The top 10 best Pixar movies

Ash Walker • 25 Jun 2025 Features

To infinity… and beyond!

Since 1995, with the release of Toy Story, Pixar has grown into one of the most beloved animation studios in the world. And with good reason.

There’s a certain level of quality you expect from a Pixar movie - they generally range from ‘good’ to ‘unassailable masterpiece’ - which is why it’s really difficult to pick a top ten.

But we did it anyway.

10. Coco (2017)

Credit: Coco - Official US Trailer (Pixar, YouTube)

Young guitar-obsessive Miguel finds himself trapped in the Land of the Dead, connecting with his deceased relatives and uncovering long-held family secrets. Coco is all about family - living and dead - and the trauma that can be passed down through generations.

But it’s also a ton of fun, absolutely fizzing with music, colour and comedy.

In fact, it might be Pixar’s most visually impressive film - infused with eye-popping, Day of the Dead-inspired design, all bright flowers and intricate decorations, it’s a real feast for the senses. And that’s not even taking into account the incredibly catchy musical numbers.

‘Remember Me’ in particular is an absolute banger, and will have you sobbing uncontrollably by the end of the film.

9. Luca (2021)

Credit: Disney and Pixar’s Luca | Official Trailer | Disney+ (Pixar, YouTube)

A classic hang-out movie, Luca perfectly captures that feeling of endless childhood summers, exploring and getting into trouble with your mates.

The titular Luca is a sea monster, living off the coast of a small Italian town in the 1950s, who can masquerade as a human boy on dry land. He makes friends, gets into various escapades and runs into trouble with his disapproving parents, but beyond that there’s very little plot to speak of.

Luca is all about the summery vibes, and they’re totally intoxicating.

8. Cars (2006)

Credit: Cars (2006) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers (Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube)

It’s your classic sports movie on paper: hotshot racer Lightning McQueen gets a bit too big for his boots, until an unexpected pitstop in a tiny backwater town helps him reconnect with his roots and rediscover his love of the sport.

The twist here is that McQueen isn’t a driver - he’s the car. In fact, every character in this world, including the animals, is some form of vehicle.

It’s best not to think about the logistics too much. If you can just sit back and enjoy the ride, then this is fun, heartwarming, classic Pixar.

7. Monsters University (2013)

Credit: Monsters University Final Trailer (Pixar, YouTube)

Monsters, Inc may get all the attention, but for our money this colourful prequel is the better film. Flashing back to when lead monsters Mike and Sully met at the titular institution, the film plays on classic college movie tropes - fraternities, hazing and draconian deans.

Literally draconian in this case, as villainous Dean Hardscrabble, the chair of the Scarer program and president of Monsters University, is a scaly, winged, insect-legged creature with an irrational hatred of our misfit heroes.

Full of heart and, quite possibly, Pixar’s funniest film, Monsters University is an underrated gem.

6. Finding Nemo (2003)

Credit: Finding Nemo (2003) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers (Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube)

The story of an overprotective clownfish searching for his lost son, Pixar’s undersea odyssey has been beloved since its release in 2003. It won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars and still holds the distinction of being the best-selling DVD of all time, and its characters - and quotes - are firmly lodged in the cultural consciousness.

Forgetful tangs. Laid-back turtles. Abstinent sharks. Nemo’s cast of colourful aquatic creatures is the best thing about the film, delivering countless hilarious encounters across its twin storylines. But the real heart and soul of Finding Nemo is Nemo himself, a tiny, adorable clownfish with a mangled fin and a can-do attitude.

By the end, he’ll have you agreeing wholeheartedly with Bruce the shark: ‘Fish are friends, not food.’

5. Ratatouille (2007)

Credit: Ratatouille (2007) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers (Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube)

Pixar has a knack for telling incredibly human stories through strange, unexpected characters, and that’s on full display here, in this tale of a rat who dreams of becoming a great chef.

It’s a bonkers premise - particularly in the way lead-rat Remy puppeteers his human accomplice by pulling his hair - but that just adds to Ratatouille’s charm. And Remy is so adorable that you can’t help but root for him.

It’s quintessential Pixar: cute, funny, daft and emotionally devastating in equal measure.

4. The Incredibles (2004)

Credit: The Incredibles (2004) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers (Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube)

Pixar’s superhero epic, The Incredibles came at a time when such things were actually pretty rare, if you can believe that. Nevertheless it delivers a full-fat serving of silver-age comic book goodness, with supervillains, hidden volcano lairs and masked heroes fighting giant robots.

The movie follows the superpowered Parr family - superstrong dad Bob, aka Mr Incredible, stretchy mum Helen, aka Elastigirl, and their kids, speedster Dash, invisible Violet and shapeshifting baby Jack-Jack - in a world that has outlawed superheroes, following one too many lawsuits.

It’s a cool set-up and a great dynamic, and while they are all wholly original characters, the Parrs bear more than a passing resemblance to Marvel’s First Family. Yes, this is, hands down, the best Fantastic Four film ever made.

Your move, First Steps.

3. Up (2009)

Credit: UP Official Trailer (Pixar, Youtube)

Let’s get this out of the way - yes, the first ten minutes will absolutely make you cry. It’s a beautiful, soulful, devastating portrait of the ups and downs of two ordinary lives, told entirely without dialogue.

The rest of the movie never quite lives up to that masterful sequence - how could it? - but it’s still a fun, heartfelt romp with a streak of dreamlike adventure. When old curmudgeon Carl’s home is threatened by urban development, he picks up sticks - literally - by tying thousands of helium balloons to the roof of his house.

Carl finally sets out on the adventure he and his late wife had always dreamed of, unaware that an unlucky boy scout has accidentally stowed away on his front porch. Easily one of Pixar’s most touching films.

Plus bonus points for introducing the world to Dug, the talking dog.

2. WALL-E (2008)

Credit: WALL-E (2008) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers (Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers, YouTube)

Starting with another beautiful, masterful sequence with no dialogue - although this one lasts way longer - WALL-E eventually morphs into a fun, frothy space adventure. But it never loses its razor-sharp satirical edge.

The story begins on Earth in the not-too-distant future. The planet has been utterly destroyed by pollution and evacuated of all people, leaving tiny, adorable recycling robots like WALL-E to sort through the debris and try to clean up humanity’s mess.

And where have all the people gone? We find out later that they’re all living aboard intergalactic cruise ships, glued to their screens and totally incapable of independent thought - or even basic movement.

It’s all enough to give you a deep existential crisis. Or it would be, if the film wasn’t so much fun, and the robots weren’t so flipping cute. Who knew that thought-provoking, soul-scorching science fiction could be so entertaining?

1. Toy Story 3 (2010)

Credit: Toy Story 3 Official Trailer [HD] (Pixar, YouTube)

The first Toy Story started it all, and Toy Story 2 was a fantastic sequel, but for our money Toy Story 3 is the best of the bunch.

Accidentally donated to a day care centre, Andy’s toys find themselves transplanted into a full-on prison movie, complete with daring escape plans, eccentric lifers and even a monstrous, totalitarian warden in the form of Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear. Yes, this is The Shawshank Redemption with Barbie dolls.

It’s also emotionally devastating. The furnace scene is laced with unbearable tension and will genuinely make you believe that our heroes are about to be horribly burned to death.

And even if you didn’t grow up on the Toy Story films, the final moments, where Andy bequeaths his beloved friends to a kid who’ll appreciate them, are enough to turn even the steeliest film fan into a blubbering wreck.

A stone-cold masterpiece.

Pixar’s latest movie, Elio, is now in cinemas. Fancy checking it out for free? Get two free cinema tickets every month with Sky Cinema.