The Top 10 of Pixar

The Top 10 of Pixar

Look up the word 'childhood' in the dictionary and the vast majority of under 25's will see the definition as: Disney/Pixar. From the revolutionary Toy Story (which I still own on VHS despite my lack of a video player) to this year's Scottish outing Brave, Pixar studios have provided us with fantastic fun and the vast majority of their films have received endless praise from critics and fans alike. 

So what's the appeal? Personally, the magic of Pixar has always been the complete genius of giving inanimate objects or creatures real voices and personalities. I can still remember going to see Monsters Inc. at the age of 10 with my mum and she laughed at it as much as I did: 'It's the fact that they act so normal!' she said. 'They're monsters and they're talking like normal people!'

The lack of this in Brave leads me to be slightly sceptical about it. The completely human cast of characters is something that takes away from the escapism - it adds a much more serious tone rather than the humour provided by watching bugs or toys struggle with the issues that come with being...well, a bug or a toy. Still, Pixar haven't quite led us astray yet (other than their ridiculously unnecessary sequel to Cars) and they certainly know what they're doing.

Brave hits cinemas next week, so in preparation its time to look back at Pixar's best offerings so far. Here's the top 10:

10. Cars (2006)

Kicking off to a speedy start, Cars skids its way into number 10. It's an enjoyable film with plenty of car-related gags ("She just likes me for my body"), but it doesn't quite sit as high up as the rest of Pixar's highest and mightiest. Saying that, even the least tempting offering from Pixar is better than the best offering from other studios, so Cars is still definitely worth a watch.

The film tells the story of Lightning McQueen, a young race car with huge ambitions to win the coveted Piston Cup. Following a spectacularly tense opening race, the result is a tie between himself, long-time champion 'The King' and his rival Chick Hicks. It is decided that a tie-break race will be carried out between the three neck and neck competitors in California seven days later.

"Don't need to know where I'm going - just need to know where I've been."

On his way there, Lightning gets lost and ends up stuck in a small, sleepy town called Radiator Springs. Meeting the locals, including a tow-truck by the name of Tow-Mater and tyre salesmen called Luigi and Guido, Lightning learns that perhaps the journey to the finish line can be just as enjoyable as winning.

"He won the Piston cup!" - Lightning

"He did what in his cup?!" - Mater.

9. The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar's first foray into a fully human story, The Incredibles is a film that is both thoroughly enjoyable and yet lacking in Pixar's magic. As I mentioned before, the magic of Pixar is it's ability to give voices to those who don't have any in the real world. It's a fun movie, however, and one which was well received by fans and critics, with Rolling Stone even naming it Number 6 in its top 10 films of the decade. There were rumours of a sequel in 2006, however Disney soon squashed these opting to focus on Cars and Ratatouille instead. 

"You told me to be true to myself."

"Supers" - or "superheroes"- were once loved and praised by the world, until the collateral damage from their constant battles with evil became too great for the government to reimburse. They were ordered to cease using their superpowers and live amongst civilians. 

Bob and Helen Parr (who used to be supers) are now living a normal life. Bob, bored of his mundane existence, dreams of the times when he used to save the world. Invited to attend a meeting with a new client who may have a secret 'Incredible' job for him, he departs home. His wife, suspicious that he is having an affair, follows him with their children. On a mysterious island where the meetings take place, they all discover a new threat to the world that will force the parents out of retirement and the children into action.

"Of course I have a secret identity. I don't know a single superhero who doesn't. Who wants to be super all the time?" - Mr Incredible

8. A Bug's Life (1998)

After the huge success of the first Toy Story movie, Pixar released A Bug's Life. Sceptics were sure they wouldn't be able to release a movie half as good as its predecessor, but they were quickly silenced upon seeing the beautifully crafted film unfold. As research, Pixar ordered a tiny camera and attached it to a stick; they then lowered it into the garden outside their studios to take a closer look at the plant life and to experience a view of the world as a tiny bug. 

"Circus bugs? How can you be circus bugs?!"

