There are no truly bad Pixar movies. I’ll stand by that assessment even when presented with some of the Disney-owned animation studio’s weakest efforts (“The Good Dinosaur,” “Lightyear,” the “Cars” sequels). Not every Pixar movie is great, but the level of detail, craftsmanship and feeling that goes into each production means that there’s a baseline standard of quality to everything the studio releases.
Plenty of Pixar movies actually are great, starting with their very first feature film nearly 30 years ago, “Toy Story.” It’s tough to narrow the list down to just 10, but these selections represent the best of Pixar and thus some of the best in all animated films over the past several decades.
With Pixar’s new movie “Elio” hitting theaters on June 20, here are my picks for the studio’s 10 best movies, ranked.
10. ‘Up’
The opening 10 minutes of “Up” are often cited as one of Pixar’s crowning achievements, but the rest of the movie is quite good, too. There’s no denying the power of the early montage that charts the lifelong relationship between Carl and Ellie.
That dialogue-free sequence comes after a more upbeat introduction of Carl and Ellie as kids, and the rest of the movie is similarly energetic. Carl (Ed Asner), now a crotchety old man, goes on an adventure to a hidden region of South America and befriends his eager young neighbor Russell (Jordan Nagai).
It’s obvious that the grumpy Carl will open his heart to friendship, but the journey is still creative and entertaining. Carl’s house floats to South America powered by helium balloons, and his strange encounters show him the value of home.
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9. ‘Ratatouille’
Just because Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a rat doesn’t mean that he can’t be a brilliant chef. That’s the simple premise behind writer-director Brad Bird’s lovely film about artistic integrity, in the form of a rodent with a masterfully refined palate.
Remy stumbles into one of Paris’ most renowned restaurants and finds a way to communicate with bumbling busboy Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), who channels Remy’s talents and becomes a culinary sensation. The movie’s visions of both Paris and gourmet dining are lush and inviting, and Remy is a likeable protagonist with a genuine love for cooking.
Bird makes a larger point via the presence of ruthless food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole), but the message of “Ratatouille” never gets in the way of its engaging story and endearing characters. Pure artistry wins out, both in the restaurant and in the movie.
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8. ‘Soul’
One of Pixar’s greatest strengths is presenting complex existential concepts in ways that will still captivate a young audience, and there’s no concept thornier than death itself. Director and co-writer Pete Docter confronts that topic head-on by having his main character perish in an accident and end up in the afterlife.
That’s where jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) rebels against the order of things, refusing to move on and instead escaping to the realm of souls who have yet to be born, and later back to Earth, albeit in the wrong body.
Docter offers up a meditation on mortality that’s also a goofy buddy comedy between Joe and the stubborn unborn soul known as 22 (Tina Fey). The movie faces life’s biggest questions with openness and charm.
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7. ‘Coco’
A celebration of Mexican culture and the Dia de los Muertos holiday, “Coco” brings a welcome new perspective to the story of a young boy learning to appreciate the bonds of family.
After unwittingly invoking a family curse, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is transported to the underworld, where he must seek out the spirit of a legendary musician so that he can return to the land of the living.
Miguel’s musical ambitions are embodied in the Oscar-winning song “Remember Me,” and he’s easy to root for as he yearns to express himself in the same way as his musical idol, despite the objections of his family. The movie is fantastical but grounded in time-honored cultural traditions that it treats with respect. Miguel gains a greater understanding of his heritage, and the audience does, too.
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6. ‘Inside Out’
Perhaps the only children’s movie ever made about the value of sadness, “Inside Out” envisions a vibrant world within the mind of moody tween Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), where personifications of her emotions vie for prominence.
The bubbly Joy (Amy Poehler) wants Riley to experience only happiness, but when she goes on a journey to restore Riley’s core memories, she discovers that a range of emotions is necessary for a healthy internal life.
