Defining scenes in Pixar films

Well, I glanced around the first page of the Pixar board and didn’t see anything that seemed like this, but correct me if I’m wrong.

Basically what it sounds like—what are the standout scenes in Pixar movies, for you?

I know it’s been said countless times, but upon rewatching Ratatouille a few weeks ago, I was reminded of just how effective the scene where Anton Ego tries the ratatouille is. I used to see it as almost purely humorous, but the delivery of it is just the right amount of shock and nostalgia and humor to suddenly make the audience view Ego as simply another character in the film, not just a villain. He’s revealed as another vulnerable human being— and all within less than a minute!

I might list off favorite scenes from each individual Pixar film but I’m lazy atm. So?

Nice thread idea, Leirin!
I think it’s easy enough to just say the first Toy Story’s “Falling With Style” scene is epicly defining. But thinking about what really defines some of these films… I gotta go and rewatch another Pixar movie ASAP!

Coll idea, I’m sure there’s lots of overlaps once we list out our ‘favorite’/‘defining’ scenes from these movies. Let me give this a go:

Toy Story - “YOU ARE A TOY!!! You are a child’s plaything!”
A Bug’s Life - The rock scene between Flik and Dot.
Toy Story 2 - The “When she loves me” montage
Monsters, Inc. - “Hey, Mike, this might sound crazy but I don’t think that kid’s dangerous.”
Finding Nemo - “No, you can’t! You think you can do these things, but you can’t, Nemo!”
The Incredibles - The superheroes family saves the day!
Cars - The “Our town” montage
Ratatouille - Anton Ego harking back to his past & next day’s reviews.
WALL-E - First 30 minutes
Up - The “Married life” montage
Toy Story 3 - The incinerator scenes
Cars 2 - “Whoever finds a friend, finds a treasure.”
Brave - “I will not let you kill my mother!”

For me, the most defining scene would most likely have to be when WALL-E and EVE are flying around the Axiom after hugging (and kissing) each other. Or when WALL-E and M-O, who at first can’t seem to get along, finally become friends.

In terms of other Pixar films:

(1) When Kevin finally returns to her babies, and they peck at Carl and Russell

(2) When Boo finally returns to her room, and later on in the movie her door is finally put back together again. Also when Sulley is leaving the cave and Mike Wazowski just has to ask him, “What about me? I’m your pal…I’m your best friend. Don’t I matter?”

(3) When Marlin tells his son Nemo about the sea turtles after they reunite

(4) When Mr. Incredible confesses to his family about being a lousy father: “You are my greatest adventure. And I almost missed it.”

(5) When Linguini kisses Colette (and at the same time–just look at Remy’s reaction while he’s still hiding in the toque!)

There’s many more to come for me… (Don’t get me started on the first thing I said here–'cause I’m a fangirl to WALL-E!)

I have another one! I think, for ABL, it would be Flik’s speech when he stood up to Hopper – and how then every other ant is willing to stand up and fight. That, or Dot’s moment with Flik; “Pretend it’s a seed, OK?”. Both truly say a lot about Pixar’s strength and their heart <3

And that encouragement from Dot came from an earlier scene where Flik had said the same thing, right?

^Yup. It’s so sweet and charming both ways :3

Flying with Style at the conclusion of Toy Story. There’ve been some awe-inspiring endings to Pixar films, but none come close to the original. Nothing really prepares you for it.

In Toy Story, of course Flying with Style is just incredible. I would also say the Christmas scene at the end. :slight_smile: It’s good to see Buzz and Woody be friends, and a lot of humor in this scene.

In A Bug’s Life, the scene I always remember best is not a happy or funny one. My personal favorite scene is Hopper giving his speech ton the ants after Flik destroys the food supply. We see what a threat hopper really is, and we see(hear?) a brilliant display of Kevin Spacey’s acting capabilities.

In Toy Story 2, “When Somebody Loved Me” is really the heart of the film. I always remember this scene as when I fell in love with Jessie’s character. At first I hated her for how she talked to woody, and this scene made me think otherwise. This was also the first time I remember thinking a character was “interesting”, as opposed to simply liking them.

