The 5 best Pixar movies of all time

waiting list

Here are the five best Pixar movies, ranked, plus some new shows and movies you can watch.

Written by Kevin Slane

June 20, 2026 | 8:00 am

3 minutes to read

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It’s been 31 years since Pixar changed the world of animation forever with the release of Toy Story. The then independent studio ushered in the era of computer animation and raised audience expectations of what kid-friendly films could achieve.

While the studio has been struggling with sequel trouble lately, I’m happy to report that Toy Story 5, Pixar’s 31st film, is one of the studio’s best efforts. You can read my full review here, but the short version is that director Andrew Stanton tapped into the angst of modern, screen-dominated childhood, without turning it into a full-blown modernism. also, Conan O’Brien Playing a potty training game.

With 31 films in 31 years, now seems like a good time to rank Pixar films from worst to best. Due to space constraints, I’m only writing about the top 5 films, which lean heavily into the golden age of Pixar. But if you want to see the full list, including “Toy Story 5″‘s position in the rankings, Check out my Letterboxd.

The 5 best Pixar films of all time

5. “Finding Nemo” (2003): While the story of Marlin the clown fish’s journey across the ocean to find his missing son Nemo takes center stage, it’s his forgetful girlfriend Dory who steals the show. No wonder it got its own sequel in 2016. (Disney+)

4. “The Incredibles” (2004): Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s safe to say we’ve reached superhero saturation point. But Brad Bird’s story of the supernatural Parr family lives on thanks to its honest look at the virtuous and less noble reasons why the Crusaders do what they do. (Disney+)

3. “Toy Story” (1995): The person who started it all. In the three decades since Woody convinced Buzz that he was indeed a children’s plaything, Toy Story has done to the animated film what Jaws did to the summer blockbuster: set a standard that every film since has tried (and failed) to reach. (Disney+)

2. “Ratatouille” (2007): The story of Remy the mouse-turned-executive chef, one of the underrated members of Pixar, is a classic fish-out-of-water tale. It also features some of Pixar’s best physical comedy, as bumbling garbage boy Linguini learns to share a kitchen with his furry friend. (Disney+)

1. “Wall-E” (2008): A mostly silent sci-fi thriller about a trash-compacting robot that rebukes the excesses of humanity and validates the tenacity of the human spirit, all while telling one of the most poignant love stories ever brought to screen. Simply put, “WALL-E” is a masterpiece. (Disney+)

Play or skip

Do you have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected]and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.

Press play on these new movies and shows:

“I Will Find You” (2026): This crime series from Harlan Coben doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it gets bonus points for its Boston setting and a strong performance from Britt Lower (Severance), who plays a former Boston Globe reporter whose former brother-in-law (Sam Worthington) is serving a life sentence for a murder he may not have committed. (Netflix)

“Earth, Wind, and Fire (To Be Celestial Against This Is the Weight of the World)” (2026): Following up on 2021’s “The Summer of Soul,” The Roots frontman Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson returns with another fun musical doc, this time delving into the pioneering soul and R&B combo that helped define ’70s dance music. (HBO Max)

“Lorne” (2026): If you didn’t watch enough behind-the-scenes content about “SNL” in the lead-up to its 50th anniversary show last year, this Morgan Neville doc will come in handy. I wish it was more probing, but that’s the nature of documentary filmmaking in 2026. (peacock)

But go ahead and skip this:

“Office Romance” (2026): Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are lackluster, but audiences are so hungry for a romantic comedy that this movie has shot to the top of Netflix’s most-watched list since its release. I’d rather rewatch “The Wedding Planner” (Also on Netflix), but you do it. (Netflix)

End credits

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Until next time, good hunting everyone!

— Kevin