Pixar is known for making imaginative, heartwarming movies that are enjoyable for kids and adults alike. Since the first Toy Story in 1995, the studio has continued to bring us animated storytelling that taps into the human experience in unexpected, humbling and beautiful ways.
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Its filmmakers have explored our struggles with tragedy, loss and grief (including even questions about the meaning of life), as well as our experiences with love, family and friendship.
All 27 Pixar Animation Studios delve into emotional themes in different ways, which makes ranking them no easy task. It’s inevitable this list will ruffle some feathers, but it’s a testament to how much these movies mean to audiences.
In determining rankings, we examined five key attributes of each film: plotline, characters, depth, cultural impact and rewatchability. This helped with the tough task of figuring out which of these truly great Pixar movies should top the list.
Here’s our ranking of the best Pixar movies in order of least crowd-pleasing to the most beloved.
Screenshot by Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="2" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"foto2.jpg","caption":"","credits":"Disney/Pixar","imageData":{"id":"25572282-3505-4e21-896b-2fc1cff0a28b","title":"'The Good Dinosaur'","filename":"foto2.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/hub/2015/12/28/25572282-3505-4e21-896b-2fc1cff0a28b/foto2.jpg","caption":"
¿Qué habría ocurrido si un meteorito gigantesco no hubiese chocado con la Tierra, salvando a los dinosaurios de la extinción? Ese mundo diferente, en el que los animales evolucionan y los humanos son las mascotas, es la premisa de The Good Dinosaur (2015).
Best known for its stellar animation, The Good Dinosaur is an incredibly heartfelt film that will leave anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast empathizing with lead character Arlo, the black sheep of the family. It’s a solid movie, but because Pixar’s other films have set the bar really high in terms of creativity and storytelling, we’re placing this one at number 24, as some of the scenes are a bit slower and redundant. (What’s this? Yet another animal attack?)
Watching this Finding Nemo sequel felt like experiencing deja vu. (A lost fish looking for its parents? That sounds awfully familiar…) The film borrowed a little too heavily from the winning storyline of its predecessor, and without the same emotional depth. Still, it’s a fun journey into what made Dory, a blue tang fish with memory loss, who she is.
Disney/Pixar
While a fun coming-of-age story about a sea monster who yearns to live on land, Luca doesn’t offer up the same level of storyline creativity or emotional depth as many of Pixar’s other films (that is, I didn’t tear up while watching this one, which is always a shame). But it’s still a lively film packed with adventure and suspense and beautiful animations of the Italian seaside town where it takes place.
Disney/Pixar
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="8" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"Cars.png","caption":"","credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageData":{"id":"594e30e9-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","title":"Cars","filename":"Cars.png","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/hub/2009/05/28/594e30e9-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/Cars.png","caption":"\"Cars\" was Pixar's seventh feature film, released in 2006, and earning $462 million. It was the last film Pixar produced before it was bought by Disney.
\"Cars,\" which was based on the live-action film, \"Doc Hollywood,\" featured a cast of, well, cars. The main character, Lightning McQueen, is a brash rookie race car who ends up stuck in a small Southwestern town. The film achieved a notable technological innovation, implementing computerized procedural animation to display 300,000 individual car \"fans,\" a process neither Pixar nor any other studio had done before.
\"Cars 2\" is now in pre-production and should hit theaters in 2011.","size":309772,"width":555,"height":314,"dateCreated":{"date":"2009-05-28 10:54:33","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"dateUpdated":{"date":"2010-06-04 14:07:10","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"needsModeration":false,"mimeType":"image/png","deleted":false,"credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","alt":"Cars.png","restricted":false,"startDate":null,"endDate":null,"preferred":false,"watermark":false,"doNotCrop":false,"doNotResize":false,"primaryCollection":null,"vanityUrl":null,"notes":null,"crop":null,"cropGravity":0,"preservedRegion":null,"isNew":false,"keywords":[],"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false,"typeName":"content_image"},"uuid":"594e30e9-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","imageAltText":"Cars.png","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageFilename":"Cars.png","imageDateCreated":"2009/05/28","imageWidth":555,"imageHeight":314,"imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” overridecaption=”” overridecredit=”Pixar Animation Studios” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__bb0068f2-ce6e-467d-9aa6-70f7c8850989″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Anthropomorphism is Pixar’s magic power, which it executes well in Cars. There’s a smattering of laughs amid lessons about the dangers of superficiality, as well as an underlying commentary on our obsession with celebrity culture. It’s one of those movies that seems to appeal more to younger audiences, with its flashy scenes and thinner storyline, but it’s still the best pick from the Cars franchise.
Screenshot by Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="10" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"BugsLife.png","caption":"","credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageData":{"id":"5961573a-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","title":"A Bug's Life","filename":"BugsLife.png","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/2009/05/28/5961573a-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/BugsLife.png","caption":"Pixar's second feature, 1998's \"A Bug's Life,\" was also fully computer generated, and also a major hit for the studio. Worldwide, it earned $363 million.