In Monsters, Inc., I would say the scene where Sulley accidentally scares Boo. It changes his perspective on scaring, and Boo, for one time, runs from Sulley instead of to him.

In Finding Nemo, I would say when all the fish and birds are talking about Marlin looking for Nemo, until Nemo himself hears it. the swell of music is so beautiful, and Nemo finally realizes how much his father loves him: he would choose him even over his own fears.

The Incredibles is a very difficult one for me to decide on. I’ve seen this movie so many times over the years I can’t even look at it as a movie anymore; it just seems like part of life, if that makes sense. The scene that affects me the most is when they land in the city, and Helen and Bob fight for the last time. We see how vulnerable Bob truly is. We can assume how much he loves his family, but this scene is a perfect example of showing, not telling. His priorities have finally become clear: his future with his family means more to him than his past with his super suit. How can one not be moved by that?

In Cars, it’s when Lightning pushes the King to the finish line. We see all that Lightning has learned in this simple act of putting someone else before himself.

In Ratatouille, it has to be Ego’s speech on criticism and art. Several moments in the film come close, but this message has to be highlighted. It is also of note that in these lines, Ego reveals how kind he really is.

I haven’t watched Wall-E in a while. But I would point out the scene where Captain McCree is asking the computer for definitions of words that seem quite common place. The humans aboard the Axiom have truly lost their humanity. They don’t know what real food is. They don’t know what it’s like to walk around as opposed to floating. This reminds me of us today… Our food is mostly processed and fake, with added ingredients and preservatives. How often do we walk from one place to another? Are we losing out humanity?

In Up, it has to be when Carl reads Ellie’s adventure book and decided to go back for Russell.

In Toy Story 3, I would pick the scene where the toys realize what a bad place Sunnyside Daycare is. AGAIN, they have made the wrong decision in scorning and ignoring Woody. Woody may not have been right about Andy, but he was right about that day care.

In Cars 2, I guess it’s when Lightning apologizes to Mater and calls him the bomb. Though this movie is so much a comedy, it’s hard for me to see it having a point, less so a scene where we realize the point.

In Brave, it’s when Elinor and Merida return to the witch’s cottage and she isn’t home. For the first time, Merida has to take responsibility for her own actions and try to set things right.

In MU, (If I remember the movie correctly; I never watched it a second time), it’s when Mike realizes he isn’t meant to be a scarer, in the camp(?).

I would say that Cars 2’s defining scene has to be when all the Lemons have our heroes cornered and Mater steps out and tries to reason with them “I understand what ya’ll are going through, I’ve been laughed at my whole life too, but being rich and powerful beyond your wildest dreams ain’t gonna make you feel better…”, I love this because it shows again how innocent Mater is, he doesn’t really want to have to fight them, and especially now as he sees things in a different light. And Holley picks this up and gives him this look of what appears to be a mixture of disbelief and admiration (Aww!). If not this scene, then definitely what Lighting told Mater shortly after “If they don’t take you seriously then they need to change, not you!”; funny that all those critical folks could never pick up on the heart of this film…

I think one of the other defining scenes in Toy Story is the scene where Woody is trapped under the crate and Buzz is strapped to the rocket, and Woody has to convince Buzz he’s worth Andy wanting to play with him. It was Pixar’s first “big, emotional scene,” so it set the stage for many of Pixar’s other defining moments. “Over there in that house is a kid who thinks you are the greatest, and it’s not because you’re a Space Ranger, pal. It’s because you are his toy!”

Well, here I go!

Toy Story: The moment Buzz realizes he is a toy is among the more powerful scenes in the franchise. I love how the camera pans out to make Buzz look small displaying how Buzz’s dreams have been crushed. The Mrs. Nesbit scene still cracks me up!

A Bug’s Life: The moment Flik stands up to Hopper showing that he’s tired of being pushed around by the grasshoppers.

