Countdown to Brave: My Favorite Pixar Movies

This Friday, Pixar will be releasing their latest animated feature film, Brave, and I'm excited. Quite frankly, there's a lot to be excited about; the Scottish Highlands, a red-haired heroine, and BEARS! But also I'm excited because of Pixar's history of excellence and seeing what they have in store next. So, since we're waiting, I thought it'd be fun to rank all previous Pixar films from least to greatest. Let me stress that this is my own, personal list, and only reflects my opinion, and is not in any way fact. So let's get started!

11. Cars
Remember how I said I would be ranking every previous Pixar film? Well, I lied. I never saw Cars 2 because the first one was so disappointing. It's the only Pixar film that I did not enjoy in some way. This movie is just bland, with cliche characters, boring narrative, and a universe comprised of a giant one-note-joke: everything is a car. By half way through the movie, this concept has lost its originality, and it doesn't help that virtually every gag relies on it. Cars is the one black mark on Pixar's record, and the unfortunate reality of merchandising means that this franchise is not going away . . . ever.

10. A Bug's Life
This was Pixar's second go at a feature length film, and it didn't quite capture the same magic as Toy Story. This was due, mostly, to its cast of rather forgettable characters. Does anyone remember who Molt was? How about Manny? Luckily, it had a compelling story, which recently was pointed out to me as an adaptation of Kurosawa's 7 Samurai, one of my favorite films.

9. Up
My problem with Up is that it hits its emotional peek way too early. Admit it, you cried during the opening credits of this movie! I did, too. Why did Pixar make us cry in the opening credits? Probably to prove that they could. But after that seven minute emotional roller coaster, nothing else in the rest of the film is as impressive. I guess I just identify more with the young Carl, when he still had hopes and dreams. But my parents really like this movie. And it's still leaps and bounds ahead of what most other animation studios are doing.

8. Ratatouille
This film is a bit of an enigma to me. It does so much right and yet does so much wrong. This is the first animated film I can remember with a dynamic camera. The POV shots of mice scurrying through the rafters are exhilarating. Paris at night is bright and colorful. It's a gorgeous movie! And then the rat tugs on the human's hair and finds he can control him. What? Why are you adding a fantasy/magical element so late in the movie? How does it even work? Can he control all his motor functions this way, or just the ones needed in the kitchen? It's a cheap, unexplained plot point that drags the rest of the film down with it.

7. Toy Story
A lot of you might be surprised to find this classic so early on my list. Toy Story was Pixar's very first feature length film, and while it was incredibly impressive for its time, I think it's clear they were still working the kinks out of their now tried-and-true formula. It's two sequels are clearly superior in terms of visuals, story, and character development. However, those achievements would not have been possible if not for the solid foundation established in this first film.

6. Toy Story 3
Did you ever think you'd cry at the end of a movie about toys? I never did. The emotional journey in Toy Story 3 is one of Pixar's greatest accomplishments, and it's the only one of their films to gross a billion dollars worldwide, making it one of the most successful movies of all time. The only reason why this film is not higher on my list is because, as the third part in the series, most of what they have to say has already been said. Toy Story 3, therefore, relies more on nostalgia than anything else. Despite that, it was a fitting close to a timeless series.

5. Toy Story 2
Is it strange that the Toy Story movies are all grouped together here? I think not. They're all the same thematically, and none of them do it better than Toy Story 2. This film takes the same ideas from the first one and expands them to new heights. It takes a closer, deeper look at all our old friends and introduces a few new ones. All the while, the theme of friendship is never lost. Truly, a classic.

4. Monsters, Inc.
There are moments where Monsters, Inc. comes dangerously close to being the same one-note-joke that Cars was: "oh, it's a world of monsters, where everything is just like our world, only with monsters." Luckily, Monsters, Inc. elevates itself above that with a group of amazing characters and a stellar story. It's also the first Pixar film that truly tugs at your heart strings. Sure, Toy Story 2 had the sad song with Jessie, but that was a subplot and forgotten for most of the movie. In this one, it was part of the whole narrative. The monsters revealed in themselves a lot of our own, human fears and emotions, making them some of the most real characters Pixar has ever devised.

AND THE TOP THREE ARE . . . .

3. The Incredibles
If any Pixar film is screaming for a sequel, it's this one. The Incredibles throws a whole new twist into the superhero genre (a category which I am biased towards). It takes a deep, character centric look at superhero lifestyle, the perks, the pitfalls, and the consequences, offering perhaps a more complete picture than has ever been given in this genre. It's also a story about family, trust, sticking together, and what makes us special. The James Bond elements are just icing on the cake. It might be my love for superheroes that got it this high on my list, but it wouldn't be here if it weren't doing something incredibly right.

2. Finding Nemo
This film is as close to perfect as it could have gotten. Finding Nemo does everything right from characters, to story, to themes, to visuals. There's nothing I could possibly complain about in regards to this film. For a movie set mostly in the vastness of the open ocean, you have to hand it to Pixar for delivering colorful, varied set pieces that go far beyond blue water and white sand. However, the narrative excellence far outweighs the visual splendor. When I think of this movie, I remember the deeply emotional journey of a father looking for his son, and the gut wrenching moment when Dory realizes she's found her home.

1. WALL-E
If Finding Nemo was close to perfect, then WALL-E is perfection, a rare treat that only happens a few times every generation. Here, Pixar proves once and far all that they are the masters of their medium. Everything I said about Nemo doing everything right, the same applies to WALL-E, only here they do it with almost no dialogue. It's a heartwarming tale told almost entirely through the visuals alone. There's a scene where WALL-E is going through the spaceship Axiom and he comes across another robot, who's only job it seems is to pound keys on a lone console. The robot looks at him, and WALL-E waves. The other robot is confused, looking at his own appendages and slowly mimicking the action. When next we see this robot, he notices WALL-E, quickly brightens up, and emphatically waves at him. This to me is the entire movie in a microcosm. This little robot, seemingly so insignificant, has a positive effect on every life that he comes into contact with. Who'd have thought you could care so much about a robot, a piece of equipment. I never fail to tear up at the end of this movie.

Well, that's it! Thanks for indulging me with my list. But what about you? What's your favorite Pixar film? Do you think Brave will be a new favorite? Comment below!