All 27 Pixar Movies, Ranked from Worst to Best

• Directed by: Domee Shi
• Written by: Domee Shi, Julia Cho, Sarah Streicher
• Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park
• Will it make you cry: Perhaps, if you're an emotional teen

2022's Turning Red is a cute movie about a thirteen-year-old girl (Ramakrishnan) dealing with the normal hormonal effects of adolescence and a mom that just seems to always be nagging at her. The nagging part is something we probably all could have related to as teenagers who frankly had much more important things in our minds than making sure our chores were done to a T (like going to the concert of the year), but it's safe to say that most of us didn't turn into huge red panda whenever we were overly stimulated. That's kind of embarrassing right? Well, at least the panda is adorable.

• Directed by: Dan Scanlon
• Written by: Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Kenith Bunin
• Starring: Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Will it make you cry: On the right day... yes

Chris Pratt and Tom Holland star as teenage Elf brothers Ian and Barley in 2020's Onward. Mourning the loss of their father, Ian and Barley set out on adventure to spend one more day with their late father, which results in a magical mythical journey full of adventure, obstacles, and joy. While Ian and Barley are enthralled with their adventure, their mother (Louis-Dreyfus) is understandably worried sick about them. So she does what any good loving mother would do—she goes and searches for her boys (with the help of The Manticore of course). Onward will make you laugh and cry, so be prepared if you haven't already watched it.

• Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
• Written by: Enrico Casarosa; Jesse Andrews; Simon Stephenson
• Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Giacomo Gianniotti, Emma Berman
• Will it make you cry: No, but it might make you hungry

Luca is a fun film that's about a young boy named Luca (Tremblay) who's living it up on Italian Riviera with loads of pizza, pasta, gelato—absolutely living it up as anybody would if they were able to spend a summer in Italy. Along the way he meets a new best friend, Alberto (Grazer), and the two embark on even more fun-filled adventures that's sure to be remembered for a lifetime. However, there's just one teensy tiny little problem or problema as the Italian say—Luca's kind of a sea monster, and he's hiding it from Alberto. What does the big reveal look like? Does Alberto get upset that his new best friend has been keeping secrets from him? You'll have to watch the movie for that folks!

• Directed by: Peter Sohn
• Written by: Peter Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel, Brenda Hsueh
• Starring: Leah Louis, Mamadou Athie, Catherine O'Hara, Ronnie Del Carmen
• Will it make you cry: Probably not, but you might find yourself suddenly glowing

I must admit—it was kind of funny seeing the early meltdowns about Elemental being a "flop." For all intents and purposes, Elemental didn't seem to have the normal amount of promo and hype that Pixar releases typically command, and to be fair, it did get off to a slower start at the box office. That slow start, however, is where it ended as Elemental went to gross almost $500 million at the box office. That folks is "no flop," and if you want a movie that shows you what it's like when fire, water, land, and air all live together, you should definitely watch Elemental.

• Directed by: Peter Sohn
• Written by: Peter Sohn, Meg LeFauve, Bob Peterson, Kelsey Mann, Erik Benson
• Starring: Peter Sohn, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliot, Jeffrey Wright
• Will it make you cry: A certain part might make you

In the grand scheme of Pixar things, The Good Dinosaur is a film that kind of gets lost in the sauce a little bit so let's give you a bit of a reminder. The movie is about the exploration of an alternate world where dinosaurs never became extinct. Here you get introduced to a young Apatosaurus named Arlo (Ochoa) who becomes friends with a human named spot (Bright), and together they go through some pretty heart-racing adventures. The Good Dinosaur is the classic old "non-human species becomes friends with a human species" tale, but it's a really good one, and just might make you cry during certain parts.

• Directed by: Dan Scanlon
• Written by: Dan Scanlon, Dan Gerson, Robert L. Baird
• Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Charlie Day, Dan Scanlon
• Will it make you cry: No, but it will make you laugh

I must admit that I was on the fence about Monsters University at first—you see, Monsters, Inc to this day has never gotten a sequel. So for the film to not have an official sequel and instead be given a prequel—I didn't know what to think at first. That said, I was wrong as it was quite interesting seeing the backstory of how Mike Wazowski (Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) originally met at Monsters University. I would very much still like an official sequel in my lifetime though, so Pixar let's make it happen.

• Directed by: Pete Docter
• Written by: Kemp Powers, Mike Jones
• Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Angela Bassett
• Will it make you cry: It can definitely hit home

An ensemble cast that included the likes of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Angela Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and more all came together in 2020 for the beautiful film Soul, which is about a middle school teacher and aspiring pianist who falls into a coma right as he's about to land his big break. Now he has to try to repair his mind, body, and soul just in time before that big break comes to fruition, and in the process he learns a lot about himself and the ups and downs of life. There's a lesson that everybody can relate to in Soul, which is just one of the reasons why it received the praise that it did.

