Rank the Disney/Pixar Films

[David S.]

Now that I've seen Cars 2, I will update my rankings. After one viewing, I am initially ranking Cars 2 7th, which is very respectable given the competition. It may move up or down a few places after further viewings. but I don't think it will crack my Top 4 or bottom 3.

MY PIXAR RANKINGS

1) Finding Nemo
2) Cars
3) Ratatoille
4) Up
5) Toy Story 2
6) Toy Story
7) Cars 2
8) A Bug's Life
9) Monsters Inc.
10) Toy Story 3
11) The Incredibles
gap
g
a
p
12) WALL-E

I have long been curious as to where the 4 recent Walt Disney Feature Animation DAC's done in CGI would sit in my rankings against these Pixar titans. I figured it out a few weeks ago, and will post the results now that I'm updating my Pizar rankings. The DACs did really well, for the most part:

PIXAR RANKINGS, MIXED WITH CGI DACs

1) Bolt
2) Finding Nemo
3) Cars
4) Tangled
5) Ratatoille
6) Up
7) Toy Story 2
8) Toy Story
9) Meet the Robinsons
10) Cars 2
11) A Bug's Life
12) Monsters Inc.
13) Chicken Little
14) Toy Story 3
15) The Incredibles
gap
g
a
p
16) WALL-E

Lastly, here are just the Pixar films again, with explanations, mostly carried over from an older post but updated to include explanations for those I haven't written one for.

PIXAR RANKINGS, WITH EXPLANATIONS

1) Finding Nemo - This film has always touched me greatly. It also has beautiful settings, lovable characters, humor, an epic quest, a great score, oodles of heart, and an uplifting ending. I'm also a big fan of the theme park attractions it inspired at the Disney Parks. I think ToyStoryFan summed it up best why this tops my list, though - the pure emotion, especially for me the emotion and joy when Nemo and his dad are finally reunited, after all they've been through.

2) Cars - I never understood the relative dislike many have for this film, but to each their own, as they say. Sure, Lightning is unlikable at first, which IMO only underscores the significance and emotional reaction to his growth and devolopment later in the film. Also, I originally subconsiously expected a more predictable ending where, after he learns his lesson, he wins the big race. But the way it ends is IMO even more ingenious and uplifting. I also think the sequence reflecting on the way the interstate system has made the charming rural highways "obsolete" is very poignant and well-done. Ironically, I've never been a big auto-racing fan, but have always had a major soft spot for cute, anthropomorphised objects (such as in Susie, the Little Blue Coupe)

3) Ratatouille - I really loved this from the very first viewing, even though I've never been remotely a "foodie". Again, it is the heart and my emotional involvement in the film that I am responding to. Remy is cute and likable, and I got into the idea of breaking boundaries and preconcieved notions as to who can do what - "Anyone can cook", etc. The whole Anton Ego plot was IMO ingenious, culminating in his reawakening regarding why he loved food enough to become a critic in the first place, playing out in a profound, touching piece of writing that brought to my mind the famous "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial.

4) Up - As many have said, the opening sequence moved me to tears. Yet another Pixar case of a film having so many great strengths, and the strongest being its heart. This could very well be ranked higher in many moods, even first. Then again, there are moods where I may not want to go through all the emotions of the opening sequence and it's subsequent scrapbook flashbacks (I feel everything quite deeply when I watch movies), so this for now averages out to 4 on the list. I loved Dug and Kevin, by the way!

5) Toy Story 2 and
6) Toy Story - I had previously called this one a tie, because in some moods I prefer the first and others the second. But for the most part, "2" seems to have the edge. I find it touches me a little more, and I love the added charm brought by the additional characters such as Jessie, Bullseye, and Wheezy. In some moods, both films could be ranked higher than they are here. In a familiar theme echoed by all the others listed above, both take an ingenious, charming concept, likable characters, humor, adventure, and heart and create timeless, likable, classic, and rewatchable films.

7) Cars 2 - Although I didn't find it as poignantly touching as the original (which for me, is VERY tall shoes to fill), this is nonetheless a solid sequel and a solid film on it's own terms. This is lots of fun and very funny, and the International settings are beautifully realized and provide a counterpoint that differentiates this film from the original as its own unique work. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time once again in this imaginative world with these beloved characters, and meeting the new ones as well.

8) A Bug's Life - There is absolutely nothing wrong with this film to justify a low ranking as I really like it. The competition on such a list is a battle of titans, though. Perhaps it simply didn't touch me quite as much as the films above it, but like all of the above, it's clever, charming, funny, memorable, and classic. And to echo what Babaloo said, I already had a soft spot for bugs and an aversion to killing them before I saw this; and both the film and subsequent Animal Kingdom attraction reinforced this stronger.

