Since 1995, Pixar Animation has been making kids and adults alike laugh, cry, and love in twenty-five feature films starting with Toy Story in 1995 to Finding Nemo in 2003 to Up in 2009 to Inside Out in 2015 to their newest film Turning Red in 2022, and now Lightyear, released a couple of months later. Pixar’s films include some of the greatest stories told by Disney making us both laugh hysterically or cry like a baby. Here’s all 25 films ranked worst to best, including Turning Red and Lightyear.
#27: “Brave” (2012)
Of the worst Pixar films on this list, I still like watching them from time to time. Brave? First time, despised it. Second time, a bit better but still blah. And that’s it; two times. I personally didn’t like Brave. It’s probably the only Disney movie I’ve seen that made me as bored as sitting in math class. The story was interesting, set in medieval Scotland and featuring a girl named Merida who seeks to change her fate and accidentally turns her mother into a bear. The movie is simple, but the real issue is the lack of interest. You don’t really care for these characters and what they seek to achieve. I get it that some like this style of film and didn’t put it at #25, but I didn’t enjoy Brave.
#26: “A Bug’s Life” (1998)
Another movie most people won’t be here. A Bug’s Life was very popular when it was released in 1998, but this was another one that bored me. After a couple of straight watch-throughs, I’ve not really found anything more intriguing with A Bug’s Life. Basically, Flik and a large ant colony are under attack from grasshoppers and Flik finds bugs supposed to fight back, but realize later that they’re just circus bugs. While the storytelling isn’t on a high level, the movie is fun to watch at times despite being a little dry.
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#25: “Cars 2” (2011)
Another bad movie everyone hates that I love watching from time to time. It’s one of those fun-but-bad movies. You love watching it at any time but can’t call it a good movie. For example, Pixels and 2012: both awful movies that are so fun to watch. Cars 2 switched the series from a famous racecar ending up in a small, non-visited town on Route 66 to a spy thriller with a silly character and a worldwide racing competition. Fan-favorite character Tow Mater travels with Lightning McQueen on a globe-trotting trip as McQueen competes in the World Grand Prix. During this time, Mater is mistaken as an undercover spy by Finn McMissile and the weird spy and gun violence begins. It’s like a fake James Bond movie, but still fun to watch.
#24: “Lightyear” (2022)
I shouldn’t be too hard on Lightyear, as it is the newest movie, but I was very disappointed after watching. I thought it wasn’t able to live up to the original Toy Story films and barely payed tribute to the series except for famous quotes and small details. But with some plot holes and odd story details, I didn’t really think it was a great Pixar film. While the adventure was fun, I didn’t find the characters much humorous (even Taiki Watiti wasn’t too funny) and thought the moral wasn’t displayed in an impactful way. Also, you can take risks, Pixar. I mean, I guess making a movie based on Buzz Lightyear’s movie the toy is based on Andy loved is a bit of a storytelling risk, but the actual story itself is similar to other movies I’ve seen of accepting you can’t fight alone and that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask help. A little disappointing for Pixar standards.
#23: “Cars 3” (2017)
After I watched Cars 3 again back in 2019, I realized that it’s not as bad as people say That’s not saying it’s a great film, as it is pretty dry in its core and not too interesting, especially since the main storyline has been done by many other films before it, but Cars 3 is still a pleasant experience. After newcomer Jackson Storm and other electric cars enter the racetrack, McQueen has a scary crash and trains with Cruz Ramirez at a training center McQueen’s sponsors from Rust-Eze built after selling the Rust-Eze. The film has some action-packed moments, nice lessons, and improved on Cars 2, but still isn’t high-tier Pixar.
#22: “The Good Dinosaur” (2015)
Honestly, this movie isn’t bad, but I still forget about it all the time. The Good Dinosaur was an interesting film about the meteor destroying dinosaurs on Earth missing the hit. Directed by Peter Sohn (voice of Squishy in Monsters University), the film is a story about a family of dinosaurs going through harsh times when the father dies and the son finds himself lost. He then meets Spot, a young caveboy also lost. The movie takes viewers on a journey until the two reach their homes. While the lesson is just about facing your fears, this is a movie that will make you cry with very emotional moments between characters.
