Wiholke

Soul is without a doubt PIXAR's deepest movie yet. I'm glad I watched it a second time because I like it even more now. This movie definitely feels more aimed at adults, although kids can enjoy it too, but they won't understand the themes until they grow old and have similar experiences that the movie depicts. Soul is once again another great original PIXAR film. I was really excited for this one because it showcased jazz which is one of my favorite music genres. After I watched it for the first time, I just had to sit and think for about ten minutes about my life and how I was spending it. This movie, though being deep in its themes, is very uplifting and also really funny, which I wasn't expecting. The animation is top-notch and very impressive. I especially loved the jazz sequences because I could tell that the musicians were in fact playing the right notes which blew my mind. The afterlife sequences in this movie were good but it really reminded me of Inside Out. I also really love the character design, especially for the "Jerry's". Soul really surprised me. As a story, it works really well. If I had a big gripe with the movie I would say that I wish that they wouldn't sacrifice some emotional moments with jokes, which happened on a couple of occasions. I don't know if this will be considered a PIXAR classic within the coming years, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

Onward is a rare case in PIXAR movies where I really loved the trailers but thought the movie was just alright. Onward is about as good as Monsters University quality-wise (which is funny because both movies were directed by Dan Scanlon), but I enjoy Monsters University a whole heck of a lot more. Onward is a fun movie for sure, it has a great cast, and the animation of course is extremely well done. There was never a part in this movie that I wasn't enjoying myself. It's a completely fine and safe movie. My biggest problem with it is that Onward isn't more than just a fun movie. By now, I expect really big things from PIXAR and I only got a fine film. The emotional scenes are good but not great, the humor is good but not hilarious, and the story works but it didn't blow my mind. Another issue I have with the film is the setting in general. I don't know why the creative team decided to have magical beings but have the world look exactly like ours just with a few word-play gags. I'm gonna compare this setting to Zootopia's because Zootopia's world blew my mind. After all, it made me believe that if the world was run by animals it would look like that. I don't buy the fact that fairies would be on motorcycles that are much larger than them. I don't buy the fact that Centaurs would drive in cars that they can't fit into. It's one of PIXAR's least inspired films in my opinion. Even though that gripe seems nit-picky, it really did bother me. Overall, Onward is a good film and pretty enjoyable. However, I do expect more from PIXAR.

Toy Story 3 has been my favorite PIXAR movie for a long time now, so when I heard they were making a Toy Story 4, I was extraordinarily nervous. Forky looked annoying, the jokes weren't landing in the trailers, and it looked like a cash grab. Boy was I ever wrong. This movie is fantastic, which is a big relief to say. Toy Story 3 is a great conclusion, but Toy Story 4 is Woody's conclusion. This one is the most bittersweet of the Toy Story's for me, but I say that with a smile on my face because this movie is directed beautifully. Forky is in fact not annoying but very funny. This movie might be the funniest Toy Story, and there is a really good story to be told here. The animation looks photorealistic; everything looks absolutely incredible in this movie. The antagonist of this movie was also really great. Lottso was great in the third but this one has even more layers which I applaud. And yes, this movie made me cry. I did not expect that, but it really happened. As for flaws, there aren't many but they do stand out a little. I wish the character of Buzz had more to do or at least wasn't "dumbed down" as many people have said. The dialogue isn't perfect and some of the talking scenes feel a bit awkward. Overall, this movie surprised the heck out of me. It's the best PIXAR sequel since Toy Story 3, which I still consider to be better. Toy Story 3 is one of those perfect movies for me, but Toy Story 4 is absolutely amazing and surprising. I am so happy to say that.

Finally, Incredibles 2! Every time there was a Cars sequel I am sure everyone was thinking, "Where is Incredibles 2?" I am happy to say that this movie is worth the wait, and it is fantastic. However, I do think the first Incredibles is marginally better for a couple of reasons. This movie isn't as gritty and gruesome as the first, which is both nice and a fault in comparison. The story is good but not as great, and the villain is considerably weaker than Syndrome. Other than that, this movie is a blast. It is so great to see these characters again. The animation is amazing; it's so cool to see the animation from this movie and compare it to the first. The action sequences are also stunning. Most superhero films today wish they had action scenes this good. The music is also great; Michael Giacchino once again does a fabulous job with the score. I do believe that if this movie came out earlier it would have a more consistent tone that lined up with the first, because watching these back to back they do feel a little different, and it's not just the updated and improved animation. I do feel that this movie would benefit from that dark and gritty tone that the first Incredibles nailed. Still, Incredibles 2 is worth the wait, and quite the blast.

