Top 7- Pixar Films
Finding Dory finally comes out this week and in preparation for it, I'm ranking my favourite Pixar films. To clarify, I haven't seen every Pixar film and being Pixar films, it's going to be largely about my personal attachment to the films. With this said, it's time to make some people very angry with my choices.
7. The Incredibles
The strength of The Incredibles is how it managed to both lampoon and embody the superhero trend that was on the horizon yet still largely non-existent. The film is fun and endlessly quotable and, aside from the Arrested Development, it's the closest we'll ever get to a good Fantastic Four adaptation. I'm going to be honest, it's been a while since I last saw this film so it's pretty much just here for the "Where's my super suit?" scene which is still hysterical.
6. Toy Story
The film that started it all. Not only did Toy Story start one of the greatest trilogies ever made, it was also Pixar's breakout film and a colossal leap for computer generated animation. Even ignoring what this film started, it's just a really fun time. We follow characters we'll come to love like Woody, Buzz and Mr Potato Head as they deal with an ever changing world, in this case, the presence of Buzz disrupting the eco-system the toys have built up. A film that's great for what it represents in the industry and for being a damn good time, whatever your age.
5. Up
Everyone remembers the opening of Up. That start is probably one of the single most emotional moments in cinema history and in a way, it's what makes Up suffer as a film because while still a great film, it can never live up to that phenomenal beginning. As I said though, it is still a really great film, albeit somewhat less emotional. The film becomes more of an adventure film and has some lovely characters, especially Doug the dog. Also importantly, the ending brings the story full circle with an emotional but poignant conclusion. Let's face it though, it's only here because of the start which is unbelievably great.
4. WALL-E
What I find most stunning about WALL-E is how it conveys so much with so little. There is very little dialogue for the first half of the film and it creates a stunning mood. It starts as a post-apocalyptic warning about commercialism and the effects of the first world climate we've created but then becomes a strangely beautiful love story between two robots who can only say each other's names. There's moments of humour and moments of despair but it's a film that is visually and emotionally beautiful and deserves recognition for that.
3. Toy Story 2
It was a close call here between Toy Story 2 and WALL-E but I went for Toy Story 2 because of my utter love for this franchise and for the fact that it felt (for me anyway) like a huge step up after the already great first one. It has an even deeper peril than the first film as the toys are properly separated and Woody starts to comprehend his life and existence when he meets Jessie. On that note, the "When she loved me" song, in which we learn Jessie's past, is a real tearjerker and gives me tingles even writing this. There's also real tension in many scenes here with the heist to save Woody. Pixar created an even better film than their first and made many question whether they could ever make a better film in this franchise.
2. Toy Story 3
As you probably worked out by this film being number 2 and Toy Story 2 being number 3, yes, Pixar absolutely did better Toy Story 2 and in a way that still has a deep and emotional impact on me, even six years on. So much does this film affect me that I genuinely can't watch the ending anymore because I will cry too hard. Floods of tears aside, this film also has adventure, a real feel of peril and lots of laughs. For me, funnier than the other two films combined. It also doesn't hurt that the film looks utterly stunning and the film was deservedly nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. My biggest problem with this film is I feel Toy Story 4 may retroactively lessen the power of this film, which is the perfect conclusion to this damn near perfect trilogy but that only speaks to the incredible quality that this film possesses.
1. Inside Out
Inside Out managed three very incredible things in it's running time. First, it managed to overpower the bad cinema experience I had with a crowd of annoying children ruining my immersion. Secondly, it made me cry in a cinema and then made me cry on a second watch through again, something that doesn't happen a lot. Thirdly, it toppled Toy Story 3 as my favourite Pixar film after a very firm five years. Almost 20 years after their inception, it's incredible that Pixar managed to make a film that was stunningly original, utterly beautiful and (no pun intended) precisely emotional with not a dull moment. Inside Out will make you cry, laugh, cry again and then everything in between and mark a very easy escape for parents when children start to ask why they feel how they feel. Not only is it my favourite Pixar film, it's my favourite animated film ever and very close to my favourite film regardless of genre. It's that good.