A Bug's Life is the hugely entertaining story of Flik, a member of an ant colony who feels belittled and unappreciated. He strays from the beaten path, often inventing crazy contraptions and flying devices much to the dismay and embarrassment of the other ants. The ant colony is continuously oppressed and bullied by a swarm of grasshoppers who invade their territory and take all their food. Flik decides enough is enough, and sets out for the 'big city' to try and recruit stronger bugs to stand up for the ants. Mistakenly believing that a bunch of circus bugs are actually fighters, Flik brings them home to defend his colony.

"We make the food and the grasshoppers take the food - that's our lot in life. It's not a lot but it's our life!" - The Ant Queen

7. Toy Story 2 (1999)

Yes, the least entertaining Toy Story movie is Toy Story 2. Let me explain: while it is still brilliant and better than most second instalments of any franchise, Toy Story 2 is a little slow and doesn't possess the tearjerking emotion of Part 3, nor the hilarious originality of Part 1. Don't get me wrong, though - Toy Story 2 is still one of my favourite animated films of all time, with Woody and Buzz continuing to act as a physical embodiment of childhood. The story still has plenty of comedic gags (particularly where Zurg and Buzz are concerned) and Woody's internal conflict of whether to remain Andy's beloved toy for a few more years or be stared at adoringly by children from behind glass is really tense to behold. Believe it or not, the film started off as a short direct-to-video sequel, before Pixar decided it had enough momentum to become a fully fledged cinematic production. Toy Story 2, along with its predecessor, is one of the only films to have a 100% 'fresh' rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

"Andy's growing up. There's nothing you can do about it."

Toy Story 2 kicks off not long after the events of the first instalment. Andy is off to cowboy camp for a few days during the summer and Woody can't wait to go with him - until an accident renders Woody's left arm torn and he is left on the dreaded shelf. Andy leaves him behind and, in a yard sale, Woody is picked up by a toy collector who has been looking for him for years. Kidnapped by a money-minded toy thief and miles from home, Woody meets the rest of the 'roundup gang' who tell him they've spent their lives in storage waiting for him to arrive so they can be shipped off to a Japanese museum together. While Buzz assembles a rescue party to bring him home, Woody has to a choice to make: stay with his new clingy roundup gang to save them from life in a box - or go back to his owner Andy, where his days as a beloved toy are numbered.

"You never forget kids like Emily or Andy - but they forget you." - Jessie

6. Wall-E (2008)

Just missing out on the top 5 is the world's cutest little robot, Wall-E. Wall-E originated from the question of 'what would happen if we ignore climate change and fail to recycle?' It's a serious concept, one which hasn't really been addressed in animated films before. Wall-E was met with resounding critical acclaim all over the world, with TIME magazine calling it their favourite film of the decade. What do I think? It's a little bit preachy, sure - some of it felt like a warning from a patronising teacher. 'Now, kids, make sure you recycle or you'll all live in space and get really fat in the future!' Otherwise it was a really nice movie, the first act (where Wall-E is the only inhabitant of Earth) reminiscent of some of those classic, artistic silent films. Wall-E himself is an interesting, fun protagonist despite having no ability to talk, instead using his robotic eyes and occasional 'beeps' to convey his emotions.

The year is 2805; the Earth is no longer suitable to play home to humans due to its toxic atmosphere and the land itself choking underneath years worth of garbage. The plan was for humans to live in space for a few years, leaving behind Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class) robots to stay behind and clear up the garbage for their return. 700 years later, the humans haven't come back and only one robot remains carrying out his duty.

"All we do on this ship is nothing!"

Wall-E is the last of his kind, still collecting heaps of garbage and re-piling it neatly, ready to be launched into space. He passes the time by collecting scraps and spare parts for himself (there is a humourous moment where his eye pops out, which he quickly replaces with a new one). One day, on a routine garbage clearance, Wall-E is disturbed by an enormous rocket ship, which leaves an 'EVE' (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) bot behind to scan for any plant life on Earth. They become friends, however after EVE discovers plant life inside Wall-E's home, she shuts down and is taken back into space by the rocket. Wall-E, determined to keep his new friend, hangs on to the rocket and discovers the real reason humans haven't returned.

"If you go back to Earth you won't survive." - AUTO

                           "I don't want to survive, I want to live!" - The ship's captain

5. Up (2009)

Double Golden Globe winner Up remains to this day one of the most emotionally tearjerking animated movies of all time. Not only does it manage to tell a complete love story in five minutes, but it also manages to rip it apart in equally sharp fashion, giving us a protagonist that you genuinely feel for during the rest of the film. Up is just one of those movies where at certain points, you find yourself thinking 'How the hell do they come up with this stuff? A talking dog is befriending an old man who is carrying a house with balloons accompanied by a boy scout!'

I don't know who OK'd that premise, but it certainly paid off - Up is Pixar's highest grossing movie behind Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. It stays in your mind long after the credits, and the characters are just so layered well written that most other animated films seem poorly scripted by comparison.

Really, part of me thinks that Up is the Pixar film that was made for adults. The humour, the story and the tragedies that unfold are so relatable and beautifully told that I can't think of any age group that wouldn't like it.

Young Charles Fredrickson is a shy, quiet boy who idolises the famous explorer Charles F. Muntz. However, he is disappointed to discover that Muntz has been accused of faking his capture of a giant bird he claimed to have discovered in Paradise Falls, South America. Muntz vows to return to Paradise Falls and he will only return when the bird has been found.

"I hid under your porch because I love you."

Carl befriends an energetic, talkative girl named Ellie, who is also a Muntz fan. Years later, they get married and intend to visit paradise falls together. Carl works as a balloon-vender and Ellie works at a zoo. When they are told by a doctor that Ellie is unable to have children, they save up and intend to use their money to visit the waterfall, however more pressing financial needs keep interfering. When they are reaching old age, Carl finally secretly saves up the money but unfortunately Ellie dies before they can go. Years later, Carl lives alone in their suburban house which is being surrounded by urban development. Deciding enough is enough, Carl attaches thousands of balloons to his house, turning it into a makeshift airship. A young wildnerness explorer, Russel, becomes an uninvited passenger by accidentally staying on the porch while the house ascends into the sky. Landing in South America, Carl must brave the wilderness and make his way to Paradise Falls on foot with Russel, Dug the talking dog, and a large unidentified bird in his company.

"This is crazy. I finally meet my childhood hero and he's trying to kill us! What a joke." - Carl.

4. Monsters Inc. (2001)

Monsters Inc. is one of the most original pieces of cinema, not just in the animated genre, but of all time. Playing on the age-old tradition that children fear the monsters in their closets, the film suggests that actually the monsters are just people trying to make a living themselves, and the fear from children is the energy source which powers their city. It's another animated classic, given weight by the brilliant performances of Disney's veteran John Goodman and Billy Crystal as the hilarious duo of Sully and Mike. I still remember seeing it at the cinema for the first time, and the gags I found funny then are still just as funny now - a statement which summarises Pixar's appeal in one line.

"Shh. You hear that? That's the winds of change..."

In a parallel world, monsters do exist and they all go about their daily lives just as humans do. The city of Monstropolis is powered by the screams of human children (calm down, it's not as sadistic as you think). Professional 'scarers' from the monster world venture into childrens' bedrooms at night via their closets and scare them in order to generate screams. The top scarer is Sully, an enormous blue bear who is assisted by his partner Mike Wazowski, a small green creature with one eye. The belief is that anything from the human world, even so much as a sock, can contaminate the monster world with deadly consequences, which is why the monsters have to be careful each time they travel through the closets. After working late one evening, Sully discovers that a door to our world has been left on the factory floor, so he opens it to see why, resulting in him unwittingly allowing a young girl into Monstropolis. Attempting to hide her from Waternoose, the company's owner who will stop at nothing to generate screams, Sully and Mike have to find a way to get her back into her own world without anybody finding out.

Monsters Inc is scheduled to be re-released in 3D on January 18th 2013. A prequel has also been announced (of which the trailer has recently debuted online), and it will be released on June 21st the same year. The film will show how Sully and Mike became enemies before becoming best friends at Monsters University.