I love this movie. Coco is easily PIXAR's best movie since Inside Out, it's not even close. Coco is a delight from start to finish. The characters are really really good, which is a compliment I haven't given to many recent PIXAR flicks. The music is also outstanding. The animation syncs so well with all the music especially when characters play guitar; the animation is once again extremely impressive, which has become a cliche to say. I always cry at the end of this movie, it moves me every time. This movie is also a great dive into Mexican culture, which was really cool to see. The skeletons look fantastic. The Land of the Dead is gorgeous and a really cool world to see. Coming right after Cars 3, this movie is a huge breath of fresh air. From here on out, I really enjoy the rest of PIXAR's movies (as of early 2021), and it started with Coco, which I consider to be the start of a PIXAR renaissance.

Cars 3 is a conflicting movie. On one hand, I realize there's not really much wrong with the movie and it's completely fine. On the other, it's extremely forgettable and boring. PIXAR made three movies in a row (The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, and Cars 3) where I hardly remember anything from them and are not as fun as the rest of PIXAR's catalog. They're not necessarily the worst movies or even bad movies but they aren't all that much fun. This movie is just like the previous two. Unfunny, uninteresting, and forgettable. Cars 3 stars Lightning McQueen instead of Mater (like in Cars 2) which was a good sign. This movie feels a lot more like the first Cars which was also a step in the right direction. I really like the opening, and the ending is bittersweet. Everything else in between is really hard to watch because I had no interest whatsoever in what was happening. This movie is very bland, but it's not all that bad either. It is very conflicting. I like the first Cars more, and it's definitely not as bad as Cars 2.

Finding Dory is the sequel to Finding Nemo and I was super worried going into this movie back in 2016. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie was good, but it's definitely no "Finding Nemo". Similar to Cars 2 and Monsters University, PIXAR takes the secondary character Dory and gives her the spotlight. In Finding Nemo, I already thought Dory was a great character, and in this one, she proves herself to be even more likable, which is big praise. The other characters, minus Hank the septopus, are a bit bland and I don't have much good or bad to say about them. The story works really well for me, and the animation once again is stunning. I am very impressed at how realistic the water and ocean look and the way they can make characters move naturally. My biggest issues with the film are the humor and the ending. The humor in this film is not even close to the level of Finding Nemo which happened to be an extremely funny film as well as touching. This movie has some of that but the emotional levels are not as high, not really even close. And the ending is just insane. It is just pure lunacy, kind of hilarious, but not in a great way. It's this climax that makes me not want to rewatch the film in the first place but I did anyway because I was curious to see how I feel about it now. Then the movie ends about five minutes after this crazy event takes place which was very abrupt and frankly sloppy for PIXAR. Luckily this is overall a surprise and a mostly fun movie that I'm glad wasn't awful at all. Finding Dory is a good PIXAR film, but at this point in time, PIXAR was in another slump again.

In my Cars 2 review, I mentioned that The Good Dinosaur was PIXAR's worst film. After rewatching it, I was a little harsh, but I still don't like it all that much. Coming right after Inside Out, this movie looks like a disaster. However, it's a perfectly safe and inoffensive movie, just low for PIXAR. One of the opening shots actually made my jaw drop because of how real it looked, which is the biggest praise I can say. Minus the character design, this is PIXAR's most beautiful looking film, it's just a shame that the story isn't all that great. It's an interesting spin on a "Western-ish" genre because instead of humans being the farmers and cowboys and rustlers it's dinosaurs. The marketing never revealed this information so it was an unpleasant surprise the first time I watched it and probably why I don't have many fond memories with this film. Now that I have rewatched it I can say that the story works well enough, I just don't like that dinosaurs are the main characters, which leads me to the character design. The movie looks gorgeous, but this clashes with very cartoony dinosaurs and it just does not work for me. It **** me out of the movie, which leaves the movie feeling forgettable. The story isn't awful but it sure doesn't help out the poor character design. The only characters I like are Arlo and Spot, but I can't say much else about the other characters because they're so forgettable. Lastly, I don't think kids would respond well to this movie. Kids love dinosaurs and seeing them like this I feel would be kind of weird for them. It certainly was for me. But there's also a lot of dark stuff that happens in this movie: decapitations, innocent animals being eaten gruesomely, acid trips, etc. It's strange for PIXAR, and that's about how I can sum up this movie. The Good Dinosaur is definitely PIXAR's strangest movie. However, I will say that after rewatching it, I do like The Good Dinosaur a little more than Cars 2. But similarly to Brave, I couldn't see myself watching it again.

