# The best Pixar feature film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477 "2003-09-04T05:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/1 "2003-09-04T05:58:34Z")
I have seen only three of them: Toy Story 2, Monsters inc. and Finding Nemo. It’s hard to to choose between them. All of them are fast-moving and thoroughly entertaining. They each have emotional moments which are reasonably effective though not very subtle. And of course all of them are technically remarkable. Each of them is better than any other American animated film I have seen. My choice would probably be Finding Nemo for the amazing underwater scenes especially early on. The coral reef is among the most beautiful settings I have ever seen in any film. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/2 "2003-09-04T06:44:44Z")
Finding Nemo or Toy Story 2 (though Toy Story 1 was also excellent). As a side note, I found Bugs Life to be just a bit too childish, though I loved It’s Tough To Be A Bug (a 3D show at Disney World based on Bug’s Life), truely hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/3 "2003-09-04T07:16:01Z")
Really tough call, because all of Pixar’s stuff has been top-notch. But I’ll give the award for **Toy Story 2,** since it did the impossible feat of having a sequel to **Toy Story** that didn’t (a) retread the plot of the original, nor (b) suck. (Word is that the Pixar writers are tossing around ideas for a **Toy Story 3,** which would give final closure to the entire trilogy. Have to see how those Disney/Pixar negotiations go, though) And I don’t know why **A Bug’s Life** doesn’t get as much respect as the other movies. It may be a tad simpler in terms of plot, but it’s still a solid movie IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/4 "2003-09-04T07:37:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*And I don’t know why **A Bug’s Life** doesn’t get as much respect as the other movies. It may be a tad simpler in terms of plot, but it’s still a solid movie IMO. \*\* I think part of the reason may be because Antz preceded it by mere weeks, and both had similar premises (long story behind that, feel free to search Google on it). I also didn’t find Bug’s Life to contain the same brilliant humor - such as Toy Story 1 and 2 -that allowed adults and children to find humor in the same joke, for different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/5 "2003-09-04T07:52:29Z")
It’s a close call between _Finding Nemo_ and _Toy Story 2_. _Toy Story 2_ is the most entertaining of all of them, just because it’s the funniest and most tightly-plotted, and it has the advantage of not having to spend a lot of time introducing its characters. But _Nemo_ is just stunning to look at, and is a lot more “relevant” and “adult” – it’s not just about the relationship between fathers & sons, which is a moving story in its own right, but it’s about overcoming anxiety and just living life. _Monsters, Inc_ was fine but felt a little empty and formulaic. (Oh, it’s the big chase scene climax. Again.) And _A Bug’s Life_ just doesn’t do anything for me at all – I don’t dislike it, but I thought it was instantly forgettable. And I’d have to go with **Duderdude** and say that the best film that Pixar’s ever made is the _It’s a Bug’s Life_ 3D movie at the Disney theme parks. That is everything a theme park attraction should be. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/6 "2003-09-04T09:47:25Z")
I’d have to say that _Finding Nemo_ takes the cake for me. With the original _Toy Story_ a close second. The story, the characters, the great acting and the look are what do it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/7 "2003-09-04T13:35:53Z")
I love _Monsters Inc._. We own the DVD (and have a 2 year old, so watch it over, and over, and over…) and I find a new little detail each time I see it. The animation is amazing - especially Sully’s fur and the blizzard. I’ve seen _Nemo_ in the theater twice, and absolutely love it as well. The sound engineering in all of the movies is fantastic. I work for an audio company, and we often use clips from _Toy Story 2_ in demos. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/8 "2003-09-04T14:00:44Z")
I found _Monsters Inc._ to be disappointing. It failed to live up to its potential. I’ve yet to see _Finding Nemo_. I love both _Toy Story_ films and I liked _A Bug’s Life_ not only for the story but also because it didn’t have any frickin’ singing (at least none that I can remember). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/9 "2003-09-04T15:29:41Z")
**Toy Story** (the first one) is head & shoulders above the rest. Generally speaking, each one has been a little worse than the one before it, with _Nemo_ the least satisfying thus far. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/10 "2003-09-04T17:37:25Z")
Love 'em all. Here’s how I rank them: Toy Story 2 Monsters Inc. Finding Nemo Toy Story 1 A Bug’s Life ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/11 "2003-09-04T17:49:29Z")
I think Rex’s rant on video game strategy guides puts Toy Story 2 on top of the heap. Word is bond, dino buddy. ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/12 "2003-09-07T11:41:35Z")
For me…it was the first one. The one about the adjustable light lamp. It blew open the doors for computer animation. Think of the computer power it took “waaay back when” to animate that short film… It’s still my favorite… a common spring lamp that shows happiness, sadness, elation, etc… groundbreaking. D. ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/13 "2003-09-07T12:08:24Z")
_A Bug’s life_ wasn’t only preceded by _AntZ_, it was outclassed, too. _AntZ_ was visually more appealing, had a bigger-name cast, and (most importantly) was more mature and tongue-in-cheek than _ABL_. I like AntZ better (specifically for the last reason) and that may be the reason why I rank ABL lower than I would have if AntZ had never come out. That said, it’s clear that AntZ was ripped off from A Bug’s life - essentially all “similar” Dreamworks/Disney productions from the late nineties are cases of Dreamworks ripping off Disney ideas. When Katzenberg left Disney and joined Dreamworks, he had sat through hundreds of production meetings and basically took all those ideas with them and, in most cases, had them out in cinemas first. My favourite right now is Toy Story 2, followed very, very closely by Monster’s Inc. I haven’t seen Finding Nemo yet, so I can’t comment on those. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/14 "2003-09-07T12:29:56Z")
I haven’t seen either Toy Story-yes, I live in a cave-but we have Monsters Inc. on DVD, and I’ve seen Finding Nemo twice in the theater. I have to say Monsters Inc. is the better movie, it’s funnier and more consistently visually inventive. Finding Nemo is just about fish and some of the scenes, especially the ones not set in the fish tank, just drag. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/15 "2003-09-07T13:07:33Z")
Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc are my favourites. ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/16 "2003-09-07T13:15:06Z")
I just realized that in my previous post, I meant “theatres” instead of “cinemas” (which I’m not sure is actually an English word). Just thought I’d clear that up. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/17 "2003-09-07T21:44:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Short Guy \* > \*\*I just realized that in my previous post, I meant “theatres” instead of “cinemas” (which I’m not sure is actually an English word). Just thought I’d clear that up. \*\* Most Americans would recognize the word “cinema” as meaning "place where they show movies. Not to worry. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mean\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/18 "2003-09-08T00:05:06Z")
In order from best to worst: Finding Nemo Toy Story 2 Toy Story Monsters Inc. A Bug’s Life ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-pixar-feature-film/199477/19 "2003-09-08T00:18:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CyberPundit \* > Each of them is better than any other American animated film I have seen. While I agree that Pixar has done some amazing work, the three best animated features of the last decade are not done by them: **Iron Giant Small Soldiers Spirited Away** Pixar has realised that it’s all about finding a good story and tell it the best way you can. Finding Nemo did it for me. It’s a classic, good, sound story, that just happens to be CGI. I can marvel at how well they do it, but I forget about that and get engulfed in the story. That didn’t happen with Monsters Inc. or Toy Story I or II. It _did_ happen with Iron Giant.