For over three decades now, Pixar has been changing the game – pioneering the 3D-animated feature, and always delivering complex and characterful films with a sophisticated streak. From Toy Story, through beloved favourites like Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, into Wall-E and beyond, the studio is behind some of the most iconic characters, imaginative ideas and jaw-dropping visuals to have emerged in 21st Century cinema.
But which Pixar is movie is the greatest of them all? Which ones most capture the emotions in our Headquarters, or have us feeling we could win the Piston Cup, or make our souls soar like they did in the Great Before? Read Empire’s official ranking of every Pixar feature film – from Toy Story, right up to Inside Out 2.
28. Cars 2
From any other studio, the empty but colourful whizz-bang adventure of Cars 2 would be perfectly acceptable. But while the film riffs energetically on throwback spy tropes from Bond to The Man From UNCLE, it's not up to Pixar's usual storytelling standards – lacking in charm and character, over-complicated and under-cooked. It does, at least, have visual pop as Lightning McQueen and crew (now including Michael Caine as secret agent Finn McMissile) set off on a globetrotting world tour with bouts of international espionage – but Cars 2 is the rare Pixar film that seems to play solely to young audience members.
27. Lightyear
There was a valiant idea in Lightyear – to take one of Pixar’s most iconic characters, and do something totally different with him. But while a full-blown sci-fi adventure from the studio sounds tantalising, the results proved oddly muted. As with weaker Pixar fare, it’s still totally watchable, but Lightyear plays unexpectedly dour, with Chris Evans’ Buzz (supposedly the ‘real’ fictional character on which Andy’s beloved space-toy is based) going on an introspective journey to learn his place in the universe. There are great ideas: a bold sequence in which Buzz repeatedly undertakes an Interstellar-like time-bending mission while everyone he’s ever known ages significantly around him; a interesting Zurg-centric villain revelation; instant-favourite robo-cat Sox. But it’ll ultimately go down as a curio, a film that never goes to infinity, let alone beyond.
26. The Good Dinosaur
A boy-and-his-dog story if the boy was a dinosaur and the dog was a boy, The Good Dinosaur famously went through much overhauling and retooling – and you can feel the joins. But if it's a relative failure for Pixar, it's at least an interesting one. The emotional weight is brutally blunt (the early death of apatosaurus Arlo's dad is genuinely wrenching), and it's full of weird and wild detours – from cowboy T-Rexs and rustler Velociraptors, to a druggy sequence that sees Arlo and human toddler Spot eat fermented fruit and trip out. Odd, but not without merit.
25. Cars
For all the build-up, John Lasseter's long-gestating passion project turned out to be oddly by-the-numbers – a perfectly acceptable piece of family entertainment that lacked the snappy comedy and perfect pacing of prime Pixar, even if it delivered solid plotting and impressive racing animation. Not to mention the sheer mind-bending logistical questions that its world conjures – one in which there are sentient cars but no humans, and the notion of vehicular reproduction can't help but loom. If it doesn't resonate as strongly for older viewers like the Pixar classics, it at least proved hugely popular with kids – raising an entire generation on Lightning McQueen, and spawning the studio's first proper franchise since Toy Story.
24. Monsters University
There's a nice idea behind this Pixar prequel – a college campus comedy that's Monsters, Inc. meets Animal House. And it's full of gentle chuckles, cutesy young designs of Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan (Billy Crystal and John Goodman both returning on voicing duties), and a sprightly energy. But it's pretty lightweight stuff, even if it packs in an interesting message: that hard work might not be enough to achieve your dream if you're really not suited for it, but you might find fulfilment in putting your talents to use elsewhere. That's the lesson learned by the young Mike, desperate to become a celebrated scarer before pivoting to a less glamorous logistical role.
23. A Bug’s Life
Pixar's follow-up to Toy Story transplanted the story of Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven into the world of insects. If it's not as memorable as the first adventure of Woody and Buzz, it proved the studio was far more than a one-hit wonder. Flik is the imaginative drone ant who draws in a team of circus bugs to help protect his colony from the evil grasshoppers who try to steal their food stash. It packs considerable laughs (the moths unable to resist the lure of the light, Joe Ranft's turn as hammy German caterpillar Heimlich), but remains surpassed by much of the studio's subsequent output.
22. Cars 3
The final instalment of the Cars trilogy is the best of the three – with a more introspective tone and deeper characterisation than either of its predecessors. Yes, it's the Logan of the Cars world – one in which Lightning McQueen is running out of steam and questioning his future, as a new generation of racers speed up from behind him. It's still not Pixar at its peak, but Cars 3 provides a satisfying closure on the remarkably popular franchise – and even nods to a brighter future with Cristela Alonzo's incoming racer Cruz Ramirez.
