Pixar 20 Years of Film Making Celebration (1995 - 2010)

Today, Pixar is one of the animation studio giants, as they’ve delivered so many iconic films over the course of their run. We live in a world where their films are common place with the children of today, and they’re the perfect kind of films for anybody of all ages to enjoy. And what better way to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Pixar’s iconic placement into film history than with looking over the feature films that I haven’t covered yet, to prepare for the release of “The Good Dinosaur.”

The first run of their works was “Toy Story,” a film that showcased the world where toys could secretly be alive while no one’s looking. Directed by John Lasseter, we focus on the toys of a kid named Andy, and the main boss they follow is Woody the cowboy. On Andy’s birthday, the toys are greeted by a new and much cooler toy, Buzz Lightyear, who soon starts to steal Woody’s spotlight as Andy’s favorite toy.

While Toy Story’s animation might not be as up to par as some of Pixar’s latter works, the characters and story still hold up extremely well, being the first computer animated feature film and one of those films that’s universally loved. For a first film, it did extremely well, and really put Pixar on the map for any future projects.

Rating: 10/10

Three years later, Pixar released their second film in theaters, “A Bug’s Life,” which centers on a colony of ants that are subjected to bringing annual food to the grasshoppers, led by Hopper. One of those ants, an inventor named Flick, is tired of them all being bossed around by the grasshoppers, and searches off to find a group of warriors to help protect them, only to mistake a group of circus performers for what he’s looking for. While “A Bug’s Life” may not be the best of Pixar’s work, I still think there’s much interest to find with it. The characters are really likable, there’s some pretty good humor in it, and the climax is just great to watch. Still worth looking back on, and still enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10

While Pixar was in development on some of their next projects, Disney had commissioned that they do a sequel to “Toy Story,” and it was said to be released direct to video. Luckily, after some persuading from the staff and the stars of the film, Disney gave the greenlight to put “Toy Story 2” in theaters. This time around, Woody is left at home while Andy is at Summer Camp. After trying to rescue his pal Wheezy from a garage sale, Woody’s then kidnapped by Al of Al’s Toy Barn, where he meets some new friends. There, he contemplates whether he should go home or face the fact that Andy will one day grow up and leave him. “Toy Story 2” was an incredibly ambitious film, tackling a serious issue that hadn’t come up in people’s minds at the time of the first film’s release. Hell, the film’s success lead it to being the third animated film to win for Best Picture at the Golden Globes after “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.”

Rating: 10/10

At the turn of the new millennium, Pete Docter brought to us the 2001 classic, “Monster Inc.” We enter the world of monsters, as we follow our main characters, James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, the top of the line scaring duo at Monsters Incorporated, the factory that powers Monstertropolis. While they may scare to get power, the ironic twist is that monsters are afraid of humans, thinking they’re dangerous. However, things get troublesome, as Sully finds a human girl escapes into the factory, and now he and Mike have to keep the child protected until they can get her back home. This is part of what most people consider Pixar’s Fatherhood Trilogy, because it was at the time some of the key members of Pixar were having children. It’s made even clear when looking at the relationship between Sully and the girl, Boo. They grow a special bond between each other, being playful during their downtime, Sully being very caring of Boo’s safety, and how heartbreaking it can be when they have to say goodbye.

Rating: 9/10

The Pixar Fatherhood Trilogy continued on with the release of Andrew Stanton’s “Finding Nemo.” After losing his wife and most of his children, Marlon the clown fish tries to take care of his surviving son, Nemo. However, being the overprotective parent he is, he provokes Nemo into disobeying him, which in turn gets him kidnapped. Now Marlon and his new friend, Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss, must go and search for Nemo across the Pacific Ocean. “Finding Nemo” stands at the Pixar film that I watched the most, and with good reason. You really get invested in these characters and the obstacles that they have to endure, with a story that is very relatable to parents all around. I still have fond memories of seeing this film for the first time in theaters, watching it with my friends who would come by to watch it again and again, and all memories came flooding back when I saw the film at its 3D re-release, where I got the Nemo 3D glasses.

Rating: 10/10

Now how do I feel about “Finding Dory?” Well, I’m hesitant, but I’m hoping it turns out good. As good as the first? Probably not. But hey, who knows?

The following year, we were given the last film of the Pixar Fatherhood Trilogy from a film maker outside of Pixar. That man was Brad Bird, and that film was “The Incredibles.” In the golden age of superheroes, Mr. Incredible is top of the line. However, after a misunderstanding and failing to stop a villain, the citizens force the government to take action and force superheroes to retire. Because of how boring it is, Mr. Incredible is then hired to work for a company to fight against weaponry, which allows him to do his stuff just like the old days. The world that Brad Bird created was something really magical to look at, and one that you wanted to know more about. And with a sequel FINALLY being worked on for a 2019 release, hopefully the fifteen year wait will be worth it.

