The 15 Best Pixar Movies, According To Letterboxd | ScreenRant
Most people can agree that Pixar is the top studio when it comes to animated movies. They've consistently put out films that are well-received and have taken home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature more than anyone else by a wide margin. There were a few hiccups in terms of entries that didn't get great reviews but it has been overwhelmingly positive overall.
Pixar's consistency is what makes it so difficult to pick out their greatest film. The users at Letterboxd reviewed them all and other than Cars 2 (2.3) and The Good Dinosaur (2.9), all of them average at least three stars out of a possible five. Their ratings can help pick out the best Pixar movie.
Updated on March 11th, 2022 by Kevin Pantoja: The current era of Pixar is an interesting one. Their last few movies were only released exclusively on Disney+ which hurt their box office intake but certainly not the quality as the new arrivals have already joined the pantheon of impressive Pixar films. With such consistent output at a high level, narrowing their best movies down to just 10 is limiting so it's worth expanding to get the full range of how impressive Pixar truly is. As a reminder, every single one of these movies is available to stream on Disney+.
15 Onward (2020) - 3.55
One of the first movies to sadly be hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic was Onward, which saw its box office intake struggle once things shut down. It's notable because it's the kind of film that sneaks up on you as a viewer.
You're just sitting there enjoying an adventure about two elf brothers searching for magic and then all of a sudden you get hit emotionally with a story about losing and finding a father. Onward is actually kind of underrated as it didn't win any major awards but Letterboxd users did often give it four stars (27%).
14 Toy Story 4 (2019) - 3.61
When Toy Story 3 came out over a decade after the previous installment, audiences weren't sure how well the story work all those years later. It succeeded and then Pixar tried it again, releasing Toy Story 4 nearly another decade after and picking up where the trilogy ended.
This time around, the focus was on Woody and how he struggled to find a place with his new owner and life after Andy. In a lot of ways, it's a tale of accepting what's next and moving on if you have to. While the Best Animated Feature Oscar winner has four stars (30%) as the most common score, it is seen as the worst entry of the franchise.
13 Inside Out (2015) - 3.89
While everyone knows that Pixar can deliver the emotional moments on the big screen better than almost anyone, Inside Out leaves most audience members in more tears than ever. The film takes on the unique premise of following the different emotions in the head of a young girl dealing with a move.
There's obviously fantastic animation and a heartwarming tale but it's those heartbreaking scenes that will get you. From Bing-Bong's sacrifice to Riley's breakdown, it's a tear-jerker. Four stars is the rating given out most often (31%) and this is one of the best movies of the 2010s.
12 Luca (2021) - 3.91
Before the 2022 release of Turning Red (which held a 3.49 average rating upon its Disney+ release), the most recent Pixar film is Luca. This is a story about friendship and the bond formed between two boys who are human on land and sea creatures once they're in the water.
As is usual with Pixar, the animation and heartwarming storytelling are top-notch and Luca was a critical darling. It is currently up for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and most reviews have it at four stars (34%).
11 Toy Story 2 (1999) - 3.94
Pixar came out swinging with 1995's Toy Story, which is considered an all-time classic. Doing a follow-up to it was a tall task but thankfully, 1999's Toy Story 2 was more than up to the challenge. At first glance, the animation had improved thanks to technology advancing.
The story was also great, dealing with the idea of loss and keeping the theme of friendship at the core as Woody debates leaving his buddies behind to become a toy at a museum. The film has four stars as the most consistent rating (33%) but the perfect five star score is right behind it (21%).
10 Toy Story 3 (2010) - 3.98
As noted, it was a tall task to try and bring Toy Story 3 to theaters. The first two films are held in such high esteem and the children who loved it had all grown up by the time it arrived. Thankfully, Pixar told a story that was in line with the growth of the audience.
Andy was now grown and off to college, having not played with his toys for years. The toys end up at a daycare center that's more harrowing than expected and the adventure is high. What makes this so special is the ending with Andy, which was the perfect way to wrap up this trilogy. 30% of users gave it four stars while 23% have it at five.
9 Soul (2020) - 4.04
Another Pixar film that won the Best Animated Feature Oscar is 2020's Soul. This was met with huge praise immediately as it tells the emotional tale of an aspiring jazz musician who has his soul separated from his body just before his potential big break.