The film, which was said to be a loosely based parody of Aesop fable \"The Ant and the Grasshopper,\" came out shortly after the DreamWorks CG feature, \"Antz.\" At the time, many people were curious about how two computer-generated films about ants and other bugs came out so close together.","size":346004,"width":555,"height":312,"dateCreated":{"date":"2009-05-28 10:54:33","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"dateUpdated":{"date":"2013-07-25 10:31:15","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"needsModeration":false,"mimeType":"image/png","deleted":false,"credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","alt":"BugsLife.png","restricted":false,"startDate":null,"endDate":null,"preferred":false,"watermark":false,"doNotCrop":false,"doNotResize":false,"primaryCollection":null,"vanityUrl":null,"notes":null,"crop":null,"cropGravity":0,"preservedRegion":null,"isNew":false,"keywords":[],"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false,"typeName":"content_image"},"uuid":"5961573a-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","imageAltText":"BugsLife.png","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageFilename":"BugsLife.png","imageDateCreated":"2009/05/28","imageWidth":555,"imageHeight":312,"imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” overridecaption=”” overridecredit=”Pixar Animation Studios” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__d149faf7-7205-402c-8d21-f99ec8ca37c0″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
A creative peek into what goes on in the world of insects, A Bug’s Life finds strength in its wit and originality. It’s a true adventure and an early testament to Pixar’s remarkable storytelling.
Pixar
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This felt like the sequel that didn’t need to happen, especially after Toy Story 3 ended on such a strong (and heartbreaking) note. There are still some fun sequences sprinkled throughout, but this fourth installment lacks the solid comedy and gripping plot that made the first three Toy Story films resonate. Nevertheless, we’re introduced to loveable new characters like Forky, who provides a good dose of laughs.
Disney/Pixar
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Time period wise, Brave takes place during the Dark Ages in Scotland and is far before any other film in the timeline. The most important factor of this movie is that it introduces magic to the universe through a mysterious witch (who will be important later on). This magic can bring inanimate objects to life, turn humans into animals, and create portals in doors.
There are plenty of stories centered on a headstrong child longing to carve their own path, but Brave levels up that oft-repeated narrative with a powerful female lead, hilarious characters and sprinklings of magic. It’s a touching tribute to mother-daughter relationships and a gripping adventure all the way through.
Pixar
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="16" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"ratatouille","caption":"","credits":"Walt Disney Pictures","imageData":{"id":"b9a07085-65e3-438e-a561-d0582ef04ae5","title":"2007: Ratatouille","filename":"ratatouille.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/2017/06/12/b9a07085-65e3-438e-a561-d0582ef04ae5/ratatouille.jpg","caption":"
Like in finding Dory, this continues the progression of animal/human evolution. The star of this movie is a rat who spends so much time with humans that he eventually becomes the best chef in France (and maybe the world).
Here’s a movie I would have loved to hear getting pitched. This story, about a rat who dreams of becoming a chef and enlists the help of a garbage boy to try to make that a reality, brings the beauty of Paris and its food scene to life. It plays well into the irony of a rat yearning to be in the kitchen — a place he’s least wanted — and delivers a touching message: “Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
Pixar has really defined its ability to tap into life’s deepest questions and struggles, and Soul is a prime example. The film instills a sense of wonder through its dreamy concept of the afterlife, delicately hedging the heaviness of death and illustrating the beauty of life and our lasting impact. It’s one of a handful of movies on this list that will make you reflect on your life’s purpose, which is a much deeper takeaway than you’ll get from most animated films.
Pixar
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="20" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"MonstersInc.png","caption":"","credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageData":{"id":"5959bf25-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","title":"Monster's Inc.","filename":"MonstersInc.png","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/2009/05/28/5959bf25-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/MonstersInc.png","caption":"Pixar's fourth all-CG feature, 2001's \"Monsters, Inc.,\" earned $525 million worldwide, and centered around two main characters played by Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Goodman's character, Sulley, is known as the star performer at Monsters, Inc., the power company for the city of Monstropolis. The company produces power by sending monsters through portals into the closets of sleeping children and harnessing the energy from the kids' screams. Sulley is seen as the most successful scarer.
\"Monsters, Inc.\" was notable at the time for the innovations Pixar developed in using computer graphics to animate Sulley’s realistic looking fur, the first time such a process had been done on film. It earned $525 million worldwide.","size":312025,"width":555,"height":313,"dateCreated":{"date":"2009-05-28 10:54:10","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"dateUpdated":{"date":"2010-06-04 14:07:10","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"needsModeration":false,"mimeType":"image/png","deleted":false,"credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","alt":"MonstersInc.png","restricted":false,"startDate":null,"endDate":null,"preferred":false,"watermark":false,"doNotCrop":false,"doNotResize":false,"primaryCollection":null,"vanityUrl":null,"notes":null,"crop":null,"cropGravity":0,"preservedRegion":null,"isNew":false,"keywords":[],"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false,"typeName":"content_image"},"uuid":"5959bf25-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","imageAltText":"MonstersInc.png","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageFilename":"MonstersInc.png","imageDateCreated":"2009/05/28","imageWidth":555,"imageHeight":313,"imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” overridecaption=”” overridecredit=”Pixar Animation Studios” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__64afb8d4-e7d0-478e-8bf6-8ee43e8ded60″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
Turning a common childhood fear of monsters into a surprisingly touching film is nothing short of storytelling genius. Monsters, Inc., about a scare factory powered by the screams of human kids, follows the unlikely bond formed between two monsters and a little girl dubbed Boo, setting the stage for yet another intriguing and heartwarming story.
