At this point, Pixar is a company that needs no
introduction. Once, it was just a small part of the Computer Division of
Lucasfilm, helping create visuals for films like ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of
Khan’ and ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’. Now, they are known as the company behind
some of the best computer animated films of all time. Since 1995, they have
made 13 animated films, which have grossed a cumulative total of over seven
billion dollars worldwide. Pixar has earned 27 Academy Awards, seven of which
for the Best Animated Film of the Year, along with many other awards (Golden
Globes, Annie Awards, etc…). This weekend sees the release of their 14th
animated feature, Monsters University, a prequel to their 2001 film ‘Monster’s
Inc’. Will it be another roaring success for Pixar? We’ll just have to wait and
see when it comes out. But for now, it’s time to look back at the premier
filmography of what is probably the best computer animation studio around
today.
I
apologize in advance if, at times, I start to repeat myself during this
retrospective, but come on, it’s Pixar. What else can you say about them?
TOY STORY (1995)
Toy Story was the first feature-length computer
animated film ever made. Obviously, there was a lot that Pixar had to do to get
this film made. In fact, at one point, the production of the film was actually
shut down because of a disastrous first cut of the film which was filled with,
according to director (and head of Pixar) John Lasseter, ‘the most unhappy,
mean characters that I’ve ever seen’. Even Tom Hanks, who voiced the main
character Woody, once proclaimed that the original interpretation of the
character was a ‘jerk’. Why was this happening? Well, Disney wanted the film to
appeal to both children and adults and then-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg
suggested that Pixar should make the film edgier. Obviously, this didn’t go far
and after major rewrites (even Joss Whedon came in to help rewrite the film),
the final product that we know today was finally complete.
Even after 18 years, ‘Toy Story’ still stands as one
of the best computer animated films of all time. The visuals are still very
good even after all this time but the main thing that holds the film together
is the writing. As Disney had hoped, the film does appeal to both children and
adults but instead of being edgy, the writing is both witty and sophisticated
which works much better. The main characters Woody and Buzz (both excellently
voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, respectively) are both very likable and
Hanks and Allen work together very well. The rest of the voice cast (which
includes Jim Varney, Don Rickles, and Wallace Shawn) is great as well. The
bottom line is that if you haven’t seen ‘Toy Story’ yet, this is a must-see
animated film that is great for the whole family.
Rating:
5/5!
A BUG’S LIFE (1998)
For now, let’s ignore the whole controversy
surrounding 1998’s two ant-themed animated films, Dreamworks’ first computer
animated film ‘Antz’ and Pixar’s second film, ‘A Bug’s Life’. Did Jeffrey
Katzenberg steal the idea from Pixar? Who knows? But now let’s talk about
Pixar’s second film which, as a whole, isn’t really as good as ‘Toy Story’ but
it’s still an enjoyable animated film. Compared to ‘Antz’, which had more edge
to it, ‘A Bug’s Life’ is more kid-friendly in tone. I’m not saying that’s a bad
thing; it’s just that I kind of prefer ‘Antz’ over this film. The main
characters are a little bland, but the supporting characters make up for that
shortcoming, namely the circus bugs that the main character Flik enlists to
help his colony deal with the grasshoppers that oppress them. It’s not really
one of my favorites, but it’s still a solid film from Pixar.
Rating:
4/5
TOY STORY 2 (1999)
Believe it or not, ‘Toy Story 2’ was originally supposed
to be just a direct-to-video film, but just like how ‘Toy Story’ was re-done
after its first cut, Pixar decided to make a full-length theatrical release
instead and what a film this is. It’s hard for a sequel to top the original,
but ‘Toy Story 2’ is one of those rare sequels that is not only as good as the
original, but possibly better. It’s my personal favorite Pixar film for a few
reasons; namely due to the broadened scope and new cast of characters. The
writing is still fantastic, and the filmmakers do a great job at further continuing
the story by bringing up the question of what will Woody do when Andy grows up
and will most likely forget about him (which is developed further in Toy Story
3). The backstory for the character of Jessie is also a highlight of the film,
and a guaranteed tear-jerker. ‘Toy Story 2’ is one of the best sequels of all
time, and I have to say that I actually prefer it to the original.
