Pixar Movies Ranked (w/Turning Red and Lightyear)

Pixar Movies Ranked (w/Turning Red and Lightyear) 

It’s been over a year since my last Pixar movie ranking. And in the year 2022 we got two new movies with Turning Red and Lightyear. So today I’m ranking all 26 Pixar movies, let’s get started!

26. The Good Dinosaur: For me this is a movie that has never really worked for me. I just don’t care about any of the characters in this movie or the journey that is through-out this movie. Sure the animation style for this movie is good and shots of water are really cool. But that’s really the only positive I can give this movie. So this might be a bit of an unpopular opinion when it comes to being the worst Pixar movie in my opinion, but it’s my honest opinion. 

25. Cars 2: Now I know that most people have this movie as the worst Pixar movie. But for me, I find this movie very watchable and think it’s an entertaining movie that has big story and tone issues. I grew up watching the first 2 Cars movie on repeat, so I do have nostalgia for this movie. Now sure, the tone from Mater making fart jokes to cars being tortured to death is quite the change in tone…especially for a kids movie. But I do have nostalgia and do get entertainment from this movie. 

24. Turning Red: A Pixar movie is far from it’s best movie, and it’s a bottom tier movie for me. And the big reason for this is because this is the Pixar movie that I had had the hardest time connecting with. With all of the different layers and themes in this movie, I couldn’t relate to any of these characters. Plus I think the metaphor for this movie doesn’t work with the message here at all. Sure, the animation style here is gorgeous to look at it. But in general, I didn’t enjoy this movie at all. 

23. Brave: This is a bit frustrating for me. Because I think the first 30ish minutes of the movie is really quite good. Merida is a great central character for this adventure, and the animation style is very good. But once the mom turns into the bear and the magical elements are present in this movie, the movie just falls apart for me. And I just don’t think it works at all. I become less invested in the story and the characters. So it’s a mixed bag in the Pixar filmography. 

22. Finding Dory: A decent sequel/spin-off to Finding Nemo, but one that just follows the same beats and the same story template of the other movie. If you were to compare and contrast Finding Nemo with this movie, it’ll practically be the same movie. Hank the octopus is a fun new character and some of the emotions with Dory and her family are solid. But if I want to go swimming with these characters I’m picking Finding Nemo over this movie. 

21. A Bug’s Life: Pixar’s second movie is another decent movie in the Pixar filmography. This is a movie that does nothing wrong but also doesn’t ao anything that is great. Everything in here is just good enough and a bit forgettable. Like none of the characters in this movie pop or are that flashy to me. These aren’t some of Pixar’s best characters nor some of their worst characters. So I have seen this movie a bunch of times, but I never have that urge to rewatch this movie. 

20. Monsters University: A good enough prequel to Monsters Inc., but similar to Finding Dory. If I’m in the mood to go on an adventure with Mike and Sully, I’m watching Monsters Inc. over this movie. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie, it’s a fun adventure with these characters. I like that we see these characters do this “revenge of the nerds” type story arc in this movie. But it’s biggest issue is it’s a prequel where none of these characters we see in Monsters Inc. So the side characters are fun but not all that interesting. 

19. Luca: The first and only Pixar movie to come out in 2021. And of all of the Pixar movies this is probably the one that is just there for me. Nothing in this movie is great and top tier Pixar. But also nothing in this movie is bad and bottom tier Pixar. The animation style, the story, humor, and characters are all mid-tier Pixar for me. So I don’t have much to say about this movie even though it’s a well made but forgettable Pixar movie. 

18. Soul: This is probably the most frustrating movie on this entire list. Because this is probably Pixar’s most ambitious movie to date with the themes and arcs it’s exploring. The characters in this movie are a lot of fun, Joe is a great lead character for this movie. But I don’t think this movie worked with the story side of things. It felt like a movie that was trying to be more adult and more prestigious with it’s story, that it forgot to make a great Pixar or kids movie. I’ve only seen it once, so maybe on second viewing my thoughts change. 

17. Lightyear: This is another frustrating movie for me, because I like the idea of having a sci-fi adventure under the Pixar name. I like sci-fi movies and I like Pixar so blend them together that’s a good fit for me. Sox steals every scene he is in, and he’s really really funny. But this is a movie where I didn’t connect with any of the characters, I didn’t really find any of the characters to be interesting. And some of the stuff with Zurg I think really hurt this movie, and it raised a bunch of questions for me. So all in all, I still liked this movie but I wanted this movie to be higher on this list. 

16. Cars 3: I’ve never understood all of the hate this movie gets. I think after a weaker movie with Cars 2, they returned with a really good movie. And probably the most racing focused movie of the Cars trilogy. Sure, it does follow the story template of other sports movies. But I think it’s different enough to still make it really good. Plus, these characters are really fun and fun to be around. The Cruz character isn’t the best and a bit annoying, but overall a really solid third movie in the trilogy. 

15. Cars: This is one of the movies that I’ve rewatched the most. It used to be my favorite movie of all time. And so while others might have this lower on the list and don’t think it’s all that good of a movie. I have so much nostalgia for this movie. And I just really like these characters and this story. Plus the movie has a really good soundtrack. Sure, Lightning McQueen can be a bit too mean spirited in the first half of this movie. But beyond that this is a really good Pixar movie. 

NOTE: The top 14 here are movies that range from great to fantastic. So number 14 is a B+ for me. So even though number 14 is where it’s at, it’s still really really good. 

14. Ratatouille: One of the weirdest concepts for a movie of all time. But Brad Bird and Pixar worked their magic and created a great family movie. The basic concept of a ghost teaching a rat how to cook who is helping a guy cook by pulling his hair is a really weird concept for a movie. But it just works. It’s a funny movie with a bunch of great moments and likable and original characters. This is a great movie but not a movie that I rewatch all that often. That's a knock on the movie but more so my taste in Pixar movies. 

