Ranking Pixar's 10: No. 4 - WALL-E

In 15 years, Pixar has created not only some of the finest animated motion pictures, but also some of the best films of the last decade and a half. Before the 11^th film, Toy Story 3, comes out on June 18, here’s my ranking of Pixar’s first 10 outings.

4. WALL-E (2008)

Minimalism is a form of art where the work is stripped down to the most fundamental elements and features. It shows more with less. And here we are with WALL-E, a true expression of minimalist art. Very little dialogue. Just a small cast of characters. The action taking place on a small planet and small ship in the expanse of the universe. The ultimate irony, of course, is that the true enemy of the film is excess.

I want to get this out of the way right now. WALL-E wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. It should have been. Yes, had the number of nominees been stretched to 10 like it was the following year, it probably would have gotten recognition. But that’s of no matter. I should have been acknowledged as one of the five best films in 2008. Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader received those nods. I assure you, WALL-E was better than at least three of those films.

After Andrew Stanton created a vast undersea world with Finding Nemo, he took to the final frontier, creating a similar landscape in space with WALL-E. The opening reminds us of immense universe in which we live, while the music of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart’s Hello, Dolly! reminds us of our humanity. The use of that film is vital WALL-E’s success. Pixar doesn’t paint a cartoon world, but a warning regarding a possible future for us. Critics complain that future humans would never divulge into looking such a cartoonish way. I fear I have seen people this day and age who already come close. I also think it’s an important look that shows the loss of humanity in the years to come. And what does it say that the most human characters left in the future are two robots tangled in love?

The truly emotional story is what brings this film into the top five. But its great minimalist aspects keep it from reaching a higher notch. WALL-E doesn’t embrace the full potential of its technology, unlike the films further of in my top five. However, if it did, it certainly would not have been the same film and not as high up for me. But WALL-E himself never demanded much in his life, so I would think he’s happy right where he is.

Previously ranked:

5. Finding Nemo (2003)

6. Ratatouille (2007)

7. A Bug’s Life (1998)

8. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

9. The Incredibles (2004)

10. Cars (2006)

Wall-E (Three-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]

Ranking Pixar's 10: No. 5 - Finding Nemo

In 15 years, Pixar has created not only some of the finest animated motion pictures, but also some of the best films of the last decade and a half. Before the 11^th film, Toy Story 3, comes out on June 18, here’s my ranking of Pixar’s first 10 outings.

5. Finding Nemo (2003)

A colorful cast of creatures of the sea full of vibrant voices. A lush tropical setting with danger at every turn. Still, Finding Nemo is a film is full of opposites. A clownfish that isn’t funny. Sharks that view fish as friends, not food. It is often in life that when we see opposites to ourselves, we understand ourselves even better. Had Marlin never met Crush, what kind of father would he be now?

This story speaks to every parent and every kid. From a mother looking for a lost son in a shopping mall to a daughter desperately seeking daddy in a crowded street, the theme of separation and the desperation to reconnect is a universal theme. But what do you do when that separation is forever? Pixar boldly created such an outcome at the start of the film and had the audience hooked for all 100 minutes of this adventure.

Finding Nemo was Pixar’s first true emotional masterpiece, only topped later by Up, which also has a deeply emotional opening ending in an eternal separation. It was the first Pixar filmed that I watched where I cried. That’s a credit to the story, but more so a credit to the fine work of Albert Brooks. Ellen DeGeneres often gets raves for her performance as Dorey, yet to me, Albert Brooks really shines as the star of this film. I sense the desperation in his voice, not only the desperation to find his son but also the desperation to be a good dad. At the end of the film, he finally lets go of the need to be a perfect father, and becomes a better one because of it. I happened to watch this for first time over Father’s Day weekend with my dad. It was perfect

The success of this film was unprecedented at the time and remains so today. Finding Nemo surpassed The Lion King as Disney’s highest grossing animated film, and stands at No. 2 all-time right behind Shrek 2. However, my guess is there will be a new No. 1 by the end of the run of Pixar’s latest release. But I am convinced that without the success of Nemo, we would never have gotten the bold productions of WALL-E and Up. And for that, little clownfish, I thank you.

