Pixar Movie Rankings

Pixar is iconic. It is essentially its own genre. I cannot imagine a childhood without it. I am not a die-hard Pixar fan in the sense that I have seen every single film, nor do I know the ones I have seen by heart (other than a select few), but I still don't feel like a poser when I say I absolutely love Pixar films. Currently, there are nineteen (EDIT 7/6/21: twenty four!) feature-length Pixar films. I have seen thirteen (EDIT 7/6/21: nineteen!). The following is a very personal, subjective ranking of those eighteen films. I will update this list as new films come out, I finally watch older ones, or I change my mind about where the films should fall. Some of these films I have not seen in a very long time, so the numerical rankings are flexible.

#19: Monster's University, 2013, G
I remember liking this film upon seeing it. In hindsight, however, it must not have made a strong impression on me given the fact that I cannot currently recall any of it. For the meantime, I'll put it last. (51/100)

#18: Brave, 2012, PG
Out of all the non-sequel Pixar films, this one ranks last. I found it entertaining. I believe my main issue was that the plot felt incredibly inconsistent. Why showcase her archery skills if they never become plot relevant? What even really was plot relevant? (53/100)

#17: Cars 2, 2011, G
Everyone who has seen this film likely rank it last on their Pixar list. I agree that as far as storyline goes, Cars 2 is the weakest. I rank it higher because there are certain visuals that have stuck with me so strongly from this film, namely seeing all of the animated cities. Seeing the cars in Tokyo was absolutely stunning. (65/100)

#16: Finding Dory, 2016, PG
The only parts of this film that were great were the ones that made me nostalgic for Finding Nemo. Oh, and that incredible shells scene. Other than that, it was kind of a let down. (70/100)

#15: Cars 3, 2017, G
I really enjoyed this film! The music is SO GOOD, and the message was incredibly relevant. It doesn't go higher on the list purely for the fact that it was not an original concept. (75/100)

#14: Wall-E, 2008, G
How dare I put this so low on the list??? Hahaha well, to be honest, I have trouble sitting through it sometimes. The story is incredibly valuable, so you have to see it, but it takes so long to watch. And once you've seen it once, it's difficult to watch again. The visuals really keep this film afloat, but there is extraordinarily little dialogue. This is incredibly intentional, and the film is wildly effective in its ability to tell the story without dialogue, but as a personal choice, I have to rank it lower. (76/100)

#13: Monster's Inc., 2001, G
Another one where I start to ask "How dare I put this so low on the list??" The problem is now, we're getting into the really good Pixar films, where they are all incredible, and it doesn't matter if they rank eighth or second, I'm still going to love it. I just have less personal childhood memories associated with this film in comparison to the others. (85/100)

#12: Onward, 2020, PG

Another difficult one to place because I genuinely thought this movie was extremely good, and had some nice, unexpected twists that subverted my expectations of a Pixar film. That said, the aesthetic isn't as iconic as some of the other films on this list. Before I watched the film, I was just thinking "What are those blue things and why are they blue?" I liked it more for the story than the animation. (85/100)

#11: Luca, 2021, PG

I love Luca for the water aesthetic that is also reminiscent to me of Finding Nemo or, in Disney, The Little Mermaid. I love the film even more for its metaphor for homosexuality, sexual oppression, and coming-of-age/coming out of the closet. However, I think its plot of the triathlon was substandard to some of the other Pixar films. (85/100)

#10: Cars, 2006, G

I think Cars is underrated. It's thought of as one of the worst original Pixar films. But when I recently watched it back, all I could think of was "How do people not like this?? It's SO good!!" And the characters of Lightning McQueen and Mater are just classic. (85/100)

#9: Coco, 2017, PG
This can't go higher on the list because I was an adult when I saw it, so it can never have the same nostalgic value. That said, it is probably the most aesthetically beautiful film on the list. (87/100)

#8: Toy Story, 1995, G
This was the most popular film to come out the year I was born and yet it took me over 20 years to finally sit myself down and watch it. So unfortunately it doesn't carry the nostalgia that it should, given the time it came out, but it is undeniably one of Pixar's most quality films. And my toys had just as much life if not more than these, so I relate. (88/100)

#7: Inside Out, 2015, PG
I study psychology and emotion, so naturally I love this film. It doesn't rank higher for the same nostalgic reasons I put for Coco and Toy Story. (88/100)

#6: Up, 2009, PG
In terms of storyline, I actually think this ranks lower than 6. However, the visuals are iconic, the music is iconic, the characters are iconic... so it has to go high on the list. (89/100)

#5/4: The Incredibles/The Incredibles 2, 2004/2018, PG
Um, yes. I love these films. They have the best action and the best plot, and it's impossible for me to pick one over the other. Maybe in hindsight I will be able to, but for now I just have them as equals. The Incredibles 2 is by FAR the best Pixar sequel ever made, almost surpassing the original for me, whereas every other sequel ranks fairly low on the list. (95/100)

#3: Ratatouille, 2007, G
When I was writing this list, there were only two that I wrote down in pen - my second and first choice. Everything else was written in pencil so I could switch them around, but I was so certain that Ratatouille is one of the best films of all time. The fact that it was downgraded just recently says a lot about my new #2 choice. (97/100)

#2: Soul, 2020, PG

I seriously considered putting this as my new #1 after I watched it, which is NOT a decision I took lightly. I gave it a lot of thought. Soul spoke to me in ways I never could have predicted. Truthfully, it spoke to my soul. I see a lot of similarities between this film and Inside Out, which speaks to emotions. I love that about Inside Out, but something about Soul speaks even deeper - more primal, more passionately. Not to mention, aesthetically, it is up there in the most pleasing films for sure. My #1 choice still beats it out for plot though...

#1: Finding Nemo, 2003, G
This will always be my favorite. It's my favorite story, it has my favorite visuals, favorite characters... one of my favorite films of all time. Never EVER forget this film. (99/100)

This list is absolutely subject to change! Here are the list of unseen Pixar films:
Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, The Good Dinosaur, and A Bug's Life

I know, I know, I haven't seen all the Toy Story films, what am I even doing here talking about Pixar. I don't know. Also, I saw A Bug's Life when I was extremely young, so it doesn't count. I'd probably like all of those unwatched films though.

Coming soon by Pixar will be Soul!

Pixar executives include John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich