Pixar movies - from best to worst

M

My Love

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The most successful studio in film history, by box office. Happily, they've also produced some of the best movies made in the last 13 years. So which is your pecking order? I've seperated mine into the "virtually perfect" and also-rans.

VIRTUALLY PERFECT

1 = Toy Story & Toy Story 2

However brilliant other Pixar movies, perhaps they'll never top this pairing. Both have scripts that are essentially perfect - the first also happened to reinvent animated cinema, the second added surprising depth in the form of a genuine emotional dilemma. The movies all other animations now aspire to.

3 - Wall-e

Their most ambitious film, and the only one since Toy Story 1 where you felt you were watching something entirely new. Ambitious and breathtaking - the first half hour in particular is pure cinema heaven.

4 - The Incredibles

Possibly the most sheer fun of the lot, pound for pound. This bundle of unbridled joy is a fusion of domestic drama, spy and superhero films. Compare with Quantum of Solace and The Dark Knight, and reflect on how these live-action genres have been stolen by brat adults who want everything hyper-violent, dark and leaden. Thank God for Pixar.

5 - Finding Nemo

Doesn't put a foot wrong. The most young-child friendly of the lot, and perhaps therefore the most unappreciated, but this movie works brilliantly on every level. And it has a Thomas Newman score...

6 - Ratatouille

Sumptuous food is matched by the sumptuous visuals. In contrast to Nemo, the most adult of all Pixar's movies, despite the central character being a talking rat. Again, full of joy, but its frame of reference - fine dining - may alienate the youngest audience members.

ALSO RANS

7 - A Bugs Life

Not a bad movie at all, but largely hamstrung by an annoying central character, Flick. Still looks good though, and the minor characters are a treat.

8 - Monsters Inc

This is the one where they got the story wrong. Simply too complex for its own good, both in terms of overall world (powered by screams? A warehouse full of flying doors?!!) and plotting (I defy any child to describe afterwarRAB what actually was going on with the subterfuge in the plant). However, the main characters are wonderful.

9 - Cars

This is the one that should never have been made at all. Fast cars are not a good subject for a cute kiRAB film, and - ghoulsihly - to illustrate the point, co-director Joe Ranft was himself killed when the car he was in smashed through the guard rails on California's (gorgeous) coastal Highway 1 whilst the film was in post production. Given that they made a film about fast cars at all it is good, but...

So there's my order and reasons. Others?
 
I don't think my list will vary too much from yours.

1 - Toy Story 1 & 2. They are just classics and, as you said, redefinded animation and brought it into the 21st century.

2, Wall-E - wonderfully done, amazing detail and it's quite staggering how they managed to make a non talking robot 'cute'. Only let down (slightly) by a unambitious plot.

3, Finding Nemo - I just love this film and think Ellen steals the film. It's a fantastic story.

4, Incredibles - again, a lot of fun in this and moved away from the 'cute' factor.

5, Monsters Inc - I still enjoyed this and recall being very impressed with the detail in the hair of the blue one. Maybe it was a little too complex a story for younger ones?

6 A Bugs Life - just felt too rushed and followed a very basic formula. Couple of nice moments in it though.

7, Cars - the only one I haven't been interested in watching again. Found it very boring and not overly amusing. They didn't manage to make the cars very likeable. Nice animation though.

The only one i've not seen is Ratatouille.

Wasn't Chicken Little one of theirs too? Now that one really did suck but I guess was very much aimed at children.
 
Wall-E
Increadibles
Toy Story
Finding Nemo
Toy Story 2
Monsters Inc
A Bugs Life

Not seen Cars or Ratatouille (although it's on my HD box ready to watch).

What about Dreamworks' rival CG animated films? How would you rate them (alone and against Pixar)?
 
Finding Nemo
Cars
Toy Story
Wall-E
Monsters Inc.


Didn't like the rest.

Have to disagree about Cars, I really like it and my 2 and a half year old son absolutely loves it! :D
 
Chicken Little wasn't Pixar. And BBTime and Assa2 - you have to watch Ratatouille!

I haven't seem masses of Dreamworks and other CG films. I actually thought Antz was better than A Bugs Life (but didn't look anywhere near as good). Madagascar 1 and 2 were fun up to a point (the penguins rock, obviously). Over The Hedge was fun too.