• Directed by: Pete Docter
• Written by: Pete Docter, Meg LaFauve, Josh Cooley
• Starring: Kaitlyn Dias, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith
• Will it make you cry: Oh yeah, it can make you cry for sure

With Inside Out 2 due out in June 2024, it's time to officially revisit the first film, which was released in June 2015. Inside Out is about an 11-year-old hockey enthusiast named Riley (Dias), who experiences the biggest disappointment of her 11-year-old life when her family relocates to San Francisco. To put it succinctly, her world gets turned upside down, which is something you can find relatable if you ever had a major move as a child and had to leave your life, school, and friends. Riley goes through the motions of emotions, leaving her only with Anger, Fear, and Disgust—again, all of which you can relate to if you moved as a child.

• Directed by: Adrian Molina, Lee Unkrich
• Written by: Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich
• Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Gabriel Iglesias
• Will it make you cry: No but it will make you dance

If you're in the mood to dance and sing a little bit, Coco is definitely the movie to give you that musical vibe. Released in 2017, the film is about a young musician named Miguel (Gonzalez), who wants to become a musician like his role model Ernesto de la Cruz. The mission to prove himself as a musician lands Miguel in a place known as the Land of the Dead, which is quite beautiful despite being called "Land of the Dead." There he meets Héctor the trickster, and together they set out to find the truth about Miguel's family history. Fun, colorful, and funky, everybody needs to watch Coco at least once.

• Directed by: Angus MacLane
• Written by: Angus, MacLane Jason Headley, Matthew Aldrich
• Starring: Chris Evans, Peter Sohn, Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi
• Will it make you cry: Um... don't think so

The concept of Buzz Lightyear being a solo film is one that began being experimented with in the early 2000s with the film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000). That film parlayed into a short-lived television series (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command) that ran from 2000 to 2001. So Lightyear wasn't the first time Buzz got a solo deal, rather it was the first time that the idea was brought to life on the big screen. The reception to the film? A year and some change later it's safe to say the reaction was mixed. Some Toy Story/Buzz Lightyear diehards loved it, while others quite literally hated it as a good percentage of people waited until the film was on streaming to give their input (which is why you can't go by the box office numbers). I'm somewhere in the middle as I just couldn't get past Buzz being "human," but that's only my opinion as like I just said, some loved it.

• Directed by: Brian Fee
• Written by: Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, Mike Rich
• Starring: Owen Wilson, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, Cristela Alonzo
• Will it make you cry: If you've suddenly realized that you "ain't got it no more"...yes

Why does it feel like we're already getting down to the nitty gritty with this ranking? Let's not be mistaken here—Cars 3 is a very entertaining movie that would perhaps be listed a little bit higher on other lists (beaten mostly by itself), but in my honest opinion, it's doesn't hold the reigns of best or even second-best in the Cars franchise. However, we must repeat that the film is entertaining, and a great direction as far as the storyline goes. You see an aging Lighting McQueen that's trying to get back into the game, but is having hard time accepting that he's not the young gun. Hey, that's the journey of life? You're young, and then...you're not.

• Directed by: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews
• Written by: Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi
• Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane
• Will it make you cry: No, it will inspire you

An animated movie like Brave is exactly what was needed in the year 2012 to usher in a new era of animated features, and there was tons to love it about it. You had the fiery nature of Merida (Macdonald), the courageous daughter of Scottish King Fergus (Connolly). Then you had Queen Elinor (Thompson) who wanted nothing more than to make a life for herself and carve out her own identity. The sweet moments between Merida and her mother make for some of the film's highlights, along with the pressing issue of Merida having a horrible wish granted courtesy of an evil witch. There's definitely an element of Brave that reminds you of The Little Mermaid storyline in that sense (even the reddish orange hair is comparable), albeit done in a very different way.

• Directed by: Pete Docter
• Written by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
• Starring: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson
• Will it make you cry: Maybe not cry, but perhaps pull on your heartstrings a bit

Up not being in the top ten is a testament to just how great Pixar has been because we're talking about a film that not only grossed over $700 million at the box office (which made it one of the highest-grossing films of 2009), but also won two Academy Awards amongst others. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how good Pixar has been, and we might not even be making the right call putting it this "low." You had 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen (Asner), who tries to fulfill his lifelong dream of flying to the South American wilderness by way of his many balloons. The biggest moral of the story was that it's never to late to do something you've always wanted—even if it seems crazy. That's why people loved Up then, and that's why they still love it now.

