Every Pixar Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

It’s impossible to talk about modern era animated movies without talking about Pixar Studios. A pioneer for the animated visual language for nearly 30 years, the entertainment production company has spearheaded a few of the iconic franchises that are now staples in the genre’s history.

On a smaller scale and on a more personal note, I grew up watching many of Pixar’s biggest movies. As a hearty 23-year-old reminiscing on his movie-watching habits a decade ago, I vividly remember seeing the likes of Cars 2 and Toy Story 3 in theaters, and watching Ratatouille and The Incredibles on repeat at home when I was younger. They had a major impact on me, and to this day, many of my favorite animated movies are Pixar films.

It’s no secret that their recent offerings have been met with heightened scrutiny. I haven’t loved all of them, but Pixar is still a studio that produces high quality content on a (mostly) regular basis. My list today includes a few of their newer movies relatively high. I’m not quite a subscriber to the notion that the studio is toast, but I do wish they would try to conjure more original stories rather than returning to make sequels of already successful IP.

But don’t get me wrong, I love many of the sequels that Pixar has released recently, from Toy Story 4 to Incredibles 2 to Finding Dory. They’re all pretty solid, but you’ll notice below that the original stories have been the ones that resonate most with me in the last few years. Turning Red and Onward are both excellent original ideas from directors with very specific stories to tell. I’m hoping for more of those moving forward (although the imminent release of Inside Out 2 and the announcement of Toy Story 5 suggests that won’t be the case).

My ranking of the Pixar movies changes daily. If I sat down even an hour from now and tried to re-rank them, I’m sure the list would be different. But for now, on this particular day and for this particular platform, here’s how I’d rank the Pixar movies:

28. Brave (2012)

27. Lightyear (2022)

There’s a lack of interesting, personable characters within Lightyear, as if they were all typecast from other Pixar movies. They’re either sentimentally sweet, aloof, or arrogant. And maybe the movie could’ve been saved had these characters had more time to develop and interact, but that aspect of the film is tossed aside frequently for big action set pieces and rambunctious chase sequences. Lightyear review

26. The Good Dinosaur (2015)

25. Cars 3 (2017)

24. A Bug’s Life (1998)

23. Luca (2021)

22. Coco (2017)

21. Monsters University (2013)

20. Up (2009)

19. Cars 2 (2011)

18. Cars (2006)

17. Soul (2020)

16. Inside Out 2 (2024)

I found the overall package of Inside Out 2 enjoyable, with Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Joy (Amy Poehler) as captivating and cartoonishly real in the sequel as they were in the original. It’s a new entry worthy of the title, despite enough material here to expand on over the course of multiple movies. Inside Out 2 review

15. Elemental (2023)

Elemental acts as a surprising return to the roots of Pixar. It’s a movie with a host of relevant themes and messages rolled into a sincere and effective love story. It’s been a a minute since Pixar landed an original story with such a clear balance of narrative and comedy. Elemental review

14. Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out is still the best iteration of personifying emotions or concepts through animated films, choosing to live inside of the mind of youngster Riley moving from her Minnesota townhome to the big city of San Francisco. Pete Docter directs one of his better films under the Pixar brand. Inside Out review

13. Finding Dory (2016)

12. Incredibles 2 (2018)

Incredibles 2 is about as action packed, well-conceived, and carefully executed as sequels can get in the superhero (and animated) genre. Brad Bird and Pixar Studios manage to inject new life into a world we haven’t visited in well over a decade. Incredibles 2 review

11. Turning Red (2022)

Despite feeling a bit like Pixar is borrowing heavily from their contemporaries, Turning Red is the first movie from the studio to actually move the needle in a while. It’s a story for generations to enjoy, and I always prefer when Pixar aims to appeal to older audiences in conjunction with the usual kids demographic. Turning Red review

10. Toy Story 2 (1999)

9. Toy Story 4 (2019)

I was certainly in that camp in 2019, always favoring original stories over rehashes of the same material over and over (I’ll probably act the same way when Toy Story 5 nears because I clearly haven’t learned my lesson). Toy Story 4 quickly expels any notion that it shouldn’t exist – the different themes and new characters actually make the franchise as engaging as ever. Toy Story 4 review

8. Onward (2020)

7. The Incredibles (2004)

6. Toy Story (1995)

5. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

4. Toy Story 3 (2010)

3. Finding Nemo (2003)

2. Wall-E (2008)

More than fifteen years later, I’m not sure Disney Pixar Studios has made a movie nearly as insightful, colorful, and ambitious as Wall-E. As an allegory for corporate greed and environmental neglect, the film operates on such a concise and straightforward manner – one of Pixar’s strongest thematic statements in their history. Wall-E review

1. Ratatouille (2007)

Ratatouille could only be as effective as it is with these voice actors and this concept and director, and it all comes together to make one of Pixar’s most unique and loveable movies. Brad Bird conceptualizes a ridiculous premise to perfection, delivering a meta story about the intersection of art and criticism. Ratatouille review

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