If Monsters University started to ease back into classic PIXAR, then this movie returned it to its full glory. Inside Out is easily the best PIXAR movie since Toy Story 3, a shame it took a whole five years to get there. I remember seeing the first teaser for it and thinking it would be good, but when I first saw the movie I was blown away. The concept of this movie is absolutely genius. Inside Out is a lot of fun, but it's also thought-provoking and in a really good way. I had a lot of fun thinking about what the inside of my head looked like. By the end of this movie, the emotional payoff was really big and got me to cry again even after watching it several times. This movie is another film in PIXAR's catalog that is enjoyable for everyone. It's a quality that the best PIXAR films (and animated films in general) share. In a couple of years, this will easily be another PIXAR classic, and I already know some people that consider it a classic.

Cars 2 and Brave back to back was a pain, but now PIXAR has returned to something familiar and fun. Some people do not like this movie, but I am not one of those people. This movie is super fun, super enjoyable, and a breath of fresh air coming right after two of some of the worst movies in PIXAR's catalog. Monsters University is a prequel to Monsters, Inc., and this time stars Mike Wazowski. Cars 2 did something similar in trying to make the secondary character the main character in their sequel and it backfired horribly. Luckily for this film, it works very well as Mike Wazowski voiced by Billy Crystal is excellent and very charming, and gives a lot more depth to his character we didn't see in the original. The whole movie is enjoyable, but the only part that comes close to the quality of the first Monsters movie is the last third of the movie, which comes in suddenly when we think the movie is wrapping up. This last third is really good and I wish the rest of this movie was like it. As time went on, I started to enjoy this movie a lot more, and my family and I watch it often. I would say this is the PIXAR film (post-Toy Story 3) that we watch the most.

After Cars 2, PIXAR had to redeem themselves and fast, and I don't think that Brave was able to do that for them. This movie really feels like a Disney Animation Studios movie rather than a PIXAR movie, and I think that might have been what they were going for to add another Disney Princess. Some people have said this movie is alright up until the twist happens and I would agree with that. However, the beginning only has a few good scenes, the rest of the opening is forgettable. In fact, this whole movie is forgettable, which is my biggest problem with this movie. When the twist happens, it **** me out of the experience I'm in and I lose interest in the rest of the movie completely. This movie isn't offensive or cringe-worthy (minus some bad slap-stick) like Cars 2 can sometimes be, but this movie did bore me as no other PIXAR movie had done before this one. So do I like this movie? Not very much. It has some redeeming qualities, the characters are good, and I like the elements of Scottish culture. But when it comes to which movie I would rather watch, I would pick Cars 2. Brave did not redeem PIXAR, and it was clear that at this point, the studio was losing its edge.

The first Cars movie was probably PIXAR's weakest film when it was released, so why they thought to make a sequel to it was beyond me. But why they thought to make it almost a completely different movie from its predecessor is also beyond me. Cars 2 has been known as the black sheep of PIXAR movies and where I certainly don't hate it myself I can understand why people would. It's annoying, not very entertaining, and drastically different from the first Cars and not in a good way. I don't know why they needed to add spies to the "Cars" universe and focus heavily on them. I also don't know why they decided to make the side character Mater the protagonist of this story. He's good for laughs but he doesn't need a character arc. Because of this, all the emotions they go for in this movie fall really flat. I felt hardly anything while watching this movie, I hardly laughed, and I found myself cringing more than smiling. I can't help but think about all the families being shocked at how much violence is in this movie considering the very tame first Cars. However, this movie is not awful in my opinion. It's probably not even the worst PIXAR movie in my opinion (Good Dinosaur holds that title). But this movie definitely doesn't need to exist. Even some of PIXAR's worst still has some good talent and hard work in there, so this isn't even close to the worst animated movie of all time, but it is certainly a step back from what PIXAR is usually able to accomplish from their stories.

