The original version of this article was written by Jenni Russell and published in 2024.
Pixar Animation Studios is the production company famous for titles like Finding Nemo, Up and Inside Out, among many others family favorites. The company, which was originally called The Graphics Group and was part of the Lucasfilm computer division, was founded in 1979 by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. In 1981, that clunky name was changed to Pixar and, in 1986, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs became the majority shareholder. Disney then acquired Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion.
To date, Pixar’s movies have grossed over $15 billion at the worldwide box office and eleven of its films have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, including The Incredibles, Coco and WALL-E. The commercially and critically acclaimed studio has in fact won a total of 23 Academy Awards, 10 Golden Globe Awards and 11 Grammy Awards, making it one of the most celebrated studios in the history of animation.
Additionally, at the Venice Film Festival in 2009, John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, the original creative minds behind Pixar Animation Studios, were awarded the Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement. In the following list, which we’ve arranged by order of release, you’ll find a complete guide to every Pixar Animation Studios feature film—read on to discover more, and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on services like Disney+, AppleTV, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Toy Story (1995)
In 1995, Pixar not only released the world’s first fully computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, they somehow managed to do so with one of the greatest family movies of all time. Directed by John Lasseter, the former chief creative officer of Pixar, the movie proved to be the ideal showcase for Pixar, offering a blend of goofy humour and more subtle jokes for older viewers that would quickly become the studio’s calling card.
The film made $394.4 million at the global box office, making 13 times its budget and putting Pixar on the map. Remarkable, 30 years on, it hasn’t aged a day—and if you like the idea of a family film that makes jokes about cubism and references Tod Browning’s Freaks, you’re in for a treat.
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Three years after Toy Story’s remarkable success, Lasseter and Pixar returned with A Bug’s Life, a movie that gave audiences an ant’s-eye view of a world in which Grasshoppers ruled. Inspired by The Ant and the Grasshopper, the story centers on Flik, an inventor who dreams of saving his colony from a group of grasshoppers who continually steal their food.
Famously, the movie came to cinemas just four months after Dreamworks had released their own buggy animation, Antz—so if you liked that movie but fancy a little less Woody Allen in your life, this might be the one for you.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
In 1999, Lasseter and Pixar completed a trilogy of early successes with Toy Story 2, the studio’s first sequel and a movie that somehow managed to do the impossible by improving on its predecessor. Introducing a batch of new characters from Woody’s old TV show, as well as a new villain voiced by Wayne Knight, the movie found a level of emotional depth that really hadn’t been seen in a Hollywood animation before.
Not that that stopped Toy Story 2 from being an action-packed and wildly entertaining blast—and if you liked the first one, or appreciate a little-known movie called The Empire Strikes Back, you’re probably gonna love it.
Monsters Inc (2001)
Monsters Inc. was the first Pixar movie not to have Lasseter as director, but it seamlessly slotted into the studio’s early run of flawless family movies. The ingenious idea this time was to tell a story about children and bedtime monsters from the perspective of the monsters who do the scaring—who, as it turns out, are actually more afraid of the children than they’d like to admit.
Like Toy Story, Monster’s Inc. also works great as a classic buddy comedy and, just like Woody and Buzz, Mike and Sully (voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman respectively), have pretty much become household names—and if you liked Toy Story but also appreciate the actor’s earlier movies, like When Harry Met Sally and The Big Lebowski, you’re probably gonna love this.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Two years later, Pixar moved from the bedroom to the ocean with Finding Nemo, a thrilling adventure story about an overprotective clownfish who loses his son and, with the help of a forgetful fish named Dory, sets out to find him.
Eight years on from Toy Story, Finding Nemo saw the studio reach whole new levels of technical achievement and expansive storytelling—and if you’re a fan of Pixar in general but are also partial to David Attenborough’s documentaries, like Blue Planet or Planet Earth, this is probably the one for you.
The Incredibles (2004)
In 2004, the studio capped off a decade of exceptional work with The Incredibles, the studio’s first Superhero story and the movie that put director Brad Bird on the map—and if you liked Bird’s early animation, The Iron Giant, and his live action work on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, this movie offers the best of both worlds.
Drawing on mid-Century comic book stories like The Fantastic Four, Bird used a retro-futurist backdrop to tell a story of a typical family: a teenage girl who wants to disappear, a hyperactive young boy, a mother who has to be everywhere at once, and a father’s whose physical strength can only mask his vulnerability for so long.
