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The 5 Best Pixar Movies of All Time

  • Editorial Staff & Film Critics Crosswalk.com blogspot for ChristianMovieReviews.com and Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment and Culture editor
  • Updated Jun 23, 2017

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was published in summer 2015, so Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Cars 3, and Coco (November 2017) were not included in our rankings. But you can find our reviews for these Pixar films by clicking on the links above. (Speaking for myself (Shawn), Inside Out is my new #1, the others would all fall somewhere outside my Top 5).

Pixar's fifteenth feature-length film, Inside Out, is just around the corner! And here at Crosswalk, our editors and film critics love just about everything the studio has produced in the past 20 years. But how to rank them? If you've ever tried to do this with a group of friends, chances are you've found some disagreement! How do you compare a Rembrandt to a Picasso? You're going to end up splitting hairs.

But that doesn't mean we didn't have fun! Shawn and Steve from CrosswalkMovies.com take us through the Top 5 countdown in the video below, but for those who want more insight into our selections and process, scroll down for a more complete list!

CrosswalkMovies.com: What are YOUR Top 5 Pixar Movies? from crosswalkmovies on GodTube.

 

Our Votes and Selections

(List ranked on average scores from our 8 panelists)
1 Finding Nemo
2 Toy Story
3 The Incredibles
4 Up
5 Wall-E

6 Ratatouille
7 Toy Story 3
8 Monsters, Inc.
9 Toy Story 2
10 Brave
11 A Bug's Life
12 Monsters University
13 Cars
14 Cars 2
(Hadn't arrived yet: Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Cars 3, Coco, Toy Story 4)

Christa Banister, Film Critic

Ranking: Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Up, Toy Story 3, The Incredibles, Brave, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2, Cars, A Bug's Life, Cars 2, Monsters University
Favorite Pixar Character: Violet Parr from The Incredibles
Favorite Pixar Villain: Anton Ego from Ratatouille
Best Voicing of a Character: Billy Crystal & John Goodman as Mike & Sully in Monsters, Inc.
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': The last tear-jerking 15 minutes or so of Toy Story 3 when everyone’s saying goodbye and starting new lives or when Wall-E and EVE float into space.
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: "Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere" from Ratatouille
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Sully & Mike get ready for work in Monsters, Inc.
I Always Tear Up at the the Part When: That wordless sequence from Up, when ol' curmudgeon Carl shows the audience how much he loved his wife—and the loss they felt when they couldn't have a child

Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment & Culture Editor

Ranking: Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Brave, Wall-E, Monsters University, Cars, Cars 2
Favorite Pixar Character: Dory from Finding Nemo
Favorite Pixar Villain: Hopper from A Bug's Life
Best Voicing of a Character: Brad Bird as Edna Mode from The Incredibles
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': Anton Ego is served ratatouille and flashes back to childhood, from Ratatouille
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: "Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo and "Adventure is out there!” from Up
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: SQUIRREL! (from Up)
I Always Tear Up at: The opening sequence of Up

Susan Ellingburg, Film Critic

Ranking: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Up, Brave, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 2, Monsters University, Cars, Cars 2, A Bug's Life
Other categories not available

Christian Hamaker, Film Critic

Ranking: Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Up, Toy Story 3, The Incredibles, Brave, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 2, Cars, A Bug's Life, Cars 2, Monsters University
Favorite Pixar Character: Anton Ego from Ratatouille
Favorite Pixar Villain: Anton Ego from Ratatouille
Best Voicing of a Character: Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego from Ratatouille
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': Anton Ego's final monologue from Ratatouille
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: "In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more" from Ratatouille
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Bruce the shark says, "I'm having fish tonight!" in Finding Nemo
I Always Tear Up at: The end of the dialogue-free opening of Up

Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Ranking: Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Toy Story 2, Brave, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Toy Story 3, Cars, tie: Monsters University & Cars 2
Favorite Pixar Character: Mr. Ray the singing teacher from Finding Nemo
Favorite Pixar Villain: Sid Phillips from Toy Story
Best Voicing of a Character: Anything by John Ratzenberger (who appears in all Pixar films, as characters such as Hamm, Mack, The Abominable Snowman, etc.)
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': The end of Monsters Inc. when Mike reassembles Boo's door for Sully, and he finally gets to see her again. Even though we don't get to see her face, her "Kitty!" and Sully's reaction gets me every time
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Filmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_b_BxXKPos
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Buzz, upon first seeing Sid (who is laughing manically at the thought of blowing up Woody) asks, "You mean that happy child?" (from Toy Story)
I Always Tear Up at the the Part When: Marlin leaves Dory near the end of Finding Nemo and she begs him to stick with her. Dory: I look at you, and I... and I'm home. Please... I don't want that to go away. I don't want to forget. Marlin: I'm sorry, Dory. But I... do.

Jeffrey Huston, Film Critic

Ranking: Wall-E, Toy Story 2, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, Up, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc., Cars, Monsters University, Brave, Cars 2
Favorite Pixar Character: Wall-E, from Wall-E
Favorite Pixar Villain: Time, from the Toy Story trilogy (more of an existential choice than a literal one, but Time is truly the big enemy that must be reconciled with rather than defeated, and it’s what informs the core themes of the entire trilogy)
Best Voicing of a Character: A shoutout to John Ratzenberger, who Pixar CEO John Lasseter has called the studio's "good luck charm" for doing a voice in every Pixar movie
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': When Wall-E has been rebooted and reset into default mode, erasing his information and memory. The distraught Eve desperately tries to jog his memory and "bring him back to life" by showing him his favorite things, but to no effect. He remains soulless... but her final solution is an inspired and powerful twist on the traditional "Prince/Princess" dynamic
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: Woody says, "I can't stop Andy from growing up… but I wouldn’t miss it for the world" in Toy Story 2
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Dory "speaks Whale" in Finding Nemo
I Always Tear Up at: The Jessie backstory scene from Toy Story 2 that's set to the Sarah McLachlan song "When She Loved Me."

Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

Ranking: Up, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Wall-E, Brave, Toy Story 2, Monsters University, Cars, A Bug's Life, Cars 2
Favorite Pixar Character: Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles
Favorite Pixar Villain: Lotso from Toy Story 3 (oh how close he came to knowing redemption and letting bitterness go, but...)
Best Voicing of a Character: Ellen DeGeneres as Dory from Finding Nemo
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': 1 - Nemo is found; 2 - Anton Ego's review in Ratatouille; 3 - The last bit of humanity ebbs away from Queen Elinor as a bear in Brave, until her "cub" is attacked by Mor'du, at which point she fights to the death; 4 - Andy's toys prepare to meet their demise together in Toy Story 3, but then... The Claw!
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: "Hey Mr. Grumpy Gills... Know whatcha gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming..." from Finding Nemo. Also: "Not today, Zurg!" from Toy Story 2 and "Sometimes I just want [the world] to stay saved!" from The Incredibles
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Anything Dug says or does in Up
I Always Tear Up at the the Part When: Mike fixes Boo's door at the end of Monsters, Inc. Sully gets to see her and she sounds more grown up but still recognizes her "Kitty."

Stephen McGarvey, Executive Editor

Ranking: Wall-E, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Up, Toy Story 3, Monsters University, Brave, A Bug's Life, Ratatouille, Cars, Cars 2
Favorite Pixar Character: Dory from Finding Nemo
Favorite Pixar Villain: Syndrome from The Incredibles
Best Voicing of a Character: Bob Peterson as Dug from Up
Favorite Pixar 'Moment': In Wall-E when the Captain decides it's time go to home: "I don't want to survive; I want to live!"
Favorite Quote from a Pixar Film: "Not today, Zurg!" from Toy Story 2 and "The bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends..." from Ratatouille 
I Always Laugh at the Part Where: Frozone is trying to get his wife to help him find his super-suit in The Incredibles
I Always Tear Up at the the Part When: Mike puts Boo's door back together so Sully can visit in Monsters, Inc., and when Andy gives his toys to Bonnie in Toy Story 3

Publication date: May 26, 2015