Loveday Writing

Now that I’ve watched and written analysis pieces on the ten animated feature films of the Experimental Era: Cars 2, Brave, Monsters University, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Cars 3, Coco, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4, I’m going to rank them from my least favourite to my favourite.

As I was watching these films, I made some very interesting observations. This Era was known for its reliance on sequels and out of the 10 films, six of them were sequels. Overall, and you will see this in my rankings, the long gaps between sequels affected their quality.

Other observations I made included the fact some of the sequels switch the protagonist, e.g. in Cars 2 Mater is the protagonist, in Monsters University Mike is the protagonist, Dory is the protagonist in Finding Dory, and Helen/Elastigirl is the protagonist in Incredibles 2. This Era also had more female protagonists (Merida in Brave, Riley in Inside Out, Dory in Finding Dory, and Helen/Elastigirl in Incredibles 2).

So, keeping all of the above in mind and without further ado, here are my rankings:

10 – Cars 2

Kicking off the Era, Cars 2 comes in last as Pixar’s attempt to do a sequel that was completely different went way too far.

I felt that the Mater-focused spy film was over-the top, in comparison to its predecessor’s modest, simple, yet heartwarming and effective plot and settings. Considering that Pixar themselves regret making the film to the point of disowning it, it’s easy to rank it in last place.

Cars 2 was certainly the right film to kick off the Experimental Era as it showed one result of Pixar’s experimentation with its films, in this case, failure.

9 – Cars 3

This sequel in the Cars franchise was far superior to its predecessor and should have been the standalone sequel as the premise and messages of this film mirror those of the first, and bring McQueen’s story arc to a clean close.

However, it ranks in second-last place for me as it wasn’t a particularly exciting film and was personally a hit-and-miss for me.

8 – Finding Dory

A spin-off rather than a sequel, I did enjoy Finding Dory as its story was a natural progression from the previous film. However it ranks low for me as whilst the story was charming and touching, it was predictable and lacked any real surprises or twists that its predecessor film was filled with.

7 – Incredibles 2

Whilst Incredibles 2 competently showcased improved animation with improved technology, thanks to its 14-year gap between its predecessor and its own release, it ranks this low for me as I felt that its story was too similar to its predecessor and the reveal of its villain was too predictable. Overall, I felt that this film, especially as a sequel, was a bit of a letdown, considering it had 14 years to work with.

6 – Toy Story 4

The fourth instalment of the Toy Story franchise, this film focused on the angle of “lost toys” and what being one really means from Woody’s and Bo Peep’s respective perspectives.

Whilst this was a good film and showcased excellent story telling with its more adult tone, and excellent animation focusing on providing more attention to detail, I felt it wasn’t a necessary addition to the franchise, as its predecessor film brought the overall story arc and series to a perfect close.

5 – Monsters University

Just like Toy Story 4, Monsters University was a more adult-oriented sequel, or rather prequel, providing Sulley’s and Mike’s backstory of meeting and eventually become friends at university.

This film ranks higher than Toy Story 4 for me due to the stronger and more concise writing and structure, as well as its ability to bring the events of it and its predecessor full circle. However, it did feel bland and heavy at times and I can also see why it was criticised by some as “plot heavy.”

4 – Brave

The first original story/film in the Era, Brave presented a relatable story of the complicated mother-daughter relationship in 12^th-Century Scotland intertwined with a curse, easily combining the supernatural with a historic setting. I appreciated the strong female influence in this film, both in front of and behind the camera.

However, the film did feel a little long and heavy at times, and the tone was inconsistent, which is why it comes in fourth place for me.

3 – The Good Dinosaur

This ranking may come as a surprise to some, due to the film generally not being regarded as one of Pixar’s best or strongest and Pixar’s staff themselves viewing this film as good but not great, however it ranks this highly for me as I personally found it touching and charming, and it’s an original story.

I found it touching and charming due to its multiple themes such as conquering fears, believing in ones-self, learning from others and the importance of family. I also enjoyed and appreciated the animation of the landscape and nature, even though nature is the antagonist of the film.

However, I do agree with Pixar that it is a good but not great film, which is why it comes in third place for me.

2 – Coco

The last original film of the Era, Coco is a charming and well-written film focusing on the importance of family, familial love, ancestry, and cultural pride.

The crew’s research trip to Mexico showed in its respectful portrayal of Mexican culture and Dia de Muertos. I personally appreciated the animation, culture, comedy, wise and universal messages of the film, the film’s attention to detail, and the subtle and recurring foreshadowing of its twist.

1 – Inside Out

A film focusing on personified emotions and their love for the human whose mind they live in, Inside Out comes in first place for me due to its original, unique and layered premise, attention to detail, and the clear amount of homework the filmmakers did to make a film about emotions and emotional intelligence, for both kids and adults to enjoy.

What do you think of my rankings and how would you rank the ten films of the Experimental Era? Feel free to let me know by leaving a comment below.