7. The Incredibles
The strength of The Incredibles is how it managed to both lampoon and embody the superhero trend that was on the horizon yet still largely non-existent. The film is fun and endlessly quotable and, aside from the Arrested Development, it's the closest we'll ever get to a good Fantastic Four adaptation. I'm going to be honest, it's been a while since I last saw this film so it's pretty much just here for the "Where's my super suit?" scene which is still hysterical.
6. Toy Story
The film that started it all. Not only did Toy Story start one of the greatest trilogies ever made, it was also Pixar's breakout film and a colossal leap for computer generated animation. Even ignoring what this film started, it's just a really fun time. We follow characters we'll come to love like Woody, Buzz and Mr Potato Head as they deal with an ever changing world, in this case, the presence of Buzz disrupting the eco-system the toys have built up. A film that's great for what it represents in the industry and for being a damn good time, whatever your age.
5. Up
Everyone remembers the opening of Up. That start is probably one of the single most emotional moments in cinema history and in a way, it's what makes Up suffer as a film because while still a great film, it can never live up to that phenomenal beginning. As I said though, it is still a really great film, albeit somewhat less emotional. The film becomes more of an adventure film and has some lovely characters, especially Doug the dog. Also importantly, the ending brings the story full circle with an emotional but poignant conclusion. Let's face it though, it's only here because of the start which is unbelievably great.
4. WALL-E
What I find most stunning about WALL-E is how it conveys so much with so little. There is very little dialogue for the first half of the film and it creates a stunning mood. It starts as a post-apocalyptic warning about commercialism and the effects of the first world climate we've created but then becomes a strangely beautiful love story between two robots who can only say each other's names. There's moments of humour and moments of despair but it's a film that is visually and emotionally beautiful and deserves recognition for that.
3. Toy Story 2
It was a close call here between Toy Story 2 and WALL-E but I went for Toy Story 2 because of my utter love for this franchise and for the fact that it felt (for me anyway) like a huge step up after the already great first one. It has an even deeper peril than the first film as the toys are properly separated and Woody starts to comprehend his life and existence when he meets Jessie. On that note, the "When she loved me" song, in which we learn Jessie's past, is a real tearjerker and gives me tingles even writing this. There's also real tension in many scenes here with the heist to save Woody. Pixar created an even better film than their first and made many question whether they could ever make a better film in this franchise.
2. Toy Story 3
As you probably worked out by this film being number 2 and Toy Story 2 being number 3, yes, Pixar absolutely did better Toy Story 2 and in a way that still has a deep and emotional impact on me, even six years on. So much does this film affect me that I genuinely can't watch the ending anymore because I will cry too hard. Floods of tears aside, this film also has adventure, a real feel of peril and lots of laughs. For me, funnier than the other two films combined. It also doesn't hurt that the film looks utterly stunning and the film was deservedly nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. My biggest problem with this film is I feel Toy Story 4 may retroactively lessen the power of this film, which is the perfect conclusion to this damn near perfect trilogy but that only speaks to the incredible quality that this film possesses.
1. Inside Out
Inside Out managed three very incredible things in it's running time. First, it managed to overpower the bad cinema experience I had with a crowd of annoying children ruining my immersion. Secondly, it made me cry in a cinema and then made me cry on a second watch through again, something that doesn't happen a lot. Thirdly, it toppled Toy Story 3 as my favourite Pixar film after a very firm five years. Almost 20 years after their inception, it's incredible that Pixar managed to make a film that was stunningly original, utterly beautiful and (no pun intended) precisely emotional with not a dull moment. Inside Out will make you cry, laugh, cry again and then everything in between and mark a very easy escape for parents when children start to ask why they feel how they feel. Not only is it my favourite Pixar film, it's my favourite animated film ever and very close to my favourite film regardless of genre. It's that good.
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