Rank and File: Pixar Movies - Part 3

I'm sitting here, still gobsmacked as I type this. I just got home from our third Pixar movie night, and something has happened that I couldn't have predicted if you gave me a time machine and fifteen Magic 8 Balls.

The Incredibles (2004)

I said in my review of Inside Out that it was possibly the first Pixar movie mostly geared towards adults, but clearly, I was wrong about that. There haven't been many, but The Incredibles definitely paved the way. It's the story of a family of superheroes, forced into hiding by a litigious public tired of having to pay for the collateral damage that superpowers tend to wreak on their lives. When a new and dangerous villain appears, the family has the chance to embrace the powers they've been suppressing for so long, and save the city in the bargain.

So what was so surprising about this experience? Well, if you had asked me before this project started how I thought the rankings would shake out, I would have told you with complete confidence that The Incredibles would rest easy as #1. It's a beautiful movie, and is pretty unassailable as the best-written Pixar movie so far into the viewings. The action scenes are terrific. It manages to tell a mature story without alienating the general audience. Edna Mode is an outstanding, breakout character. If I were handing out letter grades for these, The Incredibles would effortlessly score an A, and maybe even an A+, elusive as they are.

And yet... After several minutes of agonizing and second-guessing and debating pros and cons with Tiffany, Finding Nemo beats it by an angstrom. I never would have believed it going in, but while The Incredibles is, well, incredible... Finding Nemo is magical.

The short was great, too. Boundin' is a musical story about a happy sheep who keeps his friends entertained with his enthusiastic dancing. He becomes mocked and depressed when his wool is shorn off, but he learns to embrace his less furry state with the help of a wise jackalope. I liked it a lot, and it handled the musical story format a lot better than shorts that shall remain nameless until the end of this project.

Current Feature Rankings

#1: Finding Nemo (2003)
#2: The Incredibles (2004)
#3: Toy Story 2 (1999)
#4: Monsters, Inc. (2001)
#5: Toy Story (1995)
#6: A Bug's Life (1998)

Current Short Rankings

#1: Geri's Game (paired with A Bug's Life)
#2: Boundin' (paired with The Incredibles)
#3: For the Birds (paired with Monsters, Inc.)
#4: Knick Knack (paired with Finding Nemo)
#5: Luxo Jr. (paired with Toy Story 2)
#6: Tin Toy (paired with Toy Story)