sure, the animation was not as good as some other Pixar movies, but despite all that, this movie was so brilliantly written.

The ants in the movie work so hard to get food for the grasshoppers so that they can guarantee safety for the ants. The leader of the grasshoppers is Hopper, and he is honestly one of the best written villains I have ever seen. He looks intimidating, so none of the other grasshoppers or ants mess with him. He puts fear into the heads of the ants so that none of them would be courageous enough to stand up for one another. He blinds the ants by making them think that the grasshoppers overpower them when, in reality, the ants outnumber them.

With Hopper as the antagonist, he creates a really interesting conflict and resolution. Flik, the main character, looks for heroes to battle against the grasshoppers, and he builds a fake bird with the help of all of the other ants to possibly scare away the grasshoppers. When the rest of the ants discover that the warriors Flik found were only circus performers, they all kick Flik out of the ant colony, and they continue to make food for the grasshoppers.

Near the end of the movie, Flik realizes that all the ants work better together as he needed all the ants to build and fly the fake bird. With all the ants working together, they defeated the grasshoppers, and they were finally free.

This movie's plot was great, but I would not consider it to be the best Pixar movie. It lacked that strong and touching message that all other Pixar movies have. However, I still think that it is an amazing and enjoyable animated movie.

14 Finding Dory

There are many sequels I know of that feel forced, where what is extended doesn't quite make sense for the original, but this movie was an exception to all of that. This felt like a true natural extension of Finding Nemo, making this particular sequel made complete sense. Dory's story and origin were important to tell and expand upon, it was a legitimate reason to make a sequel. Unlike some other sequels I know, this one did complete justice to the original.

That scene with the truck falling in slow motion! I cried from laughter! I had to look away because I was laughing so hard! I opened my eyes for one second, and two sea lions (or seals, I don't know) got slapped in the face by a gigantic falling fish! Oh, that was comedy gold! Besides the truck scene, the movie was AMAZING! Still deciding if it was better than the first... Yeah, Finding Dory might have been slightly better. You have to see this movie no matter who you are!

15 Monsters University

Monsters University is definitely my favorite Pixar movie of all time! While Up and The Good Dinosaur got me so emotional, Toy Story and Brave got me hyped, and Wall-E and Monsters Inc. got me feeling relieved and really connected to them, Monsters University manages to get me excited, hyped, enthusiastic, relieved, and emotional all at once. It has such a developed plot, beautiful graphics, a peaceful soundtrack, lovely characters, and exciting events to experience. Most importantly:

It got something to relate to and connect with. It presents such complex morals... something that many movies actually contradict.

While many movies tell us that we succeed in many things the more we try, this movie explains the OPPOSITE. Monsters University has taught me that we humans are not good at everything no matter how much we try. And even if we did, we wouldn't be mastering them. Each one of us should accept his or her strengths, weaknesses, benefits, and disadvantages and continue living within them. Mike tried his best to impress everyone with his scaring techniques by working and studying hard, but he failed to do so. However, instead of hitting a bird with a stone, he hit three birds with one.

16 Incredibles 2

I liked this movie. It's not better than the original, but I felt like it expanded the world in such a great way. Also, that one scene with Screenslaver jump-scaring Elastigirl freaked me out. I jumped right out of my seat in the theater. I loved Bob trying to be a good parent. "MATH IS MATH!" This movie was great, and you should watch it.

This, the first Incredibles, Inside Out, and Toy Story 3 beat all the other Pixar movies by miles!

This was amazing and better than the first, which I thought was impossible.

17 Toy Story 4

Quick History:

I'm not the biggest Toy Story fan. The movies are good, but I don't enjoy watching them. So, when I found out Pixar was making a fourth film, I wasn't interested. Trailers came out, and I still wasn't interested. Then, I saw Chris Stuckmann's "Toy Story 4" review. He really liked it, so I decided to give it a chance. A few days ago, I was at McDonald's with my mom. She was looking through films playing in theaters. "Toy Story 4" was an option, so I decided to check it out. I went in with low expectations and came out with my mind blown. This isn't just the best Toy Story movie. It's one of the best films I've ever seen. I love everything about this movie. I can't think of anything I didn't like. It is definitely the best Pixar film I've ever seen.

While Toy Story 3 did tie up a lot of loose ends so satisfyingly, Toy Story 4 provided closure to other aspects that weren't quite addressed before. The main one delved more into the character Bo Peep, who wasn't given a satisfactory conclusion previously. Her character was much more fleshed out, giving her a chance for a proper send-off. Other characters who weren't finished in the best way they could be, namely Woody and Jessie, were now given endings that completely satisfy their character arcs.

18 Brave

This movie is beautiful. And people say that Merida is just a spoiled brat that gets what she wants in the end. She learned her lesson in the end! If you really think that she's spoiled at the end, you clearly weren't paying attention to the ending. People also say that she's just like every other Disney Princess. Um, no. She's only similar to Tiana and Mulan, but they ended up falling in love. She never fell in love. The main reason people dislike this movie is that they're too blind to see the beauty in it. They also unfairly criticize it by comparing it to other Pixar films which, first off, is bad criticism, and second, is inaccurate because it is just as good as the other Pixar originals. (In my opinion, it's better than most.)

