Top 10 Tuesday - Pixar Movies

NOTE: Pictures are not uploading right now for some reason, so I will add them as soon as I can...


Sorry everyone for taking a couple of weeks off without notice, but these posts take a little longer than you would expect. I actually do some research. The reviews take a little less time, but the Top 10s are researched for quite a long time. I search and read other people's lists so that nothing gets left out that I might have forgotten and in instances of a Top 10 that is ranked, I mull over what goes where for quite a bit.

Today's is no exception to that last bit. It is hard to rank these beyond the top 3 and #10. The middle of the pack was terribly difficult, but I think I've made my choices wisely. I fully expect to get some flak for a couple of these, but too freakin' bad.

In honor of "Brave" coming out next Tuesday on home video, I thought I'd rank Pixar movies. "Brave" won't be on here, not because it isn't good, but because I haven't seen it yet. There will be two other glaring omissions, not because I haven't seen them, but because I really didn't like them. They just don't fit into Pixar cannon for me. There's something missing to them. I think it is the heart.

Speaking of heart, that's what is so endearing to the Pixar movies. They're so full of heart mixed with genuinely funny humor. And other than a few lines that I thought were a little inappropriate for smaller kids in the "Toy Story" movies (I'm looking at you Bo), the humor is appropriate for all ages and more importantly funny to all ages, which is a feat unto itself. All of these are good if not great movies, so don't think that because your favorite isn't higher on the list that I don't care for it (unless it didn't make the list at all, then you're an idiot LOL).

Let's start the show:

Wall-E

I know there were loads of people who loved this movie, I just wasn't one of them. I think it was a little slow and missing some of the humor. I applaud them for making a movie that was really beautiful and taking the risk on having virtually no dialogue to drive the story which worked very well, I just didn't quite connect with Johnny 5, I mean Wall-E.

When the short that preceded it was better than the movie, there's a problem.

Toy Story 3

A fitting end to the Trilogy for sure (though they're working on #4, sigh), but just didn't quite have the magic of the first two. No I didn't cry when they all (SPOILER ALERT) join hands, it just seemed a little bit forced as opposed to the #1 on this list which tugged at your heart strings in a much more subtle and endearing way. Animation was as flawless as we've come to expect, but I felt we were re-treading much of the plot of the first two. Andy's older, we're forgotten, we have to get back to Andy. Rinse. Repeat. Blech. 

Toy Story

The one that started it all. Yes it is funny and heartwarming with wonderful sight gags that we hadn't seen in a while from Disney, but it was the first feature length film for the company and it shows in many respects. The pacing is a bit awkward and some of the movements aren't quite as fluid as they should be.

Toy Story 2

Absolutely the best in the series. It hit on all cylinders and added characters that fit in very well with the story. Jessie is a great counter to Woody's overwhelming optimism because she has been forgotten. Can't say I didn't get choked up a few times during this one. Definitely one of the highs of the Pixar family, but I just never got into the "Toy Story" franchise as much as some of the others here.

Monsters, Inc.

To me, this is where it all gets a little tougher to rank. Monsters, Inc. is actually probably the funniest of the bunch (well, maybe save for #3) because of the star power behind it. The premise, like all Pixar films, is brilliant and the animation is breathtaking (look at how Sully's fur moves!).

Finding Nemo

Embodies all the best of a Pixar film. This one's probably at the top of most people's lists and is definitely worthy of the title. I just found more balance and style in the ones to follow. Plus, no matter how endearing Dory was (and those damn pelicans!) I found someone more endearing in the one's left on this list. My major complaint of the movie is that it could've been cut down by 10-15 minutes and been just a little more stellar. Basically, this is a road movie set in the ocean so some the gags had been tread before.

Ratatouille

Although the thought of a rat in a kitchen made my stomach flip when I heard it, I really loved this movie. Though it isn't quite as funny as some of the other ones, it is so incredibly charming that I can't help but place it high on this list. I also see Gusteau as a sort of Julia Child who I fondly remember as a child. Cooking always strikes the right chord with me, so this one just hit all the right notes for me.

A Bug's Life

This movie is where my actual love affair for Pixar started. Released about the same time as "ANTS" (which was really "Meh" to me), it has this dry humor that I just love. Talk about a stellar comedy cast! Dave Foley, Richard Kind, Dennis Leary, Bonnie Hunt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey, and the late great legends Madeline Khan and Phillis Diller...what's not to love! The music, the story, the art. STELLAR!

The Incredibles

Anyone who knows me shouldn't find these last two a surprise. "The Incredibles" being this high on the list will probably irk the masses, but I don't care! Everything in this movie pushes my Geek Buttons. It's part Bond, part Fantastic 4, and even has a little Batman thrown in for good measure. It is smart, funny, and is one of the best action movies ever made. It stands out from the rest of Pixar as being entirely driven by humans, but they're outsiders in their own right so it fits. The style, art, and music are an absolute high for the studio in that they mesh so well with the story.

Up

No surprise here. I fell in love with this movie the first time Dug spoke. That was it. Best personification of a dog ever. The things he says are exactly what you would expect a dog to think and how they would think. The most endearing character in animated history to me (but I'm a dog lover). Beyond that, the montage of Carl and Ellie's entire love story had me all choked up. That's how you show a love story Hollywood. Film students should be studying that. Great humor, imaginative story (that I was really wary of going into it), and just the right blend of everything that makes Pixar great. Anything coming from them in the future is gonna have a tough time topping this.

So that's it. There are some new projects on the horizon that sound intriguing. "Incredibles 2" is supposedly in the works (YAY!) and a Dia De Los Muertos themed one that I hope doesn't rip too much from "Grim Fandango". If you don't know what that is, look it up.

Ta-ta for now.