I Decided To Rank All Of The Pixar Movies From "Not Great" To "Pure Art" Because Someone Had To

    I wonder what it says about me that my favorite Pixar movies are about sadness and death...

    Mathew Jedeikin
    by Mathew Jedeikin

    Community Contributor

    BuzzFeed Community Team
    Approved and edited by BuzzFeed Community Team

    Hi there, I’m Mathew and I’m a total Disney dad.

    My little guy and I watched Luca recently (if you haven't seen it yet, literally stop what you're doing and go watch it on Disney+), and it got my husband and I talking about which Pixar movies are iconic and which are...well, meh.

    Here's what I came up with!

    Feel free to agree or disagree. I'd love to see a good die-hard Disney fan debate up in these comments.

    24. The Good Dinosaur

    Spot the dinosaur looks at a firefly flying by at night, a sense of wonder in his eyes
    Disney/Pixar

    Liiiiiike, The Good Dinosaur is a weird movie. Especially the part where Arlo and Spot (don't pretend like you knew those were the names of the main characters) eat psychedelic berries and go on a seemingly intense drug trip.

    23. Brave

    Merida and Queen Elinor staring intensely into each other's eyes
    Disney/Pixar

    Sure, I always feel for Merida...until she feeds her mother something she bought from the local witch with no idea what was in it or what was going to happen. Homegirl was lucky Queen Elinor turned into a bear and didn't straight up die.

    22. Cars 2

    Lightning McQueen and Mater parked outside
    Disney/Pixar

    I'm not going to spend much time on this one because if there's one thing (almost) all Disney fans agree on, it's that Cars 2 blows.

    21. Toy Story 2

    Jessie sitting in the window sill, furrowing her brows sadly
    Disney/Pixar

    Don't get me wrong, I loved the addition of Jessie to the Toy Story lineup, but otherwise Toy Story 2 was kinda forgettable.

    20. Cars 3

    Cruz Ramirez looking off to the side
    Disney/Pixar

    Cars 3 was better than Cars 2, and the fierce, young Cruz Ramirez certainly got my attention. But in the end, neither of the Cars sequels really captured the magic of the original.

    19. Finding Dory

    My toddler Leon watching "Finding Dory"
    Mathew Jedeikin / Pixar

    Okay, now we're finally getting somewhere! I feel like Finding Dory was good, but not great. And at least 20 minutes too long. I do chuckle every time I hear "Sigourney Weaver," though.

    18. Toy Story

    Sid from "Toy Story" sitting in the backyard
    Disney/Pixar

    Groundbreaking at the time, I’ll concede, but Toy Story just doesn’t age well. The CGI is distracting, plus the wild neighbor child?

    17. Cars

    Sally and Lightning McQueen look down on Radiator Springs
    Disney/Pixar

    Trying to decide which movie I liked better — Cars or Toy Story — was a tough choice. Cars edged out Toy Story because even over a decade after its release, Cars still feels relevant.

    16. Monsters University

    Mike stands on top of a car and looks down at Dean Hardscrabble
    Disney/Pixar

    Y'all might disagree, but I really enjoyed the prequel to Monsters, Inc. (which we'll get to in a minute). I love a good group of misfits, and Dean Hardscrabble is a total badass.

    15. A Bug's Life

    Flick showing off his magnifying gladd to Princess Atta
    Disney/Pixar

    I think that A Bug's Life is probably Pixar's most underappreciated movie. It's a great story with early CGI that somehow doesn't feel dated and incredible vocal talent. *cough* *cough* Julia Louis-Dreyfus *cough* *cough*

    14. Onward

    Ian reading a letter as Laurel and Barley look over his shoulders
    Disney/Pixar

    Speaking of Julia Louis-Dreyfus...she voices mom character Laurel Lightfoot in Onward in addition to her previous performance as Princess Atta in A Bug's Life! I'm a JLD fan and her casting always gets bonus points, but yeah...Onward made me cry, and in the good Disney/Pixar way.

    13. Ratatouille

    12. Monsters, Inc.

    Sulley holding Boo dressed up like a monster while he and Mike smile awkwardly
    Disney/Pixar

    I imagine most of you reading this would have put the Monsters movies earlier on this list, and maybe I'm currently just hyped about the upcoming spin-off series, but I really love me some Mike and Sulley (and Boo).

    11. Incredibles 2

    Edna Mode holding baby Jack-Jack up to scan his eyes
    Disney/Pixar

    The placement of The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 was tricky because they're both solid movies. I've rewatched them both countless times, and since Incredibles 2 was a direct sequel, combined they almost feel like one long film. However, the original just barely edged out the second to make it into my top 10.

    10. The Incredibles

    Dash, Violet, Elastigirl, and Mr. Incredible hug
    Disney/Pixar

    Even after seeing The Incredibles who knows how many times, I still feel a bit of suspense every time I watch it. The family dynamics are so on point, and who doesn't relate to Violet when she's being pressured to use her powers??

    9. WALL-E

    Wall-E looking very sad
    Disney/Pixar

    I can't think of any other movie that captivates viewers for the first twenty freakin' minutes with literally no dialogue! Wall-E is timeless.

    8. Luca

    7. Finding Nemo

    Marlin gently touches Nemo's fin as he lies on the ground
    Disney/Pixar

    So this is the part of the story where becoming a parent severely impacted the way I watch Pixar movies. Because, as a father, every time I now watch Finding Nemo, I'm honestly crying within the first ten minutes. And I like that.

    6. Up

    Russell holds up a walkie talkie and smiles while Carl looks down at him, angry
    Disney/Pixar

    It's one of Pixar's saddest movies but one of its best. And don't even try to fight me on this one.

    5. Toy Story 3

    Woody looking up sadly from the fire pit
    Disney/Pixar

    Toy Story 3 is morbid af. But also...sooo incredibly good.

    4. Toy Story 4

    Woody holding Forky's hand as they walk along the side of the street
    Pixar

    Looking back, I remember thinking, "Why tf are they making another Toy Story movie?" when I first heard about Toy Story 4. But now, I get it — it's because we all needed Forky in our lives.

    3. Inside Out

    Joy looking down with her brows furrow as Sadness looks on
    Disney/Pixar

    Now we're really getting into some Disney Sad. The way that Inside Out explores emotions and childhood is simply beautiful. As a new parent, it's a movie that I really can't wait to one day watch with my little guy.

    2. Coco

    Grandma Coco
    Disney/Pixar

    Goddamn Grandma Coco. If you aren't bawling at the end of this movie then you aren't human. It's got an incredible story with a fantastic message, music that will be in your head for weeks, and stunning visuals. Coco was hands down my favorite Pixar movie for the past few years. Until...

    1. Soul

    Joe looks ahead
    Disney/Pixar

    There really aren't many movies as touching as Pixar's best film, IMO, Soul. Watching it the first time was an emotional experience to say the least, and it impacted how I communicate with my son. I often think about the exaggerated criticisms that lived in 22's head, and remember that young souls (like my little Leon) need encouragement, not discouragement.

    That's my ranking! Lemme know if you agree or disagree.

    Oh yeah, one more thing...Disney parents FTW!

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