Toy Story 2: Woody watching the kid hug the Woody puppet during the end credits of Woody’s Roundup. At this point, Woody realizes what it means to be loved by a kid.

Monsters, Inc.: Mike and Sulley’s argument in the frozen tundra displayed their two different concerns and tested their friendship. Mike was worried about their lives that they left behind while Sulley cared for his bond with Boo.

Finding Nemo: This one was kind of difficult, but I’d say the beginning. The starting scene shocked me as a child and also emphasizes why Marlin is so overprotective of Nemo.

The Incredibles: Bob confessing to his wife that he is afraid that he isn’t strong enough is a strong reminder that even the best of superheroes are insecure about saving lives.

Cars: McQueen pushing the King at the end of Cars displays his overall change in attitude from arrogant to humble.

Ratatouille: Anton Ego’s speech and the flashback to his childhood. No explanation necessary.

Wall-E: The end where the humans return to Earth. It begins the long journey ahead for the humans to rebuild civilization.

Up: The beginning. No explanation necessary.

Toy Story 3: The standoff between Woody and Lotso. I see Lotso as a “corrupt Woody” figure in how he abuses his position in the daycare and disregards all memories of being loved by his owner, Daisy. It’s kind of scary to think that the Woody we know and love today could have been the one in the Black Friday reel. :open_mouth:

Cars 2: Even though it’s my least favorite Pixar film, I’d also go with Mater’s speech to the Lemons.

Brave: The ripping of the tapestry. The tension between Merida and Elinor reached the breaking point.

Monsters University: Mike and Sulley working together in the cabin to scare adults. This scene really cements their reliance on each other.

Hey, SpaceSheriff? I hate to break it to you, but…one of the Pixar films is missing from your list! (Or have you not seen it yet?)

I say let’s revive this thread so we can include some defining scenes from Inside Out.

I have some ideas of what could be the defining scenes for Inside Out. I’ll spoiler tag them, however (if by any chance people here have still not seen the movie).

[spoiler]-When Joy cries in the memory dump.

-When Riley cries to her parents/Sadness takes control, and she and Joy end up making a core memory together.[/spoiler]

Toy Story: Buzz’s realisation that he’s ‘just a toy’.

A Bug’s Life: Flik’s speech.

Toy Story 2: When She Loved Me.

Monsters, Inc.: Ooh, this is a toughie. I’ll go with the very end of the film. “Kitty!”

Finding Nemo: Either the ending scene or Dory’s “I don’t wanna forget” speech.

The Incredibles: Once again, the very ending.

Ratatouille: Ego’s speech and his flashback. And the insanely happy ending.

WALL-E: When WALL-E and EVE kiss on Earth.

UP: The ending. The beginning may be emotional, but it’s not as defining.

Toy Story 3: The incinerator scene.

Cars 2: Is there anything meaningful here?

Brave: The fishing scene.

Monsters University: The scene at the lake.

Inside Out: “I miss Minnesota” and the blue and yellow memory.

^Aww, that Inside Out scene you mention literally makes me cry…like, every. Single. Time. And yes, I do believe there is a meaningful scene somewhere in Cars 2…like maybe the one scene where Mater confesses to Finn and Holley that’s he’s just a tow truck and not a spy while they’re trapped in the clock, perhaps? :neutral_face:

^ You missed out the first Cars film, Wee Dingwall (but I take it you probably haven’t seen it?). The defining scene for me there would be when Sally and McQueen are at Wheel Well and Sally talks about Radiator Springs’ heyday and the “Our Town” montage starts. Also the part where Mater says “My best friend” to McQueen (it really brings out the underlying friendship theme in this film).

No, I haven’t seen Cars, The Good Dinosaur, or Finding Dory.

^My advice? Don’t listen to all those haters out there who tend to say negative about the first two movies you mentioned. Give them both a chance! Also the third one is already a huge box office success, so why not go out and see it? Sure would like to see you adding them to one of your next post updates, 'cause those movies you say you haven’t actually seen yet all have defining scenes in them too… :wink: