Retrospective: 12 Pixar Films

Toy Story (1995/US)   ****

A toy cowboy, the long-time favourite of a small boy, is jealous of a new arrival, an astronaut figure that refuses to believe that he is a toy.
A brilliant, superb piece of filmmaking, with wit and love radiating from every frame. It is a formidable accomplishment, not only in being the first computer-generated feature film, but also in its incredible influence of all films that followed, animated or otherwise. Despite this, its joy, its energy and its dazzling use of character and storytelling, has never been equalled.
 

d – John Lasseter

w – John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft, Joss Whedon, Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen

ad – Ralph Eggleston

m – Randy Newman

ed – Lee Unkrich, Robert Gordon

p – Ralph Guggenheim, Bonnie Arnold

Cast:    Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Erik von Detten

A Bug’s Life (1998/US)   ***

An ant enlists the help of some circus bugs in defeating a threatening gang of grasshoppers.
Highly enjoyable, gorgeously expressed Kurosawa-esque tale with great warmth and beautiful visuals.
 

d – John Lasseter

co-d – Andrew Stanton

w – John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joe Ranft, Don McEnery, Bob Shaw

ph – Sharon Calahan

pd – William Cone

m – Randy Newman

ed – Lee Unkrich

p – Darla K. Anderson, Kevin Reher

Cast:    Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Richard Kind, David Hyde pierce, Joe Ranft Denis Leary, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger, Brad Garrett, Roddy McDowell, Mike McShane

 Toy Story 2 (1999/US)   ****

A greedy toy shop owner steals a cowboy doll so that he can complete a set of toys, based on a 50s TV show, and sell them to a Japanese museum.
Witty, brilliantly realized sequel to the masterful original; in expressing themes of celebrity and obsolescence, it is able to go even deeper and tell a story of the neglecting of loved ones. It is a marvelously handled film.

d – John Lasseter

co-d – Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon

w – John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Ash Brannon, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb

ph – Sharon Callahan

pd – William Cone, Jim Pearson

m – Randy Newman

ed – Lee Unkrich, Edie Bleiman, David Ian Salter

p – Helene Plotkin, Karen Robert Jackson

Cast:    Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Estelle Harris, Wayne Knight, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Jodi Benson

Monsters Inc. (2001/US)   **

A universe inhabited by monsters and powered by children’s screams, hassle over a human girl who has become stranded in their world, and they are scared to death of her.
Pixar’s first surrender toward sentimentality is a little disheartening, for this effort relies too heavily on cuteness and sobbing to get through the day. However, it is spectacularly animated, representing another leap-forward in filmmaking technique, and the story is affectionately told with humour from everyone concerned.
 

d – Pete Docter

co-d – Lee Unkrich, David Silverman

w – Pete Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, Ralph Eggleston, Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson

pd – Harley Jessup, Bob Pauley

m – Randy Newman

ed – Jim Stewart

p – Darla K. Anderson

Cast:    John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, James Coburn, Bob Peterson, Frank Oz, John Ratzenberger

Finding Nemo (2003/US)   ***

A neurotic clownfish goes in search of his lost son, who has been captured by a diver and put in an office aquarium.
Despite a thin narrative, this luminously executed, beautifully animated film is an inspiring Pixar gem, with its soulful ambition of bringing together fathers and sons. It seamlessly blends technical virtue with storytelling verve.
 

d – Andrew Stanton

co-d – Lee Unkrich

w – Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds

ph – Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky

pd – Ralph Eggleston

m – Thomas Newman

ed – David Ian Salter

p – Graham Walters

Cast:    Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Hunter, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis, Joe Ranft, Andrew Stanton, John Ratzenberger, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana, Bruce Spence

The Incredibles (2004/US)   ****

Forced to lead mundane lives and forget their powers, a family of superheroes return to action when the world is threatened by a megalomaniac.
Brilliant, ingeniously plotted and exceptionally directed exaltation piece on individualism that, with its enchanting characters, meticulous animation and unrelenting narrative force, mercilessly heaps on delight after delight as each sequence goes by. It could scarcely have been better.
 

wd – Brad Bird

ph – Janet Lucroy, Patrick Lin, Andrew Jimenez

pd – Lou Romano

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Stephen Schaffer

p – John Walker

Cast:    Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Vowell, Spence Fox, Jason Lee, Elizabeth Pena, Brad Bird, Bud Luckey, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger

Cars (2006/US)   **

In a world with only vehicles and no humans, a cocky race car finds himself stranded in a small town on Route 66.
A nostalgic and atmospheric curiosity from this majestic filmmaker. It is lyrical and moving, yet ordinary and devoid of wit.

d – John Lasseter

co-d – Joe Ranft

w – John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubien, Dan Fogelman, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin

ph – Jeremy Lasky, Jean-Claude Kalache

pd – William Cone, Bob Pauley

m – Randy Newman

ed – Ken Schretzmann

p – Darla K. Anderson

Cast:    Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Michael Wallis, George Carlin, Paul Dooley, Jenifer Lewis, Guido Quaroni, Richard Petty, Michael Keaton, John Ratzenberger, Katherine Helmond

Ratatouille (2007/US)   ****

A rat with a highly developed sense of smell and a love for cooking and the garbage boy of a high class French restaurant, secretly work together to become the toast of Paris.
The epitome of the flawless Pixar imprint of the time: a poignant, witty, gorgeous, well-acted, brilliant film that seems to capture the plight of the artist in a way that has never been done before. It provides the kind of deep, transporting pleasure, at once simple and sophisticated, that movies rarely encompass anymore. A true masterwork from its director and its studio.
 

d – Brad Bird

w – Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco

ph – Sharon Calahan, Robert Anderson

pd – Harley Jessup

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Darren Holmes

p – Brad Lewis

Cast:    Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Ian Holm, Peter O’Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Brad Garrett, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, John Ratzenberger, Will Arnett, Teddy Newton

 

Wall-E (2008/US)   ***

In the distant future, where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess.

A marvel of implementation of a simple-minded story, mixing Kubrick sensibility with Chaplinesque humanity. Its charming simplicity actually elevates the film to a kind of cinema that one can be thoughtful about as a treatise for its unsettling themes.
 

d – Andrew Stanton

w – Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

ph – Jeremy Lasky, Danielle Feinberg

pd – Ralph Eggleston

m – Thomas Newman

ed – Stephen Schaffer

p – Jim Morris

Cast:    Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy

Up (2009/US)   ***

By tying thousands of balloons to his home, a 78-year-old sets out to fulfil his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America.
Moving, buoyant, joyous mix of Ozu, Miyazaki and Spielberg, but with a whimsy that could only be Pixar. It builds a comedic crescendo, with a series of absurdities that top one another, that is utterly exuberant.
 

d – Pete Docter

co-d – Bob Peterson

w – Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy

ph – Patrick Lin, Jean-Claude Kalache

pd – Ricky Nierva

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Kevin Nolting

p – Jonus Rivera

Cast:    Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger

 

Toy Story 3 (2010/US)   ***

With the approach of his leaving for college, the toys of Andy’s room, tired of having their hearts broken, relocate to a day-care centre run by a purple teddy bear.
Wistful, spirited, heartrending homecoming to a familiar world that one would be silly to gripe against when comparing it to the previous two films. It completely justifies its existence with its absolute respect to its characters and the delight that they have provided audiences with for over a decade.
 

d – Lee Unkrich

w – John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Michael Arndt

ph – Jeremy Lasky, Kim White

pd – Bob Pauley

m – Randy Newman

ed – Ken Schretzmann

p – Darla K. Anderson

Cast:    Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, John Morris, Don Rickles,

Blake Clark, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jeff Pidgeon, Michael Keaton, Jodi Benson, Emily Hahn, Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kristen Schaal, Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Bud Luckey, Laurie Metcalf, Teddy Newton

Cars 2 (2011/US)

Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race, where they get caught up in a vehicle-based international espionage.
Bad characterization, indifferent execution, lame jokes and an uninteresting story all combine to make a poor film; a major disappointment from both its studio and director after twenty years of radiance.

d – John Lasseter

co-d – Brad Lewis

w – John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, Dan Fogelman, Ben Queen

ph – Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky

pd – Harley Jessup

m – Michael Giacchino

ed – Stephen Schaffer

p – Denise Ream

Cast:    Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, Jason Isaacs, Thomas Kretschmann, Joe Mantegna, Peter Jacobson, Tony Shalhoub, Guido Quaroni, Paul Dooley, John Ratzenberger, John Turturro, Franco Nero, Vanessa Redgrave, Michel Michelis, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Michael Wallis