9) Monsters, Inc. - Again, another great film that could easily be ranked higher and in many moods, would be. The relationship between Boo and Sully gives the film it's heart, but the film is also funny and has a very clever concept. Like A Bugs Life, the gap between this film and those at the top of my list is actually closer than a 8th and 9th place ranking would usually indicate.

10) Toy Story 3 - Just an explanation as to why this is ranked so low, and not meant to offend any of it's numerous fans. This didn't resonate for me nearly as much as the first 2, or as much as it seemed to for most people. This mostly has to do with my disapointment with the ending. I didn't care for the depressing, melencholy, cliched ending of Andy giving away his toys, as if to say "You have to "grow up" and move on, and leave your childhood behind". I suspect this resonates most deeply with people who have, in fact, "grown up", moved on, and left their childhoods behind. But as someome who has fought valiantly, and largly succeeded, in holding on to my childhood, keeping my inner child alive, and has KEPT my toys, the ending was a huge disappointment for me. I would have preferred a bolder ending which illustrates that just because the body is older, the spirit can remain young at heart, and still enjoy your toys. Lasseter would know about this, too, as he is an avid toy collector.

Also, as an avid plushie collector, the idea of a cute plush bear being a villain so evil that he is beyond redemption did not sit well with me AT ALL. No cute plushie bear could ever be that evil in my world! The screenwriters had a PERFECT chance to rehabilitate Lotso in the end and make him part of the gang, and they BLEW IT. And the logic was twisted that he felt rejected because his owner replaced him. She replaced him because she couldn't FIND him, and she loved him the most. The other toys that felt better for not being replaced had it backwards - this meant they weren't missed. When I met Lotso at WDW, I gave him a BIG HUG and said "I don't believe you're really evil - the stupid writers just wrote you that way!". He gave me a big hug and nodded in agreement.

If all of this sounds like I disliked the movie, I did actually like much of it, enough to even see it twice in theatres and attend the "Disney On Ice" version. I enjoyed the chance to spend time in the world of these beloved Toys again, and parts were really funny. I just have some quibbles with some aspects and the ending, and in a list as tight and hotly contested as this, that is enough to move it down this low.

11) The Incredibles - There is nothing wrong with this film and is a great example of it's genre. I am simply not "into" the action-superhero-spy genre as much as I am into the more warm-and-fuzzy cuteness found in the genres of the films listed above it, that feature cute anthropomorphised fish, cars, rodents, toys, bugs, and furry monsters. I get into that stuff more than stuff about real people that is more "adult" in theme. But I certainly enjoyed The Incredibles for what it was!

gap
g
a
p

12) WALL-E - I appreciate the aritistic acheivement here, and WALL-E himself sure is cute and endearing. The low ranking here can be explained then solely on the fact that the "post-apocolyptic futurism" genre is VERY far removed from my cup of tea. I found the scenario of a depopulated earth overrun by ruins where the humans had to evacuate and most animal species apparently went extinct simply too depressing to watch this over and over again, like I can the other films (even though it does end on a hopeful note). I prefer the Walt Disney can-do utopian futurism as depicted in films like Meet the Robinsons. If I emotionally detached myself from the film, then, I can appreciate it more. But, being an emotional type of film watcher, whose favorite films are the ones in which I love the emotional journey a film takes me on, this approach still would not improve it's position relative to the other films. I hope these comments did not offend it's numerous fans; they are not an attempt to upset anyone or start a debate and are merely my explanation of why a film so acclaimed would be listed last on my list.

[Sotiris]

It's been a long time since I've watched most of them so I can't really rank them accurately right now.

[Luke]

1. Toy Story
2. Toy Story 3
3. The Incredibles
4. A Bug's Life
5. Toy Story 2
6. Up
7. WALL-E
8. Cars
9. Monsters, Inc.
10. Finding Nemo
11. Ratatouille
12. Cars 2

[Mooky]

- Toy Story 2
- Monsters, Inc.
- WALL-E
- Toy Story 3
- A Bug's Life

- Up
- Finding Nemo
- Toy Story
- Ratatouille
- Monsters University

- Cars
- The Incredibles
- Cars 2
- The Good Dinosaur
- Inside Out
- Brave

[Flanger-Hanger]

I can't believe I never posted in this thread before. Here is my ranking based on favourites:

1. Wall-E
2. The Incredibles
3. Monsters, Inc.
4. Ratatouille
5. Inside Out
6. Finding Nemo
7. Toy Story 2
8. Toy Story 3
9. Toy Story
10. Up
11. The Good Dinosaur
12. Brave
13. Cars
14. Monsters University
15. A Bug's Life
16. Cars 2

[Tangled]

1. Ratatouille (the ultimate film for artists. Anton Ego's final speech about criticism is one of my favorite pieces of writing in any film ever.)
2. WALL-E (I regret never seeing this on a big screen. The only reason I put Ratatouille over this is because I felt as though Ratatouille was consistantly amazing, while WALL-E's writing quality dipped just a little in the last half. What a spectacular first act, though).
3. Inside Out (I'll admit I'm a little biased because I relate so deeply to Riley. It's like Pixar adapted my 5th grade year. Even little details, like my best friend being redheaded and my love of hockey.)
4. Toy Story 2 (I swear, "When She Loved Me" is the film scene that I've cried the most at. I mean, I've rewatched Up without crying during the first 10 minutes, yet I've never sat through Toy Story 2 without becoming a mess. I can just bring up that scene on Youtube whenever I want to cry on demand. I guess the nostalgia of childhood gets to me.)
5. Toy Story 3
6. Toy Story
7. The Incredibles
8. Finding Nemo
9. Up
10. Monsters Inc.
11. Monsters University (I love this film's message, and how it pays off when you watch it immediately before watching the first Monsters Inc. Mike got that lead scarer job, after all. He just became a comedian with that power instead. Anyways, I'm always saddened when people point to this film as evidence that Pixar is getting worse. Sure, it's no Inside Out, but it's still a really good animated film.)
12. Bugs Life (I now realize that I find this film so forgetable. It's just...there. Not bad, but not anything amazing either.)
13. Cars
14. Good Dinosaur
15. Brave
16. Cars 2

[Disney's Divinity]

1. The Incredibles
2. The Toy Story Series (3 > 2 > 1)
3. Monsters, Inc.
4. Inside Out
5. Ratatouille
6. Finding Nemo
7. A Bug's Life*
8. Brave*
9. WALL E
10. Up
11. The Cars Series (1 > 2)
12. Monsters University

TS3 and The Incredibles are pretty close. They both have a character I like that could've had a better voice actor (Violet in TI; Lotso in TS3); I dislike Lotso's voice actor more which is the only excuse I could find for it not to be a tie.

The rest of the TS films, MI, and IO are all about on the same level for me. Ratatouille and FN are next level, with both having things that I don't like (Remy's annoying voice and his dead-tired arc, Linguini and the French girl in Ratatouille, for example), but I can overlook for the parts/characters I really enjoy--mostly Anton Ego and Dory.

* I ranked these lower in another thread, but I was thinking it's more that I'm indifferent to them, which is different than a few I had had above them like WALL E and Up that actively annoy me (even if they have a couple of great scenes/great characters each--well, Up just has Carl and the opening scenes). The Cars films and MU are the only films I outright hate.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

1. A Bug's Life
2. WALL-E
3. The Incredibles
4. Finding Nemo
5. Inside Out
6. Monster's Inc.
7. Up
8. Toy Story Series
9. Brave
10. Ratatouille
11. Monsters University
12. Cars

1 through 4 are all pretty close, as are 5 through 7. I've never had a real love for the Toy Story films; they're fine, but I don't love them as most people do, which is why it's in the middle of the pack. I've yet to see The Good Dinosaur, and I have no desire to see Cars 2.

[slyslayer3000]

1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story 2
3. Ratatouille
4. Monsters, Inc.
5. Toy Story 3
6. Toy Story
7. Finding Nemo
8. WALL-E
9. Up
10. The Good Dinosaur
11. Inside Out
12. A Bug's Life
13. Monsters University
14. Cars
15. Cars 2
16. Brave

[Widdi]

Updated Rankings with this year's new films and re-watches.

1. Wall-E
2. Toy Story 2
3. Toy Story 3
4. Toy Story
5. Monsters, Inc.
6. Finding Nemo
7. Ratatouille
8. The Good Dinosaur
9. Brave
10. The Incredibles
11. Up
12. Monsters University
13. Inside Out
14. A Bug's Life
15. Cars 2
16. Cars

[Disney's Divinity]

Khonnor's thread made me want to rank the PIXAR films again. I searched and realized the above post in 2015 must've been the last time I ranked them.