I like how Pixar tried to go in a different direction with this one. The medieval theme hadn't really been done before, nor had having a princess who is completely independent. The whole Scottish Middle Ages land had some interesting story and lore to it, too, especially the tales of the cursed prince from an ancient kingdom.

19 Onward

I'll be honest, when I was going to see this for the first time, I wasn't expecting more than just a simple D&D adventure. But boy, was I wrong. This movie was so much more than what I thought it would be. It was a humanistic story, a very moving one too. The stories of the two brothers, each with their distinct character, and the story of their past, all worked well to build up a great emotional story.

To keep it simple, this movie was great! There was nothing wrong with this movie, and I am glad Pixar decided to make an original film after a decade of mostly sequels and prequels. The animation was absolutely stunning, and the expression of love and value was really touching. This movie makes you cry like any other Pixar movie, and it is the perfect family movie to watch.

The best Pixar movie I've seen in over a decade. The 2010s were full of inferior sequels or mediocre originals, but Onward breaks this curse with dazzling animation, creative story, and heartwarming themes. Shame that the virus ruined its box office, a terrible injustice! Fans are petitioning for a rerelease post-epidemic.

20 Soul

When I saw the trailers, I was a bit scared. I thought the character models looked too funky and that the plot would be rather bland. But when I watched it, I was surprised at how good this movie actually was! The detail in the animation blew me away. The abstract design of the soul dimension was so fascinating and interesting to watch. The antagonist was funny. All the characters were well-developed and written. Everything was just so pleasing to watch. I liked its message about life and how we live to enjoy it. However, its message was not too predictable like other movies. It showed the difference between a passion and an obsession. It showed that we can follow our passion and enjoy it, but we should not let it distract us from the other things to enjoy in life. Watching this movie really made me feel better about my life and the choices I make in life. I would definitely put this on my top 10 favorite Pixar movies. However, I would not say that it is a movie all ages can watch since it revolves around the concept of DEATH, but other than that, this movie is great, and I recommend watching it.

21 Cars 3

I saw it yesterday, and it's actually really good! I think it's the best Cars movie so far. Yes, it's far from the best Pixar movie, but I think it's a big step up from Cars 2, and it's the sequel we deserve! The only complaints I had were that, in my opinion, some scenes dragged on too long, and it lacked in terms of comedy. They were trying to make it all big and dramatic and didn't put a lot of comedy in it, which kind of had me bored with some parts. There were some parts that made me chuckle, but it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny. But I think the new characters were very well written! Jackson Storm was a villain where I genuinely got pissed whenever he came on screen or when I even heard his name! And that's good! He seems like a true villain and enemy to Lightning! Not the best Pixar has done, but still worth watching at least once. I would give this movie an 8/10.

This movie is great! It's not the best Pixar movie. However, it did become the best one of the franchise. The characters are great and interesting for the most part, the animation yet again is solid. Just everything about this movie is enjoyable. I really really liked it. It's also a big step up for the franchise because Cars 2 is by far the worst Pixar movie, and Cars is not the best. This is so good, and I hope to see it again soon!

22 Turning Red

Great story, great protagonist, a masterpiece of movie design, and two of the best antagonists. While Tyler may not be as compelling as Mei's overprotective mother Ming, both antagonists bring every good element to the film.

The content of this movie is nowhere near as inappropriate for small children as any of the offensively racist Indian scenes from Peter Pan.

Pixar thinks that Turning Red is the first anime-influenced movie on Disney+.

23 Luca

Not one of Pixar's grandest achievements, but it is still very, very good and a charming addition to the Pixar legacy.

It feels much more like a Studio Ghibli film than Earwig and the Witch ever did.

Great movie. I like how Pixar did something different with this movie.

24 Elemental

This movie is a good animated movie but not as good as other Pixar movies. I still adore the visuals and how interesting they made the characters. It's worth watching more than Turning Red or Lightyear. The story really focuses on family and romance. But I wish they gave Wade's backstory. It makes him so relatable. Overall, I give it 9/10.

25 Cars 2

This movie may not be the best but is extremely underrated. I don't understand why people have to pretend to hate it when they actually love it.

Cars 2 shouldn't receive the hate it has. Seeing posts everywhere, people say this movie is boring, but I'm not quite understanding why. People here state that the plot is complicated, and Mater is overused. Please, people, pay attention. Cars 2 has thrilling scenes and good characters, even you are saying so. And we get to see a full-on use of Mater, but the film still focuses on other characters. The plot also makes sense if you listen. It's true that younger kids might not understand it, but please be excited for what you have! And to be fair, the plot is basically about motor oil and its depletion.

The Cars trilogy is mediocre at best, but I thought the second installment was pretty good. Unlike the other two, this one has an original story which expands on the original. It's way more intense and action-packed than the other two, which is good because those were way too boring. And let's be real, what is better between a spy-thriller and basic Formula One? Another difference is that in this movie, the fact that the characters are cars actually matters because it's part of the story. In the other two, you could make the characters human and it wouldn't change a thing.

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