Favorite Pixar Movie

[Danoff]

I have a love-hate relationship with Pixar. They always make high production quality movies, but sometimes for me they completely botch the message. Cars goes on this super-preachy rant about interstates. Coco is a long guilt-trip. Finding Nemo is about a dad who needs to lighten up going through an ocean full of non-stop murder (I do enjoy that one a lot though). Incredibles is about the power of genetics over hard work. And some of the movies have these super-abrupt changes half way through that is jarring (Wall-E, Up).

So weigh in, which is your favorite and why?

I voted Brave, but it was a tough call with Inside Out. If I could vote for the first 10 minutes or so of Up I would.

 

[TheCracker]

(is Planes not considered a Pixar movie?)

I admit that i've only watched a little over half of those films - mostly since i don't have kids myself. I've pretty much enjoyed all those i've seen, even bought a several of them on bluray/dvd.

As for favourite? i guess that comes down to which ones i wouldn't mind watching again. Wall-E, Up, Inside Out and the two Toy Story sequels are films i've caught more than twice and would happily watch again. Although some of the background graphics/textures are now showing their age, i'd have to say that the original Toy Story is probably the one i'd say is my favourite.

I don't really mind the 'super-abrupt changes in story' half way through those films mentioned by Danoff. Every single Studio Ghibli film i've seen has had a much more jarring and inexplicable change of direction (which i've always taken as a 'charming' Japanese story telling quirk) - so i would imagine it's quite a common element in films aimed at kids - something to do with short attention spans maybe?

 

[Danoff]

(is Planes not considered a Pixar movie?)

Planes is apparently Disneytoons studios.

Edit:

I should probably have mentioned that Monsters is right up there with Inside Out and Brave in my mind. Was also in the running for me.

 

[baldgye]

Wall-E
I picked this one, because of all the Pixar movies, it's the one that I've enjoyed the most as an adult. It's a really fun movie that is crazy dark.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Oh, good thread. 👍

I haven't watched any of the Cars films (outside of a few scenes of the first one), Brave, or Monsters University.

Until recently, I'd say Up. I agree it isn't terribly balanced in terms of tone, but I love so much of the movie that I overlook that. I maintain that the first fifteen minutes or so is a better movie than most out there. It, alongside Futurama's Jurassic Bark episode, is one of the most moving bits of animation I've ever watched. I challenge anybody to watch either and not get at least a little damp-eyed.

Wall-E is an option too. The main thing holding it back, IMO, is the weird contradiction of one of the biggest corporations out there preaching an anti-consumerist approach. But it, much like most of Pixar's shorts, shows the power of storytelling with limited/no dialog.

But Inside Out pips them all. I remember when news first broke about it, and figuring it might be Pixar's first dud. It just sounded so abstract. Sure enough though, the team made an outlandish concept work, and in a way that arguably hits parents/adults more than kids. It probably stands as one of my all-time favourite movies, period.

A few friends and I had a similar discussion a while back: what's the worst (original) Pixar flick? Excluding sequels, the easy answer is Good Dinosaur. But from there, it gets a lot harder to answer, IMO.

 

[AudiMan2011]

Toy Story 2 is the pinnacle of Pixar for me, but 3 comes close for the closure it gave.