With the release of Cars 3 this month, and the trailer for Coco coming with it, I thought it might be time to reflect on the animation studio that defined my childhood and shaped modern children’s animation. Here are my rankings of all 18 Pixar feature films, from worst to best. Or more accurately, great to least good.
18. Cars 2

[Disney/Pixar via The Pixar Times]
This is the only Pixar film to feel legitimately dumb, and not to be mean, but the song that plays in the credits is among the worst songs I’ve ever heard. Only click that link if you’re feeling brave. And speaking of:
17. Brave

[Disney/Pixar via Telegraph.co.uk]
I’d be interested to see Chapman’s version of the film, because the Brave that was released is kind of a mess. It also bothers me that it beat out the thoughtful, moving, Paranorman for best animated feature at the 2012 Oscars. Made me feel like the academy just blindly votes for Pixar every year.
In summary, Brave has it’s moments, but never really comes together.
16. Cars

[Disney/Pixar via Variety]
The racing sequences at the beginning and end are okay, but the main story, about a race car needing to slow down and appreciate small town life, doesn’t really work. It would help if any of the “small town life” was interesting. Instead, the setting is boring, and the cast is mostly thin stereotypes, with unnecessary characters that make you wonder if they’ve been included just to sell more toys. Plus, the aforementioned Mater the tow truck, almost as annoying here as he is in Cars 2. Not even the last performance of the late Paul Newman can save this one.
15. The Good Dinosaur

[Disney/Pixar via Variety]
14. Cars 3

[Disney/Pixar via Minnesota Connected]
Cars 3 will never be considered one of Pixar’s best, but it’s a good little movie all the same.
13. Monster’s University

[Disney/Pixar via FilmTakeout.com]
12. Finding Dory

[Disney/Pixar via Youtube]
11. A Bug’s Life

[Disney/Pixar via Film Takeout.com]
10. Finding Nemo

[Disney/Pixar via IntoFilm.com]
9. Monster’s Inc.

[Disney/Pixar via Entertainment Weekly]
8. Toy Story

[Disney/Pixar via BBC.com]
7. Wall-E

Disney/Pixar via Sky.com]
The cliche complaint about Wall-E is that the opening half hour is way better than the rest of the movie, which is a little bit true. If we’re being honest, Pixar always nails the first act of all it’s movies, but doesn’t always deliver to that level of quality for the rest of the film, which is a problem not at all unique to Wall-E. Putting that aside, Wall-E is still a very good movie, and a surprisingly dark vision of the future. It borders on preachy at times, but this is kept in check by just how charming and fun the main characters are, despite never speaking a word. Veteran sound designer Ben Burtt, who worked on Star Wars and Indiana Jones, crafts distinct audio personalities for the cast of robot characters, really bringing them to life.
Director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Finding Dory) delivers his best film thus far, filling the movie with striking images, memorable sequences. He also keeps things moving fast enough that kids don’t get bored, while still providing us with satisfying character moments.
6. Toy Story 3

[Disney/Pixar via Apple Trailers]
One thing I’d like to highlight though, which isn’t talked about as much, is just how suspenseful Toy Story 3 is. This movie makes the children’s day care it takes place in genuinely scary, which isn’t easy. Lotso’ Huggin’ Bear is an all time great Pixar villain, and the movie knows exactly when to ratchet up the intensity for our heroes, and when to ease back and provide some comic relief. I do think the ending verges on being overly sentimental, but for the most part Toy Story 3 is one of Pixar’s finest, and the truly rare great threequel.
5. Toy Story 2

[Disney/Pixar via Youtube]
The main adventure story feels sweeping and high stakes, while Woody’s identity crisis feels small scale and personal. All of this pays off into one of Pixar’s best climaxes, a suspenseful escape from an airport baggage claim. With the possible exception of one other film on this list (#2), there is no Pixar movie I have more of a blast watching than this one.
4. Ratatouille

[Disney/Pixar]
3. Up

[Disney/Pixar]
2. The Incredibles

[Disney/Pixar via AnimationFascination.com]
Does it center Director Brad Bird’s weird philosophy about society holding “special” people back and “normal” people needing to get out of their way? Yes, but minute by minute, punch for punch, The Incredibles is so good that none of that really matters. What could be better than that?
Well…
1. Inside Out

[Disney/Pixar via New York Times]
In an interview with Vulture, he described the changes in his daughter that inspired the film:
“[She was] full of energy and goofiness and then yeah, Eleven. “ It was pretty quick — like, Oh, she’s really different now.”
-Pete Docter
So faced with his changing daughter, and his changing relationship with her, Docter made Inside Out, to help understand his daughter, and perhaps himself, better. For me, this is why the film works so well. When Riley decides to open up to her family, and her father opens up right back, Docter is not only extending a metaphorical helping hand to his daughter, he’s also extending to the audience.
Inside Out is the rare children’s film that shows sadness as not only a part of life, but a necessary and important one. Just like Toy Story 3 tried to help ease a teenage audience into adulthood, Inside Out aims to ease it’s younger viewers into adolescence, and help out those of us who never learned this particular lesson. There’s a million great things about this movie, but my favorite is what an unapologetically compassionate movie it is, one that goes a long way in justifying how often Pixar attempts to make us cry.
It’s the most direct exploration of emotion in children’s entertainment this side of Mr. Rogers, and it’s my favourite Pixar film of all time.