Best of 5: Pixar Films - Round 1
When the trailer for Soul came out recently it got me excited because when Pixar delivers, their films are just spectacular. And it got me thinking – they’ve made so many great ones, as well as some not so great ones, but which is the best?
This is almost like an existential question, and one I can’t answer by myself. So I enlisted the help of some Pixar connoisseurs: @predictflicks, @popculturecrush, @the_unpopular_film_critic and @zachsterriblereviews.
Together, we will decide what the greatest Pixar film ever made is.
The Rules:
A total of 21 Pixar films have been made to date, but let’s be frank – some are not worth discussing in too much depth. So, the top 16 ranked films were seeded and pitted against each other in a bracket style tournament.
The ranking was determined on that film’s Rotten Tomato score. Where two films had the same score, the film that came out first would be given the higher ranking.
Below are the films who made the cut…..
Alas, we have separated out the wheat from the chaff. And the top 16 films were accordingly ranked giving us our bracket for the tournament
Without any more chit chat, we have our matchups – it is time to debate……
Toy Story vs. Monsters University
@popculturecrush: Toy Story wins because it’s the movie that made us fall in love with all the characters we know and care about all these years later!
@predictflicks: Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked Monster’s University. But c’mon, it’s the granddaddy of them all. The claw has selected Toy Story.
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Toy Story over MU. The reason being is that Toy Story is just a classic family film. It is a classic film that literally the whole family can watch, and it has the perfect blend of great character development and clever jokes spreaded throughout. MU can’t even compare to Toy Story unfortunately. With Monsters Inc being a all time favorite of mine, MU was a good story, but very lackluster compare to it’s predecessor. Toy Story is a classic and will be remember for decades as one.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: Toy Story is superior in my opinion. It was the first Pixar movie and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. Everything from the story to the characters make this movie spectacular. Monsters University is pretty good, but when comparing it to Toy Story, I really don’t see a competition.
@aklo_movies: This is an unfair battle for poor old Monsters University. Whilst it certainly is a solid film with nice moments and isn’t the worst Pixar sequel we’ve gotten, it’s not the best either. Mike and Sully are a great partnership and are fun to watch, but in this matchup I’m going with Woody and the gang. Toy Story is a near perfect film that is a tentpole in film making and is the standard against which other great Pixar films are held. Thanks for coming Monsters University, but this is a fight you could never win.
Result: 5-0 to Toy Story
Coco vs. Toy Story 4
@aklo_movies: I absolutely love Coco and think it’s got a shot to win this tournament (saying this before I’ve read the other votes). The songs and music in Coco are fantastic and it’s one of those films that gave me all the feels. It made me want to dance, it made me laugh, and it made me cry. This matchup epitomises Pixar’s biggest internal issue – originality or tried and tested. Toy Story 4 was a good film, but was completely not needed and squandered a chance to have another original film like Coco. Coco’s charm and heart wins out for me.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: Coco will always be incredible to me. The animation, story, characters, and emotions I had while watching make it really great. But Toy Story 4 surprised me. What I thought was gonna be an unnecessary cash grab turned into a very emotionally satisfying conclusion to a franchise that I’ve loved since the original. So I like Toy Story 4 a bit more, but Coco comes so close to beating it.
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Coco over Toy Story 4. Coco is a beautiful animated film about the day of the dead and loving the family you have. This film will make anyone cry. With beautiful animation and colors that are memorizing to look at, Coco is instant classic for future generations, and a great lessons to learn as a kid. Toy Story 4, while really great and again beautifully animated and also the funniest one out of all the Toy Story films, it didn’t leave a big impact on me like Coco did.
@predictflicks: I have a personal beef against Coco. Book of Life was much better and made earlier, and is practically the same story (yes I know there are differences). Toy Story 4 wins by default, but also for innovatively not telling the exact same story.
@popculturecrush: This was a tough choice, but I’m going with Toy Story 4. I really enjoy seeing how a series carries on while aging with its audience.
Toy Story 4 wins 3-2
Toy Story 3 vs. Wall-E
@predictflicks: I’m noticing a pattern here…I think I was the perfect age to watch Toy Story 3. Got to see it at university with a bunch of other people who really connected with Andy’s plotline. Never had a better theater-wide impact on a movie than that
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Toy Story 3 over Wall-E. Toy Story 3 felt like an end of an era for people who grew up on these films, I literally cannot watch that ending scene with Andy and Bonnie, I cry literally every time. There’s something about sending your childhood off and moving on that just hits me every time, I’m even going to start crying typing this out and thinking about it. Wall-E was a great Pixar film with a great and sad message, but again I wasn’t blown away like I was with past Pixar films.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: So Wall-E is a masterpiece. Everything in this movie is pure perfection and I love it so much! But Toy Story 3 is my personal favourite Pixar movie. This was a beautiful movie full of emotionally satisfying moments and concludes the franchise off perfectly, even though the kept going. I love Wall-E, but Toy Story 3 is superior in my opinion. It’s like comparing 2 masterpieces.
