Up (2009)

Year: 2009

Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Stars: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

Rating: PG

Runtime: 89 minutes

All right, all right: We know this is lower than you think it should be. But take a step back and try to remember what comes to your mind when you first think of this movie. Yes, the wondrous image of the balloon raising the house into the air, and yes, maybe the cute dog that keeps being distracted by squirrels. But plot-wise, this whole film is completely overshadowed by the heartbreaking preamble, in which we learn the crushing story of Carl and Ellie's life together. Yes, this will make you cry — just watching it again choked us up — but in retrospect, the rest of the movie is your fairly standard cute-kid, cute-dog, central-casting villain story. We're not sure the whole movie should have been as powerful as those opening minutes — we might still be weeping — but take that away and this movie is a lot thinner than you remember. Sorry.

Finding Nemo (2003)

Year: 2003

Directors: Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton

Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould

Rating: G

Runtime: 100 minutes

More than 25 years after Toy Story's release, some of Randy Newman's songs come across as creaky, and the once cutting-edge animation looks rudimentary. Otherwise, though, the best comedy of the 1990s remains perfect. Pixar's first feature is still the template for every great movie the studio has made since: earned emotions; ripping action sequences; dead-on insights into human nature; and lots of giddy, witty, silly laughs. Toy Story is so funny because deep down, it's actually a very melancholy film. Woody and Buzz's battle for Andy's love speaks to everyone's fear of being replaced, as well as our shared recognition that the innocence of childhood cannot last. As for the voice cast, they're impeccable: Tim Allen was never better, and even though Tom Hanks has won two Oscars, it

Toy Story (1995)

Year: 1995

Directors: John Lasseter

Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn

Rating: G

Runtime: 80 minutes

More than 25 years after Toy Story's release, some of Randy Newman's songs come across as creaky, and the once cutting-edge animation looks rudimentary. Otherwise, though, the best comedy of the 1990s remains perfect. Pixar's first feature is still the template for every great movie the studio has made since: earned emotions; ripping action sequences; dead-on insights into human nature; and lots of giddy, witty, silly laughs. Toy Story is so funny because deep down, it's actually a very melancholy film. Woody and Buzz's battle for Andy's love speaks to everyone's fear of being replaced, as well as our shared recognition that the innocence of childhood cannot last. As for the voice cast, they're impeccable: Tim Allen was never better, and even though Tom Hanks has won two Oscars, it is very likely (and completely appropriate) that Woody will be the role that immortalizes him.

Wall-E (2008)

Year: 2008

Directors: Andrew Stanton

Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin

Rating: G

Runtime: 97 minutes

We went back-and-forth on the top two here, but we ultimately had to go with this one, the most original and ambitious of all the Pixar movies. The first half-hour, which basically tells the story of the destruction of the planet and the devolution of the human race without a single line of dialogue, is total perfection: It's almost Kubrickian in its attention to detail and perspective, though it never feels cold or ungenerous. Then we get to know WALL-E himself and realize that he sees humanity for so much more than it has become, and what it can become again. WALL-E is an unprecedented achievement, the absolute pinnacle of what Pixar can do. And not for nothing, WALL-E also happens to feature Pixar's greatest love story. They've never been better. This is our pick.