"We scare because we care." - Waternoose

3. Toy Story 3 (2010)

It doesn't get much more emotional than this. From its first outing in 1995, Toy Story has been the pinnacle of childhood for the vast majority of under 25's. When Toy Story 3 was announced, I was a little nervous - surely it would never reach the hilarious, dizzying heights of the instalments before it? Not least due to the fact that Toy Story 2 had been released a whole 11 years previously. And yet, it does. The writers made the perfect decision by deciding to progress the story in real-time - as an 18 year old myself at that point, I highly doubt I'd have enjoyed yet another film featuring Andy as a child playing with his toys. Instead, we zoom forward and watch as Andy prepares to leave home for good and pursue his college career, while his faithful toys have been left gathering dust in their box. It resonated with me on a particularly personal level, thanks to the fact that I was due to leave home two weeks after the film's release. I had grown up with Andy, and it was almost as though Toy Story 3's final credits signified the closing scenes of my adolescence. For that, Pixar will always be thanked.

"Thanks guys."

Toy Story 3 is one of Pixar's most commercially and critically successful films to date, with Time magazine calling it one of the '25 greatest films of all time,' and the BBC even going as far to call it 'the greatest movie trilogy ever.' It is the 8th highest grossing movie of all time, and is the first animated movie in history to make over $1billion worldwide. It's not my favourite Pixar movie, but it's one of my favourite movies in general that have ever been, or will ever be, created.

Opening with an absolutely brilliant fantasy sequence in which Woody, Jessie and Buzz do battle with Mr and Mrs Potato Head aboard a speeding train, we delve into the real story. Kicking off several years after the conclusion of Toy Story 2, we see that Andy has grown up and is ready to depart home for a new life at college. His toys, despite remaining loyal to him, lie gathering dust in their cramped, stuffy toybox. Andy decides to take Woody with him to college and puts Buzz and the others in a black bag so that they can be left in the attic. Apart from Woody, however, the toys are under the impression Andy intends to leave them on the street like garbage. Deciding to make themselves useful elsewhere, the toys sneak their way into a box of junk to be donated to Sunnyside Daycare Centre, a local nursery.

"No owner means no heartbreak."

When they arrive, they are welcomed by the accomodating Sunnyside toys, however Woody decides that they should go home to be with Andy for "when he needs" them. Buzz and the others think that they belong at Sunnyside, as they understand that Andy doesn't want to play with them anymore and thus they have no further purpose to serve him. Woody leaves the group, aware that he may never see them again. 

 That night, Buzz discovers that Sunnyside is actually run like a prison by the toys who have been there longer, including Ken (of Ken and Barbie fame) and Lotso, the misleadingly kind fuzzy pink bear who "smells like strawberries." Deciding that they've made a terrible mistake, Buzz attempts to plan a great escape for the toys but he is captured by Lotso and forced to do his bidding. Discovering what Lotso plans to do with the toys, Woody must make his way back to Sunnyside to help his friends and get them back home.

"Now Woody, he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be. And he's kind, and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special, is he'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what." - Andy

2. Finding Nemo (2003) 

Everybody knows it and everybody loves it - Finding Nemo is one of the most fun, exciting and beautifully animated movies ever. In a year in which box-office epics and franchises were smashing records left, right and centre (thanks to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Finding Nemo was a breath of fresh air. Its underwater setting was really a gorgeous spectacle to behold, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing it in 3D when it is re-released later this year. The film is a little like Up, beginning with a tragedy that defines our main characters and zipping forward a few years to show us how they are dealing with it.

In my opinion, Finding Nemo is the defining Pixar movie. It brings us to a whole new world of underwater life, where fish, sharks, turtles and even seagulls have voices with hilarious consequences. It is this area where Pixar excels - the gags that come with giving these creatures the ability to speak in every day situations.

The response to the film was overwhelmingly positive, with the movie winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and also becoming the second highest grossing movie of 2003 (Return of the King being the highest). It is currently the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time. In terms of critical response, it holds a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it has been specifically praised for its graphics and imagery.

"Hop inside my mouth if you want to live."

