Top 10 Pixar Movies

The second Toy Story film in my Pixar top ten has to be the second installment of the franchise, Toy Story 2. Proving that Pixar is king when it comes to quality sequels Toy Story 2 left me astonished at how consistently brilliant the Toy Story films were, bringing fresh new ideas and brilliant new characters to the table. Toy Story 2 never really felt like an ‘add-on’ to me but a genuinely original film in its own right.

Symbolic of Pixar itself, UP is full of adventure and exploration and is a film that surpassed all my expectations of how human and real a computer animated film could feel. The endearing story of Carl Fredrickson honouring his wife’s memory by travelling to the vivid and colourful ‘Paradise Falls’ is filled with such genuine heartfelt emotion and childlike wonder that for me it was the peak of Pixar’s history so far. It encapsulates everything I love about animated movies, from action and adventure to mystery and amazement.

With a not-so-subtle but equally unintentional comment on global warming and consumer culture Wall-E can appear to be a very serious animated feature indeed. However, through a child’s eyes Wall-E is fun, adventurous entertainment with a brilliantly told story of robot love in the middle. This remains the case for adults if you wish but you can also read more into it too. Wall-E is one of Pixar’s cleverest movies as it relies almost entirely on the quality of the storytelling and the animation as the lead character can’t speak.

If I could have chosen a joint number one for my Pixar top ten I would have put Toy Story up there with Ratatouille and UP sharing the podium. Whilst I think UP has built so brilliantly on the quality and detail of the animation and Ratatouille features my favourite script, Toy Story was where it all began 15 years ago and for that alone it deserves a top three spot. Woody and Buzz are the defining animated kids’ characters to me and Toy Story will always remain the film of my childhood.

A couple of years after Monsters Inc. blew me away with how stunning it looked Finding Nemo came along and impressed me again. The story is a tale of adventure for Nemo who embarks on a journey of discovery in trying to return home. Finding Nemo remains a Pixar classic for its endearing and touching storyline and although I think it’s aimed more at children than adults it still appeals to a massive audience, myself included.

Following the second film closely is the most recent and final release in the franchise Toy Story 3 which I saw in glorious IMAX 3D. First and foremost I think it is the best-looking and most vibrantly animated Toy Story film to date and again Pixar has managed to introduce new characters and a brand new, unique storyline that feel as much a part of the trilogy as Woody and Buzz. Much like the earlier two films also Toy Story 3 has a huge amount of depth offering jokes to both young and old audiences.

The Incredibles is a fantastic Pixar film as it cleverly parodies the age old genre of superhero movies as well as adding it’s own elements of comedy to the mix. The Incredibles could have easily been a straight-forward Pixar superhero film but instead it’s a tongue-in-cheek take on the genre, animated superbly and written with wit and observation.

A few years before UP came out I championed Ratatouille as Pixar’s greatest film and it comes a close second in my top ten Pixar movies list. The plot is a fascinating twist and refreshing take on the ‘talking animated animal movie’ bringing with it originality, creativity and layer upon layer of depth for all the family to enjoy. I have seen Ratatouille more than any other Pixar film and I think that’s a testament to how brilliant the writing is and how fantastic the different threads of the story entwine.

At a time when many people were still emotionally attached to traditional, hand-drawn animated films, there was a substantial amount of resistance to the high-tech animation methods put to use by Pixar. With their sophomore effort, A Bug’s Life, Pixar continued to make their case in favor of the new technology, showing that computer-drawn films could have all the beauty and soul of traditional animated films. After this charming and lovingly rendered film, only the most stubborn technophobe could continue to discount Pixar’s efforts.

With Monsters Inc. Pixar took a huge leap forward in terms of the possibilities with computer animation and having had the pleasure of seeing it again on blu-ray I can really appreciate how wonderfully creative and unique Monsters Inc. is. I think the story is perhaps one of the most original and innovative that Pixar have dreamt up and harks back to the days when Disney was wowing audiences with their unique ability to appeal to children, teens and adults at the same time.