21. Brave
The story of flame-haired Scottish Princess Merida feels more akin to the recent mainline Disney output (the likes of Tangled and Frozen) than a Pixar film – not a criticism, but a recognition of how tonally different it feels to the studio's usual fare. For one, the humour (mostly involving Merida's trio of young brothers) skews younger, playing a little broader, a little less refined, and the story is a little more generic. But character-wise it's beautifully done – exploring a complex mother-daughter relationship rendered even trickier thanks to a magic spell with unexpected consequences. If the gorgeous early concept art teased something more mystical and contemplative, Brave is nevertheless beautiful inside and out.
20. Elemental
On the outside, Elemental looks like Pixar business as usual – set in a gorgeous city inhabited by fire, water, earth and wind people, director Peter Sohn’s analogy for the melting-pot New York he grew up in. But under the hood, it’s unique – a proper Pixar romcom, with water-guy mismatched Wade (Mamoudou Athie) and flame-headed Ember (Leah Lewis) falling for each other while uncovering a mystery in Element City. Their growing bond is incredibly charming, all building to a tear-jerking climax as the pair are forced to fight for each other amid city calamities, their opposite natures, and familial obligations. It doesn’t all work, but it’s an effective deliverer of warm-and-fuzzies, with some gorgeously-textured animation in Ember’s gently-blazing body and Wade’s liquid form.
19. Luca
Whilst Enrico Casarosa’s 2021 fish-based fable may not trouble Pixar’s biggest hitters in the spectacle department, there’s an ineffable charm to the Italian writer-director’s small-scale, sun-soaked paean to childhood, self-discovery, and motorised scooters. Set amid the picturesque town of Portorosso (a loving nod to Studio Ghibli’s Porco Rosso), Luca follows two teen sea creatures — Luca and Alberto (Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer) — who come of age together in the human world over one glorious, long summer. The episodically-structured plot of this literal fish-out-of-water tale can at times feel a little shallow, but the same cannot be said of its exploration of male friendship and the experiences of marginalised communities. Luca feels like a bit of a hidden gem already.
18. Finding Dory
If its title hints at a lazy spin-off, the Nemo follow-up is a real surprise – proving that the first film's comic relief side-kick could anchor a whole movie of her own. Taking in loss and abandonment, it packs an emotional punch while also delivering huge laughs, thanks particularly to oddball side characters like monobrowed sea lion Gerald and boggle-eyed bird Becky. It's a little overstuffed with new characters – though Ed O'Neill's grouchy octopus Hank is a mind-bogglingly impressive piece of animation – and if it goes a little wild in the final act (did it really need a car chase, as funny as this one is?), it's far more than an empty cash-in.
17. Toy Story 4
After delivering a near-perfect trilogy that ended with a near-perfect finale, Pixar dared to go back to its old toys. And Toy Story 4 mostly gets away with it, giving us an emotional coda that feels welcome, if not strictly necessary. If the plotting is a tad hectic (it's a road trip that turns into a pit-stop at a fairground next to an antiques shop), it's full of delights – Tony Hale's suicidal, existential arts-and-crafts spork Forky ("I'm trash!"), a much more satisfying incarnation of Bo Peep after her absence from Toy Story 3, Keanu Reeves as Canadian daredevil Duke Caboom, and a poignant pay-off for Woody and Buzz. With Toy Story 5 already confirmed, it remains to be seen how the finale here is paid off.
16. Incredibles 2
Not quite as dazzling as the original, Incredibles 2 (no 'The', for reasons that remain unclear) is at least a natural Pixar continuation – a superhero sequel in a box office landscape saturated by them, that once again proved animation to be a natural medium for portraying superpowers. Taking place in the aftermath of the first movie, it smartly foregrounds Holly Hunter's matriarch Elastigirl, venturing back into the crime-fighting fray in the wake of Jack-Jack's birth while Mr. Incredible turns stay-at-home dad. Its domestic scenes are smartly observed, Jack-Jack remains comic dynamite (his battle with a raccoon delivers huge laughs), and it pulls off zippy action with an expanded roster of heroes.
15. Soul
Pete Docter’s Inside Out follow-up went even bigger in ambition – delivering an existential odyssey about life, death, and the 'Great Before’, through the story of aspiring jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx). After dying on the day of his biggest musical opportunity, his soul teams with unruly spirit 22 (Tina Fey) ands returns to Earth in unexpected form. Soul explores humanity and art with all the freewheeling imagination you'd expect from Docter, while co-director Kemp Powers brings specificity to the evocation of Black communities in New York. It's gorgeous to look at too, from the jaw-dropping lighting in the Earth-bound street scenes, to the black-and-white visual freak-out that accompanies Joe's initial demise. While it aims high and swings big, it doesn't always connect – but it’s a mind-boggling work that only Pixar could have made.