@aklo_movies: This is so hard. I think I’m going to be in the minority saying this, but for me Wall-E is so bizarre and so odd, it makes it a better film than Toy Story 3. I’ll definitely acknowledge Toy Story 3 is more fun to watch and was the perfect ending for that trilogy. However, Wall-E tackles some pretty deep themes such as consumerism, environmental damage and loneliness.
@popculturecrush: Another tough one, but I think I have to go with Wall-E! I love the ability of the story to move along and convey emotion without being weighed down by dialogue.
Toy Story 3 wins 3-2
Up vs. Finding Dory
@popculturecrush: For me it’s Up! The heartbreak from that movie sticks with me, even after all these year.
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Up over Finding Dory. Now I’m going to be honest here, I don’t really care for either film. I believe that Up is highly overrated and is just remembered for the first ten minutes, and Finding Dory is forgettable minute you walk out of the theater. The reason I picked Up honestly was because of the first ten minutes of the film.
@predictflicks: Up – good gosh that beginning to Up. That’s all this movie is to me is the beginning. I had to warn people, it was great for evoking emotion. After that it semi-peters out, but then makes its way back enough.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: I prefer Up just for the opening alone. Up has one of the saddest scenes of all time and it makes me cry every single time I watch it. And past that opening scene, it’s still an amazing adventure movie filled with great humour and likable character. Finding Dory is, not that special to me. It was really unnecessary and I thought it wasn’t anything great. I don’t think it’s bad, I just think it’s meh. But Up is incredible and in my Top 5 favourite Pixar movies.
@aklo_movies: Being brutally honest, I think either of these films will be getting knocked out in the next round. One the one hand, you have a film that has one of the most emotional opening 5 minutes in film history but after that isn’t all that great. On the other, you have the most unnecessary sequel ever that peaks when baby Dory is on screen. I’ll give the edge to Up purely for the fact the talking dogs are mildly amusing.
Up wins 5-0
Finding Nemo vs. Incredibles 2
@the_unpopular_film_critic: Finding Nemo is definitely the winner here! Unpopular Opinion: I didn’t think Incredibles 2 was that good. It was decent, but not as great as people thought it was. But Finding Nemo is my childhood! I’ve seen it so many times, I know the movie by heart! It isn’t my favorite Pixar movie, but definitely my most watched.
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Finding Nemo over Incredibles 2. Finding Nemo was a childhood favorite of mine, I watched this film so many times growing up. You really fell the mass of the ocean in this film. The jokes in this film are rapid fire and are very clever to hear as a grown up now, another classic hit from Pixar. While Incredibles 2 is a long awaited sequel to the first film, it was very forgettable much like Finding Dory. It was satifiying to watch and again had some beautiful animation from Pixar. I exited 2018 forgetting that it even came out.
@popculturecrush: I like the Incredibles 2, but Finding Nemo is one of my original favourites.
@aklo_movies: There’s a recurring theme here for me – original films are just better than sequels, much less unnecessary sequels. Finding Nemo is just awesome. I love the variety of characters we meet along the way ranging from a bunch of sharks that don’t eat fish, to a surfer dude turtle to a pelican that hangs out at a dentist’s office. The scale of this film is epic and there’s countless quotable lines to go with it. Incredibles 2 is what we wanted, but not what we deserved. Dory and Marlyn are gonna just keep swimming.
@predictflicks: Is there anything more memeable than Finding Nemo? I’m not sure I can think of more phrases from an animated movie that made their way into normal lexicon than Finding Nemo. Also that father-son relationship, and self-discovery in spite of fear and huge obstacles.
Finding Nemo wins 5-0
Inside Out vs. Ratatouille
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Inside Out over Ratatouille. Now a lot of people are going to hate me for this, but I don’t care for Ratatouille. It just never appealed to me as a kid and still hasn’t appealed to me as an adult. On the other hand, Inside Out is probably one of the most perfect films of the 2010’s in my opinion. Again animation is beautiful to watch, but the story is original and perfect of children going into adolescence. The jokes are as clever as ever from Pixar in this one. I love this film so much that I can spend hours talking about it.
@aklo_movies: The answer here is obviously Inside Out. But, I will say I have a lot of time for Ratatouille – which is a sweet film. But Inside Out is amongst the best things Pixar has put out. Such an ingenious idea that sends all the right messages to kids (and adults alike too) about their feelings and growing up. I expect this will be a clean sweep.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: This was hard, but after thinking about it, I’m gonna have to go with Inside Out. Ratatouille is a really great movie filled with loads of funny humour and great characters, but Inside Out works more for me. It’s emotional story is phenomenal and it makes me tear up every time I watch it. And it’s insanely funny. Plus, Bill Hader makes everything he’s in a lot better lol.
@predictflicks: There has not been and probably never will be another animated movie as good at explaining mental health concepts in a non-condescending, yet simplistic way for all people. It’s OK to be sad folks, it’s OK to be sad.
@popculturecrush: Ratatouille is good, but Inside Out is such a complex and unique idea I have to go with it.
Inside Out wins 5-0
The Incredibles vs. Monsters Inc
@predictflicks: Billy Crystal and John Goodman. HOW can you now love Sully, and Mike, but mostly Sully? The friendships, the parent-child dynamics, the loss, the anger and redemption. I dare you to watch it and not have all the feels at the end.
@popculturecrush: This was the hardest one for me, but I have to go with Monsters Inc. Nostalgia pushes this one ahead. I saw this in the theater with my friend, I fell in love with the characters, and Boo is just too stinking cute!
@aklo_movies: This is the Ali v Frazer of the first round. Two of Pixar’s best films squaring off against each other. I’d lean towards The Incredibles here as I think it’s one of the best films ever made. Of all the films on this list, The Incredibles had the best score/theme and has the best dynamic between all the characters. What secures the W for The Incredibles here is I can instantly think of two scenes to quote off the bat: the ‘Honey, where is my super suit?’ one and Edna Mode and her capes. Sully and Mike, I’m sorry.
@the_unpopular_film_critic: Definitely The Incredibles! It’s one of the best superhero movies ever made and one of my favorite movies of all time! Monsters Inc is a pretty funny movie with 3 great main characters. But The Incredibles is just awesome in ever way, shape, and form.
@zachsterriblereviews: In the matchup I picked Monster Inc over The Incredibles. Monster Inc was one of my favorite films growing up, it felt so different and original from previous animated films. The concept is so clever and comes with a lot of clever jokes from Pixar and set a new bar for animated films. The connection between Boo and Sulley is remarkable and adorable. Mike Wazowski is hilariour and that is thanks to Billy Crystal performance. While The Incredibles is also amazing another original and solid film from Pixar. Nothing can beat Monster Inc originality and cleverness.
Monsters Inc wins 3-2
Toy Story 2 vs. A Bug's Life
@the_unpopular_film_critic: So here’s an Unpopular Opinion: I don’t really like A Bug’s Life. It’s funny at times and has good intentions, but I think it’s pretty bland and forgettable. Toy Story 2, however, is awesome! It’s one of the best sequels of all time and surpasses the first movie in pretty much every way. This is yet another perfect Pixar movie in my opinion.
@zachsterriblereviews: In this matchup I picked Toy Story 2 over A Bug’s Life. Toy Story 2 was going to be a direct to DVD movie. Imagine that. Another classic animated film from Pixar going straight to DVD. This film is a great continuation to the already perfect first film. This film adds more laughs and new characters and a villian that is memorable and great to watch. A Bug’s Life is also great but never reaches the potential that Toy Story had at first. While clever and great for kids and adults, Toy Story 2 is just a better film all together and more memorable.
@aklo_movies: I watched A Bug’s Life again recently, and I didn’t think it was as good as I remembered. I liked the travelling group of circus bugs and I remember the villain scaring me as a child, but Toy Story 2 is a superior movie. The crossing the road with the cones is an iconic scene, and Woody getting stitched up/cleaned is oddly satisfying. It’s the rare occasion I’m willing to yield that a sequel is better than an original. A complete and well-rounded film, that’s pretty timeless.
@popculturecrush: Toy Story 2, hands down. A Bug’s Life is fine, but it just can’t stand up to the Toy Story love!
@predictflicks: Oh gosh, I gotta go against the grain here – A Bug’s Life. Also goodness I really did not mean for that pun to sneak in there, but now that I’ve seen it, I’m keeping it. I love the weird and unique cast of characters which take over the plot more than the main plot itself. “I’M A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY”.
Toy Story 2 wins 4-1
There it is, our victorious round one Pixar films that will be moving on in the tournament and into the next stage. Do you agree with these verdicts?