Pixar exploded onto the movie scene in 1995, thanks to Toy Story, which was the company’s first feature-length film, and something that revolutionized animation forever. It was a technological marvel, establishing that entire films could be computer animation. The unbelievably good Toy Story 2 ensured Pixar ended the 1990s on a high, and then the company began the 2010s in a triumphant way, thanks to the long-awaited Toy Story 3.
As for what happened between 1999 and 2010? Well, Pixar kept its creative streak going throughout. It got to the point where arguably no other animation studio making feature films has ever had as strong a decade as Pixar had in the 2000s. The following seven films should hopefully prove this, with the company’s worst film of the decade still being relatively well-received, and the other six pretty much being untouchable animation classics.
7 ‘Cars’ (2006)
Director: John Lasseter
So, for all the positivity about Pixar’s 2000s output, it is clear that one film stands out as being comparatively weak: Cars. It comes smack in the middle of the company’s 2000s movies; the fourth of seven. Still, it did little to trip up or weaken the hot streak overall, mainly because it’s far from a terrible movie, and also because Pixar put out three absolute bangers in 2007, 2008, and 2009, all of which overshadow Cars, critically speaking.
But as for this 2006 movie? It takes place in a world ruled by cars, and follows a race car getting stranded in a small town on his way to compete in what he thinks is a very important race. There’s a message here, some car-related comedy, and typically high-quality animation, as one would expect from Pixar. Some of its characters are annoying, it’s not ideally paced, and it doesn’t hit too hard emotionally, but it is a more-than-solid family film, albeit one that might appeal more to kids than adults (whereas with better Pixar films, younger and older viewers are likely to enjoy them equally).
6 ‘Up’ (2009)
Director: Pete Docter
Here’s the point where things start getting really good. So good, in fact, that a classic like Up actually has to get rated fairly low within the overall ranking. It is a very strong movie that delivers emotionally (especially early on), and tells a simple story in a sweet, endearing, and easy-to-enjoy way, focusing on a surprising adventure undertaken by an aging widow and a young boy.
It’s understandable why the opening to Up is what’s best known about it, but the rest of the film is also memorable in its own way; certainly more upbeat, colorful, and heartwarming than the undeniably sad montage used to open the film. Up might not quite hit those heights again once the opening is over (even with the help of enough balloons to lift a house into the air), but it’s also still good stuff. If any other animation studio was being talked about here, Up would likely be an all-timer, but Pixar’s body of work is so strong that Up almost feels like just another Pixar movie.
5 ‘Monsters, Inc.’ (2001)
Director: Pete Docter
And now things go up another level with Monster’s Inc., which is genuinely hard to fault but still doesn’t feel quite as brilliant as some of the company’s most brilliant efforts from the 2000s. Like Cars, Monster’s Inc. is a look into a world populated by something other than humans, unsurprisingly here being monsters. It’s still easier to buy into than a world populated by cars, especially because the story involves the monsters traveling to the apparent real world and scaring young children to harvest their screams, which are used for energy.
It’s such a novel and strange premise for a film, but Monster’s Inc. does a fantastic job of making it believable and followable, for people of any age. It’s extremely funny, creative, exciting, and ultimately heartfelt, wrapping up so perfectly that a sequel has never seemed necessary (though it got a decent – not great – prequel in 2013, called Monsters University).
4 ‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Director: Brad Bird
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Brad Bird was partly responsible for keeping Cars from feeling like too drastic a slump, because he directed two great movies at Pixar – one in 2004, and the other in 2007 – with Cars coming out between the pair. Picking a favorite out of these two is like a Sophie’s Choice, but if one has to be deemed weaker, then perhaps it’s best to go with The Incredibles, which is still pretty much perfect and maybe a coin was flipped and that’s why it’s here… who knows? You never will!
The Incredibles is one of the best superhero movies of all time, following a family filled with super-powered individuals and showing how they deal with life at a time when being a superhero is outlawed… though a supervillain clearly doesn’t care, and this prompts the Parr family to go back into action. It’s a genuinely exciting and suspenseful action movie, but plays out in a way that kids can still enjoy without it feeling too intense or violent. It walks the line well; it doesn’t feel childish, but it doesn’t feel too mature, and is one of those rare animated movies that people of all ages will love and relate to (for differing reasons).
3 ‘Ratatouille’ (2007)
Director: Brad Bird
The other Brad Bird-directed Pixar film of the 2000s was, of course, Ratatouille. The premise for this one is notoriously bizarre, going a step further than even the likes of Monster’s Inc. when it comes to sounding ridiculous on paper. The film follows a rat who longs to be a chef, and gets ridiculed and ostracized for having such dreams. He then encounters a clumsy young man and realizes – without the two being able to talk to each other – that he can puppeteer this man by tugging on his hair.
So the rat hides under a chef’s hat and uses the man to cook, with both benefiting from this partnership while also having to deal with various obstacles. It once sounded like the dumbest thing in the world, but since 2007, it’s been clear that not only does Ratatouille make that premise work, but it also used it to become one of the most perfect movies of its decade, animated/Pixar or otherwise. It’s phenomenal, as everyone surely knows already.
2 ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
Director: Andrew Stanton
A critical and commercial success, not to mention one of Pixar’s most moving efforts, Finding Nemo is a phenomenal, beautiful-looking, simple, and perfectly satisfying film on every front. It begins with a gut punch of an opening that’s arguably more powerful than Up’s, perfectly setting in motion the story to come, which eventually involves an overly protective father stopping at nothing to rescue his son, after the latter is taken by a diver.
Playing out as an adventure movie set almost entirely underwater, Finding Nemo delivers one set piece after another, always moving forward and exploring something new. It’s populated with great side characters and tells a narrative that never fails to be emotional, no matter how often you’ve watched the film already. It takes a simple premise and spins magic with it, and Finding Nemo continues to stand to this day as one of Pixar’s very best.
1 ‘WALL·E’ (2008)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Of all the aforementioned movies, you could select just about any of them to be crowned Pixar’s greatest of the 2000s, but perhaps WALL·E is the best of the best. It’s not easy to say, but it is, quite simply, one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. It might well be the most visually stunning Pixar film, too, as well as one that feels wholly unique, owing to how – at least for the first act – it stays away from traditional dialogue.
There is a little more conventionality to the plot of WALL·E once things go into space, but the quality of the storytelling remains consistently high either way, and it all builds to a wonderful and emotionally satisfying finale. It is such a perfect piece of sci-fi, and a hopeful, warm, funny, and surprisingly romantic movie, too; a must-watch in every sense of the word.