14. Onward
Preceded by a string of sequels, Pixar's return to original stories proved a total blast – hilarious, emotional, and imaginative, presenting a contemporary fantasy world that has long lost its magic. At its heart are elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt), who never got to grow up with their deceased dad. When their attempt at a 'visitation spell' goes wrong, they set off on a race-against-time quest to re-try the magic. The result is one of Pixar's funniest films, stuffed with uproarious sight gags, peppered with propulsive action, and with a rollocking tone nicely balanced out by a tug of emotional loss. Add in a glut of D&D references and a beautiful brotherly relationship, and it's a critical hit.
13. Inside Out 2
A thoughtful continuation of Inside Out’s emotional journey slips back inside the mind of a now-teenage Riley (Kensington Tallman), scrambled anew by the onset of puberty — and the arrival of several new emotions. Chief amongst them is Anxiety (an outstanding Maya Hawke), whose calamitous efforts to prepare Riley for high-school life — aided by Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) — see the teen’s childhood emotions left adrift. Sar-chasms, dark secrets, and a recurring bit involving a 2D toon from Riley’s favourite childhood show all handily emulate the first film’s visual invention and quick-witted humour. But, once again, it’s the nuanced take on the complexities of our emotions — here, a profoundly relatable deconstruction of social anxiety and self-doubt — that delivers all the feels.
12. Turning Red
Following her outstanding Pixar short Bao, director Domee Shi made a seamless transition to features. Turning Red is a supremely witty, visually distinctive entry in the Pixar canon – a proper coming-of-age story set in early ‘00s Toronto, in which young Mei’s (Rosalie Chiang) journey into puberty comes with the curse (or is it?) of mutating into a giant red panda at inopportune moments. With its anime-infused unapologetically tween-girl aesthetic (Boybands! Girly magazines!), emotional gut-punches in its exploration of generational trauma, and a bevy of pop bangers from 4*TOWN (penned by Billie Eilish and Finneas, no less), it’s a vibrant and unique entry in the studio’s catalogue. As a result, it’s never not on our minds.
11. Coco
With Coco, Pixar distilled its propensity for extraordinary emotional punch into just two words: 'remember me'. The film's journey into the Mexican Land Of The Dead is breathtakingly colourful and drop-dead gorgeous even by the studio's own monumental standards – but it’s the thematic explorations of grief, remembrance, and family ties that stands above it all, with a finale sure to have all viewers in pools of tears. With its vibrant and vital portrayal of Mexican culture and folklore, it's a modern classic – even if, to nitpick, you can hear the narrative gears creaking a little when attempting to propel the adventure plot.
10. Finding Nemo
The studio's first fish-fuelled adventure was a technical breakthrough at the time – conjuring a believable underwater world complete with refracting light and floating aquatic debris. The big blue is as epic an adventure environment as you could wish for – with floundering clownfish father Marlin (Albert Brooks) encountering sharks, giant turtles, and a maze of jellyfish as he searches for his missing son Nemo who's been nabbed by tropical fish traders. Andrew Stanton's solo directorial debut is packed with memorable dialogue ("Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!"), resonant familial themes, and an ocean's worth of loveable characters – not least Ellen DeGeneres's memory-challenged Dory, later granted her own spin-off.
9. Ratatouille
Only Pixar could hit on the pun potential of a rat cooking ratatouille and turn it into something this sumptuous and sensory. A culinary odyssey, Ratatouille managed to make cooking cinematic – visualising scents and flavours as dazzling light shows that sing on the screen. If it's recognisably set in Paris, there's gloriously surreal stuff happening here too, as furry wannabe-chef Remy finds a novel way of controlling hopeless kitchen hand Linguine. Downright delightful, with a pitch-perfect Michael Giacchino score, and a climactic scene involving a cold-hearted critic that brings goosebumps galore.
8. Toy Story
All movies are made against the odds – but the ones stacked against Toy Story were monumental. Tussling with revolutionary technology and considerable tonal changes throughout production, the finished film became an instant classic, an all-new kind of animated movie. The game-changing 3D animation set the template for several decades to come, while the film worked for kids and adults simultaneously on different registers – not just one-for-them-then-one-for-you jokes, but on a deeper level of conception and characterisation. If Pixar has since outdone it, Toy Story remains the nucleus of everything that makes the studio great, from the indestructible buddy-duo of Woody and Buzz, to the zinging script with surprising emotional depth, with the darkness of Sid's cracked creations and an exciting action finale, all delivered in 80 minutes.