#21: “Turning Red” (2022)
Pixar’s latest film Turning Red from the brilliant director of the short Bao, Domee Shi, Turning Red tells the story of a girl named Meilin Lee, a 13-year-old girl from Toronto that has a simple thirteen-year-old life until she turns into a giant red panda when she gets too excited. While I was excited for Turning Red since its reveal in December 2020, I was a bit disappointed with the film. It didn’t really feel like a Pixar film, and when you’re supposed to be more emotional toward the end, you don’t care that much (at least I didn’t). The film was also very simple as was the previous film, Luca. The story is just Meilin Lee (or Mei Mei) and her three friends using the red panda to raise $800 to see a concert of their favorite boy-band, 4-Town, with songs written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The themes aren’t memorable, and the story is too simple. Sorry, Pixar, but not every new film is a winner.
#20: “Onward” (2020)
Yes, it is at number 19, but that doesn’t mean Onward is a bad film. This is the point where the films are from great to fantastic. Onward was a good movie, and was very fun to watch. The film focuses on two elf brothers, Ian and Barley, who live in a fantasy world that used to use magic, but now is like real life until for his 16th birthday, Ian gets a gift from his father who died when he was little. The gift is a wizard staff that a note tells the brothers to use to do a spell that will bring him back to life for 24 hours. However, the one given Phoenix Gem doesn’t fully work the spell, and all that is left is the legs. In Onward, the two brothers go on a magical quest to find another Phoenix Gem and bring him completely back to life in the little time left. Though the end of the film results in the two finding the gem, only one brother is able to see him. While Ian wants to, he learns in a heartfelt moment that he has Barley and wants Barley to see his father for the last moments. The touching film isn’t as sad as most Pixar films, but still a great one.
#19: “Monsters University” (2013)
I never liked Monsters University when I was little. The group going in the Scare Games in the pink spike-ball place always scared me as a kid. But when I rewatched it in 2018, it was a lot better than I remember. The film is a prequel about Mike Wazowski and James Sullivan in college training to be scare majors. This film isn’t a sad and emotional one much, but is a fun film if you loved Monsters, Inc. Though we all wanted a sequel, this prequel was a fun replacement and still is great to this day.
#18: “Cars” (2006)
While I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews for Cars, the film really isn’t that bad. Sure, there isn’t too much depth and the storytelling isn’t excellent, but it’s still a great film either way. A famous racecar needing to get to California for a final race against his rival Chick Hicks in order to win the Piston Cup. However, things go sideways when he unwittingly ends up in a small-populated town on Route 66 called Radiator Springs. The film is more comedy than other Pixar films but also has sweet moments between characters as the racecar, Lightning McQueen falls in love with a Porsche named Sally. The characters are very memorable, iconic, and loved by kids; and it all started with this movie.
#17: “Elemental” (2023)
While not quite as interesting as I had hoped it would be, Elemental is still a fun adventure with a creative concept and the Pixar charm we all know and love. The unique film shows us a world with residents that are Earth, air, water, and fire. The characters each have their own fun and unique traits and, especially the main characters Wade and Ember, are fun to see together. The film has great lessons about accepting everyone and loving who you want to love. Unfortunately, Elemental has a story a bit underdone and feels more like a glorified rom-com with a slightly more intuitive narrative. However, Elemental is still a very enjoyable addition to Pixar’s library.
#16: “Luca” (2021)
Don’t get me wrong, I was a fan of Luca when it released back in June last year. I was so excited I woke up at 5:00 in the morning to watch it before the day began. That’s commitment. Directed by Enrico Casarosa, director of the short film La Luna in 2011, Luca tells the story of a curious sea monster who wants to see life above the water. After meeting Alberto (also a sea monster), they escape to the Italian village nearby to get away from Luca’s parents who want to send him to “the deep” far in the ocean for his traveling to the surface. At the town they meet a human girl named Julia and join her to win a Vespa motorcycle in a race. The film has a very Italian touch to it, and the scenery is beautiful. The building in the town looks spectacular, and the character-design inspired by stop-motion films from the works of creators such as Hayao Miyazaki looks great. However, the story is very simple. The plot doesn’t take many risks and there aren’t any big twists; but the lesson about friendship is a good one.
#15: “Toy Story” (1995)
The first CGI-animated film ever was of course the first Toy Story from 1995, and it was groundbreaking at the time. Now, it’s honestly not as great as I remember. The story is simple: a boy named Andy loves his toys, especially cowboy Woody, until for his birthday he gets a Buzz Lightyear action figure and plays with it more than Woody. What’s interesting about Toy Story is that it’s told through the perspective of the toys, which when Andy isn’t there, they get up, move around, and talk to each other. The new perspective was an interesting take, but the story itself with toys getting lost and trying to get back to Andy before he moves away seems to be done by other films and better. However, it’s still a classic in every way.
#14: “Finding Dory” (2016)
After thirteen long years, we finally got a sequel to the incredible Finding Nemo. What we got in 2016 was a film that to Pixar enthusiasts and Finding Nemo fans caused some controversy. It wasn’t a bad film, in fact it’s a film I can watch any day. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it is just not great compared to Finding Nemo and for this list, not compared to other Pixar films. Basically, Dory remembers her family, gets lost in an aquarium, Nemo and Marlin try to find her, and Dory tries to find her family. The adventure is interesting and is great to watch anytime. It’s just not as good as people wanted it to be.
#13: “Toy Story 2” (1998)
I never liked Toy Story 2 until I rewatched it and realized how great it really is. Woody gets taken, Buzz and other toys try to save him, and Woody ends up in Al’s Toy Barn where he’s going to be shipped away to Japan with a gang of other toys from an old show called Woody’s Roundup. What makes this movie different from other films where someone gets lost is that Woody kind of wants to stay. The fame, how popular he really is, and since he was on a television show. The movie is very well-made, and you really care for the plot and what’s going on.
#12: “WALL-E” (2008)
This film just proves you don’t need much dialogue to make an absolute classic. Directed by Andrew Stanton (who previously directed Finding Nemo), WALL-E is set 700 years in the future at the point when humans have left Earth since it is now a giant trash bag filled with pollution. WALL-E is a robot that cleans up the garbage on Earth until he meets another robot, EVE, who comes looking for life. WALL-E finds a plant in a boot, proof that life is still on Earth. This takes EVE and WALL-E onto the Axiom, the giant ship in space humans live on. The Axiom might be the coolest place in any animated movie I’ve ever seen. Humans move around in chairs since they just eat and drink, and are unbelievably overweight, but the captain now wants to head to Earth because of WALL-E’s discovery. It’s a sweet love story between robots, a comedy between characters, and a beautifully-animated picture.
#11: “Toy Story 4” (2019)
I did like Toy Story 4, but still hate that it’s a thing. Toy Story 3 was a perfect ending to the Toy Story franchise, but we still got 4. While I despise its existence, the film itself is wonderful. First of all, it was definitely nice to see Annie Potts return as Bo Peep, who we hadn’t seen since the second film. The story of Woody getting lost in an antique store now with Bonnie is a great one, but the real stand-out of Toy Story 4 is Forky. At school, Bonnie takes a spork, adds googly eyes, connects with halves of popsicle sticks for feet with clay, and creates Forky. The silly character thinks he’s trash, but it’s all about being there for Bonnie. It’s a sweet conclusion to Toy Story 3 that will make any long-time Toy Story fan start to cry.
#10: “Ratatouille” (2007)
Brad Bird has definitely shown that he can make a darn good Pixar film, directing both Incredibles films and Ratatouille. Set in Paris, Ratatouille features a rat named Remy who wants to become a chef. Linguini is a boy who lives on his own after his mother died and gets a job at the most famous restaurant in all of Paris: Gusteau’s. The comedy features more adult content than any other Pixar film (in my opinion) but still is a great kids movie. Ratatouille is a great film to sit and watch, and is sometimes labeled as the best Pixar movie by many people.
#9: “Incredibles 2” (2018)
I’ve seen many Pixar movie rankings, and most people place Incredibles 2 near the bottom. We waited fourteen long years for a sequel to The Incredibles, and what we got didn’t exceed everyone’s expectations. But that doesn’t make Incredibles 2 a bad movie. Incredibles 2 is one of the coolest and most entertaining animated movies I have ever seen and likely ever will. Shifting the main role, Elastigirl now takes the lead by joining a company DevTech in calling off the new law of superheroes being illegal. The film has some blinking lights, mysterious characters, weird moments, and optical illusions via the villain Screensaver. The film is really cool, just not as good as The Incredibles.
#8: “The Incredibles” (2004)
Speaking of The Incredibles, it sits right next to its brother on the list. The first Incredibles film was a really cool film for being an amazing superhero film but animated and for kids. Dark humor and various explosions in violent sequences just add to the film’s gritty plot of death and a robot called Omnidroid. The family of superheroes through troublesome events and near-death events makes for one of the best films Pixar has given us.