Cars (2006)
As I think most fans who grew up with Pixar to this point agreed at the time, Cars was probably the studio’s first movie that was only just ok. That said, ten years on from Toy Story, Lasseter can be forgiven for wanting to once again appeal to a younger audience again.
Whatever the case, almost twenty years later it’s safe to say, Lasseter’s movie, and the characters of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) have more than stood the test of time—and if you like the idea of seeing a Pixar animation set in the world of Nascar (think movies like Talladega Nights and Logan Lucky), you will feel right at home with this one.
Ratatouille (2007)
Whatever anyone’s misgivings about Cars, they were soon forgotten as, just one year later, the studio suddenly entered its second golden age. This began with Brad Bird’s Ratatouille, the story of a rodent who moves to Paris and becomes the head chef of a swanky boulangerie—that is, with a little help from his friends.
With its eye-wateringly beautiful depictions of the famous capitol, this is a Pixar movie for lovers of all things French, but in Peter O’Toole’s Anton Ego, it also boasts the greatest villain in the studio’s history—and if you liked O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, trust me when I say that his performance here is not as far behind that classic as you might think. Just wait till you hear him say, “They have rocked me to my core.” Shivers.
WALL-E (2008)
For many people, myself included, the first half of WALL-E marks the studio’s creative peak. This near wordless dystopian vision, in which a plucky cleaning robot attempts to compact the entirety of the human race’s trash all by himself, is so note perfect, so full of sight gags and ideas, it almost comes as a disappointment that the second half of the movie—set on a luxury ship in outer space—is merely great.
Whatever the case, if you’re a fan of Pixar and also appreciate movies like Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey, I really can’t recommend this one enough.
Up (2009)
If the first half an hour of WALL-E boasted some of the studio’s most creative moments, then the first 20 minutes of Up boasts its most heartbreaking. This movie-within-a-movie shows the decades long romance of Carl and Ellie, from their first meeting as children, to their wedding, to tragically being torn apart—I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
Similar to WALL-E however, this phenomenal opening is followed by a movie that is only great—a fun adventure in a flying house held up by balloons. What can we say, if you like the air-bound animation of movies like James and the Giant Peach and Howl’s Moving Castle, this is one you really should seek out. Just make sure to stock up on Kleenex.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Not satisfied with having made a sequel that surpassed its predecessor, with Toy Story 2, John Lasseter did the impossible by surpassing both of them again with Toy Story 3, a movie that rounded out what might be the most complete trilogy in cinema—and you can quote me on that.
This is a movie ostensibly made for children that deals with the existential terror of slipping into old age—specifically if that means being taken to a retirement home that’s run like a P.O.W. camp, if not worse. This is a Pixar movie that takes its cues from classic prison flicks like Cool Hand Luke and Shawshank Redemption, but it also has about as much fun with Barbie and Ken as Greta Gerwig’s recent smash.
Cars 2 (2011)
In 2011, as the MCU started kicking into gear and Hollywood began to fully embrace franchise culture, Pixar finally succumbed to a little bit of entropy. Cars 2 was an early warning sign of this—the first Pixar movie that felt like a bit of a cash grab.
That said, the animation is of course still flawless and, what’s more, the movie offered fans of Lightning the chance to tour some European tracks, including London and Monaco, while introducing an Aston Martin-styled spy car called Finn McMissile, voiced by Michael Caine—so, if you liked the first movie and are a big fan of Bond, you’ll surely get a kick out of it.
Brave (2012)
This period of Pixar also saw the studio branching out with what can only be described as its first Disney Princess movie. Set in Scotland, Brave tells the story of the daughter of a chief whose only wish is to be allowed to fight like the boys.
This was something of a departure from the kind of movies Pixar had made up to this point, and if you’re a fan of the studio but feel they probably were a little short on female protagonists, or if you’re a big fan of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, you’ll probably be into it.
Monsters University (2013)
Similar to Cars 2, Monsters University was a Pixar prequel that nobody really asked for but plenty of people still enjoyed. The movie takes viewers back in time to show Mike and Sully as mis-matched roommates in their college days—so naturally, if you’re a massive Monsters Inc. fan, I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to learn more about how these characters became friends.
The university setting allows for plenty of fun scenarios and dorm room schenanigans—think movies like Old School and Neighbors, but naturally seen through Pixar’s family-friendly lens.