Disney/Pixar
<div data-id data-cy="shortcodeListicle" data-location="LIST" data-position="22" edition="us" imagegroup="{"alt":"ToyStory2.png","caption":"","credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageData":{"id":"598ba3db-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","title":"Toy Story 2","filename":"ToyStory2.png","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/2009/05/28/598ba3db-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/ToyStory2.png","caption":"Based on the success of the original \"Toy Story,\" Disney–which back then had a distribution deal with Pixar–asked Pixar to return to the well with a straight-to-video sequel, \"Toy Story 2.\" But Disney was highly impressed with the in-progress work they saw on the film and instead asked Pixar to complete the film for theatrical release. It hit theaters in 1999 and earned $485 million worldwide.
Originally commissioned outside the terms of a five-picture distribution deal between Pixar and Disney, \"Toy Story 2\" became a centerpiece in a long-running dispute between the two companies, since Pixar felt the film should count as one of the five projects and Disney felt otherwise. Eventually, the bad blood between the companies would result in Pixar’s 2004 decision not to team up on distribution with Disney after the five-picture deal ended. However, when Disney CEO Michael Eisner left the company, the door opened for new relations between the companies, and in fact, Disney ended up buying Pixar outright, making Steve Jobs the largest Disney shareholder. Later this year, Disney and Pixar will release both \"Toy Story\" and \"Toy Story 2\" as a Digital 3D double feature, and \"Toy Story 3,\" now in production, is scheduled for a 2010 release. ","size":344052,"width":555,"height":313,"dateCreated":{"date":"2009-05-28 10:54:09","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"dateUpdated":{"date":"2013-07-25 10:31:15","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"needsModeration":false,"mimeType":"image/png","deleted":false,"credits":"Pixar Animation Studios","alt":"ToyStory2.png","restricted":false,"startDate":null,"endDate":null,"preferred":false,"watermark":false,"doNotCrop":false,"doNotResize":false,"primaryCollection":null,"vanityUrl":null,"notes":null,"crop":null,"cropGravity":0,"preservedRegion":null,"isNew":false,"keywords":[],"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false,"typeName":"content_image"},"uuid":"598ba3db-f0ff-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc","imageAltText":"ToyStory2.png","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Pixar Animation Studios","imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageFilename":"ToyStory2.png","imageDateCreated":"2009/05/28","imageWidth":555,"imageHeight":313,"imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” overridecaption=”” overridecredit=”Pixar Animation Studios” usepricing=”false” data-key=”cnetlisticle__1381bdd2-f6da-4023-acbb-0a2814920a26″ position=”NaN” contenttype=”Best List” pagelayout=”Default – Article Page” showdetails=”true” class=”c-shortcodeListicle g-border-thin-light-top g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium g-inner-spacing-left-large g-inner-spacing-right-large g-inner-spacing-bottom-xlarge g-outer-spacing-bottom-large g-border-thin-light-bottom g-border-thin-light-right g-border-thin-light-left”>
This second installment in the Toy Story franchise maintains the wonder and comedy that made the original stand out. It also effectively builds on the plot, avoiding the pitfalls of many sequels that simply regurgitate the events and themes of their predecessors.
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Pixar’s imagination kicks into high gear in Inside Out, one of the deepest, most thought-provoking films out there. The movie poignantly characterizes a range of human emotions and illustrates the impact and importance of each one, both the good and the “bad.” This is one of those rare films that’s as amusing and stimulating for younger audiences as it is for older viewers, and will leave you pondering its meaning long after the credits roll.
Pixar
Nothing compares to that heart-wrenching montage near the movie’s opening (if you know, you know). Throughout the film, Up taps into feelings of love, loss and closure, creating a touching story about the power of opening up, letting go and setting your emotions free. In addition to some tear-jerking scenes, Up also offers its fair share of laughs by pairing Russell, a jubilant, curious boy, with Carl Fredricksen, a cranky old man — which also leads to some surprisingly tender moments.
With a cast of memorable characters, a touching storyline, strong punchlines and animation that’s aged remarkably well, Toy Story is as timeless as it gets. The film, about toys that come to life when humans aren’t looking, compellingly taps into childhood wonder and imagination. As Pixar’s first full-length feature and the first fully computer-animated movie, Toy Story has also had an undeniable impact on the film industry, setting the stage for the countless computer-animated films that came after it. It stands out as a movie that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it, or how old you are.
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