Toy Story 4, the 21st feature film from Pixar Studios, hits theaters next Friday. USA Today took the opportunity to rank the first 20 in the article linked below, and I gotta say, I've got two pretty serious issues with the list.
Let's begin at the end; the bottom four films on the list contains all three Cars films. I expected to see Cars 2 coming in last - no arguments there - but Cars 3 at #19 was a stretch, and the original Cars at #17 is a downright travesty. Maybe I'm a little biased towards Lightening McQueen & co., considering how many times I watched the original with my son when it was first out on DVD. Point being, it deserved to be higher than the bottom quarter. I'm not saying it belongs in the top 4, but it doesn't deserve to be in the bottom 4, that's for sure.
My other big beef is with their #1 - Up. Now, don't get me wrong. I like Up. LIKE. Top of the list, though? When the three Toy Story movies, Wall-E, and Finding Nemo exist? Methinks not.
So here's my list with a short note about each one. Let me know what you think!
20. Cars 2 - Okay, they got this one right. Preachy & agenda driven.
19. The Good Dinosaur - Tired, used story concept in a film that just didn't feel like a Pixar movie.
18. A Bugs Life - Meh.
17. Monsters University - Funny prequel, but it didn't really add anything to the series.
16. Cars 3 - Much better than 2, but still a far cry from the original.
15. Coco - I was surprised by how much I liked this one, but there are so many more I liked better.
14. The Incredibles 2 - It's like Sky Captain but with super heroes and it's for kids!
13. Up - See Coco above. Same here.
12. Brave - The lone Pixar Princess movie that stacks right up there with the Disney princesses.
11. Finding Dory - This one could have easily dropped or risen three spots in either direction.
10. Ratatouille - My time spent in the culinary world made this one a top 10.
9. Cars - Great story, visuals, and humor. It doesn't get nearly enough credit.
8. The Incredibles - I really liked this one. Twelve year old me would have REEEEALLY liked it.
7. Inside Out - My daughter adores this one. Therefore, so do I.
6. Monsters Inc - ALLLLLWAYS WAAAAAATCHING, WAZOWSKI…
5. Wall-E - I know it's fiction, but the timeline inconsistencies kept me from putting this one higher.
4. Toy Story 2 - Some pretty heavy lifting philosophically speaking in this one.
3. Finding Nemo - The amazing secondary characters made this a top 3.
2. Toy Story - Where it all started!
1. Toy Story 3 - The first movie I took my son to see in the theater. One of us cried. I ain't sayin' who.