Pixar's Defining Film

What is Pixar’s defining film?

Upon the debut of Pixar’s first feature length film ‘Toy Story’, the California based studio has quickly developed an audience around the world. Because of their amazing storytelling and CGI skills, each film in Pixar’s filmography has become an instant classic to many. But which film out of the 11 released so far, best defines Pixar as a whole? Or is that movie yet to come? Discuss.

I’m predicting 90% of votes will choose the first Toy Story. It was a landmark, not only in the Pixar canon, but in film history for being the first fully computer-animated full-length motion-picture. It has a great story, well thought-out characters, and a beautiful theme on the power of friendship and the inevitability of change.

And yes, I voted Toy Story. I’d pick Wall-E as a close second because it started conversation in the mainstream media about animated films being considered for awards recognition on the same level as live-action, and Ratatouille as third for being incredibly cinematic with its matured plot and complicated themes that adults would appreciate more.

Toy Story of course. Specially now with Toy Story 3, which is the fifth higest-grossing movie.

Toy Story. There really isn’t an argument against it.

I’d say that Toy Story 2 better represented the capabilities and lasting power of the company than the first one, just because of how constrained the production was yet how good it turned out anyway.

They’re all important films. Toy Story, obviously. A Bug’s Life for proving that they’re not “one-trick-ponies”. Toy Story 2 for showing that they can pull off a sequel. Monsters, Inc. for impressing critics with the detail of animation. Finding Nemo for being so popular at the time and becoming, at that point, the highest grossing animated film. The Incredibles for being so relatable to the population and for winning a ton of awards. Cars for being undoubtly popular amongst 5 year old boys (and others, of course!). Ratatouille for being so artsy. WALL-E for starting discussion on how seriously animation is taken in society. Up for being Pixars first Best Picture nomination. Toy Story 3 for being the biggest animated film of all time.

The bottom line, is, of course, Toy Story.

Yeah…Toy Story.

I like how you gave reason for all of them, DD!! That’s awesome. All of the movies have progressed Pixar forward, but Toy Story will always be the signature series.

Well, thats whats so great about Pixar-all of their films are so fundementally important, rather than the likes of DW. People can probably list Pixars movies from rote better than those of DW (…or perhaps thats just me ). Quality over quantity

IV, what would you say is so defining about The Incredibles btw, out of interest?

I agree. I can list the years and order of Pixar films on command. DreamWorks…I get to Shrek, and then the confusion starts.

Well, to me, The Incredibles was a milestone in Pixar history because it was the first one to feature primary characters as humans, it was their first PG rating(and deserved it! Lord! ), it had a certain heart that hadn’t been accessed in animation before. We watched a middle-aged man struggle with his family, his weight, and feeling like he was fundamentally being emasculated. We also got glimpses of his wife trying to hold a crumbling family together. Other than that, the importance of The Incredibles is mainly personal. If I said those things, you’d say I took the movie too seriously, which I did. Much like the first two Toy Storys. After a while and after collecting some figurines, the characters became real to me in a way. I wanted them to be real to be my family. I’ve worked past these things, but The Incredibles and TS2 will always be my favorite Pixar films—unless Pixar makes another one that grabs me–then I’ll have 3. Several things about The Incredibles intrigue me, but they are mostly about Bob and Helen and how they cope with their kids, being superheroes, and not getting a divorce. I love mostly everything about it, though. Okay, that’s enough. I’m done now. XD

I totally agree. Thinking about it, I remember watching The Pixar Story, the bit where Brad Bird is going “The ten most difficult things to do in animation, this film has it all, hair, people, clothes, clothes underwater…”. I love his humour, especially in his acceptance video at the Annies

I agree, it is hilarious.

All of them. I wanted to be a toy, a rat, a superhero, a monster…an old guy, a robot… …thanks to them.

Yes, that movie was mindblowing, with it’s achievements in animating CG characters with skin and hair that didn’t look fake or creepy. I turned out fantastically.

Now Mars Needs Moms on the other hand–is creepy. The animation sucks, and the plot I’ve seen before.

[quote="SullyMike":pohtlc2s]Now Mars Needs Moms on the other hand–is creepy. The animation sucks, and the plot I’ve seen before. [/quote:pohtlc2s]

Its not even animation. Its Mo-cap.

What’s that?

Ugh, the Mars Needs Mom trailers gave me a headache and creeped me out.

Exactly what it did for me.

Re: Mars Needs Moms - I really dislike that mo-cap style. And that “comedy-relief” human guy makes Al of Al’s Toy Barn look suave and handsome. Blech.

On the original question - I kind of have to go along with Toy Story, for the obvious reasons, but I also still regard Finding Nemo as the one that started a deeper sense of “darkness”/maturity/mortality that has defined most of the later Pixar films as legit adult filmmaking. One thing I remember admiring about the original Toy Story that has been a defining trait for Pixar is the tightness of the plot, and the whole sense of “cause-and-effect,” where one thing leads to another in an escalating series of crises that leave you thinking, “How are they going to get out of THIS one?” The whole Pixar mantra of “story story story” is on display right from the start.

On the basis of the above post, I sort of agree, but not quite.
I think Pixar can be seen in sort of 3 sections, if you like.

The first 3, TS1&2 and ABL, were the films that made Pixar a company with a reputation, that put the basis down and led the way for other companies to make CGI films as the 00’s approached.

Monsters, Inc. up until Cars will, I think, be known as the bona-fide of kids films (and I don’t really like using that term, what I mean is that these films are the best films for that age group of the time), who picked up Disney animation when they starting falling down. They will, I believe probably be the most defining and famous after the Toy Story series in the longrun-everybody knows Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. do they not? Again, they’re adding more ground, and they carry off intelligent thematic elements with the traditional story element and it worked.

Ratatouille up until Toy Story 3 is the segment where I believe Pixar got very experimental, and started to explore, and make their stories more inventive and unique. This has appealed tremendously well to the critics; lets not forget that with their last 4 films alone, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3, they have clocked up a massive 21 Oscar nominations. For this reason, this is the wake up call, where people are beginning to see animation differently. These are no longer little kids films, although they’re of course accessible to that age group; no, these are beautifully written, intelligent films, with very alive characters and very real themes, and now people are going to start taking animation seriously.

And now, with Cars 2, Monsters Inc. 2 and Brave coming up, I believe that now is going to be make or break for Pixar. Where are they going from here? They’re making sequels for 2 of their more child-orientated films, but also they’re making a film which could go anywhere. I trust Pixar will do a good job, but theres just this horrible niggling fear in my mind that they’ll go backwards, rather than foward, and that pehaps the success of these last 4 films were the peak. Perhaps it could all go wrong like in the 90’s, i mean: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, and then Pocahontas which didn’t live up to the mark. It could be Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3, then Cars 2 disappoints in a similar fashion.

I’m scaring myself. But i’ll be honest, I’m worried. Really worried. I’m looking forward to Cars 2 but Pixar have probably got their biggest challenge yet now.