I remember seeing the first teaser for Up and feeling very confused about what this movie was going to be. When I sat down in that theatre and watched it for the first time I was very surprised and delighted at another touching and fun PIXAR movie and that is exactly how I would describe this movie. The opening especially is probably one of the best things PIXAR has ever done. It absolutely rips your heart out, similarly to the way Finding Nemo opens. The rest of the movie is an incredible adventure movie, which is surprising considering what the first ten minutes were, but the adventure elements are really good and exciting. If the rest of the movie had the same quality that the first ten minutes did then this movie would probably be PIXAR's best. I know a lot of people that put this as their favorite PIXAR film, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but it probably is one of their best pictures. The characters are really great, the humor lands very well, it's exciting when it needs to be, heartfelt when it needs to be, and the animation of course is incredible. The score by Giacchino is absolutely worthy of its Oscar win, although I do wish he won for his scores for Incredibles and Ratatouille because I like those scores a little better than this one. Up is another PIXAR masterpiece with a tear-jerking opening as well as fun adventure elements.

I haven't watched WALL-E in a long time but I am glad I rewatched it because I have even more appreciation for it. At the time of its release, WALL-E was probably PIXAR's most thought-provoking movie yet with its mature themes. I really love the characters in this movie. It's not hard to get attached to cute robots, but without much dialogue in the first half of the movie, I'm glad that the visual storytelling works so well to get the audience invested in these characters. The romance in this movie is also handled really well and was super heart-felt by the end of it. Thomas Newman also does a great job with the score, and I might even like it even more than his score for Finding Nemo. Maybe. I'm glad I revisited this PIXAR gem.

This movie is one of PIXAR's weirdest concepts: A rat who wants to cook and does so in a fancy French restaurant by controlling the movements of a man by pulling strands of his hair. Yeah, it's strange, but surprisingly this movie works very well, and I love it. Ratatouille is another charming PIXAR film with more great characters, a fun concept, and incredible dialogue with really funny and emotional moments. This movie never feels dull and is surprisingly entertaining for a movie about rats. It's impossible not to get hungry while watching this movie because the food and everything else is animated beautifully. Comparing the animation of the humans in this movie and the Incredibles is funny but crazy because of the number of improvements in just a few years. Personally, the score for this movie is what I feel is Giacchino's best. The Incredibles' score may be more flashy but I love this score more than any of his others. Ratatouille is another great family film from PIXAR and is often overlooked. Go check this one out or rewatch it, you'll be happy you did.

This is the first PIXAR movie in its chronology that I don't necessarily love. Cars is an enjoyable film for sure but has been destroyed by its sequels. This movie probably would be looked back on in a more positive light had it been the only one in its series. All the characters are fun and work well enough but aren't anything super special. The beginning of this movie takes a while to get you fully invested in what's happening. It wasn't until about halfway through that I really felt any emotion at all. The jokes are ok but most of them are meant for kids. The entire premise of "Cars" and the "Cars" world is also a little strange. The previous PIXAR movies had insanely good world-building which this movie lacks. I will say though that this movie's animation is much better than the films that came previously. PIXAR has always improved their animation with each film, and in the case of Cars, it really shows. They have perfected specifically metal and landscapes in this movie. Going from Incredibles (the PIXAR film previous) to Cars is surprisingly a big jump in terms of animation, so I have to applaud them for that. Overall, Cars is a perfectly fine movie that I honestly think would be looked at better if its sequels did not exist.

The Incredibles is yet another PIXAR classic. This is one of those movies that I could watch over and over and never get tired of. PIXAR has learned from each of their movies to keep improving upon them and it really shows with this one. The animation keeps improving, especially with human hair. They also proved themselves to be incredible with directing action as this is the first action movie this studio has released. All the action scenes are fantastic. What really makes this movie work is the characters. The heroes and villains are extremely fun to watch and both have twists on the "comic book movie" trope. In this day and age of so many comic book movies, The Incredibles actually ages very well. And I can't review this movie without mentioning the score. This is Michael Giacchino's first PIXAR score and he blew the other PIXAR scores out of the water. I do love Randy Newman as what I view him as the definitive PIXAR composer, but Giacchino's score here is one of the best. I consider this movie to be the last PIXAR classic and the last movie of its "Golden Age". The Incredibles is a must-see.