Finding Nemo begins with Marlin, a clown fish, speaking with his wife about their new home in the Great Barrier Reef which is protecting their clutch of eggs that are due to hatch days later. When a barracuda attacks them, Marlin attempts to protect Coral and their children, but is knocked out. Coming back to consciousness several hours later, he finds that the barracuda has eaten Coral and all but one of their children. He opts to call the child 'Nemo', which is a name Coral liked.
Several years later, an overprotective Marlin accompanies Nemo to his first day of school. After Marlin embarasses Nemo in front of everyone on a school trip, Nemo disobeys his father and is caught by an Australian scuba diver.
Marlin swims after the boat but fails to catch up to it; vowing to find his son, he bumps into Dory, a naive, forgetful but ultimately kind-hearted fish. Together they set out for Sydney and attempt to find Nemo and bring him back home safely.

"I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine, and he shall be my squishy." - Dory

1. Toy Story (1995)

In my mind, it could never be anything else. Toy Story was where it all began; it is the first movie I can remember ever watching, and I would still watch it with the same enthusiasm today. It is a classic example of Pixar's unique comedy at its best - it appeals to children with its slapstick humour, and at the same time Woody's sarcasm and Buzz's insane compulsive ramblings are filled with some of the wittiest scriptwriting ever. Toy Story is Pixar's first feature film, and is also the first animated film to be created fully with CGI.
The film had a huge impact on the movie industry with its groundbreaking animation techniques, with other film studios contacting Pixar requesting details on their software.

As with its sequel, Toy Story is one of the only films to retain a 100% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Los Angeles Times praising its voice cast, who 'made their presences strongly felt.' It currently ranks as number one in Empire magazine's top 100 animated movies of all time.

"It's not a laser! It's...it's a little lightbulb that blinks!"

My view is that Toy Story is a movie which will never be outdated. No matter how old you get, or how old the film gets, it will always be as enjoyable today as it was the first time you watched it all the way back in the 90s. The themes are truly heartwarming: the idea that it's not what you are, it's who you are that matters. That moment where Buzz is sitting with a rocket strapped to him, hopelessly devoid of all confidence in himself after realising he's a toy, is a defining moment of all of Pixar's films and the message they are trying to convey. As Woody tells him, if you can bring joy to others, it doesn't matter what you do or what you are.

"I just lit a rocket...and rockets explode!"

Toy Story is set in a world in which toys come to life while their owners are absent. In 8 year old Andy's room, cowboy doll Woody is Andy's favourite toy, however that fact is quickly threatened when Andy recieves a new Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday. Quickly sweeping Woody aside to play with Buzz, Andy becomes more obsessed with space adventures than cowboy escapades, leaving Woody increasingly jealous of Buzz and the influence he is gaining over the other toys. In an act of bitterness, Woody tries to throw his new rival down the side of a dark desk, however he accidentally sends him out of the window instead. The other toys accuse Woody of betraying them and, worried that he might throw one of them out next, exile him from the room. Determined to put things right, Woody tracks down Buzz and tries to persuade him to tell the other toys it was an accident. Unintentionally picked up by the neighbourhood bully Sid, Woody and Buzz have to find a way to escape the creepy toys in Sid's room along with all his horrific experiments.

"YOU ARE A TOY! You're not the real Buzz Lightyear, you - you're an action figure...you are a child's PLAYTHING!" - Woody.

So there you have it, that's a rundown of my top 10 Pixar films. Again this is all based on opinion, not box office statistics.

As a closing note, I think it's appropriate that after looking back at 18 years of cinematic history, Pixar deserve thanks and applause for everything they've done. From Toy Story in 1995 all the way up to Brave this year, there's never been a dull moment. Sure there have been some films that haven't been as good as others, but the worst of Pixar is still better than the best of anything else.

Check back to Movies Under the Microscope next week for a full review of Brave! 

By Dean Johnstone

Dean Johnstone is a Media and Communications student who desperately seeks your approval. Let him know much you love him by sending heartwarming comments/love letters/poems to:

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Email: dean.james.johnstone@hotmail.com