Rating: 10/10

On the same day that my brothers and I got the DS Lite and “New Super Mario Bros,” we went and saw the next film in Pixar’s line-up, “Cars.” I remember first seeing this film for the first time and thinking, “Yeah, this film is great!” but as I’ve gotten older, I do understand that the film isn’t as perfect as I remember. It is a rip-off of “Doc Hollywood” starring Michael J. Fox, it could have been done just as well if it had humans in it, and there are some moments that got tiring. But even with all of that, I still enjoy the film, and at times I will come back to it and remember my fond 10-year-old memories of it.

Rating: 7/10

After Jan Pinkava left the project in 2005, Brad Bird stepped in to finish what he started, and gave us the 2007 film, “Ratatouille.” The film told of a small rodent named Remy, who has a keen nose and exquisite passion for food. After being separated from his family, he finds himself in Paris and teams up with Alfredo Linguini, a bus boy, to become a fantastic chef, just like Remy’s idol, Auguste Gusteau. One of the best films to come out of 2007, “Ratatouille” was a film that I had so much enjoyment watching that it really brings out the chef in all of us. The irony of a talented chef being a filthy little creature is just hilarious, and the jokes that they dish out are handled with perfection...see what I did there?

Rating: 10/10

A year later, Andrew Stanton delivered his next feature film, “WALL-E,” the love story between two robots during a time in the future when humans have found a way to evacuate Earth, leaving the planet in garbage. This is one of those major exceptions of a film with an environmental message that doesn’t heavily focus on its message. We remember the film for the chemistry between WALL-E and EVE, their moments being together, and seeing their relationship blossom fully by the end. I really love the first half of the film, where there isn’t any real spoken dialogue, and you just have the animation to tell you the story as it goes on. As someone who is impressed by visual storytelling, this one really takes the cake and eats it too. I will admit, the weakest part of the film is the second half, mostly because I wanted it to be more of the first half, being a visual masterpiece…but oh well, it’s still really damn good.

Rating: 8/10

As the end of the decade was drawing near, we got a film that not only made an impact with audiences, but really took the world off guard. Pete Docter’s “Up” told the story of Carl Fredrickson, a grouchy old man who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fly to South America, to fulfil his late wife’s wish. Everybody remembers the first 10 minutes of “Up,” and it really does bring a tear to many people’s eyes, marking it as one of the saddest moments in Disney history. I mean, talk about a way to start off a film. As for the rest of it, it’s really amazing to sit through, and not once does it feel wasted. The animation, the characters, the colors, the voice acting, all of this film is just glorious. Not only was this film a milestone for Pixar, it was a milestone for animation, being the second animated film in history to be nominated for Best Picture, after “Beauty and the Beast.”

Rating: 10/10

Fun Fact: When I attended a press conference for “Inside Out,” I asked Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen, and Jonas Rivera, which actor they had the fondest memories working with, and a name that came up was Christopher Plummer. They said that when they called to talk to him about his character, he dismissed them saying “Don’t tell me that, tell me about Fredrickson,” and they even said that during his sessions he was using old radio tricks that he learned from Orson Welles. That’s awesome!

In 2010, another milestone was met once again, when Pixar released the first animated film to gross a billion dollars at the box office, and so far their highest grossing film yet, “Toy Story 3.” Several years later, Andy is grown up and ready to go to college, so he has to do something about the toys he hasn’t touched in years. Mistaken that they were being thrown away, the toys go and donate themselves to Sunny-Side Daycare, and its toy mayor, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear. However, things aren’t so sunny for the gang, and now they have to find their way out and get back home. “Toy Story 3” was definitely one of my favorite films of 2010, and was something that perfectly capped off the franchise. It ended up alongside “Back to the Future” and “The Evil Dead” as one of those film trilogies where I love all three films equally.

Ratings: 10/10

Aside from the shorts and the specials they’ve aired on TV, I feel like there’s no need to continue the film series any longer. How do I feel about “Toy Story 4?” Well, again…I’m hesitant. It could turn out to be good, but I felt like with how strong an impact the third film had, I feel like there’s no need make another installment. The shorts and specials have done fine on their own, so why not just keep doing those? Oh well.

So there you have it, 20 years after the first “Toy Story,” and look were Pixar is now. What are my thoughts on the other Pixar films? Well, I may have already reviewed them, but since thoughts do change within time, here are my current thoughts of the rest:

Cars 2: Okay 6/10

Brave: Loved it 10/10

Monsters University: Liked it at first, got a little mixed later, but now I really like it again. 8/10

Inside Out: Absolutely adore it! 10/10

Yeah, from the looks of it, Pixar doesn’t seem like they’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. They’ve reached far and wide, making millions of dollars and winning awards galore. How will “The Good Dinosaur” fair? Guess we’ll have to find out next weekend.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you guys next time!