The premiere of Pixar Studios’ Toy Story in 1995 broke a multitude of technological and animation barriers. Animation studios were itching to make 3D animation a reality, something only stop-motion animated films had accomplished. However, stop-motion is time-consuming and requires a lot of human labor. Consider the dual-holiday film The Nightmare Before Christmas: one of the most renowned stop-motion films that took three years to make, as Insider reports. Even though that may not seem like a lot of time, studios like to put out a variety of productions each year to make back the money they poured into each feature. But Pixar has somehow cracked this code of time and financial dissonance other studios face.
Pixar’s story is infamous. A group of Lucasfilm animators had lunch and discussed several films: Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and Wall-E. Of course, these films were just the beginning for the studio that would become part of the Disney Studios family. The studio has released a total of 26 films and will be releasing their 27th feature, Elemental, in 2023. While each film takes four years to make, as Science Behind Pixar describes, the studio releases a film each year with visually impactful scenes that push the animation envelope even further. From Toy Story to Coco, Pixar’s animation teams know how to make audiences audibly say, “Wow.”
10 Sid’s Mutant Toys — Toy Story
Pixar
In Toy Story, Andy treats his toys like they were crystal glassware, whereas his neighbor, Sid, obliterates and maims any toy in his or his sister’s possession. Considering how each character cares about their toys, it’s not shocking that Sid’s creations are afraid and hide throughout his room. When Buzz and Woody are trapped in Sid’s room, the emergence of the mutant toys was spectacularly creepy. This scene is exemplary in how animation wasn’t restricted to the binary of happiness and crudeness, but could linger in the slightly scary while possessing elements of happiness.
9 The Wisps — Brave
Merida takes the cake for the biggest and fluffiest princess hair. Of course, the most magical part about Brave are the wisps. Originally thought to be a legend, Merida stumbles onto a wisp as a child and then again as a teenager. The wisps are not just orbs, but glow, speak, and have a simple body form, guiding people to their destiny. While it’s not confirmed at this point, the wisps in Brave look a lot like the souls in Soul. Although this shouldn’t be surprising as Brave is the base of the Pixar theory.
8 Door Storage Room — Monsters Inc.
Mike and Sully have been best friends for decades in Monsters Inc.. They work at Monsters Incorporated, an energy plant where monsters go through doors, or portals, and scare sleeping, human children. When Boo, a human child, passes through her door, Mike and Sully try to return her in a chase scene that involves the trio essentially traveling through the human world via doors in the door storage room. The grandeur of the storage room is like imagining a hallway with infinite doors, except, here, the doors are layered on top of each other and organized by a complex system.
7 Earth — The Good Dinosaur
Truthfully, the entirety of The Good Dinosaur has plenty of stunning visuals. Whether it’s Arlo’s (Raymond Ochoa) family farm or the T. Rex cowboys, the dinosaur animation is spectacular. That said, the animation of the earth’s landscape is inspired. Essentially, The Good Dinosaur answers the question: what if that dastardly comet didn’t destroy the dinosaurs? Well, it seems that humans had roles in cultivating the land instead of building cities. Hence, the inspirational and lush landscapes are generously sprinkled throughout the film.
6 The Drop-Off — Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo opens with a young clown fish couple, Marlin and Coral, who just moved into the best anemone on the drop-off, above their nest of eggs. After being attacked by a barracuda, Marlin and the remaining egg, whom he names Nemo, move deep into the reef. As realistic as the fish look in terms of animation, the reefs are just as awe-inspiring. In particular, the drop-off is so realistic. The Great Barrier Reef and Kealakekua Bay in Hawai’i served as inspiration for the animators.
5 Paradise Falls — Up
Inspired by Salto Ángel, or Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, Paradise Falls is Ellie’s dream home in Up. After her passing, Carl decides to take his house, using 20,600 balloons at the lift-off, on a trip, but accidentally takes Russell, a Junior Wilderness Explorer, with him. The duo, along with the house, a dog named Doug, and a bird named Kevin, journey through the torrential landscape. The initial landing scene of the house at Paradise Falls will take your breath away.
4 Anton Ego’s Flashback — Ratatouille
Few animated films in the Disney-Pixar repertoire have food centered in their animation. In Ratatouille, Remy, a rat living in Paris, helps a human prepare food at a failing Parisian restaurant called Gusteau’s. When Anton Ego, a brutal food critic, chooses to dine at Gusteau’s, Remy insists on making a peasant dish called ratatouille. From the first bite, the audience is transported with Anton to his childhood. The child-like wonder on his face is unmatched.
3 Earth and Space — Wall-E
In the year 2805, humans are roaming space in a giant ship because Earth is no longer habitable for humans. But a lone robot named WALL-E, a trash compacter, discovers a plant, which he shows to EVE, a research robot, who takes the plant back to the ship. The scenes of space and a trash-laden Earth in Wall-E are something even Doctor Who hasn’t seen in all of their adventures. WALL-E and EVE have a beautiful dance sequence in space where WALL-E uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself.
2 Bug City — A Bug’s Life
For the ant hill to survive in A Bug’s Life, the colony sends Flik on a journey to Bug City to recruit heroes who will help defend them against Hopper and his grasshopper gang. Inspired by New York City’s Time Square, Bug City is bustling with beetle taxis, food box skyscrapers, and an empty glass bottle in the center. The arrangement of boxes and bottles is a wonderful twist on the skyscrapers in NYC. Flik’s awe of the city is the same awe inspired by the city that never sleeps.
1 The Land of the Remembered — Coco
In Coco, Miguel is determined to be the world’s next greatest musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, despite his family’s utter abhorrence for the music of any kind. After his guitar is smashed by his Abuelita, he steals de la Cruz’s guitar and is transported to The Land of the Remembered. As he crosses the marigold petal bridge, he stops to pick up some petals. When he looks up, he gasps in awe at the city landscape before him. His awe is so palpable that anyone who watches the film will experience the same awe as Miguel.