Rating:
5/5!
MONSTERS’ INC (2001)
It’s the film that led to the upcoming ‘Monsters
University’ and, as you might have guessed, it’s another great film from Pixar.
It’s a nice creative take on the whole ‘monsters in the closet’ idea and Pixar
does a great job at setting up the monster universe and its characters. The two
main characters, Mike and Sulley, are both very likable and both Billy Crystal
and John Goodman (Mike and Sulley, respectively) do great jobs in the roles. The
two also have great chemistry together, and Crystal does pretty much steal the
show here. It’s a heartwarming comedy and another great Pixar film.
Rating:
4.5/5
FINDING NEMO (2003)
I don’t think I need to go into this film that much
because it’s already been done to death but I’ll give my thoughts on it anyway.
Finding Nemo is one of the best Pixar films ever; it’s pretty much a
masterpiece in terms of computer animated films. The story is based around a
touching father-son message and both the characters of Marlin and his son Nemo
are very likable. You can see where both are coming from; Marlin is afraid of
losing Nemo after his wife and their other kids are eaten by a barracuda (also,
on another note, that opening… um… DAMN! Talk about a way to open up a movie,
especially a family film, no less) and Nemo is annoyed by how overprotective
his father is. Ellen DeGeneres is also great and hilarious in the role of Dory,
a fish with short-term memory loss. Finally, this is one of Pixar’s best films
in terms of visuals, which are just beautiful. Not only is this one of Pixar’s
best films, but it’s one of the best animated films ever.
Rating:
5/5!
THE INCREDIBLES (2004)
Speaking of the best animated films ever, let’s look
at ‘The Incredibles’. It’s interesting that, with this film, it was the first
Pixar film to be made by someone who was not directly affiliated with Pixar.
However, because director Brad Bird was friends with John Lasseter (the two
attended the same college, California Institute of the Arts), I’d go as far as
say he’s pretty much part of the ‘Pixar team’. As for the first of the two
films he has currently made for Pixar, it’s a loving homage to superheroes and
it’s also a nice satire on suburban life, with the main characters being a
family who just so happen to have superpowers. It’s also one of the funniest
Pixar films (‘Honey, where’s my super-suit?’). It’s pretty much a masterpiece and it’s
another one of Pixar’s finest. On a final note, it’s also the only Pixar film
right now that is truly worthy of a sequel. The ending of the film pretty much
sets it all up. That probably won’t happen for a while (Bird’s currently busy
working on his newest film, ‘Tomorrowland’) but I certainly look forward to an ‘Incredibles
2’.
Rating:
5/5!
CARS (2006)
The two ‘Cars’ movies have probably received the
weakest ratings of any Pixar film to date (the second one getting even worse
reviews than its predecessor) but in regards to the first film, I actually do
really like it. It’s not really Pixar’s best film, but I do think it’s a solid
animated film, even if it’s not really up to par with some of Pixar’s best work.
It goes at a much slower pace than other Pixar films and admittedly the film
may be a bit too long but I never found the film to be boring. Sure, the story
is a little cliché, but the characters make up for it. All in all, the first ‘Cars’
is not really for everyone, but it’s still pretty entertaining.
Rating:
4/5
RATATOUILLE (2007)
Brad Bird returns to Pixar with ‘Ratatouille’, and
once again Bird delivers another fantastic animated film. First off, the visuals
of Paris are fantastic; they’re almost like works of art. In fact, that’s the
best way I can describe the film. It’s pretty much a work of art. Granted, some
of the dialogue is a little cheesy (no pun intended) but the film is very
entertaining, as Bird’s talents at storytelling are once again evident in this
great Pixar film.
Rating:
4.5/5
WALL-E (2008)
I think this film’s kind of hard to sell to people
because the first half of the film contains little to no dialogue; the two main
characters are robots who don’t speak much. However, the atmosphere is
incredible and the main characters of Wall-E and EVE are both very likable. The
film succeeds at connecting with the audience even though the main characters
barely say anything. Then, the second half of the film takes them into outer
space. Along with some of Pixar’s most breath-taking visuals, there’s a bit of
satire on the idea of consumerism and the economic message that the film
promotes (pretty much the following; don’t pollute) is executed well enough
that it doesn’t keep hitting you over the head. I won’t say it’s really one of
my favorites, but it’s still a well-made animated film.
