Why do people love PIXAR's movies?For fifteen years, PIXAR has made many CGI-animated feature films that were associated with excellence, high quality and outstanding creativity. All of its movies have met with critical and commercial success, praised by the critics and loved by the audiences.
PIXAR Animation Studios is one of the most critically acclaimed film studios of all time. It began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm. In 1986, it was acquired by Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder. It was the first studio which introduced a full CGI-animated movie with its Toy Story in 1995. The very beautiful three-dimensional animation amazed people when Toy Story was released. The excellence graphic animation was something people have never seen before at that time. The success of PIXAR with its CGI-animated films was then followed by other studios, such as DreamWorks (with Shrek in 2001) and Blue Sky Studios (with Ice Age in 2002). It also slowly marked the end of the conventional two-dimensional animated movies era of the popular Disney. In 2006, The Walt Disney Company bought PIXAR for approximately US$ 7.4 Billion stock deal. The acquisition definitely strengthens both companies, as they become a stronger force. The branding of the films made post-merger is "Disney•Pixar", starting with Cars in 2006 as their first post-merger film.
So, if I was asked, why I love PIXAR's movies? Then, I will give 3 reasons:
1) PIXAR's movies have wonderful stories.
A PIXAR's movie always has a great, awesome and solid storyline. Their writer team is so brilliant in creating a story that is original, unique, fun, clever, deep in value, inspiring, engaging, captivating, touching and heart-warming. This is the reason why people keep falling in love again and again with PIXAR. Watching a PIXAR's movie is like having a complete experience, you see it with your eyes, you feel it with your soul, and you love it with your heart! Do you remember how Up made you feeling blue and crying to tears? How the friendships in Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. touched your heart? Or how the sacrifices of a father in finding his son across oceans in Finding Nemo teached you an important family value? How about dreaming a big dream in Ratatouille, as you can be anything even if you are a rat? Or feeling the sadness of the solitary heart of a robot in Wall-E? They even made a total fun superhero movie with incredible superheroes in The Incredibles. The fact is PIXAR never disappointed their fans, as they never compromised with quality. In the awards sector, PIXAR has won a handful of awards for their movies, including winning 5 times Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. And years after years, PIXAR is even getting better and better.
2) PIXAR's movies have tons of lovable characters.
A good animated story is not enough without funny and interesting characters. And PIXAR is an expert in creating those characters. But different from most animated movies, PIXAR's characters have more in depth and rich in feeling, like a real human being, no matter whether it is a toy, a bug, a monster, a fish, a rat, a robot, or even a car. And their human characters can project real and engaging feelings, more than many films with real humans in them.
You will smile and laugh with the characters in the times of happiness, but when the sadness part come, it will stab you directly in the heart and leave you crying. That what makes PIXAR's characters (and stories) so amazing. At the end, those characters will stay with you forever.
3) PIXAR's movies have the most sophisticated graphic animations.
It is unarguable that PIXAR has the best CGI animation until now. The graphic animation is so sophisticated and beautiful. The colors are so sharp and rich, and the graphics are so details, which make the characters becoming alive. For years, PIXAR has always taken the front lead in the CGI animation (as well as the solid stories), and they never fell behind. They seem to be unstoppable by other studios. Their closest competitor, DreamWorks, is still one step behind. Watching a PIXAR's movie is like having a feast for the eyes.
To satisfy your excitements for PIXAR, below are the complete 10 films of PIXAR (from 1995 t0 2009), before Toy Story 3 :
1) TOY STORY (1995)
MyRating: YYYY Director: John Lasseter
Voice: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Budget: US$ 30 Million
US Gross: US$ 191.8 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 362.0 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 9/10 PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 10/10
(1/10=the highest; 10/10=the lowest)
Academy Awards:
- Won Special Achievement Award (John Lasseter) for the development of the first feature-length computer-animated film.
- Nominated for 3 other Oscars (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score & Best Original Song).
Woody, a cowboy sheriff, is Andy's favorite until Buzz Lightyear, a space-ranger, comes into Andy's life to become his new favorite toy. Driven by jealousy, Woody gets into a fight with Buzz, and Buzz is accidentally fallen out of the window. Being accused by all the other toys of killing Buzz, Woody has to go out of the house to look for Buzz and bring him back to Andy's room. But on the way to get home, they have to face all kind of troubles of the dangerous real life outside the house.
