Every Pixar Film Ranked From Worst to Best

Pixar has spent nearly three decades setting the standard for animated movies. But not every release has landed with the same impact. With the studio now balancing sequels, originals, and streaming-era experiments, it's a good time to look back at the full catalogue and figure out which films still hold up, which have faded, and which deserve far more credit than they usually get.

Ranking Pixar is harder than it sounds. Even the weaker entries tend to have moments of charm, while the best films remain as emotionally effective today as they were on release.

The Bottom Tier: Good Ideas, Mixed Results

At the bottom sits Cars 2 (2011), the rare Pixar film that feels more interested in merchandise than storytelling. Turning Mater into the centre of a globe-trotting spy adventure never quite worked, and critics agreed. The film holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of roughly 40%, the lowest in Pixar's history.

Close behind are Lightyear (2022) and The Good Dinosaur (2015). Neither is a disaster. Both look stunning. But Pixar's reputation was built on memorable characters and sharp emotional hooks, and these films struggle to find either. Lightyear earned approximately $226 million worldwide, a disappointing result for a film connected to one of Pixar's biggest franchises.

Then there's Cars 3, Brave, and Onward. They're enjoyable, often underrated, but they rarely crack anyone's list of Pixar essentials.

The Middle Is Crowded

This is where things get interesting.

Films like A Bug's Life (1998), Monsters University (2013), Finding Dory (2016), Elemental (2023), and Luca (2021) all sit comfortably in Pixar's middle tier. They're entertaining, visually inventive, and packed with strong moments.

Elemental deserves special mention. After a slow start at the box office, it became one of the surprise comeback stories of 2023, eventually earning nearly $500 million worldwide. That's a reminder that audience reactions don't always match opening-weekend headlines.

Just above them are movies like Turning Red (2022), Soul (2020), and Incredibles 2 (2018). Each takes a bigger swing than the average animated film. Turning Red tackles adolescence with unusual honesty. Soul wrestles with purpose and identity. Incredibles 2 delivers some of the best action sequences Pixar has ever animated.

You could shuffle these films around and make a convincing argument. That's the sign of a strong catalogue.

Where Pixar Becomes Pixar

The upper tier contains the films people reference whenever they talk about animation as serious storytelling.

Monsters, Inc. (2001) remains one of the studio's funniest creations. Ratatouille (2007) somehow turned fine dining and a cooking rat into an emotional story about creativity. Inside Out (2015) made abstract emotions relatable enough that therapists still recommend it to clients.

Then come the heavy hitters.

Toy Story 3 (2010) earned more than $1 billion worldwide and delivered one of the most effective endings in modern family cinema. Coco (2017) combined breathtaking visuals with a story about memory, family, and legacy that hit audiences across generations.

And yes, The Incredibles (2004) still feels fresh. Brad Bird's superhero adventure balances family drama, action, comedy, and social commentary better than many live-action comic-book movies released since.

A bridge connects all these films. They work for children, but they're clearly written with adults in mind too.

The Top Five

Here's where the rankings become difficult.

5. Coco (2017) A visually spectacular celebration of family and remembrance. The final act lands with remarkable precision, and "Remember Me" remains one of Pixar's most effective emotional payoffs.

4. The Incredibles (2004) Fast, stylish, and endlessly rewatchable. Pixar has produced funnier films and sadder films, but few are as complete.

3. Toy Story (1995) The movie that started everything. Nearly 30 years later, the relationship between Woody and Buzz still feels fresh. The animation has aged, but the storytelling hasn't.

2. Up (2009) People often talk about the opening montage, and for good reason. But what's impressive is that the rest of the film manages to justify that emotional investment. Carl and Russell remain one of Pixar's best pairings.

1. WALL-E (2008) No Pixar film has been more ambitious. The first act tells much of its story with minimal dialogue, trusting visuals, sound design, and character animation to carry the narrative. It works brilliantly. The environmental themes feel more relevant now than they did in 2008, but the real achievement is that the film never forgets to be funny, romantic, and deeply human.

For many fans, this is Pixar at its absolute peak.

Why You Should Care

Even if you don't follow animation closely, Pixar's films have shaped modern blockbuster storytelling. You can see their influence everywhere, from superhero movies to streaming originals.

And unlike many long-running franchises, Pixar's best work rewards revisiting. Watch WALL-E, Ratatouille, or Inside Out as an adult and you'll notice entirely different themes than you did the first time around.

What to Watch Next

If this ranking leaves you wanting more animated storytelling, start with these:

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), still one of the most inventive animated films of the last decade.

The Iron Giant (1999), Brad Bird's emotional sci-fi classic before he directed The Incredibles.

The Wild Robot (2024), a thoughtful adventure that captures some of the emotional warmth Pixar became famous for.

Pixar's catalogue isn't perfect. That's part of what makes ranking it fun. But when a studio can produce films like WALL-E, Up, Toy Story, and Coco across different decades, the conversation isn't really about whether Pixar is great. It's about deciding which version of great you like most.