1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story 3
3. Toy Story 2
4. Inside Out
5. Toy Story
6. Monsters, Inc.
7. Ratatouille
8. Finding Nemo
9. WALL E
10. Incredibles 2
11. Coco
12. Finding Dory
13. A Bug’s Life
14. Up
15. Brave
16. The Good Dinosaur
17. Cars
18. Monsters University
19. Cars 2-3 (Just a guess, never watched them because I have no interest.)

[Farerb]

1. Wall E
2. The Incredibles
3. Brave
4. Coco
5. Incredibles 2
6. Finding Nemo
7. Inside Out
8. Monsters Inc
9. Ratatouille
10. Toy Story 2
11. Toy Story
12. Up
13. Bug's Life
14. Toy Story 3
15. Finding Dory
16. Monster University
17. The Good Dinosaur
18. Cars

Haven't seen Cars 2 and Cars 3 since I couldn't even finish Cars.

[blackcauldron85]

I don't always have time to read long threads, so when going through threads to read this morning, I came across the Top 10 Disney and Pixar threads. While my Top 10 Disney really is the same, there are a lot more Pixar films than there were in 2007! (And while my Top 3 is solid, it's so hard ranking the rest!)

1. Toy Story 3
2. Finding Dory
3. The Good Dinosaur
4. Ratatouille
5. Cars 3
6. Cars
7. Monsters, Inc.
8. Monsters University
9. Finding Nemo
10. Toy Story 2
11. Up
12. Toy Story
13. Coco
14. Brave
15. WALL-E
16. Incredibles 2
17. The Incredibles
18. A Bug's Life
19. Inside Out
20. Cars 2

As when I ranked the DACs, I feel I must say that I do love all the Pixar films. I definitely have 2 (maybe 3) real favorites, and one in last place, so numbers 3-7 or 4-7 probably change around sometimes.

1. Cars
2. Ratatouille
3. Monsters, Inc.
4. Finding Nemo
5. Toy Story 2
6. Toy Story
7. A Bug's Life
8. The Incredibles

[REINIER]

Ratatouille-Toy Story 2-Finding Nemo-Coco

[JeanGreyForever]

I've always been bad at numbering films in order of which ones I'll like, so I'll just make a broad top 10 list. I know the sequels aren't very loved here, but I pretty much like all of them as much as the original films.

Incredibles
Incredibles 2
Finding Nemo
Finding Dory
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
Ratatouille
WALL-E
Lastly would be either A Bug's Life or Monsters, Inc.

[thedisneyspirit]

1. Toy Story
2. Ratatouille
3. Toy Story 3
4. Coco
5. Brave
6. The Incredibles

And that's it.

[Farerb]

I'm doing some changes to my list upon rewatching some of them recently:

1. WALL-E
2. The Incredibles
3. Ratatouille
4. Incredibles 2
5. Coco
6. Brave
7. Finding Nemo
8. Toy Story 4
9. Toy Story 2
10. Monsters Inc
11. Toy Story
12. Inside Out
13. Up
14. Onward
15. Toy Story 3
16. Finding Dory
17. A Bug's Life
18. Monsters University
19. The Good Dinosaur
20. Cars

[Widdi]

It's been 5 years since I last did this. Opinions change/new movies come out so let's go again!

1. Wall-E
2. Toy Story 2
3. Toy Story
4. Coco
5. Monsters, Inc.
6. Toy Story 3
7. Finding Nemo
8. The Incredibles
9. Onward
10. Brave
11. Ratatouille
12. Finding Dory
13. Inside Out
14. Up
15. Monsters University
16. Toy Story 4
17. A Bugs Life
18. Cars 3
19. Incredibles 2
20. Cars 2
21. Cars
22. The Good Dinosaur

[DVDBuff1]

Wall-E
Toy Story
Inside Out
Monsters Inc.
Toy Story 3
The Incredibles
Toy Story 2
Up
Finding Nemo
Ratatouille
Coco
Incredibles 2
Onward
Toy Story 4
A Bug's Life
Finding Dory
The Good Dinosaur
Monsters University
Cars
Brave
Cars 3
Cars 2

[Disney's Divinity]

1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story 3
3. Toy Story 2
4. Inside Out
5. Toy Story
6. Monsters, Inc.
7. Ratatouille
8. Finding Dory
9. WALL E
10. Coco
11. Finding Nemo
12. Toy Story 4
13. Incredibles 2
14. A Bug’s Life
15. Up
16. Brave
17. The Good Dinosaur
18. Cars
19. Monsters University

Never watched Cars 2 or 3. I still need to see Onward, Soul, and Luca, but I though I'd update since seeing TS4.