Here is Cinephile Corner’s ranking of every standalone Pixar movie from worst to best:
12. Brave (2012)
11. The Good Dinosaur (2015)
10. A Bug’s Life (1998)
9. Luca (2021)
8. Coco (2017)
7. Up (2009)
6. Soul (2020)
5. 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.
Read our full review of Elemental
4. Onward (2020)
3. 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.
Read our full review of Turning Red
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.
Read our full review of Wall-E
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.