• Directed by: John Lasseter
• Written by: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, Dan Fogelman
• Starring: John Lasseter, Owen Wilson, John Turturro, Larry the Cable Guy
• Will it make you cry: Maybe... but probably not

Alright, now we're getting into the battle of the sequels. As you all know, Pixar historically hasn't made very many of them, so when one does come around, it's always an event. Cars 2 is considered by many to be a bad film. Granted, the plot is a bit hard to follow with some calling it boring (which is the biggest complaint). In 2023, I have a slightly different viewpoint, and it comes by way of the visuals which I believe are under-appreciated. The Cars gang hits up Tokyo, Paris, Italy, and London for their adventures which made the film fun to look at. Is it a bit absurd to like a visually stunning movie just for, well, the visuals? Perhaps, but that's our stance and we're sticking by it.

• Directed by: Josh Cooley
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Stephany Folson
• Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Keanu Reaves, Annie Potts
• Will it make you cry: Every Toy Story movie makes you cry

Let's get the discussion going even more shall we? If Disney hadn't confirmed a Toy Story 5, I think would probably be the Toy Story 4 best film in the series due to the fact it is the highest-grossing of all the movies, and it appears as though we have seen the last of Buzz and Woody together. A fifth film, however, means the journey for the two hasn't ended which kind of changes our ranking a bit because we still believe the overall storylines of its predecessors to be stronger. With all that said, Toy Story 4 is still a wonderful movie that's loaded with an all-star cast, which makes the watch even more fun.

• Directed by: Lee Unkrich
• Written by: Lee Unkrich, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
• Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack
• Will it make you cry: Again, every Toy Story movie makes you cry

Same deal with Toy Story 3, which was the highest-grossing film in the series before Toy Story 4 was released. Frankly, it's hard to critique any film that crosses the billion dollar mark, but numbers don't always equate to the "best" when it comes to a franchise/series. More on this later, but our thoughts are pretty much the same as with 4—if it had all ended here, then the dynamics would have been changed to make this one the best out of all three up to that point. Since it didn't end though, we can appreciate the very interesting plot of the gang fighting for survival after being dumped by a now "too-old" Andy that's now leaving for college, but we still don't think it's tops its predecessors.

• Directed by: Brad Bird
• Written by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
• Starring: Will Arnett, Patton Oswalt, Peter O' Toole, Lou Romano
• Will it make you cry: No, you will be laughing

Ratatouille was a product of its time, and the definition of "you had to be there" in terms of its full effect. Has it withstood the test of time? Yes. Is it still likable amongst the younger viewers who are watching it for the first time? Yes. However, if you are just seeing Ratatouille for the first time in let's just say the 2020s, you aren't probably aren't going to have the film ranked super high on your Pixar list. If you were watched it back in 2007 though, then you remember its impact in real time. A rat being chef just wasn't something you saw very often in the animated world (I can't recall it all before this movie), there were some memorable one-liners and funny moments you walked away with, and the film still gets referenced to this day on social media. Ratatouille was fun.

• Directed by: Brad Bird
• Written by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
• Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Bird
• Will it make you cry: Yes, because it's so good

You knew from the way the first film ended that there was definitely going to be a sequel to The Incredibles, you just didn't know when. That "when" ended up being fourteen years later, and it was very much worth the wait as it picked up where it left off with The Incredibles gang defeating The Underminer, and having to deal with a new villain called The Screenslaver. While it told a very different story, the sequel lived up to the heavy expectations of the first film. Now the only question is...are we getting a third film?

• Directed by: Andrew Stanton
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Victoria Strouse
• Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell
• Will it make you cry: You're way too intrigued to cry

Nemo getting lost again didn't really sound like a believable plot, so focusing the story on Dory for the second go-round was a good call by the Pixar team. Finding Dory has a strong case for being the best Pixar sequel as Dory (DeGeneres) joins Marlin (Brooks) and Nemo to search for her long-lost parents. Dory is still very much Dory, and Marlin and Nemo are still very much—Marlin and Nemo, which is what makes it a super fun watch. There's also some good life lessons that can be uncovered with this film as well.

• Directed by: John Lasseter
• Written by: John Lasseter, Dan Fogelman, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin
• Starring: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Paul Newman
• Will it make you cry: No way!

Hands down the best Cars movie in the series. Hands down. You get introduced to a young and ambitious Lighting McQueen (Wilson), who on the road to one his events discovers Radiator Springs by way of an accident (literally and figuratively), and grows to love it. Another product of its time, Cars was truly a great film backed by an equally great soundtrack ("Life is a Highway" anyone?), and a representation of what mid-2000s animated movies.

• Directed by: Andrew Stanton
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb
• Starring: Andrew Stanton, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Lee Unkrich
• Will it make you cry: Idk...maybe?