Inside Out (2015)
After Monsters University, there was a sense of concern among Pixar fans that the once unstoppable studio had started to run out of original ideas. However, those worries were put solidly to bed with Pete Doctor’s Inside Out—and if you like the idea of a family-oriented movie that makes visual jokes about abstract thought and imagines what happens to your memory of old phone numbers, you’re gonna love it.
Taking place largely inside the head of a young girl named Riley as she deals with a move to San Francisco, Inside Out turned out to be one of the most inventive and heart wrenching movies in the studio’s 20-year history. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival that May and went on to win best Animated Feature the following year at the Academy Awards. Again, don’t forget the Kleenex.
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
It’s probably fair to say that The Good Dinosaur, a movie that barely broke even at the box office, was a disappointment for the studio. Even today, you probably won’t find anyone with it in even their top ten favorite Pixars, but if you’re a fan of movies like The Land Before Time and Ice Age, you’ll probably really enjoy it.
The story follows Arlo, a young dinosaur who befriends a neanderthal boy after getting separated from his family. Together, they must find a way to get Arlo home.
Finding Dory (2016)
And speaking of finding ways home, Pixar returned to another of its most beloved franchises in 2016 with Finding Dory. This direct sequel focuses on Dory’s attempts to find her own family when one day, out of the blue, the forgetful tang fish remembers she has one.
This is a must watch for fans of Finding Nemo, naturally, but also for fans of water-based adventures in general. Like Jim Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, the ocean imagery here is some of the most painstakingly detailed ever put to screen.
Cars 3 (2017)
What can you say about Cars 3? If you liked Lassater’s first and second installments in the Cars universe you’ll probably enjoy this one. The movie finds Lightning in the autumn of his career: a seven time champion and a living legend, albeit one who risks being yesterday’s news.
The setup is reminiscent of other sports threequels in which a hero with nothing left to prove must drag themselves back to training in order to compete with a younger, faster foe—think Creed 3 and Rocky III, and other movies of that ilk.
Coco (2017)
In 2017, Pixar had one of those moments that reminded everyone what made the studio so special to begin with. Focusing on the Mexican heritage of its creator, Adrian Molina, Coco was immediately heralded as one of the studio’s modern classics as well as one of its most effective tear-jerkers.
Set somewhat in the afterlife and based on the mythology of Dia de los Muertos, this is a movie that explores another culture—think Encanto and Bao—while delivering all of the usual emotion and entertainment that fans of the studio expect.
Incredibles 2 (2018)
It’s probably not surprising that one of the best sequels in the studio’s history came from Brad Bird. The director had proven his franchise credentials with 2011’s Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and expertly rose to the challenge in dreaming up a new adventure and new for Incredibles 2—namely fragile masculinity.
The story picks up where the last movie (released 14 years earlier) ended, before going on to show us a world in which superheroes once again operate in plain sight. If you liked the first one, or Fantastic 4: First Steps, or expansive storytelling of something like Zootopia, you’ll love it.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
In 2019, Toy Story 4 looked like the biggest risk the studio had ever taken. Fans were left to wonder at best, how the studio would add to the original trilogy, and at worst, if a fourth installment would risk ruining the perfection of the original three movie arc. As it turned out, to no real surprise, Toy Story 4 was a low key blast.
This is the movie that added Tony Hale’s Forky to the mix as well as Keanu Reeve’s Duke Caboom—so if you like Hale in shows like Arrested Development or Keanu’s comedic output (like the recent Good Fortune), you’ll definitely get a few laughs out of it.
Onward (2020)
Aside from The Incredibles, Pixar has largely steered clear of superhero and fantasy stories. One exception is 2020’s Onward, the story of two brothers (voiced by MCU alum Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who try to connect with their deceased father by going on a magical journey.
As Pixar movies go, this one is a little more boy oriented than most, but there’s plenty of fun and action here for all kinds of viewers to enjoy—especially if you’re a fan of childhood classics like The Goonies and Neverending Story.
Soul (2020)
If you’re a Pixar fan who likes the world of Inside Out, you’ll probably have a good time with Soul. The movie is set in limbo and deals with abstract ideas like, well, the meaning of life—so if you generally enjoy the studio’s more high concept stuff, this is one you’ll want to check out.
Directed by Pete Doctor, Soul is the story of a Jazz pianist who ends up in a coma and must find his way back to consciousness in time to make a concert. Given the topic, it’s no surprise that the film has a wonderful score—so if you’re a fan of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network), make sure to keep your ears open for this one.
