THE LIST: EVERY PIXAR MOVIE – WORST TO BEST

From its humble beginnings within Lucasfilm to its boom years as an independent Hollywood force to its 2006 purchase by one-time competitor Disney, Pixar Animation Studios has always been a marketplace juggernaut. From their first feature, the groundbreaking Toy Story, to their 22^nd and most recent effort, the contemporary fairy tale Onward, Pixar have dominated the box office, the award seasons and the forefront of technology.

So is every Pixar movie a masterpiece? Well, no. But under founder John Lasseter and with talent such as Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird on the lot, Pixar set themselves a high standard. So, if you had to rank the 22 Pixar films from worst to best, in what order might they fall….? (U.S. release dates; box office courtesy Box Office Mojo; # on Pixar’s box office chart)

22. CARS 2 (Dir: John Lasseter) Released: June 24, 2011
Pixar’s second sequel (twelve years after Toy Story 2) was the first to leave the brand tarnished. At 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, John Lasseter’s soulless sequel is the most critically unpopular by a long way. First (but not the last) time that the studio greenlit a project with an eye on the black ink. 
Global Box Office: US$559,852,396.00 (#12)

21. FINDING DORY (Dir: Andrew Stanton) Released: June 17, 2016.
Peter Sohn’s The Good Dinosaur was proving a troublesome beast (see below), so Pixar fast-tracked this sequel to its hottest property to help meet profit projections. And it feels rushed, undercooked, manufactured, and manipulative. Thirteen years after Finding Nemo charmed the world, it’s waterlogged sequel tanked critically.
Global Box Office: US$1,028,570,889.00 (#4) 

20. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (Dir: Dan Scanlon) Released: June 21, 2013
Lasseter and his team are five years under the Disney roof, and the new owners want to see some of that Pixar cartoon coin. So properties like Monsters Inc besties Mike and Sully are marketed to the max, led by this strained college campus comedy. A few laughs, but doesn’t make the grade. 
Global Box Office: $743,559,607.00 (#8)

19. CARS (Dir: John Lasseter) Released: June 9, 2006
Car-nut Lasseter was wooed over to Disney when they agreed to throw their distribution might behind his passion project. But something was off-key. Cars don’t anthropomorphise like fish or toys or bugs; the world building and unappealing characters rang false, even when the colours popped.
Global Box Office: $461,983,149.00 (#17)

18. CARS 3 (Dir: Brian Fee) Released: June 16, 2017
Promoted from within, director Brian Fee recaptures a little bit of that Pixar magic, albeit in the service of a formulaic hero’s journey. Bolstered by good racetrack sequences and a reduced role for the never-funny Mater, it’s ok.
Global Box Office: $383,930,656.00 (#18) 

17. ONWARD (Dir: Dan Scanlon) Released: March 6, 2020
By 2020, Hollywood animation has developed a certain aesthetic, drawn from years of trying to emulate Pixar’s style (and success). Onward, a road-trip brother-buddy story set in a contemporary fairy-tale world, represents the studio finally chasing it’s own tail; it feels like a competing studio’s Pixar rip-off.
Global Box Office: $74,395,049.00 (#22; still in release)

16. TOY STORY 3 (Dir: Lee Unkrich) Released: June 18, 2010
Lee Unkrich’s first solo outing in the Pixar helming chair takes the deeper, sadder thematic subtexts of the previous franchise instalments and lays them on thick. Toy Story 3 is a miserable film, its dour colour palette and ‘existential dread’ narrative throughline a total bummer.
Global Box Office: $1,066,969,703.00 (#3) 

15. THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Dir: Peter Sohn) Released November 25, 2015
Pixar’s first official ‘troubled production’. Original creatives Bob Peterson and John Walker were walked late into production; the film was reworked extensively, with many of the cast recalled to voice new scenes. Disney shuffled the release - November 2013 to May 2014 to November 2015. The end result is a jagged but not unlikable adventure, filled with nice imagery. Lost heaps of money.
Global Box Office: $332,207,671.00 (#21)

14. INCREDIBLES 2 (Dir: Brad Bird) Released: June 15, 2018
Highly anticipated, and not without ambition, Pixar’s latest long overdue Part II (this time, 14 years) ultimately can’t escape the Pixar ‘sequel curse’. Brad Bird, the studio’s ‘Golden Boy’ after The Incredibles and Ratatouille, needed to bounce back from his costly George Clooney misfire Tomorrowland; he directs Incredibles 2 like there’s a gun to his head.
Global Box Office: $1,242,805,359.00 (#1) 

13.  TOY STORY 2 (Dir: John Lasseter) Released: November 24, 1999
Giddy with the success of Buzz and Woody’s landmark first adventure, Lasseter directs their new film with contagious glee. All colour and movement, with Hanks and Allen leading the best voice cast ever, Toy Story 2 is old-school family-friendly animation that doesn’t break new ground and has a lot of fun doing it.
Global Box Office: $487,059,677.00 (#16) 

