Pixar: A Retrospective

by D.R.Scott

1) "Toy Story"
Revolutionary. Brilliant. Fearless. One small step for Pixar, one giant step for the future of animated films. (I'll betcha that when Johnnie Lasseter saw "Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer" as a kid, the sequence with the Island of Misfit Toys was his favorite.)

2) "A Bug's Life"
Remember when "A Bug's Life" and "Bugz" was released at the same time? What? You forgot "Bugz"? Well, duh. It's like placing a stale Ring Ding next to a dish of chocolate mousse.

3) "Toy Story 2"
The rare sequel that's better than the original film. It's smart, poignant, funny ("Buzz, I am your father!"), and has a killer Randy Newman song that would make Dick Cheney break into tears. Just think, this was going to be a straight-to-video release before sanity prevailed.

4) "Monsters Inc."
Remember when you were a kid and you thought there were monsters hiding in your bedroom closet? You were right. A charming fantasy that feels as though it was written by Ray Bradbury.

5) "Finding Nemo"
Hilarious. Albert Brooks and Ellen Degeneres are great, two hardcore comedy pros who know how to squeeze the last precious drop out of a joke. Remember, fish are friends, not food.

6) "The Incredibles"
Too many comic book movies get it wrong. They're either grim and depressing ("The Dark Knight") or dumb ("The Fantastic Four"). Brad Bird's thrilling pulp noir is a loving valentine dedicated to that classic era when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did the best comics in the world.

7) "Cars"
I'm not a big fan of this clumsy "Doc Hollywood" knockoff. Paul Newman, however, is wonderful. He's the only actor in this boring junkyard of a movie who's able to transcend the ho-hum plot and dull characters. It's a great last act from Cool Hand Luke. A rare misstep for Pixar.

8) "Ratatouille"
I love Peter O'Toole's amazing speech near the end, when his monstrous food critic, Anton Ego, is revealed to have a soul. It's an insightful and heartfelt soliloquy that defines what a critic is and his importance to the community. Not what you expect in a movie for kids, huh?

9) "Wall-E"
From the haunting opening sequence to the exuberant Peter Gabriel song floating eerily over the closing credits, "Wall-E" is a triumph, an angry, thought-provoking science-fiction film that deserved its Hugo.

10) "Up"
Without a doubt, Pixar's greatest film. It's a thriller, a goofball comedy, a horror story and a wonderful romance. Every time you see it, there's more to discover. Sounds like Art to me.