A-List: Top Five Pixar Movies
By J. Don Birnam
June 25, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Inside Out has many of the same elements we have come to expect from the creative geniuses at Pixar - stunning animation, inventive storylines, thematic anxiety about growing old, and humor for adults and children alike. It also tugs at the heartstrings in the usual, not contrived ways, by reminding us of many of the beauties of life while addressing interesting social topics in a heartfelt manner. By subtly criticizing approaches to childrearing that focus obsessively on a child’s constant and faked happiness, through the analysis of the subtly posed question near the beginning - “what is Sadness for?” - Inside Out tells us a lot about ourselves, our own memories, and our emotional relationship to them. It tells us that it’s okay to be melancholy, it’s okay to be sad at times, and it’s okay to associate some of our most loving memories with that longing of sadness. Sadness can be redemptive and, in the end, nearly as important as Joy to the achievement of a life full of opportunities and great memories. Along the way, the movie explores imaginatively areas that have never been examined in film: what does the inside of our brain and memory look like? Inside Out translates those concepts into visual form effectively and directly, with just the right blend of humor and artistic license mixed along the way. The movie is, in a word, brilliant.
It is, then, in a way a shame that Inside Out has prompted me to write this list. Today I will focus on the five best Pixar movies of the 15 that Pixar has made, despite the fact that, even without the benefit of hindsight, I’d probably declare this latest entry the unarguable best. Nevertheless, in the interest of excitement, I shall for now exclude that movie from contention and focus on the other batch.
I have seen all of the other 14 Pixar films (again, not counting Inside Out) and only found myself turned off by the two Cars movies. Wake up to the industrial decline of America, Pixar smartly points out in those films. But, for whatever reason, I never felt that those two movies had the emotional depth or intelligence of the others. Some, of course, disagree with me and swear by the exciting adventures therein depicted and, in any case, a perfect 14 for 14 would be almost unbelievable.
The other 12 are all fantastic movies, but these are my unarguable favorite five.
5. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Perhaps it was because the original Toy Story came out during my rebellious teenage years (ha!) or because I was too allied still to the old-Disney hand-drawn animation model that spun around the traditional story line with a princess, etc., but I was never a big fan of the original Toy Story. I suspect that revisiting it may change my mind, because Toy Story 3 is definitely among my favorite of Pixar’s films.
Here, the theme of growing up and forgetting one’s past, explored with a vengeance in Inside Out, appears fully and beautifully. At the same time, themes of being old and forgotten - cast aside for shiny new endeavors if you will - is weaved in. The juxtaposition reminds us of the subtle value of consistency but also exhorts us to move among states and stages of life while keeping close at heart the memories from others. In a way, then, Toy Story 3 really is a precursor to a lot of the thematic analysis of Inside Out, and it is perhaps for that reason that it resonates with me today.
On top of that, Toy Story 3 features some of the best caper scenes of the trilogy, and the excitement and danger is the most thrilling. It is not surprise, then, that audiences reacted so well to this movie across the world. Today topped only by Frozen, Toy Story 3 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide.
4. Up (2009)
The opening sequence of my fourth favorite Pixar film, Up, is one of the most beautiful of any of its movies. Unabashedly tear-jerking, and with an award-winning score by the talented Michael Giacchino (who also composed what I hope is an Academy Award-nominated score for Inside Out, and a score for that other movie that everyone is talking about, Jurassic World), the epilogue of Up, if you will, sets up beautifully why we should care about the old-age story that is still to come. The story, as it turns out, was both melancholy and redemptive, sweet and sour, and even poetic.
It’s not clear if the old man lead (Carl) is Spencer Tracy, Walter Matthau, a combination thereof, or the grandpa of one of the animators. What is clear is that he is one of the funniest antagonists-turned heroes of any Pixar films, and that the sequences in which he appears are a delight. Speaking of sequences, the high-flying animation sequences topped Pixar’s work to date. The color, together with the wind, provided an exquisite touch to an exhilarating adventure that had audiences at the edge of their seat.
But perhaps my favorite thing about Up is the allegory between the house/home and the human heart. Trapped in his home, Carl is essentially afraid and embittered towards the outside world. But as the house is blown away through earth, it is essentially blown back through his life (as he rediscovers his youthful energy and reasons to live). The house then must be rescued and protected, but one must also not be afraid to venture out of it, for true beauty may lie outside of it, waiting to be brought within.
Thanks to the Best Picture expansion, Up became only the second animated movie in film history to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture (after Beauty and the Beast). It was also the first animated movie to ever open the entire Cannes Film Festival (where Inside Out also premiered). Historically then, it was almost as significant as my following entry, to which Up owes at least some of its critical success, if only by historical accident…
3. WALL-E (2008)
It seems like only yesterday when the stunning exclusion from WALL-E and The Dark Knight from the crowded field of Best Picture nominees caused such outcry that the Academy was forced to revisit the number of nominees in that category. As if that (and its six Oscar nominations, Pixar’s records) were not sufficient proof of this film’s cultural impact, consider the controversy that some saw in it for the movie’s clear and unambiguous message regarding the perilous consequences to humanity of man’s gluttonous, excessive relationship with his environment, coupled with the willful ignorance about this problem that has started to define a part of our generation.
On top of this important and well-analyzed message, the movie features a beautiful outer space palate and a memorable main character (which is not always the clear Pixar formula). They’ve gotten us to love fish, mice, and stuffed animals, but the outpour of tenderness for the little robot may have been their grandest coup of all. Indeed, the love story is endearing, the Thomas Newman score is moving, and the overall texture of the movie is much more analytical and smart than most live action films. WALL-E will play well in years to come when, hopefully, it will not be seen as an “oops, too late” warning that we ignored.
2. The Incredibles (2004)
While The Incredibles has its detractors, it is perhaps my personal guilty pleasure favorite. This movie is simply fun. The action sequences are entertaining and nerve-wracking, and the payout from the expected complicated plot (and one of the clearest, most pitiable villains) completely worth it.
Not to stay behind its brethren, The Incredibles features strong messages about family, love, and unity, and a clear point about what a superhero makes: not some sort of supernatural or above average talent, but the ability to recognize one strength’s and weaknesses, and then channel them towards the greater good and/or the benefit of others.
Considering that it was still one of Pixar’s earliest entries, the animation is also not too shabby. Indeed, one may call it a breakthrough for Pixar, as this was the first movie that featured humans as the lead characters. On top of the already complex challenge of animating humans into CGI, the filmmakers had to deal with adding explosions, smoke, water, and fire to the max. At times, it seems as if the movie is hand-drawn. Other times, however, the movie achieves levels of human realism that honestly I didn’t see again until Inside Out. Thank perhaps the meticulous Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the movie (and later Ratatouille (and, more recently, ahem, Tomorrowland). But do not discount the beautiful and animated score by - who else, at this point? - Michael Giacchino, in his first of oh, so many successful Pixar collaborations.
The Incredibles, again then, has all of the Pixar defining traits, if you look only past the surface: the growing and sometimes aging heroes, the melancholy of the past, the kooky characters, and the technical prowess. Of course, it has the brilliant and funny and adventurous story, with the same message: look past the surface, and there may yet be a hero in you, too.
1. Finding Nemo (2003)
But it is without question that my favorite Pixar movie of all time until Inside Out rolled around is another movie. By its fifth entry, Pixar proved that it was the real deal with the modern animation masterpiece, Finding Nemo. The movie features what in my view were Oscar-worthy voice performances, particularly by Ellen DeGeneres as the show-stealing Dory. (The Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, is thankfully slated for a July 2016 release).
The animation in this movie stands out as the first thing to be lauded. The realistic ocean waves, the ocean creatures, and the ocean action sequences all seem real, and much more modern than the caricature of The Little Mermaid. Indeed, skeptical little me expected nothing more than a rehash of the story, what with the antagonist shark in the poster and all.
But Finding Nemo is so much more than that. It is the story of an adventure - Nemo himself – that is born out of the inherent desire of all humans to leave the family nest and not be overprotected (a theme played out again in, of course, Inside Out). It is also the story of discovery and self-discovery - of Marlin, Nemo’s dad - as he has to navigate fears and endure the loss of a loved one (in that sense, to be fair, Pixar borrowed from the tried-and-true trick of many Disney movies, the loss of a parent/spouse).
The movie is, at the same time, clever, funny, and exciting. The characters are memorable (see, again, Dory), the antagonists scary, and the denouement rewarding.
Parental anxiety, teenage angst, and the inevitable clash between them is explored brilliantly in Finding Nemo. Come to think of it, it is explored brilliantly in The Incredibles, and in Inside Out. And the themes of gaps between the ages are clear in the Toy Story sequence, in another Pixar movie, Brave, and even in WALL-E. How metaphysical of Pixar to explore these themes so consistently, given that it has proven itself the most adept creature of all at bridging the gap between young and old, aging and growing, and between your emotional past and future, given its interminable and unarguable success with audiences across the generations.