Pixar Hall of Fame

Up has a ton of strengths. Carl Fredericksen's characterisation and the way he handles losing someone he's lived with all of his life is the big draw of this film for me. Poignant moments revolving around his life up until that point and how that dictates his behaviour. That along with how his persona develops is so well done. I like Muntz as a foil for him. The animation and pacing are also really good for Up's duration. Russell, Dug and Kevin are a fine supporting cast of characters with their share of great moments.

I am going to be that guy though. You know, the guy who raves wholeheartedly about the first act and then proclaims that the remainder of this film is not on the same level as that opening. It's this superbly put together emotional montage that continues to blow me away. If it was placed out of context and released as a short film, it would easily be one of my favourite animated shorts.

It's a good film following that but the quality drops after the montage. To the point where I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece. Not that I would expect something different because it would be challenging to create something like that for an hour and a half that would appeal to Pixar's younger audience. I'd imagine if you asked a 6-year-old what part of this film they liked the most they are not going to say the opening haha.

Monsters Inc is one of the first Pixar films that I can remember watching. I'd seen Toy Story prior but Monsters Inc was the first that I had seen at the cinema. Mike and Sully were locked in the brain from that moment and I appreciated the film a lot. I have a nostalgic view of it on that basis.

Monsters University is a prequel that didn't really need to be made. It follows a by the numbers boarding school/college/misfits formula with the hope that the monster concept combined with that brings enough creativity to carry it through. But it doesn't. Ultimately, it's just very uninteresting. It doesn't bring much to the table where I could say that it is particularly memorable. Cool monster design aside.

Monsters U is not Cars 2 bad but it's bland for the most part.

I'll have my last review up tomorrow y'all. Apologies.

Toy Story



Definitely had seen this as a kid around when the movie had first come out, but I never revisited it since. I didn't remember being a big fan of it back in the day. So watching it for this it felt like a bit of a new watch and nostalgia at the same time as I didn't really remember too much of the small details of the film.

The film is anchored by great voice acting, particularly with the two leads Buzz and Woody voiced by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. Perhaps some of the better voice acting in any Pixar, although I'd give top billing to the Finding Nemo cast by a smidgen. My other favorite toy other than those two would be the lead Sargeant.

Also really great animation, which is to be expected with Pixar. This was their first film and it has set the groundwork for what a successful film should be for the studio.

Lots of great small things with this film, with my two favorite scenes being Woody and Buzz chasing the moving van and then the Crane Game scene I found to be really cool. Those were my two favorites.

I got into a bit of a fight with Camo in regards to the story itself being very original. I think it is. Two "top dog" toys fighting for prime billing of their owner as his favorite. Yes we've had talking toys in films before but I think it was how the story came together that made it feel fresh to me.

So yes I certainly had this underrated in my mind, I was only giving it around a 7/10 before this Hall of Fame. I'd honestly boost it to somewhere around a 9/10 at this point. Great film. I may have seen number 2 (not sure) and I haven't seen number 3 for sure so I have some more Pixar to get to.

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Glad you liked it, and yes, the sequels, especially 3, I think are fantastic as well.

Up



Pixar's most complete film in my opinion that has everything really. The animation is awesome and very well detailed. I think my favorite thing about the film is it's characters. Totally dig Carl as the grumpy old guy who deep down has a really big heart. I love Doug the dog too, he is probably my favorite character in the whole movie.

There's certainly debate to whether the first fifteen minutes of this film is my favorite opening to any film. That part is made with so much emotional punch packed to it that it seems masterful in itself. Not that the film really loses steam along the way but with a beginning like that how could you not feel strongly about the film.

A very close to perfect film for me. Will be high up on my list.

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Okay that leaves four reviews, and Nathaniel has already sent his list. So @Yam12 has roughly five days to finish up.

It's a lavish spectacle. In every scene. Early on that was the first thought running through my brain. The settings and colour of the film are gorgeous. It's giddy in its excess by the time it reaches Ernesto's Land of the Dead mansion and I loved it. The world felt unique and vibrant, straight away that's established when Miguel is going through the village. The underworld scenes create this fantastical scenario that I wanted to see more of.

I'm a big fan of Coco's editing. Hector seeing a picture of Coco and it merging into the flashback scene so seamlessly. The film does that a few times and it doesn't hurt the flow or feel remotely awkward. One of the main things I've picked up on in this Hall of Fame watching these films close together is that the best Pixar films are so well edited and Coco is the best of the bunch for me.

I liked the story and the way it interlinks with the Day of the Dead in an emotional sense. The concept of the Land of the Dead and its rules related to memory and ancestry. Lends itself well to the emotional payoff. I liked the music too and I think the songs worked well. Especially Remember Me for how it's weaved into the plot and how it plays into that payoff.

Okay, Yam12 has one more day to finish up. Meanwhile, I'm not sure when I can do the reveal. I will try to get it in before Monday, but if I don't, it will likely be around -
Monday, 8:15 AM, CT.

I'm betting a Pixar film will win this

You can also do one a day because it's clear Monsters University came in last so you can spread it over a week if you like.

Yeah, that’s a good idea, too, I think I’ll go with that. So as soon as I can I’ll try to get the last place film up...

Doing a One Day at a Time would be an interesting change. Let's give it a shot!

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

The Incredibles

This is probably one of all time top Pixar movies. The animation is great as usual and it has some of the best voice acting in one of their movies. It also has what I feel is a pretty unique take on the superhero genre. Also have to give props to Syndrome who is probably one of the best Pixar villains too. Overall one of Pixar's best and one of their most entertaining films.

Ratatouille

In my opinion one of the less talked about Pixars which is unfortunate cause its definitely an upper tier film from them. The animation is amongst the best the company has produced. The characters are also quite rich and the relationship between Remy and Linguini is quite heartwarming. Overall up there are one of Pixar's all time best.

Up

Another film I would place as being one of Pixar's best. The opening 15 minutes is masterfully done and it probably one of my favourite sequences in film. After that though the film does slightly lower in quality for me but the characters are enough to keep the film interesting. The animation and voice acting are also to a high standard as usual. Overall one of Pixar's best films from an emotional standpoint and is quite solid plotwise too.

Awesome, then it looks like I'm just waiting on a list from Yam12 and I can start the reveal.

Okay, all lists are in! I'm going to try to get in our last place and second to last place films today (I'll probably do two a day instead of one just to speed it up).

I personally had Monsters University at #8 and A Bug's Life at #7. They weren't bad movies but they weren't magic like the rest.

Edit: Yeah, I said 1 and 2, meant I gave them 1 and 2 points.

I had Monsters University at #8 and A Bug's Life at #6.

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