5 Pixar Movies to watch ahead of Lightyear

Pixar has come out with some of the best animated movies we have seen. These films have broken the barrier between live action movies and the animated films of yesteryears. The Walt Disney subsidiary has produced some of the most critically and commercially successful films.

Pixar is set to release its upcoming title, Lightyear, on June 17 (Friday), 2022 in theatres. Lightyear is the story of Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series and establishes a backstory for the character in an alien intergalactic universe.

Let's take a look at some of the best movies by the Walt Disney subsidiary till date as we await the release of Lightyear.

5 Best Pixar Animations

1) Toy Story 2

The second film of the Toy Story franchise is arguably the best of the series and has received critical acclaim as well as commercial success.

Toy Story 2 came out in 1999, as a sequel to the story of the toys in Andy's bedroom who come to life when no one is looking. Already groundbreaking for the kind of animation Pixar was doing at the time, the film explores many thematic aspects.

Toy Story 2 starts right after Toy Story (1995) with Andy going off to cowboy camp, leaving Woody behind after his arms ripped in an accident. Woody is stolen by a greedy collector who intends to make up the whole collection and sell it to a museum in Tokyo for large bucks. The film shows Woody as he tries to head back to Andy is finally rescued by Buzz and his other toy friends.

The characters in Toy Story 2 (Image via Pixar)

Toy Story 2 is an excellent film which talks about how life is fleeting, and has a message that we should accept the truth that nothing lasts forever.

2) Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is the story of a father looking for his son across the length of the ocean and even on land. Released in 2003, the movie went on to sell 40 million DVDs by the end of 2006.

The film received critical acclaim for its humour, visual elements and screenplay and was well received by kids and adults alike.

Finding Nemo explores the relationship between an overprotective single father and his son, who wants to be free and lead his life without his father's supervision. The clownfish father and son live in the Great Barrier Reef alone, after their family was attacked by a cordfish.

A still from Finding Nemo (Image via Pixar)

Feeling embarrassed by his father's overprotectiveness, Nemo rebels and tries to show that he is old enough by swimming beyond the safety of the reef. However, he is taken captive by divers.

Marlin sets off on a daunting journey to cross the ocean and rescue Nemo, the only family he has left. The journey makes him realise that however afraid he may be of losing his son, Nemo deserves to have his own life.

3) Wall-E

Wall-E, is a sci-fi animated film released in 2008 and set in a post apocalyptic Earth in the 29th century. The apocalypse hit seven centuries ago when extreme consumerism and corporate greed caused earth to become a garbage strewn planet unfit for life.

On a planet where organic life cannot survive, a garbage compressing robot has survived and developed a personality - Wall-E.

The film follows Wall-E as he meets and falls in love with Eve, a reconnaissance robot on the lookout for life, to see if Earth is habitable again. Wall-E is a gripping love story of the two robots and how they persevere against all odds.

4) Inside Out

Inside Out is a comedy drama released in 2015. The film personifies emotions and explores them in a pubescent girl named Riley, and how they shape the human she is.

The animated feature was ahead of its time and explored areas of depression, ignorance, and how all emotions are required for a human to function.

A still from Inside Out (Image via Pixar)

Riley is an 11 year old kid who moves to a new city due to her father's job. The five main emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust are the ones who drive Riley regularly.

However, an accident leaves Fear, Anger and Disgust in charge without the core memories. Following this, Riley's behaviour changes drastically as she spirals into depression and angst.

Joy and Sadness make their way back to their stations to bring Riley's life back to normalcy. We realize that no emotion is redundant, and they all work in harmony to make a person who they truly are.

5) Up

Up was released in theatres in 2009 and revolved around an old widower, Carl Fredricksen, living alone in a house.

The film explored the loneliness in life after the death of a spouse, finding peace with it and moving towards a new beginning, whatever your age may be.

Carl Fredericksen and his wife Ellie idolised Charles Muntz and dreamed of having their home overlooking Paradise Falls. After losing Ellie and living alone in his now developed neighbourhood, Carl is asked to move out by the court after an incident.

However, he decides to make their dream come true and takes to the sky with hundreds of balloons lifting his house, while unknowingly a kid scout, Russell is onboard with him.

The film follows them as they travel to the land of Paradise Falls, as described in Charles Muntz's discoveries. Up is a heartwarming film that shows the relationship that an old man, a kid and a talking dog share.

These are some of the best animated feature films from the animation studio. If you have not yet seen any of these titles, make sure to watch them.

The Disney subsidiary studio will release its latest film Lightyear on June 17, 2022 in theatres.

Edited by Madhur Dave