I like Pixar movies. Shocking, right?
Pixar falls in the same category as John Green, elevating to a higher plane a genre that I adore but that is often dismissed as immature fun (animated films and YA lit, respectively). Simply, if you’re interested in well-told, mature, compelling stories and you’re interested in animation, then Pixar is your wildest dream come true.
I wrote an extensive retrospective on Pixar’s first ten films back in 2010, a few months after the founding of Earn This (note that I called Pixar my favorite movie studio of all time even before the release of Toy Story 3, a contender for my favorite of the bunch). Though I’d change a few things I said, my major points still stand: These movies are some of my favorite of all time. They’re so consistently good — all great in their own ways — that I have trouble picking a favorite from among the bunch.
Pixar has a really obscene batting average. If I was making a list of the top ten animated movies, I’d have to consider at least four or five of Pixar’s fourteen movies as nominees. And if I was ranking the top fifty animated movies, the only two I’d immediately dismiss are the Carses.
And these movies aren’t just great in the sense of being admirable or impressive. You don’t praise Pixar movies because you feel compelled to. No, these movies are great in the sense of traditional entertainment and great story. You praise Pixar movies because they make you laugh and smile and cry. They inspire awe and sweep you away on adventures. They’re full of spectacle and artistry. They make you joyous. You want to suck up every moment, every frame, every emotion of these films. They’re a reminder that the intersection of technical innovation, well-crafted story, and attention to detail is a sublime cinematic experience.
I’m tempted to hop into another film by film analysis right here, but, because I’ve already reviewed most of Pixar’s movies on the site, I will show you mercy. (…At least for now; I’ve had a Pixar re-watch on my docket for a couple of months, so no guarantees that I can resist the urge for long.) But if you want to read more about Pixar on Earn This, here are your options:
- My Pixar Retrospective (1995-2009)
- Animation Evaluation: Pixar (1995-2006)
- My review of Toy Story
- Brian’s Tributes to Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Wall-E
- Kevin’s Pixar rundown and reviews of each Pixar movie (I recommend his Cars 2 review)
I figure that’s more than enough for now, especially with more Animation Evaluation on the way in 2015. (And you can probably expect at least a little more than that about Pixar from me next year.)
Well, as you might suspect, I am very pleased that Pixar is so high up on your list. Deservingly, in my opinion.
I look forward to our discussion on the rest of the Pixar movies we have left in our Animation Evaluation project! I guess it’ll be a good time to re-watch all of them 🙂 Perhaps we will have the opportunity to include Inside Out by then! I have a feeling it will be really really good.