Luca (2021)
Set on the Amalfi coast in the 1950s, Luca is one of the few Pixar movies set in both a foreign location and a distinct period in time—so if you liked Coco, Ratatouille and Cars 2, you might want to check it out.
The story, a coming-of-age tale, centres on Luca, a sea monster who assumes the form of a young boy whenever he’s on land. The action takes place over the course of a summer in Portorosso, where he befriends two local humans, Alberto and Giulia.
Turning Red (2022)
It’s a shame that the studio decided to release Turning Red direct-to-streaming during the uncertain Covid summer of 2022. In the end, it never quite got the recognition it deserved. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story about the perils of puberty, and if you’re a fan of the show Big Mouth, this is basically as close as Pixar can come to exploring those kinds of themes — while also managing to reference anime and Godzilla along the way.
The movie is the first feature-length effort of Bao filmmaker Domee Shi, and if you liked how that film showed a window on the immigrant experience, Turning Red goes one better.
Lightyear (2022)
It’s fair to say that nobody really asked for Lightyear, an origin story for Buzz that had no relation to the self-aware toy we’d come to love, but we got one all the same.
The movie is your typical intergalactic adventure, following a young Buzz as he’s forced to team up with a rag tag crew in order to evade the evil Lord Zurg. The movie wasn’t especially well reviewed, but if you appreciate shows like Skeleton Crew and The Mandalorian, you might vibe with it!
Elemental (2023)
After Inside Out and Soul, Elemental almost seemed to complete an unofficial trilogy of high concept Pixar movies—one based on emotions, one on metaphysics and finally one on the elements. Compared to those earlier works, however, Elemental—which takes place in a city divided into fire, water, wind and earth districts—didn’t quite nail its concept in the same way.
That said, if you appreciate movies with similarly immersive worlds (think Zootopia and The Lego Movie) you might easily get into it.
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Released nine years after the original, Inside Out 2 is one of the best sequels the studio has produced. It picks up where the previous movie left off, with Riley taking the dizzying plunge into puberty with the help of some new emotions like anxiety (Maya Hawke) and envy (Ayo Edebiri).
Like Turning Red, this is another Pixar movie that deals with a challenging time in a young person’s life—so again, if you’re interested in a family friendly version of Big Mouth, you could do a lot worse!
Elio (2025)
One of the most recent movies to be released from the Pixar stable is Elio , a science fiction adventure co-directed by Molina (Coco), Shi (Turning Red) and Madeline Sharafian. The story centres on the titular hero, a teenage boy who is mistaken for Earth’s intergalactic ambassador after being beamed up to space.
This is a Pixar movie for the Onward fans out there—or for fans of other family friendly space capers like Skeleton Crew. The movie sadly underperformed at the box office, but don’t let that get in the way of you seeing it—it’s a charming story told with the studio’s usual combination of emotion and humour.
Hoppers (2026)
The most recent addition to the Pixar canon is Daniel Chong’s Hoppers, a body switching comedy that really puts the “wild” in wildlife. The story follows a principled teenager named Mabel whose attempts to save the glade where she and her grandmother bonded leads to an unlikely caper involving robot animals, a beaver king voiced by Bobby Moynihan and a butterfly voiced by Meryl Streep.
As that synopsis might suggest, Hoppers is arguably Pixar’s most madcap movie yet, but it’s also, to Chong’s great credit, one of the funniest things the studio has produced in its 30 year history.
Toy Story 5 (2026), Gatto (2027), The Incredibles 3 (2027) & Coco 2 (2029)
At time of writing, there are four Pixar movies in development. These included Toy Story 5 (which sees the gang face off against something resembling an iPad), and Gatto (a story about a feline mafia set tantalisingly in Venice), as well as proposed sequels to Coco and The Incredibles 2.
Pixar Short Films
Pixar Animation Studios is also renowned for its short films, some of which were released long before Toy Story. Many of these have screened in cinemas before Pixar’s major releases, with many of their creators going to make feature films for the studio.
Some Pixar short films are based on characters from their feature films, like Auntie Edna from The Incredibles. Carl's Date featuring Carl Fredricksen from Up, and Toy Story of Terror! features Jessie, Woody and Buzz. Other successful Pixar short films include Lava, Bao, and Geri's Game.
