Another year, another Pixar film. Brave comes out today and marks their only original film for at least the next year. Monster’s University, which comes out next summer, is a sequel. So why don’t we take the time to reflect on Pixar’s top 5 films?

Honorable mentions

Ratatouille

This cute tale about a rat that wants to be who he wants (a master chef) is perhaps Pixar’s most underrated. I never hear people talk about it but it’s adorable and has quite a bit of heart. And hey, how can you resist a rat who becomes a master chef? It’s those two complete opposites becoming one that makes this film inspiring. Oh, and it’ll definitely make you hungry.

The Incredibles

Brad Bird’s first Pixar film is a favorite for many. They took on the superhero genre and delivered with it. It’s also a technically impressive film. They were able to animate humans with success this time, and some of the other effects are a first for Pixar. Let’s not forget that they took the essential plot of The Watchmen and did it 100 times better than Zach Snyder’s live action version.

5. Finding Nemo

Andrew Stanton’s Pixar debut is one of their most beloved. It’s also the reason why every child on Earth now says “hey, look it’s Nemo!” when they see a clown fish. Critic Scott Weinberg said this film is essentially about handicaps and overcoming them, and that’s exactly what the main characters do. It’s also an amazing movie to watch on Father’s Day, by the way.

4. Up

The first five minutes of this movie say everything you need to about Pixar. They delivered a better love story in those first 5 minutes than most romance films (hey, Twilight). Let’s not forget that Up deals with some very adult themes of loss and mourning, yet they make it accessible for younger viewers as well. It also deals with extreme violence as well. This is perhaps the most mature of all the Pixar films.

3. Toy Story 3

Lotso may be one of the greatest villains I’ve seen in the past couple of years, except for maybe Loki. He has a past and you understand why he is the way he is. You want to feel sorry for him but damnit why does he have to be so stuck in his ways? And let’s not forget that Andy and his toys learning to let go of each other could bring anyone to tears.

2. Wall-E

Last year The Artist got a lot of recognition for being a silent film in 2012. But hey, hello – what about Wall-E? That movie was mostly silent and it was absolutely adorable. The main character barely talked but you felt for him more than most speaking characters. Andrew Stanton really followed Finding Nemo up with something absolutely amazing. Oh, and the film also looked into our future and warned us about the dangers of technology. Do we really want to be lazy people reclining on flying chairs? Probably not.

1. Toy Story

This is the movie that started it all. John Lasseter’s classic about the world of toys and the beginning of the friendship of Woody and Buzz. This movie is important for several reasons, and that’s largely why it’s their best movie to date. It ushered in the era of 3D computer generated animation, it boosted Disney immensely, it made Pixar one of the most admired film studios on the planet and it connects you to your childhood better than most films.

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