12. BRAVE (Dirs: Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman) Released: June 22, 2012
Much was made of ‘Merida’ being Pixar’s first female lead, and Brenda Chapman their first woman (co)director. And the first two acts of Brave deliver on the promise that pairing held – fiercely determined heroine, stunning visuals, strong narrative. It implodes in Act 3, when things turn a bit ‘Disney’-safe; well-documented ‘creative differences’ behind the scenes are obvious.
Global Box Office: $538,983,207.00 (#13) 

11. A BUG’S LIFE (Dir: John Lasseter) Released: November 25, 1998
The more buoyant, family-friendly of the two ‘animated insect’ movies (though Dreamworks’ Antz holds up better). In 1998, Pixar were still enjoying the ‘New Disney’ warmth from industry and audiences alike. A Bug’s Life comes very much from that mindset – colourful, sweet natured, witty and warm.
Global Box Office: $363,258,859.00 (#20) 

10. MONSTER’S INC (Dir: Pete Doctor) Released: November 2, 2001
Lasseter launched the brand, but arguably Pixar’s star director is Pete Doctor. He launched the first of his three Pixar classics in 2001 with Monsters Inc, a slice of near-perfect world building with two wonderfully ‘Odd Couple’ buddies out front of a deceptively moving story about friendship and innocence.
Global Box Office: $528,773,250.00 (#14) 

9. TOY STORY (Dir: John Lasseter) Released: November 22, 1995
It is easy to look at Pixar’s first feature and not recall what a shift in the animation sector paradigm it represented. Buzz and Woody are to the Pixar empire as Mickey (and, later, Beauty and The Beast) were to Disney. Only advancements in technology keep Toy Story from a Top 5 placing.
Global Box Office: $364,545,516.00 (#19) 

8. RATATOUILLE (Dir: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava) Released: June 29, 2007
Much like it’s hero, a rat with Michelin-level kitchen skills, Ratatouille lives in a place on the Pixar roster that posits it as an underdog of sorts. It is more overtly adult in its story-telling and further enhanced the Pixar palette, with images as beautiful as anything the company has produced. It is adored, yet in an understated way usually reserved for works of art, which seems appropriate.
Global Box Office: $623,722,818.00 (#11) 

7. FINDING NEMO (Dir: Andrew Stanton) Released: May 30, 2003
Another company-defining title, in the same league, both critically and commercially, as Toy Story. A truly funny character comedy, immeasurably enhanced by lead voice-actors Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres (who both polished their dialogue), it also soars as a study in family bonds, fulfilling a destiny and the joys of a broader worldview. Just keep swimming…   
Global Box Office: $871,014,978.00 (#5) 

6. WALL-E (Dir: Andrew Stanton) Released: June 27, 2008
One of the greatest…well, silent movies, space adventures, love stories, take your pick. Stanton’s masterpiece is Pixar’s most far-out adventure, from it’s deep space setting and lil’ leading man, yet speaks to environmental devastation and mankind’s role in making it happen like few contemporary films ever have. Somehow makes mountains of garbage breathtakingly beautiful.
Global Box Office: $521,311,860.00 (#15) 

5. TOY STORY 4 (Dir: Josh Cooley) Released: June 21, 2019
Plays with elements of dark and light – narratively, thematically, visually – like the richly developed, classical fairy tale it ultimately is. Not afraid to get spooky when it needs to (those dolls!) but doesn’t lose touch with the heart and humour that defined the franchise. New kid director Josh Cooley (who’d previously done voice work for Pixar) announces himself as a major storytelling force.
Global Box Office: $1,073,394,593.00 (#2) 

4. UP (Dir: Pete Doctor) Released: May 29, 2009
The opening frames of Pete Doctor’s bittersweet slice of sublime melancholia are already recognised as some of the greatest in modern American film. Ten minutes in, audiences emotions are primed for the next ninety, which deliver laughs (“Squirrel!”) and tears in equal measure. Incredibly, this is not Doctor’s best Pixar movie.
Global Box Office: $735,099,082.00 (#9) 

3. COCO (Dir: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina) Released: November 22, 2017
Detractors have occasionally pointed out that Pixar films have not always been the most ethnically diverse. Coco addresses that with a journey into a young Latino boy’s family history, a musical/fantasy odyssey that transcends its netherworld setting to convey the importance of legacy, creativity and spirituality. Is Remember Me the greatest ever Pixar movie song?
Global Box Office: $807,082,196.00 (#7) 

2. THE INCREDIBLES (Dir: Brad Bird) Released: November 5, 2004
The greatest super-hero movie ever made. Which ought to be praise enough, but Brad Bird’s thrillingly kinetic, retro-outfitted wonder is also a razor-sharp dissection of modern family dynamics, middle-class morality and gender redefinition. And it’s the greatest super-hero movie ever made.
Global Box Office: $631,442,092.00 (#10)

1. INSIDE OUT (Dir: Pete Doctor) Released: June 19, 2015
The premise is cute – a little girl’s emotions (Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness) must help through a family relocation. In Pete Doctor’s hands, Inside Out becomes one of American cinema’s most profound examinations of anxiety, isolation and depression. Yet as it breaks your heart, it still remains a joyous experience. Inside Out is the perfect Pixar film – a flight of vivid imagination, beautifully realised, yet intrinsically human in every aspect. 
Global Box Office: $857,611,174.00 (#6)

TWELVE DAYS OF CINE-MAS: SEVEN CARTOON CLASSICS

TWELVE DAYS OF CINE-MAS
A traditional festive countdown, reflecting upon my 2016 movie-watching moments...