As expected, Toy Story 2 was a highly-anticipated film. Released four years after the first, the story honed in on Woody (Hanks) being stolen from his home by a toy dealer due to the fact that he's actually a collectible toy worth lots of money. The rest of the gang sets out to rescue him, but Woody has discovered his original family since being kidnapped, and isn't sure if he wants to leave. Toy Story 2 was a sequel that was done right in terms of its storyline and living up to heavy expectations due to the astronomical success and popularity of the film before it.

• Directed by: Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw
• Starring: Kang Su-jin, Dave Foley, Joe Ranft, Andrew Stanton, Bonnie Hunt
• Will it make you cry: It could!

A Bug's Life focuses on the life of Flik (Su-jin) an ant who's always getting himself into trouble. He takes things a little too far one day when destroys the food stores that were supposed to be used to pay off the evil grasshopper "Hopper" (Lee Hyeon-seon). Now Hopper is mad, and demands the Flik and his entire colony gather double the food for him and grasshopper crew, or face annihilation. In order to save the day, Flik decides he and the ants are going to fight back. I wrote about why the film deserves a sequel, which you can check out here.

• Directed by: Andrew Stanton
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
• Starring: Albert Brooks, Alexander Gould, Ellen DeGeneres
• Will it make you cry: There's a part or two that could make you cry

There's no way Finding Nemo can't be in your top five Pixar films. Just no way. Seeing as though everybody has seen probably seen this at least once, you know how it goes—Marlin is the overprotective father, but he's overprotective because he's experienced a major trauma that caused him to lose his entire family except Nemo. Nemo understandably gets upset and tries to prove to his father that he's capable of not having to be watched all the time, only to get scooped up by a human. Marlin goes on a mission to save his son, meets Dory along the way, and you know the rest. I wrote about Finding Nemo for its 20th anniversary, which you can read here.

• Directed by: Pete Docter
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson
• Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger
• Will it make you cry: Nah. It could scare you though.

We'll spare you our spiel yet again of why Monsters, Inc needs a sequel. If it's good enough for a prequel, it's good enough for a sequel that follows it up, and it's been more than twenty years now. Come on Pixar! As far as the film goes, this was our real introduction to Sully (Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Crystal), who get creeped out by the adorable baby human who's visiting their world. She's in danger though, and now the two have got to protect her before she ends up in the wrong hands. Monster, Inc will forever be a classic, and that's precisely why it deserves a sequel. Okay we're done.

• Directed by: John Lasseter
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Pete Docter
• Starring: Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Wallace Shawn, Jon Morris, Erik von Detten
• Will it make you cry: Oh absolutely!

Toy Story is the first Pixar movie to ever do it, so for that reason alone is deserves to be in the top ten as it literally started everything. However, even though its successors are higher grossing and made with even higher quality as they had the advantage of better technology, there's something special about the first Toy Story that can't be replicated. And seeing as though many start the watching process with this first film, there's a certain feeling you get upon watching Toy Story for the very first time as a kid. Perhaps it's a generational thing that was only experienced by us 90s and 2000s kids, and maybe current kids aren't getting that same feeling (or experiencing it with different films), but most people who are major Toy Story fans know exactly what I'm talking about. You can't describe it, it's just a certain feeling.

• Directed by: John Lasseter
• Written by: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
• Starring: Ben Burt, Andrew Stanton, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
• Will it make you cry: If you get emotional during certain types of movies it can

Imagine going 700 years living the same repetitive life and routine over and over again. Imagine being the last one of "you" on Earth, and never meeting anybody or having any form of companionship. That was WALL-E's life until he meet the lovely EVE, who's been sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. WALL-E falls hard for EVE and proceeds to chase her, in what could be the most "romantic" Pixar film to date. Hey, after 700 years of being alone you can't blame WALL-E for being to quick to try snatch up a pretty lady right?

• Directed by: Brad Bird
• Written by: Brad Bird
• Starring: Holly Hunter, Brad Bird, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson
• Will it make you cry: No, but you will find it super relatable

I will be saving my full analysis of The Incredibles for its 20th anniversary next year, but here's a glimpse as to why I have it at number one. For starters, while Pixar was known for being a little more "mature," I still maintain that The Incredibles is the most "mature" they've ever gotten. There was anything "kiddy" about Mrs. Incredible finding a hair that wasn't hers on her husband's clothes and thinking he was cheating. You could easily relate to one or multiple characters, but more than anything, the theater experience was incredible. Certain movies are made to be seen in a theater, and this is one of them. It might sound dramatic, but as good as this film is on a regular television screen, it was even better seeing it opening weekend in the theater (hence why a lot of us still remember it). Those are just some of the reasons why it's got the number one spot in our book, but we'll expand more next year.