Previously ranked:

6. Ratatouille (2007)

7. A Bug’s Life (1998)

8. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

9. The Incredibles (2004)

10. Cars (2006)

Finding Nemo (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Ranking Pixar's 10: No. 6 - Ratatouille

In 15 years, Pixar has created not only some of the finest animated motion pictures, but also some of the best films of the last decade and a half. Before the 11^th film, Toy Story 3, comes out on June 18, here’s my ranking of Pixar’s first 10 outings.

6. Ratatouille (2007)

Someone might think I have something against Brad Bird since I have put both of his films in my bottom five. But that’s not it at all. I think he’s turned out two great films for Pixar. Both won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, producing two memorable acceptance speeches by Bird. His films’ placement on my list is more a testament to the great work Pixar has produced over the past 15 years than my dislike for them.

But I think there is a clear delineation between my bottom five and my top five. It is almost like Pixar created two natural tiers. My top five themselves have moved around in my thoughts processes. However, they have always been the top five. And none of the bottom five came close to ever breaking in.

What I love about this movie is the sheer imagination. Where The Incredibles can be seen as simply as another addition to the superhero genre, Ratatouille is fresh, inventive and unbelievably creative. And Bird didn’t need a splashy voice cast to make this film work. Rather smalltime comic Patton Oswalt brilliantly takes the lead and gives Remy his life. Lou Romano, Linguini’s voice, started off as an animator and supervisor with Pixar. The only real A-list actor in this film is Peter O’Toole as Anton Ego, which is a relatively small role in the film.

Of course, Ratatouille lends itself to some unique theme park tie-ins. The use of Remy at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and the French Pavilion at Epcot are perfect. The little rat plays host to the fine French restaurants those locales offer. Really, could it get any better? (Okay, maybe real rats cooking, but let’s not go crazy here!) The film is truly about culinary delights. And it taught a new generation of kids how to pronounce “ratatouille.”

Previously ranked:

7. A Bug’s Life (1998)

8. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

9. The Incredibles (2004)

10. Cars (2006)


Ratatouille [Blu-ray]

Ranking Pixar's 10: No. 7 - A Bug's Life

In 15 years, Pixar has created not only some of the finest animated motion pictures, but also some of the best films of the last decade and a half. Before the 11^th film, Toy Story 3, comes out on June 18, here’s my ranking of Pixar’s first 10 outings.

7. A Bug’s Life (1998)

To me, by far, the most underrated Pixar film is A Bug’s Life. Perhaps because it had a tough act to follow. Perhaps because Antz stole some of its thunder. It certainly performed well at the box office, just barely beating the worldwide total of Toy Story. But I think this film is great. And yet it still sits in the bottom five.

Look at the voice cast: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Hyde Pierce, Richard Kind, Phyllis Diller, Bonnie Hunt, Madeline Kahn, Brad Garrett and a very young Hayden Panettiere. Talk about star power, each with a very unique voice style. We also got the animated outtakes and blooper reel for the very first time over the credits. And it was packaged with my favorite Pixar short, Geri’s Game.

Still, I think one of the biggest drawbacks of this film was its overall look and feel. Sure, the humans in Toy Story still had a very cartoonish style. But the toys looked just like real toys! And some of them were beloved toys from our childhood. There was an instant connection there. Ants, well, for the most part are pests in our life. (I fear a lecture from It’s Tough to be a Bug coming on.) And we didn’t get a real colorful world and with that a chance to see what the computer animation can real put forth. The environment was dominated mostly by greens and blues.

But I think one element of this film was overlooked and really set the stage for Pixar to push the envelope in later years. The villain actually died! And Hopper faced a pretty gruesome death if you think about it. What would happen if one of us were feed to hungry animals? But people didn’t call it shocking or indecent. I think that was a sign to Pixar to say, “Go ahead. Take this new technology and really run with it. Tell a good story, and people will follow.” And like ants marching, we certainly have.

Previously ranked:

8. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

9. The Incredibles (2004)

10. Cars (2006)

A Bug's Life [Blu-ray]