SEVEN CARTOON CLASSICS
“Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive,” said Walt Disney. In 2016, the unique minds of many talented men and women conceived some beautifully profound and wonderfully entertaining animated films….

ZOOTOPIA (Dirs: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush; USA, 108 mins).
Production company: Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Plot: When Judy Hopps becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case, even if that means working with wily fox Nick Wilde.
What the critics said: “In looking humorously — and also sensitively — at the pitfalls of bias and fear-mongering, the terrific script by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston offers a host of essential lessons for our fractious times… It's going to take a lot to beat Zootopia for this year's animated film Oscar.” – Los Angeles Times 

THE RED TURTLE (Dir: Michael Dudok de Wit; France/Belgium, 80 mins)
Production companies: Prima Linea Productions, Why Not Productions, Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch.
Plot: A man marooned on a desert island tries desperately to escape, until one day he encounters a strange turtle that will change his life.
What the critics said: “[This] tiny artistic treasure might as well be the adaptation of a little-known Hans Christian Andersen classic, or else perhaps that of a folk tale brought back from some remote South Pacific island. But no, this captivating archetypal narrative springs from the mind of its director, and the result is the most purely auteurist project to be found at the Cannes Film Festival this year.” – Variety 

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Dir: Travis Knight; USA, 101 mins)
Production company: Laika Entertainment
Plot: Kubo lives a quiet, normal life in a small shore side village until a spirit from the past re-ignites an age-old vendetta. This causes a maelstrom of havoc, as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armour once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.
What the critics said: “The action is gorgeously fluid, the idiosyncratic 3-D visual conceits (including floating eyeballs undersea) are startling, and the story and its metaphors resolve in unexpected and moving ways.” – The New York Times 

LONG WAY NORTH (Dir: Rémi Chayé; France/Denmark, 81 mins)
Production company: Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies
Plot: 1882, Saint Petersburg. Sasha, a young Russian aristocrat, has always been fascinated by her grandfather's life as a renowned explorer. When he fails to return from an expedition to the North Pole, Sasha must save her family's honour, running away to the Great North on her grandfather's trail in search of his famous ship.
What the critics said: “Chayé’s animation removes the outlines of figures, retaining only the blocky colour fills, in a manner that evokes silk-screen prints. It’s visually striking, even when presenting a storm at sea, a rampaging polar bear or a creepy abandoned lifeboat…It’s a beautiful trip, even if it’s a little chilly and sad when it finally gets to where it’s going.” – Washington Post 

YOUR NAME (Dir: Makoto Shinkai; Japan, 106 mins)
Production company: Komikkusu Wêbu Firumu
Plot: Mitsuha and Taki are two total strangers living different lives. But when Mitsuha makes a wish to leave her mountain town for the bustling city of Tokyo, they become connected; she dreams she is a boy living in Tokyo, while Taki dreams he is a girl from a rural town he's never been to. What does their newfound connection mean? And how will it bring them together?
What the critics said: “As the film swings back and forth between mountain shrines and Shinjuku Station, it eloquently and elegantly expresses not only teen confusion but also the tensions between old and new Japan.” – Sight & Sound 

SEOUL STATION (Dir: Sang-ho Yeon; South Korea, 95 mins)
Production Companies: Finecut, Studio Dadashow)
Plot: A prequel to South Korea’s blockbuster zombie epic Train to Busan; Seoul Station becomes Ground zero for a zombie-like outbreak. Soon, the streets are overrun by the infected and the city of Seoul declares martial law. Meanwhile, a runaway teenager named Hye-sun and her boyfriend Ki-woong try to find each other amidst the chaos.
What the critics said: “The film maintains a nihilistic register throughout, and the twist at the end is surprising specifically for how it falls outside of the purview of the zombie genre, instead emerging from the characters’ interpersonal drama prior to the outbreak.” – The Playlist 

SAUSAGE PARTY (Dirs: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon; USA, 89 mins)
Production company: Point Grey Pictures
Plot: The products at Shopwell Grocery Store believe in a code that helps them live happy lives on the shelf before they leave for ‘The Great Beyond’. But a botched attempt at freedom leaves a sausage named Frank stranded, leading to a journey that uncovers the truth behind their beliefs.
What the critics said: “The film’s greatest strength is its screenplay, penned by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, (Seth) Rogen and Rogen’s frequent collaborator, Evan Goldberg. The quartet instil truly fascinating philosophical and religious subtext into the story, which largely plays as an existential tale about finding the meaning of life.” – Screen Rant