Finding Nemo is another PIXAR homerun and once again proves that this studio is the master of different perspectives, this time from the perspective of a fish. With every PIXAR film in release order, the animation quality increases, and in Finding Nemo's case, the water looks very very convincing. The characters in this movie are very fleshed out especially in the case of Marlin, our main character. Dory, the supporting role and the provider of most of the comedic relief in a rather serious story is in danger of being a nuisance but is delightfully extremely funny and by the end, there was a scene with her and Marlin that almost broke my heart because of how touching it was. This movie is perfect for fans of marine biology, families, and just about everybody. But this movie is specially made for parents. I love how there's no real villain in this story and the plot relies on situational elements to keep it moving forward, so you never know what is going to happen next. Once again, Finding Nemo is another must-see PIXAR film and is a classic at this point.

Monsters, Inc. has some of the best world-building in any movie that I have seen. The introduction is one of my favorites in movie history as it perfectly explains the world, problems that may arise, and characters that we will follow. The dialogue in this movie is really great, mostly because of the insanely talented voice-acting work by John Goodman and Billy Crystal who really carry this movie from good to great. The music is really great; Randy Newman did an excellent job on the score. The villain/s in this movie are some of the best in PIXAR's filmography and the conclusion is highly satisfying. The one thing holding me back from calling this movie fantastic is the second act that I think drags on a bit. The beginning is very interesting, the middle has a lot of plot elements that do tend to drag the movie on a bit, and the ending is very exciting. Monsters, Inc. is a classic at this point and should be watched by everybody.

This movie isn't as ground-breaking as the first, but Toy Story 2 is a flat-out miracle that it's a really good movie. This movie had so many production problems that I find it a major triumph and revolution of 3-D animated movies. The animation has already improved from the first and the story is harmless and witty and in no way offensive to its predecessor. I would say this movie relies too much on references to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and other movies as its source of humor. What made the first Toy Story so funny is the new humor it created by inventing jokes that toys might say if they were alive. This movie has hardly any of that and relies a lot on references. The one thing I can think of that improves upon the first is the emotional beats which really worked for me at the end of the second act and finale. Toy Story 2 is a good movie, better than most Dreamworks movies, but it remains my least favorite Toy Story movie. But again, considering all the production troubles, I am extremely impressed with this movie and the quality of entertainment that it is.

I personally like this movie a lot and think it is the most underrated PIXAR films to date. A Bug's Life is really charming, funny, and the story is simple yet effective. The characters were great (however not as ground-breaking as the Toy Story cast). As a kid I found the finale to be very emotionally powerful and now that I'm older the emotional beats don't hit me as hard and I now just view this movie as a very enjoyable movie. PIXAR is great at perspective and it shows in this movie very well. I highly recommend checking this one out and revisiting it.

It's no secret this movie revolutionized the animation industry. Taking that away, you're left with an above-average movie with really good voice acting, story, heart, and everything in-between. Toy Story is a delight from beginning to end and the characters are very well-realized. Woody could have been an unlikeable jerk in this movie but thank goodness he wasn't because it saved PIXAR. If Woody was in anyway unrelatable or unredeemable, PIXAR would not be the successful studio we have today. The music is also very good in this movie; Randy Newman did a fabulous job with the score and songs. Personally, Randy Newman is my favorite PIXAR composer. Overall, Toy Story is a great movie that also happened to be a ground-breaking movie for the animation industry.

50 First Dates is probably Adam Sandler's best movie. It is an enjoyable enough romantic comedy with a cool twist. Some of the jokes are much better than others, there's still some of that "Adam Sandler awkwardness" in some of the jokes which for my taste doesn't need to be in the movie and only took away from my enjoyment. All the actors do a nice job and overall enjoyed myself and the really cute ending.

I love this movie the more I watch it. It has been a year or two since I watched it last and I was afraid I was going to think that it's another disposable kids film on my most recent viewing, but it's not. This movie will be extremely entertaining for kids as it was for me, but it will make adults cry. Moving on and letting go is a message anyone can relate to. The first two-thirds of this movie is really great, but the last third is top tier film making. I couldn't believe my eyes. Every emotion they go for hits you really really hard and all the sequences had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. If you're a parent, show this to your kids. If you're a grandparent, show it to your grandkids. If you are going to college for the first time, watch it. There's not one person that this movie wasn't intended for. This movie is intended for everyone. If you don't like this movie, why? Did it make you feel too much? Give me a break. This is my favorite Toy Story movie, my favorite PIXAR movie, and my favorite animated movie of all time.