Nearly every aspect of this movie was beloved, especially the music as it also won the Best Original Score Academy Award. Like the previous entry, most reviews have it at four stars (34%) and the second most common rating is five stars (21%), proving how excellent this is.
8 Finding Nemo (2003) - 4.04
It wasn't until 2001 that the Oscar for Best Animated Feature debuted. Pixar lost in their first attempt but it was 2003's Finding Nemo that made history as the studio's first of more than 10 winners in that category. This one puts the focus on the bond between an overprotective father and his son.
The classic Pixar spin was that the characters were fish and audiences were taken on an adventure as the father desperately searched for his lost son across the ocean. While four stars (35%) is again the most common score, five stars follows it (24%). Like most Pixar films, almost no reviews have it under three stars.
7 Monsters Inc. (2001) - 4.06
Monsters Inc. arrived in 2001 and has arguably become Pixar's most iconic franchise outside of Toy Story. The original is considered a true classic, introducing audiences to a world run by monsters who scare children to power their cities, with the twist being that they are actually frightened of kids.
Characters like Sully, Mike, and Boo have all become household names thanks to this heartwarming and hilarious film. Plenty of fans see this as a perfect movie (24%) but it is much more common to see Monsters Inc. get a four star rating (35%). To note, tiebreakers on this list are decided by which film had more perfect ratings.
6 Up (2009) - 4.07
Pretty much everyone agrees that the opening five to ten minutes of 2009's Up is the most heartbreaking way a film has ever started. It details the love story between Carl and Ellie over decades, going from children to a married couple to Ellie's death.
With her gone and his home threatened, Carl embarks on the adventure they always planned on going on together. Along the way, he bonds with a kid named Russell and a hilarious dog named Dug. This Best Animated Feature winner got four star reviews often (33%), as well as a huge chunk of perfect scores (26%).
5 The Incredibles (2004) - 4.08
Following their Best Animated Feature victory for Finding Nemo, Pixar did it against the next year with 2004's The Incredibles. This was different for the studio as instead of centering on animals or intimate objects like toys, it was about humans, albeit ones with superpowers.
The Incredibles follows the Parr family, who all have special abilities but live in a world where superheroes are outlawed. Even in a post-MCU era, many still consider this one of the best superhero movies ever created. Four stars (33%) and five stars (26%) are the most common ratings.
4 Ratatouille (2007) - 4.13
It should come as no surprise that this is yet another Best Animated Feature Academy Award winner. Released in 2007, Ratatouille put Pixar's ability to tell weird stories to the test. Would anyone be interested in seeing a rodent cooking in the kitchen?
It turns out they were, as the film was a massive success both commercially and critically. Everything from the plot to the animation to the voice acting was praised. Although four stars (31%) is the rating it got most often, five stars follows very closely behind (30%).
3 WALL-E (2008) - 4.13
A lot of what Pixar has pulled off over the years has been difficult but 2008's WALL-E was likely their toughest task. It can be hard to make a movie aimed at kids that has barely any dialogue and focuses on big ideas like the end of the world and the overreliance humans have of technology.
However, WALL-E managed to pull it off and win Best Animated Feature. The love story between the titular character and EVE is incredible and one of the sweetest ever put on the big screen. It's close in terms of highest average rating, with four stars (31%) just beating out five stars (29%).
2 Toy Story (1995) - 4.16
This is where it all began. Toy Story sees four (33%) and five stars (31%) nearly tied, which is telling of how spectacular this movie is. It also stands out because it was groundbreaking and helped turn Pixar into a powerhouse.
Released in 1995, this was where it all began for Pixar as, before this, they had only done short films. This tale about toys coming to life when humans aren't looking and centered on the bond between Woody and Buzz is Pixar's original and arguably its best.
1 Coco (2017) - 4.18
Another year, another Best Animated Feature winner. Coco hit theaters in late 2017 and might be Pixar's most visually stunning film. In it, young Miguel dreams of being a musician even though his family forbids it, and he ends up in the land of the dead to meet his ancestor.
The story takes the viewer on a wild adventure with plenty of twists before an emotional climax. The film also won Best Original Song for "Remember Me." Both four and five stars are actually tied for the most common score at 31% each, followed by four and a half stars (16%).
Source: Screenrant
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