Saturday Coffee: Ranking (most of) Pixar
Sorry, ‘Elio.’
In the wake of Toy Story 5’s massive financial success – I quite liked it as well – I thought it might be fun to go back and look at the last 31 years of Pixar’s history to see which films stand the test of time. There was a period when the studio could do no wrong – you’ll notice the peak of this list is heavily weighted toward films from the studio’s first 15 years because of course it is. The studio regularly churned out masterpiece after masterpiece. The question I wanted to answer was what masterpieces are more masterpiece-ier?
A few caveats: One is that I did not go back and rewatch these movies, so in some cases I’m going by memories from a single viewing; in other cases, I’ve seen these films countless times thanks to my kids. If I really wanted this to be a scientific ranking, I’d go back and rewatch them. But I don’t have time and, honestly, I kind of like the idea that those that have resonated the most – even if I haven’t seen them in years – get the highest slot. If you disagree with my placement, that’s cool; share your list!! (Also, a note that the top 5 movies here are almost interchangeable).
Also, I realized as I was preparing this list that I have never seen Elio. Oops. But everything else should be accounted for.
It should be noted, of course, that – with one or two exceptions – Pixar rarely makes bad films. Lower placement on this list isn’t necessarily proof of a disaster. There’s just a lot of really good films, some perfectly fine ones and then …
30. Cars 2: This is sub-Illumination stuff. The best parts of Cars were its reminders to slow down and enjoy the scenery, so I don’t understand why the sequel is a hyperactive collection of bad puns, loud noises and bathroom jokes. Pixar never has fun with the espionage plot and hanging this on Mater and trying to make the film’s side character its center just never works. The one Pixar film that feels like a blatant cash grab.
29. The Good Dinosaur: Many Pixar films have troubled productions, and the studio was famous for course-correcting in a way that turned potential fiascos like Toy Story and Ratatouille into masterpieces. The Good Dinosaur was a troubled production with a fired director, but the changes couldn’t salvage this one. There’s some good stuff here, including some of Pixar’s best landscape work, but the plastic-looking characters clash against them and the film never finds its emotional center. There was possibly something here, but it’s a rare example of Pixar just not being able to make it work.
28. Monsters University: The problem here is that the predecessor was just too good and the story’s final beat so good that no follow-up was necessary. A Monsters Inc. prequel that follows Mike and Sully in college is fun and there are scattered laughs, but this one just feels a bit lazy. Pixar is often really good at subverting formula, but the college tournament format just plays it largely by the book. The final lesson about learning from failure is a nice pivot for a kids’ movie, but since we already know Mike and Sully’s future going in, I don’t know that it has the resonance they hoped for.
27. Lightyear: An interesting idea no one was asking for. There’s a really fun concept in adapting the Buzz Lightyear cartoon and movies that Andy would have watched in the ‘90s to a feature-lengthy story. But the problem is this never feels like a fun, zippy story that would capture a young boy’s imagination. It’s overly serious and dour in a way that feels light years (sorry) removed from the Toy Story films, and Chris Evans turns Buzz into a moping buzzkill instead of an intrepid explorer. Plus, I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the way Disney capitulated and cut the LGBT character almost completely to the bone.
26: Cars 3: An improvement over Cars 2 because it slows down and has the interesting idea of Lightning McQueen facing aging. It’s basically Rocky III with automobiles. There’s a bit of zip here and there, and its heart is in the right place. But this is the franchise that just bounces off me. Also, this movie begins with Lightning blowing his tires out…which, in the world of this movie, means his feet basically explode. Which just reminds me this is a universe that makes zero sense.
