Top 5 Pixar Films
By Austin Johnson
Disney has been a part of so many lives, whether it be one of our first experiences in front of a screen, watching with our kids, or just revisiting past times. Of course Disney is an absolute juggernaut in entertainment, who owns much more than anyone truly knows. But their bread and butter has always been kids films. The pool of all Disney films is far too large for me to choose from, so I’m going to hone in on Pixar, subsidiary of Disney, for this Top 5.
Pixar’s first film, Toy Story was released in 1995, raking in over 300 million dollars and starting a run of films that just can’t be stopped. In June of this year, Pixar will be releasing Toy Story 4, their 21st contribution to the entertainment world. We’ve seen 5 franchises created during this run which consists of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars. Then, the stand alone films, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Brave, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, and Coco. You might find someone who hasn’t seen Brave or The Good Dinosaur, but everyone has seen a good majority of these films. People are obsessed with the stories and characters that Pixar has provided, rightly so, as they have really pushed what an animated film can be. 9 of their projects have won the Oscar for Best Animated Film, and that didn’t become a category until 2002, so I’m sure that number would be higher if the category existed in '95. What’s amazing about the Pixar films is how deep they seem to run. There’s a very talented author named Jon Negroni who wrote this kick ass novel in 2017 called Killerjoy. Before he got that published, he gained notoriety for his astonishing article, The Pixar Theory. He provides an incredible case for all of these films being intertwined in a much deeper way than you can imagine. It is an absolute must read, and I have tons of respect for Mr. Negroni and his efforts to shed some light on Pixar Animation Studios.
We all attach memories to Pixar films, and bond over our love for them. I’m genuinely excited to narrow these down, as I will have some crucial decisions to make. This is a Top 5 that damn near everybody can jump in on. Let’s do it!
Pixar’s first film, Toy Story was released in 1995, raking in over 300 million dollars and starting a run of films that just can’t be stopped. In June of this year, Pixar will be releasing Toy Story 4, their 21st contribution to the entertainment world. We’ve seen 5 franchises created during this run which consists of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars. Then, the stand alone films, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Brave, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, and Coco. You might find someone who hasn’t seen Brave or The Good Dinosaur, but everyone has seen a good majority of these films. People are obsessed with the stories and characters that Pixar has provided, rightly so, as they have really pushed what an animated film can be. 9 of their projects have won the Oscar for Best Animated Film, and that didn’t become a category until 2002, so I’m sure that number would be higher if the category existed in '95. What’s amazing about the Pixar films is how deep they seem to run. There’s a very talented author named Jon Negroni who wrote this kick ass novel in 2017 called Killerjoy. Before he got that published, he gained notoriety for his astonishing article, The Pixar Theory. He provides an incredible case for all of these films being intertwined in a much deeper way than you can imagine. It is an absolute must read, and I have tons of respect for Mr. Negroni and his efforts to shed some light on Pixar Animation Studios.
We all attach memories to Pixar films, and bond over our love for them. I’m genuinely excited to narrow these down, as I will have some crucial decisions to make. This is a Top 5 that damn near everybody can jump in on. Let’s do it!
5.) Monsters Inc. (2001)
“I'm in the zone today, Sullivan. I'm gonna do some
serious scaring, putting up some big numbers.” |
I was a whopping 6 years old when this came out, and my God, was I obsessed. I had a big Sully stuffed animal that talked and an action figure Randall that were extremely prized possessions during my childhood. The voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal pair together so well in this heartwarming story about a monster realizing humans aren’t so bad. Randall doesn’t agree with that realization though, who is voiced by the great Steve Buscemi. The colors and music are vibrant as ever, giving us an instant classic that became a franchise in 2013 with the release of Monsters University. Monsters Inc. was nominated for Best Animated Film and won the Oscar for Best Original Song, thanks to Randy Newman’s efforts in the beautiful track, "If I Didn’t Have You."
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4.) Up (2009)
“That might sound boring, but I think the
boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.” |
I went to see Up when I was 14 with my older brother and one of his buddies. We went because it was a Pixar product and we expected to get some of that magic that contributed to our childhoods so greatly. We got more than that magic with Pixar’s 10th film, Up. We received a love story that will be remembered forever. Most of the Pixar films have massive names voicing the characters, but our two main characters in Up are voiced by Ed Asner and Jordan Nagai. They definitely did their job very well, but this film stands firmly on it’s plot. Up scooped up two Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards, including Best Animated Film and Best Original Score, as well as being nominated for Best Picture, becoming just the second animated film in history to be up for the big one.
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3. A Bug's Life (1998)
“That's very true, Hoppy. I mean, where would the
mystery be if we all knew how it was...” |
A Bug’s Life was the very first film I ever saw in theaters. I was three years old and it was Pixar’s second go at it. I found Hopper, who was voiced by Kevin Spacey, to be terrifying as a child, but I couldn’t get enough of him and his fellow grasshoppers. Dave Foley and Julia Louis-Dreyfus offered their talents up for the characters of Flik and Atta, two brave ants who want to stop Hopper from taking all that they have. We also get legendary stuff from Richard Kind as Molt, who later on returned to the Pixar world in three more films. A Bug’s Life only got one nomination at the Oscars for Randy Newman’s brilliant work, but if it came out today, I think it would make a shit ton of noise.
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2. Inside Out (2015)
“All right! We did not die today, I call that an unqualified success
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For this one I was twenty and I’m very glad, because this film is extremely thought-provoking. The plot deals with complex emotions and memories, and how they leave and stay with us as humans. I think this is the greatest idea Pixar has ever come up with, and I hope to see them revisit this style soon. All of the emotions are covered by the likes of Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Phyllis Smith. It’s a wonderful ensemble, but my favorite character has got to be Bing Bong, which is Richard Kind’s greatest contribution to Pixar in my opinion. Inside Out snagged the Oscar for Best Animated Film and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
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1. Toy Story (1995)
"Do you know these lifeforms?"
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You knew the whole time didn’t you? Toy Story came out the year I was born, but I feel very confident in saying that I have seen this more than any other Pixar film by far. They brought out fucking Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to voice two of the most beloved and admired animated characters of all time, Woody and Buzz. The role characters hit on all cylinders with great performances from Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, and R. Lee Ermey. I find this to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time with the 2nd and 3rd installments being just outside my top 5. Toy Story was nominated 3 times by the Academy, and also received a Special Achievement Award for being the first feature-length computer-animated film. Needless to say, this film was way ahead of its time, and has won over every child that has come across it.
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