The Definitive Ranking of Pixar Movies from Worst to Best

10. Luca

2021 is the year that I officially began suspecting that Pixar must have made a crossroads deal with a demon. There’s no other explanation for how they keep coming up with movies this good at a rate of one or more per year. Luca is a coming-of-age tale that celebrates finding your way in life and learning that you don’t have to go along with everyone else’s plans for you. The ones who really love you will still love you as you blaze your own trail. A sun-kissed Italian seaside village serves as the setting for this tale of two adolescent “sea monsters” who set out to explore the world of “land monsters.” Luca fills your heart with joy and optimism.

9. Soul

In 2020, Pixar got pretty existential with their film that follows an aspiring jazz musician who meets an untimely demise. Rather than journey to the great beyond, he tries to return to his body only to find himself in the great before where souls are prepared for their journey to earth. It takes a bit of time for Soul to hit its stride, but when it does the film offers delightful observations about the nature of purpose and even life itself. As a self-proclaimed amateur philosopher, I was instantly enamored by this quirky and beautiful thought-provoking flick, making it the high note of an otherwise awful year.

8. Finding Dory

As I was saying earlier, Dory ended up getting her own spin-off after Finding Nemo and I think it was even better than the original. While Marlin was searching for his son in the first one, this sequel has Dory searching for her past and her parents. The whole role reversal thing might sound lazy, but it worked surprisingly well. While the original film took place in the deep blue sea, this one was set in an aquarium which let Pixar play with a lot more exotic fish and have plenty more great voice, actors. Finding Dory just proved that Pixar movies keep getting better and better.

7. Up

Feel like bawling your eyes out? Then you should watch the first five minutes of Up. Pixar movies have always packed an emotional punch, but the opening credits of this film tell a story that’s actually better than the actual plot of the film. It has everything you could want from an animated movie, an unlikely friendship, a grand adventure, and plenty of doggos. Up though is a perfect example of what Pixar is all about. Their stories aren’t about saving a kingdom or a world, they’re about relationships that blossom during adventures and that’s just good storytelling.

6. Toy Story

Pixar’s first film was one of its greatest successes. Buzz Lightyear and Woody became instant fan favorites, and it was clear from the beginning that we could expect big things from this fledgling animation studio. It’s such a brilliant concept that it’s no wonder they’ve made so many successful sequels to it. There’s just so much you can do in a world full of toys. Best of all they did the whole living doll thing in the least creepy way to date. Well, as long as you don’t think too hard about the toys at Sid’s house.