I don't think any of them come close to my top 6 of Pixar's, mind.

Nemo always seems to come out near the top, doesn't it? Interesting how Incredibles seems one of the most divisive - I've heard the criticism that it is aimed too much at adults / teenagers - is that an issue?
 
The Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Toy Story 1 & 2
Ratatouille
Wall-E
Monsters Inc.
A Bug's Life
Cars

Besides Toy Story, the only other natural candidate for a sequel would be The Incredibles (IMO).
However, Pixar is currently working on Cars 2 (a film which was almost universally regarded as their weakest movie). Ho hum.
 
Pixar movies are amazing. Everytime I go to see one in the cinema & they play those little short films at the beginning, it takes me back to going to see the first Toy Story movie when I was wee simply because they have that feel to them that only Pixar can have.

I can't really put them all in a particular order but Toy Story will always be number 1 for me. Also love Toy Story 2, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Cars etc... Incredibles was good but not the best Pixar movie in my opinion.

My little brother got a cute remote control Wall-E for Christmas, I think I like it more than he does.
 
To be honest I like all the pixar, Well nearly all, just as much as the next one. But if I had to make a list it would be probably like this..........maybe, lol.

Toy Story - Have to love it for it's originality, being
the first feature length CG movie.

Finding Nemo - Can't fault this film, Story, Characters (only thing I've ever watched that I enjoyed with Ellen DeGeneres in) and Emotion.

Toy Story 2 - Just as good as the first, Brings a tear to my eye, with Jessie.

Wall-E - An amazing achievement!

Ratatouille - People have said this is too serious, I was like "What the hell are you on about?", I couldn't stop laughing, who ever thought we'd look at rats in a cute way, huh.

Monsters Inc - Billy Crystal and John Goodman.......Need I say more!

The Incredibles Superhero comedy!, at it's best.

Cars - Funny, Entertaining and has just as much Emotion as any other pixar film. Mater is hilarious!














Oh...and A Bugs Life - I agree very rushed, but does have a few moments. I guess thats why there was so much more effort put in to Toy Story 2.

ROLL ON UP! & Toy Story 3!!!!!!
 
Actually I've just been reading about that - a Christmas present was the enormous History Of Pixar - To Infinity and Beyond. It's fab.

The history of Toy Story 2 is amazing. First of all it was planned as straight to video, then everyone went right off that idea and decided to make it properly. It overlapped Bugs Life by a year, with the main crew on Bugs Life. However, things weren't going well on TS2, and by the time Bugs Life finished they took a look at what they had and didn't think it was good enough. They asked Disney to delay release cos they weren't ready, but Disney said no, they couldn't move the release date.

They sent all the knackered animators off for Thanksgiving and Christmas while the top dogs holed up to try to fix the story. They essentially rewrote the whole thing, and this time got it right. Then in January they told their animators the story and said "you've got 9 months" - GO! A third ended up with repetitive strain injury, one person got so sick they left animation altogether, many others took up to a year to recover. But from an audience perspective - it was worth it!

So actually A Bugs Life had all the time and effort (it was technically more demanding than TS2), while TS2 was a rush job...
 
Damn - just looked it up, and yes Cars 2 is slated for 2012. What a waste... I'm a tad cynical, I guess it just does better on the toys than many of their other films (except Toy Story, obviously!)

I agree an Incredibles sequel would be great, and the only one of their movies I'd like to see a sequel to. Brad Bird said this about The Incredibles in 2007:



Here's hoping!

Up looks really interesting, again I admire how they are drawn (ha ha) to new sorts of challenges. Toy Story 3 of course in 2010, then Newt sounRAB great in 2011. The same year there is the fairy tale Brenda and the Bow (hmm... Pixar fairy tale... not sure) then yuk Cars 2 in 2012. Info on these here.
 
I watched an hour something special 'History of Pixar' or summat, I think bugs life had time but not much effort (story and everything), then............Being told you've got 9 months and all the "GO! A third ended up with repetitive strain injury, one person got so sick they left animation altogether, many others took up to a year to recover." that sounRAB like 10 times the effort.
 
From the ones I've seen:

1. Toy Story 2
2. Finding Nemo
3. Monsters Inc.
4. Toy Story
5. Cars

Haven't seen Ratatouille, Wall-E, The Incredibles and A Bug's Life.
 
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