That may sound like a therapy pamphlet, but director and co-writer Pete Docter makes it into a funny and thrilling adventure, with plenty of joy and sadness for the viewer to experience along with Riley. The message is all the more powerful thanks to the inventive and affecting presentation of familiar emotional milestones.
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5. ‘Turning Red’
Director and co-writer Domee Shi was inspired by her own childhood experiences in creating this exuberant movie about the awkwardness of adolescence, and that personal touch always shines through. Set in 2002 Toronto, “Turning Red” embraces its specific time and place, with a substantial subplot about a dreamy boy band, and it also embraces main character Mei Lee’s Chinese-Canadian identity.
Mei (Rosalie Chang) has enough trouble dealing with puberty before she discovers that she’s also inherited the family legacy of transforming into a giant red panda when experiencing heightened emotion.
It’s a blunt metaphor for the body changes that teenagers go through, but Shi takes a playful approach that keeps the movie from feeling heavy-handed. As mortified as Mei might be about what’s happening to her, it doesn’t stop her from asserting her own unique identity, no matter what her family or friends think.
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4. ‘The Incredibles’
Produced at a time when superhero movies hadn’t yet reached their current level of pop-culture saturation, writer-director Brad Bird’s first Pixar movie remains one of the best and most clever deconstructions of the superhero genre, while working wonderfully as a superhero movie itself.
The title characters are a superpowered family who’ve been legally prohibited from using their superpowers, but when a new villain threatens their city, they defy the restrictions and spring into action. Bird stages exciting action sequences that rival any live-action superhero movie, and he balances those with smart comedy and sweet family bonding.
The message about individual exceptionalism elevates the concept of the superhero to a sort of philosophical ideal, which gives “The Incredibles” a distinctive point of view that’s lacking in most action blockbusters. It’s a large-scale act of personal expression.
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3. ‘Toy Story 2’
There could probably be multiple “Toy Story” movies on this list, but the second installment marks the high point for Pixar’s signature franchise. This sequel takes the oddball crew of sentient toys on a bigger adventure, while further exploring the theme of what happens to childhood attachments when people grow up.
Cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) and action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are no longer at odds, and Buzz is determined to save Woody after he’s accidentally sold to a greedy adult toy collector. The toys are still worried about being discarded as their owner, Andy, gets older, but they band together to rescue Woody so their makeshift community can remain intact.
“Toy Story 2” mixes a riveting, suspenseful rescue operation with melancholy reflections on the passage of time, improving and expanding on the first movie in a meaningful, rewarding way.
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2. ‘Finding Nemo’
One of the earliest indications of the emotional depths that Pixar movies could reach, writer-director Andrew Stanton’s story about a neurotic clownfish’s search for his missing son remains just as moving now as it was when it was first released.
Marlin (Albert Brooks) panics when he realizes that his sheltered son Nemo (Alexander Gould) has gone missing, and he sets out on an oceanic odyssey to find his lost child. Marlin’s love for Nemo is touching and honest, as is Nemo’s love for his father, as both fish do everything they can to reunite.
Despite the potentially heavy subject matter, “Finding Nemo” is lively and joyous, with both father and son making new friends and exploring the world beyond their comfort zones. Sometimes the scariest experiences can lead to the most positive life changes.
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1. ‘WALL-E’
There may be no purer embodiment of the power of animation than conveying an entire rich, multifaceted story without any dialogue at all, and that’s what Pixar’s best film accomplishes. Director and co-writer Andrew Stanton takes both of the top spots on this list thanks to this gorgeous love story between two robots.
On a post-apocalyptic Earth, the recycling bot known as WALL-E dutifully stacks the massive amounts of trash that humans have left behind. His routine is shaken up by the arrival of the sleek robot designated EVE, an emissary from the spaceship that contains what’s left of humanity.
The courtship between WALL-E and EVE plays out like a vintage silent film, and even when they end up on the human ship, their expressive dynamic remains at the center of the movie. It’s a beautiful romance that anchors a fable about simple connection — with others and with the world around us.
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