#7: “Soul” (2020)
When it first came out, I wasn’t actually a fan of Soul, until I rewatched it and understood it more. The strong story about the “great before”, as new souls gain personalities. Joe Gardner, a man who lives in New York City, gets his big break and then dies. He’s about to go to the Great Beyond, but escapes and ends up in the Great Before, where souls find what they like and fill in their pass to become an Earth pass so they can go to Earth. Soul 22 is a tough soul, having been at the Great Before for a long time, and while Joe is trying to help her, he’s also trying to get back to Earth. The movie is about life, and enjoying the little things life has to offer. The great lesson enhances the film into a fantastic motion picture. Directed by Pete Docter, who previously showed his talent with Monsters Inc, Up, and Inside Out, Soul was a beautiful film and a great way to wrap up 2020.
#6: “Monsters, Inc.” (2001)
2001’s Monsters, Inc. is both a classic and one of the first Pixar animated movies to make us bawl like an infant. The creativity of Monsters, Inc. goes off the charts with it being set in a world inhabited by monsters that go through doors to the human world to scare children and use their screams to power their city, Monstropolis. But what’s funny is the monsters are scared of the kids, as they think children are toxic and one touch could kill you. So what if a human ends up in the city? Bad things. A little girl Sully (a main character) calls Boo enters Monstropolis and Sully and his best friend Mike Wazowski must keep her away. The sweet connection between Boo and Sully makes for a classic animated film that you still cry at every time.
#5: “Finding Nemo” (2003)
Finding Nemo. A beautiful trip under the sea with fish as main characters. While the idea seems to not be a new idea, the way Finding Nemo structures itself is excellent. On a journey to find his taken son, Marlin (a clownfish) partners up with a forgetful blue tang fish named Dory to find Nemo. The epic journey takes Marlin and Dory to different places across the ocean, before reaching the city of Sydney. What makes the film a ‘Pixar film’ is how Marlin learns to become a better, less overprotective father to Nemo after his wife and all but one of their babies were eaten in the film’s opening moments. The beautiful film is still one I’ll watch anytime, even if it’s just to hear Dory’s hilarious whale sounds.
#4: “Toy Story 3” (2010)
Originally my favorite Pixar feature film, the excellent Toy Story 3 takes the toys to a daycare center after Andy grows up and is going to college. The daycare is “run” by a teddy bear named Latso who took over the school and ends up being the movie’s antagonist. Toy Story 3 is spectacular with a great story, amazing animation, laugh-out-loud comedic moments, and heart-wrenching scenes. Seriously, Disney, do you expect us not to cry while characters from our favorite childhood movies are on a belly of trash in a furnace heading for fire? Or seeing Andy give the toys to Bonnie before leaving for college, playing with them one last time, seeing him leave and hearing Woody say, “So long, partner”? I mean seriously.
#3: “Up” (2009)
Want to cry? Up might be for you. That is, in the first minutes of the film. Pete Docter directed a film about adventure, in which an old man Carl Fredrickson and a boy Russell travel to Paradise Falls in South America. The story takes big turns when Carl meets his childhood hero Charles Muntz, a brave explorer looking for a rare bird that Carl and Russel coincidentally have. The film pulls at your heartstrings multiple times, including the “Married Life” montage and when Carl reads his wife’s adventure book to learn that he was her greatest adventure. The movie’s lesson about not the destination, the journey is shown in a great way.
#2: “Inside Out” (2015)
Pete Docter’s directorial masterpiece from 2015 was, in my opinion, the most creative Pixar film yet. The movie is set inside an 11-year-old girl’s mind, where five emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust) control the girl, Riley, throughout her entire life. However, what happens when Joy and Sadness are lost in her mind? Interesting things. Now only Fear, Anger, and Disgust can control Riley and she starts forgetting to be happy with Joy gone. Inside Out is amazing; a spectacular, hilarious, creative, and yes, sad film. Pixar knocked it out of the park with Inside Out, and it definitely earned that near-$1 billion box office earnings.
#1: “Coco” (2017)
Fun fact: Coco is not only my favorite Pixar film, but my favorite film, period. Coco is a fantastic film about the afterlife, taking audiences into The Land of the Dead with a boy Miguel and his dead ancestors. Coco is an insanely vibrant and entertaining film with its visually beautiful animation and heart-wrenching story. The film also was a great film to celebrate the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos). Funny enough, even though I don’t celebrate DOTD and am not Mexican, I still watch this film at the end of October. It has made me appreciate so many great things about life, and is easily my #1 favorite Pixar film.