13. Inside Out: A movie that tackles some big themes and ideas about growing up. But explores them in a way where kids can understand what’s going on and can get plenty of entertainment out of it. The characters all around are a lot of fun and very lively. It also helps that they are played by very lively and fun actors. This is also one of the most colorful Pixar movies out there. So this is one that could be interesting if it got a sequel, but as of now it’s a really good edition to the Pixar cannon. 

12. Coco: This is a fun movie because the director of this movie graduated from the high school that I currently go to. One of the people that won an Oscar for this movie graduated about 20 years ago from my high school. But the movie itself is a great representation of a different culture that most people don’t know a lot about. The music for this movie is really quite good and gets stuck in your head. Now the themes aren’t ones that connect with me all that much. But overall it’s a great and beautifully made Pixar movie. 

11. Incredibles 2: After waiting 14 years we finally got a sequel to The Incredibles. And it’s a really good sequel to that original movie. As you know the original movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. And this movie changes up the formula of things just enough to make it feel different but similar at the same time. Jack Jack steals the entire movie for me. And Brad Bird knows how to stage action. Now I do think that Screenslaver was a bit predictable with the twist involving his character. 

10. Toy Story 2: This has always been my least favorite of the Toy Story movies, but it’s still a great movie. I love all of the Star Wars references in this movie, and love the usage of Zurg in this movie. Jesse and Bullseye are fun new characters. And as it is a Toy Story movie it has plenty of big emotions present through-out the movie. Now I think what makes this the weakest Toy Story movie is the adventure and story here isn’t quite as interesting as the other movies. But still if this movie is at number 10, Pixar is fantastic. 

9. Onward: Maybe the underappreciated movie on this entire list. Because I’ve always really dug this movie and think it’s a great fantasy adventure about two brothers voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. And I love the brotherly bond between Ian and Barley in this movie. It’s also one of the most emotional Pixar movies. And as you move into the final 5-10 minutes of the movie it’s some of the most emotional stuff from Pixar. So this is a movie where I think a sequel could work with the world they built. 

8. Up: Speaking of having big emotions, the first 10 minutes of this movie is some of the most emotional and best storytelling that Pixar has done. And it tells about 60 years worth of life in just 10 minutes and it’s really good stuff. From there it turns into this fun adventure movie with likable characters that are iconic today. The third act does lose a little bit of steam but in general this is a great Pixar movie. 

7. Finding Nemo: For me, this is the most overrated Pixar movie but it’s still very good. I just don’t hold this movie on the same degree that other people do. I can’t exactly say why I don’t like this movie as much as other people, for whatever reason haven’t connected with this movie as much as the top 6 on this list. But it’s a great adventure about a family with even more likable and iconic characters. So many lines and scenes are iconic. Dory is a bit annoying for me, and maybe that’s why it’s only number 7 on this list. 

6. Toy Story: The original Pixar movie is still one of it’s best and most well made movies. This was the original computer animated movie, and in certain ways the animation style here isn’t the best. But you don’t care about that because you like the journey in his movie and the characters going on that journey. Woody and Buzz make for one of the best movie duos out there. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have great chemistry with one another. And it laid the groundwork for other Toy Story and Pixar movies to build off of. 

5. Wall-E: This movie will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the first movie I ever saw in the theaters. And I’ve loved this movie for the past 14 years and will continue to love this for the next 14 years and beyond. The first act of this movie is basically a silent movie about these 2 robots falling in love with each other and then it drastically switches to this sci-fi space adventure. But both sides of the movie really work for me and it’s one of the best Pixar movies out there. 

4. Monsters Inc.: Another movie with one of the best movie duos out there with Mike and Sully. Who just are so much fun together and are played so well by Billy Crystal and John Goodman. And then you add Boo into the mix and it just gets even better. And it takes this familiar concept of monsters under the bed and shows that they are nice people just trying to make a living and power their city. So all in all this is a fantastic movie, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, and it’s a top tier Pixar movie. 

3. Toy Story 4: I was never cynical towards this movie like other people were but I was confused as to why we were getting this movie. And this movie is less focused on the group and more focused on Woody’s journey post Andy’s room. All leading up to one of the most emotional final scenes in movie history. Everytime I watch this movie I always get misty eyed. Duke Caboom, Ducky, Bunny, and Forky are fun new characters to this franchise. So this is the 3rd best Pixar movie and the 2nd best Toy Story movie. 

2. Toy Story 3: We go from the second best Toy Story to the best Toy Story movie. And for me, the third one is the most well rounded of the bunch. It’s the one with the best story to it and it’s a prison escape movie mixed with the fun likability of Toy Story and Pixar. Lotso is maybe the best Pixar villain out there with this deep backstory and he’s just this interesting and emotional character. And the third act in the dump is one of the best third acts in any animated movie. So this is my favorite of the Toy Story movies. 

1. The Incredibles: I just love superhero movies and I love Pixar so a Pixar produced superhero movie is right up my alley. Brad Bird just knows how to craft great action and mixed with a great animation style it just looks great. And the movie does great world building for this world of spies and heroes and you want to see more of it. And talk about movies with iconic scenes and lines. This movie has plenty of them that are just fantastic. And the glue holding this movie together is Michael Giachinno’s fantastic score that is one of the best movie scores out there. 

There you have it, my ranking of the 24 Pixar movies. Which of these movies is your favorite? Remember, Pixar has made a bunch of great movies. So even movies at #14 I would give a B+ to. Thanks for reading!