Rating:
4.5/5
UP (2009)
I have to admit that I was not really interested in
this film at first, most likely because I didn’t think a movie focused around
an old man sounded that exciting to me. Thankfully, I was proven very wrong by
another Pixar masterpiece. This film sells you just by the first ten minutes
alone, which follows the main character Carl’s marriage to his wife Ellie, all
without any dialogue and yet the music and emotions in this scene make it one
of the best sequences ever put on film (not just in animated films). But that’s
just the first ten minutes. Thankfully, the rest of the movie is also very
creative, funny, and charming which makes this another must-see from Pixar.
Rating:
5/5!
TOY STORY 3 (2010)
After 11 years, the Toy Story crew returns for what
is hopefully the final Toy Story film (there’s rumors of a fourth film circulating
right now, but while it is possible, I believe that they should end the film
series right here), and it’s a fitting conclusion to this series. It’s not
afraid to take a dark turn, namely the scene near the end where the toys almost
meet their own end. The writing is once again excellent, bringing the story arc
of Andy’s toys to a close as they wonder about the future now that Andy is
grown up and heading off to college. Of course, by the end, I will admit it…
this is a film where, young and old, I guarantee you’ll be fighting back tears.
It’s probably not the best Toy Story film, but even after a whole decade since
the last installment, it ends the series on a high note and it’s a rare threequel
that actually to be as good as its predecessors.
Rating:
4.5/5
CARS 2 (2011)
AKA the first major Pixar film to receive mixed to
negative reviews. Is it Pixar’s worst film to date? It probably is, but as
someone who was a fan of the first Cars film, I don’t think it’s that bad.
However, was the first ‘Cars’ film in need of a sequel? It really wasn’t, and
while the whole world-traveling idea seems cool, it’s not really the main focus
of the film. Instead, the focus is on spies with the character of Mater getting
caught up in international espionage. This film focuses on that plotline so
much that Mater is pretty much the main character, and the other main character
Lightning McQueen is now just a side character. Obviously, the film still looks
great visually but the writing is not really as good as some of Pixar’s other
films. I can’t say that it’s a bad film, but Pixar has obviously done much
better.
Rating:
3/5
BRAVE (2012)
In a way, ‘Brave’ did get Pixar back on the right
track after ‘Cars 2’. The film received better reviews and it even won the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. However, the reviews weren’t still up
to par with Pixar’s classics and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who didn’t
really agree with the Academy picking this film for the best animated film of
the year when there were much better films in that category (Wreck-it Ralph,
Paranorman, etc…) that year. But that doesn’t mean that this is a bad film. It’s
just that this is just an okay Pixar film and it could have been a whole lot
better. The first half is actually really good, as the filmmakers do a
fantastic job setting up this universe and also taking a much darker route than
some of the studio’s other films. But sadly the film starts to fall apart in
the second half, where the film descends into typical kids’ film material. The
trailers are actually quite mis-promoting. While it seemed like the film would
follow the main character of Merida as she tried to ‘change her fate’, in
reality the film is about Merida trying to save her mom after accidentally
getting her turned into a bear. For the record, the whole mother-daughter
aspect of the film is quite touching and well-done, but unfortunately this film
just isn’t up to par with Pixar’s other masterpieces.
Rating:
3.5/5
And now, here are my overall rankings of the 13
Pixar films that have currently been released. For the record, if one of your
favorite films is lower on this list, remember… this is Pixar we’re talking
about. Aside from some less-than stellar efforts, pretty much every film they
have made is a masterpiece.
Rankings:
13.
Cars 2
12.
Brave
11.
A Bug’s Life
10.
Cars
9.
Wall-E
8.
Ratatouille
7.
Monsters’ Inc
6.
Toy Story 3
5.
Up
4.
Finding Nemo
3.
Toy Story
2.
The Incredibles
1.
Toy Story 2
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