A Retrospective of Pixar (Part 1) · 4:38am Mar 1st, 2015
Pixar, the first name anyone thinks of when it comes to computer-animated movies. Now, I can finally say that I have seen every Pixar film (for those who are wondering, the ones I had yet to see up to this point were WALL-E and Brave). So with two films set to be released this year (Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur) and Pixar's first film turning 20 in November (God, I feel old), this seems like no better time for me to give my thoughts on each of the fourteen films this company has given us. This is very much going to be in the same structure as the retrospectives I write about seasons of Doctor Who and Friendship is Magic with me giving a quick summary of my thoughts on each film followed by a score. So, without further ado, let's begin!
Toy Story (1995)
The film that started it all, not only for Pixar but for computer-animated films in general. It truly is amazing going back to this film, seeing the animation, and seeing just how far computer-animated films have come in nearly two decades. Even if the animation is a bit dated, this film still holds up. And is there really any reason to explain why? It's freaking Toy Story! It's full of lovable characters, an interesting premise, and a great soundtrack. I'm sure no one who grew up watching Pixar films is ever going to forget "You've Got a Friend in Me".
This film definitely left its mark and I'm sure its legacy will last until the end of time. I give Toy Story a 10/10.
A Bug's Life (1998)
After one of my favorite Pixar films comes one of my least favorite Pixar films. Fitting. I don't think this film is horrible, or even bad, but it simply didn't leave that much of an impression on me. I watched it a few times as a kid but have never had the real drive to go back and re-watch it. It had an interesting premise involving ants trying to get out from under the bullying rule of a gang of grasshoppers and it certainly had a diverse and colorful cast of characters. But none of the characters really left that much of an impression on me aside from the villain, Hopper. Aside from a few standout scenes, a lot of this movie just wasn't that memorable for me. If any of you reading this love this movie then fantastic. I'm glad that you love it. But, for me, it's far from one of Pixar's strongest entries. I give A Bug's Life a 5/10.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
A truly great sequel should not only continue a story but improve upon it. Toy Story 2 is one of those sequels. Continuing on with the lovable characters from the first film and somehow being able to be better than its predecessor. This film is just awesome. The story is a lot of fun, the new characters are great, the animation is better, and it had a sense of happy finality to it (which is good since we had to wait eleven years for the next one). Again, do I really need to explain any further why this film is awesome? It's freaking Toy Story! I give Toy Story 2 a 10/10.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
As I stated in a previous blog post, this is one of my all-time favorite animated films (which isn't saying a whole lot on this list as a lot of Pixar films hold that title). This film's concept was just ingenious with it showing the "truth" behind the monsters in your closet and why they scared you. It was a brilliant idea to have the screams of children be the main source of energy for the monster world as well as show that monsters have this strange belief that human children are toxic. The main characters are lovable, the villains are great, the monster world was unique and interesting, and the ending never fails to get me teary-eyed. I give Monsters, Inc. a 10/10.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Yet another one of my all-time favorite animated films. I liked how this film had a father who was overprotective of his son and that it showed how far this father would go to bring his son back home. And, of course, this concept is give the wonderful twist of it taking place with fish in the ocean. This movie is filled with many memorable characters and scenes, both funny and serious in nature. The animation and soundtrack are fantastic and the whole movie is a highly entertaining ride. I'm definitely looking forward to the 2016 sequel, Finding Dory. Overall, I give Finding Nemo a 10/10.
The Incredibles (2004)
If I had to rank all the Pixar films from my favorite to my least favorite, I would have trouble since I love many of Pixar's films for equal, yet different, reasons. But while the middle is tricky for me, I can most definitely say which movie is my favorite and which is my least favorite. The Incredibles is my favorite Pixar film. The unique superhero world this film created was awesome. The animation was fantastic, the characters were fleshed out and memorable, the villain was superb, the superpowers were cool, and the action scenes were a ton of fun. I was over the Moon when they announced that a sequel was in the works and I eagerly await its arrival...even though it's currently set for, at least by, the late 2010's. *sigh* Well, at least I still have the incredible first movie *wink* to keep me entertained until then. I give The Incredibles a 10/10.
Cars (2006)
This is a Pixar film that a lot of people have come out of the woodwork in recent years to describe their distaste for. And while I'll admit that this film has a tired premise, I still really like it. Nowadays, truly original ideas for stories are hard to come by. At the end of the day, it all comes down to execution. A film can have a tired premise but if it's executed well, I'm happy. This is what I think of Cars. It has a tired premise and a somewhat predictable story (I say somewhat due to Lightning's sacrifice in the final race) but I also find it to have fun and likable characters, an interesting and unique world, lots of heart, and plenty of funny moments. Overall, I give Cars an 8.5/10.
And that wraps up the first half of my Pixar retrospective. Do any of you agree with my thoughts? Disagree with them? As always, I'm interested to hear what any of you have to say. Tomorrow, I'll finish this retrospective with Pixar's final seven films as of now...
My own scores (up to this point):
Toy Story - 9.8/10
A Bug's Life - 8.9/10
Toy Story 2 - 9.9/10
Monsters Inc - 8.6/10 (I have serious suspension of disbelief issues with this one, mostly related to the company's poor business plan, like the apparent lack of a night shift)
Finding Nemo - 10/10 (somewhere in my top 20 films of all time)
The Incredibles - 10/10 (somewhere else in my top 20 films of all time)
Cars - 8/10
Woop, Pixar! Animation is one of my favourite forms of art, since it provides so much opportunity for
, self-expression and diversity Pixar is one of my favourite animation studios, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next post 
Out of all these films, I would have to say Finding Nemo is the best for me.
I thought Finding Nemo already had a sequel. It took place in the Gulf of Mexico, was sponsored by BP, and was called "Try Finding Nemo Now". (Jay Leno joke)
I happen to have really liked A Bug's Life as a youngling. I don't know exactly how many times I've seen it, but it was a lot. I still find it somewhat unfortunate they never chose to revisit it, you know sequel-wise. (Outside that short cameo during the "bloopers" of Toys Story 2.)
I don't think I've seen The Incredibles in full, but what I did see of it, I really liked. It's a very mature film. One line in particular resonates with me for what may or may not be obvious reasons:
Cars I saw once on ABC Family, so it wasn't the whole thing I imagine. I didn't think it was that bad either. Maybe it's just because I'm a big fan of Larry the Cable Guy.