7. Up
It's impossible to discuss Up without addressing that opening sequence, distilling the life of childhood sweethearts Carl and Ellie into a mercurial montage of marriage, miscarriage, and mortality – human, heartbreaking, and beautifully handled. In fact, it's such powerful stuff that it's easy to forget how bonkers and vibrant the film is as a whole – with dogs flying planes, houses floating away on balloons, and a giant tropical bird called Kevin. That Up manages to combine all of those those elements into a meditation on grief and the process of letting go, with an octogenarian protagonist to boot, is astonishing – the sort of feat only Pixar can pull off.
6. The Incredibles
An unlikely mash-up of The Simpsons and Watchmen, The Incredibles lived up to its name – a thrilling, action-packed comic books-meets-vintage-Bond blast. Depicting an alt-universe in which outlawed superheroes are forced into quiet domestic lives, leading into a mystery around the deaths of former costumed adventurers, it saw the studio aim at a slightly older audience – and delivered with glorious super-powered team-up sequences under the guidance of director Brad Bird. There's genius comedy, too, in fashion-forward costume designer Edna Mode. But this is Pixar pulling off a proper action movie – in fact, it's still the best Fantastic Four film ever made. Your move, Feige.
5. Toy Story 2
Just as surprising as the original Toy Story was its supremely confident sequel – so good that Disney upgraded it from a planned straight-to-video continuation to a proper cinematic release. Toy Story 2 doubles down on the core of Woody and Buzz while introducing properly loveable new characters in the Woody's Round-Up gang (Jessie! Bullseye! Not you, Stinky Pete) and taking the toys out into the big, bad world. From its Star Wars-riffing opening, to its airport action finale, via the aisles of Al's Toy Barn, the characters, narrative and gags of Toy Story 2 remain in perfect harmony, with deeper explorations around abandonment, collectorship and the true purpose of toys. And don't even get us started on Jessie's song.
4. Monsters, Inc.
It seemed unlikely that Pixar could dream up a duo as iconic as Woody and Buzz – until Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan entered the building. The creativity on display in Monsters, Inc. is Pixar in full-flow, with the city of Monstropolis – decked out with sight gags and fuelled by the screams of terrified children – among its most dazzling locales. There's tender emotion, too, as Sully comes to discover that human toddler Boo isn't the toxic terror he was led to believe ("Kitty!"). But it's the script that really soars – full of zingers and bickering, brilliantly brought to life by Billy Crystal and John Goodman. When do we get the all-singing all-dancing stage version of 'Put That Thing Back Where It Came From, Or So Help Me'?
3. Toy Story 3
For kids, the (then) final Toy Story instalment was another fun adventure with Woody, Buzz and the gang, The Great Escape in a nursery. For adults and anyone who had grown up with the series, it was a tearjerking farewell to childhood, with a climax that evoked racking sobs and bulbous tears barely hidden behind 3D glasses. From that fiery furnace scene, to the passing of the torch from Andy to Bonnie, Toy Story 3 is so emotional that it's easy forget its joys – Spanish-language Buzz Lightyear, Timothy Dalton voicing luvvie hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants, and a Ken doll fashion show. A five-star finale to a consistently five-star trilogy.
2. Wall-E
There's a duality to Wall-E – a film that begins quietly and entirely dialogue-free before shifting into a breakneck adventure; a Pixar movie that's swooningly romantic while positing a bleak-as-hell fate for humanity. As deeply charming as our titular robot is, he's trapped in a future hellscape of our creation – a literal world of trash, littered with remnants of our consumerism and ravaged by global warming. But it's delightfully old-fashioned too, paying homage to Hollywood history with music nabbed from Hello Dolly. There's a spark of hope thanks not only to the arrival of Apple-esque love interest EVE, but the discovery of a single piece of viable plant life. As for Wall-E himself, he rivals Gizmo and Grogu in the so-cute-you’d-die-for-them stakes. Deeply loveable, narratively bold, and already a vital piece of cinema in the climate crisis age.
1. Inside Out
For a studio full of bright ideas, Inside Out might go down as Pixar's most dazzling – exploring the feelings behind our feelings, it's a film of genuine emotional intelligence wrapped up in a story of intelligent emotions. It takes barely 30 seconds for the tears to start flowing – as baby Riley is born, sees her parents for the first time, and experiences pure joy. And it only get stranger, funnier, and more beautiful from there – as a relocation to San Francisco sends young Riley's inner world into chaos. There's delightful creativity (the abstract thought sequence), witty observations (brief trips into Riley's parents' heads), and a vital concluding message: that sadness is a necessary part of life, and needs to be embraced when the time comes. An all-out miracle of a movie.
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