In the 30 years since the release of Toy Story, Pixar has established a track record of producing critic- and audience-beloved stories. But let's be real: There are distinct hierarchies within this catalog, and many people have very strong opinions about where each of these movies might fall, especially when it comes to the sequels. So we recently asked our Pop Culture Happy Hour listeners to help answer a (perhaps) impossible question: What is the best Pixar movie?
Each participant could vote for no more than three films. Evil, we know; just call us Emperor Zurg.
Below you'll find their top 10 picks, based on more than 2,500 votes. A couple quick notes/caveats: Voting took place before Pixar's latest feature Elio was released, so it didn't factor into this ranking, though you can hear our thoughts in the podcast episode about that film here. And of the 28 features that were in the running, all but one sad, strange little film — 2022's Lightyear — received at least one vote. It has our pity.
To infinity, and beyond!
10. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Many fans claim this as the best of the franchise, so its place in the top 10 is almost a given. That final act is an emotional doozy, with our dear gang forced to reckon with their own mortality in the face of a trash-heap incinerator. (Or should I say, toytality? I'll … see myself out.) And then, of course, there's the lovely farewell to Andy, the boy who's been the center of their worlds, especially Woody's, for oh so long, but is now venturing off to college. It's a fitting, beautiful conclusion to the series that started it all — or at least it should've been, if only Pixar weren't so keen on tapping this well until it's damn near arid. (Toy Story 5 is slated for 2026. *sigh*) —Aisha
9. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Is it blasphemous to say I think this should be ranked higher? Well, so be it. Put this thing up higher where it belongs or so help me! This remains one of Pixar's most richly conceived premises to date, and it all comes together to create a vivid world full of memorable characters (Mike Wazowski!), clever sight gags and an ending that could have been cloying but instead will melt even the iciest of hearts. The way Sully's face lights up when he returns to Boo's bedroom closet door and she lets out an adorably ecstatic "Kitty!" is the stuff that dreams are made of. —Aisha
8. Ratatouille (2007)
On paper, this should not work: A Parisian rat with a sophisticated palate helps a restaurant garbage boy rise through the kitchen's ranks to become a renowned chef. But that outlandish premise makes the film's creative feats even more impressive. Remy the rat is cute and endearing! You can't help but set aside those gag reflexes and root for the little guy. And while this is one of many films that leans a little too heavily on the strongly unflattering depiction of a critic, even I can't help but be moved by the moment ruthless restaurant connoisseur Anton Ego experiences the pure, nostalgia-fueled ecstasy of that ratatouille meal, as prepared by an epicurean rodent. —Aisha
7. The Incredibles (2004)
We're in the midst of a huge wave of live-action remakes of animated classics. And if those remakes have taught us one thing, it's that animation can allow storytellers to work with remarkable efficiency: Just compare the runtimes of, say, the two versions of Lilo & Stitch or the two versions of How to Train Your Dragon. That might provide one sense of what makes The Incredibles one of the best superhero movies ever made: It's not larded with confusing lore, clunky visual effects or overlong battle scenes, leaving writer-director Brad Bird to fill the screen with light-on-its-feet action, wild humor ("NO CAPES!") and thoughtful commentary on how superheroes might struggle to balance heroism and supernatural abilities with the mundane realities of aging, assimilation and family life. —Stephen
5 (tie). Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story gets — and deserves — plenty of credit for proof of concept: It's the massive success that launched Pixar as a global phenomenon, demonstrated the power and possibility of computer animation, introduced iconic characters such as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and set the stage for some of the best sequels in history. But it's not just a template-setter; it's also a dynamite standalone film, with warm and iconic performances (from Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, et. al) and a sweet story in which toys learn their true purpose. Those sequels hit so hard, and address such powerful themes, in part because they're built atop some of the most powerful bedrock imaginable. —Stephen
5 (tie). Coco (2017)
Two words: "Remember me." And more: All of Pixar's films have been about the strengths and cracks in family bonds in some way or another, but Coco's take is arguably the studio's most complex and profound exploration of the subject. It sweetly and thoughtfully melds Mexican tradition with a plot that questions the stories we tell ourselves and pass on across generations. Visually, it's a stunner, especially the rendering of the colorful, electrifying Land of the Dead. And of course there's the music, and Miguel's beautiful moment with Mama Coco near the film's end, which rivals the opening scene in Up and the departure of Bing Bong in Inside Out as the ultimate Pixar tearjerker. —Aisha
4. Up (2009)
After an old-timey newsreel feeds us a few big gulps of exposition, Up delivers the greatest eight-and-a-half minutes in Pixar's history: the telling of two intertwined life stories that play out as funny, kind-hearted, empathetic, occasionally wrenching montage. In a frequently wordless scene that establishes Ellie and Carl's different but wonderfully matched personalities, director Pete Docter oversees a master class in character development, movie scoring (by Michael Giacchino, who rightly won an Oscar), stakes-setting and seed-planting. As wild and swashbuckling as Up gets, it's the callbacks and the memories of Ellie — all established in those eight-and-a-half minutes — that give the movie its resonance. And leave it to Pixar to create a sweet comic-relief dog (oh, Dug…) and then actually write him some of the funniest, most quotable jokes around. —Stephen
3. Finding Nemo (2003)
A staple of movie theaters, DVD players and TV showrooms, Finding Nemo checked every box upon its release in 2003: With its shimmering, deep-blue color palette, it's stunning to look at. It's packed with jokes, action, perils and funny side characters. It's exquisitely acted, particularly by leads Albert Brooks (as Marlon) and Ellen DeGeneres (as Dory, who got her own sequel 13 years later), as Finding Nemo weaves between underwater adventure and anxious meditations on grief, parenthood, responsibility, risk, found family and loss. More than two decades later, it hasn't aged a day. —Stephen
2. WALL-E (2008)
This was inevitable. It's made many "best of" and "greatest" lists, including the 2012 Sight & Sound poll from the British Film Institute. Heck, it even became the first Pixar feature to enter into the Criterion Collection. But I'm sorry, folks: That opening sequence, stunner though it is, is doing an astronomical amount of heavy lifting here. The drop-off in quality for the rest of the film is jarring and, frankly, more than a little frustrating. Wall-E's adorable, though. —Aisha
1. Inside Out (2015)
On one hand, the stakes in Inside Out seem relatively modest: Will an 11-year-old girl named Riley make a bad decision in the wake of her family's cross-country move? But its real story is about nothing less than the life of the mind — and the many factors and emotions that compel us to not only act the way we act, but feel the way we feel. Amy Poehler leads a brilliant cast as Joy, The Office's Phyllis Smith is a revelation as Sadness, Richard Kind gives quite possibly his Richard Kindiest performance as (sniffle) Bing Bong… everyone here is grand. But what really endures about Inside Out is the clarity it's offered to a generation of kids — and their parents — about their own brains, and about the jobs our many emotions are there to do. —Stephen
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