2) A Bug's Life (1998)
MyRating: YYYYDirector: John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton
Voice: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey
Budget: US$ 45 Million
US Gross: US$ 162.8 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 363.4 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 10/10PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 9/10
Academy Awards:- Nominated for Best Original Score.
Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill to eat the offering that the ants have gathered for them. One day, a misfit inventor ant named Flik accidentally drops the whole offering seeds into the river. When the grasshoppers come, they become furious, but they give the ants a second chance to collect food until fall or worse things will happen. Flik sets off to find help from bugs that are willing to fight the grasshoppers and he returns home with a circus crew, giving everybody false hope. When everybody realizes the mistake, there is only little time left before the grasshoppers return.
3) TOY STORY 2 (1999)
MyRating : YYYY1/2Director: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon & Lee Unkrich
Voice: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Budget: US$ 90 Million
US Gross: US$ 245.9 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 485.0 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 5/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 7/10
Academy Awards: - Nominated for Best Original Song.
While Andy goes off to a summer camp, Woody is accidentally placed in a yard sale and kidnapped by a greedy toy collector. Buzz Lightyear and all of his toy friends are then out of the house to the dangerous real world for a rescue mission, to bring Woody back to the house. In the new place, Woody meets with other toys, including Jessie, the cowgirl. But Woody is about to be sold to Japan. Can his friends save him in time before it is too late and will they be separated forever?
4) MONSTERS, INC. (2001)
MyRating: YYYYYDirector: Pete Docter, David Silverman & Lee Unkrich
Voice: John Goodman, Billy Crystal
Budget: US$ 115 Million
US Gross: US$ 255.9 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 525.4 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 4/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 5/10
Academy Awards:
- Won Best Original Song (Randy Newman - "If I Didn't Have You").
- Nominated for 3 other Oscars (Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score & Best Sound Editing).
--- Story recap coming soon ---
5) Finding Nemo (2003)
MyRating: YYYYYDirector: Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich
Voice: Albert Brooke, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
Budget: US$ 94 Million
US Gross: US$ 339.7 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 867.9 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 1/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 1/10
Academy Awards:
- Won Best Animated Feature Film.
- Nominated for 3 other Oscars (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score & Best Sound Editing).
--- Story recap coming soon ---
6) The Incredibles (2004)
MyRating: YYYYDirector: Brad Bird
Voice: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson
Budget: US$ 92 Million
US Gross: US$ 261.4 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 631.4 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 3/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 3/10
Academy Awards:
- Won 2 Oscars (Best Animated Feature Film & Best Sound Editing).
- Nominated for 2 other Oscars (Best Original Screenplay & Best Sound Mixing).
--- Story recap coming soon ---
7) CARS (2006)
MyRating: YY1/2Director: John Lasseter & Joe Ranft
Voice: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt
Budget: US$ 120 Million
US Gross: US$ 244.1 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 462.0 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 6/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 8/10
Academy Awards:- Nominated for 2 Oscars (Best Animated Feature Film & Best Original Song).
--- Story recap coming soon ---
8) RATATOUILLE (2007)
MyRating: YYYYDirector: Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava
Voice: Patton Oswald, Ian Holm
Budget: US$ 150 Million
US Gross: US$ 206.4 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 623.7 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 8/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 4/10
Academy Awards:
- Won Best Animated Feature Film.
- Nominated for 4 other Oscars (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound & Best Sound Editing).
- Story recap coming soon ---
9) WALL-E (2008)
MyRating: YYYYDirector: Andrew Stanton
Voice: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight
Budget: US$ 180 Million
US Gross: US$ 223.8 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 521.3 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 7/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 6/10
Academy Awards:
- Won Best Animated Feature Film.
- Nominated for 5 other Oscars (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound & Best Sound Editing).
--- Story recap coming soon ---
10) UP (2009)
MyRating: YYYY1/2Director: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Voice: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer
Budget: US$ 175 Million
US Gross: US$ 293.0 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 731.3 Million
PIXAR US Box Office Rank: 2/10
PIXAR Worldwide BO Rank: 2/10
Academy Awards:
- Won 2 Oscars (Best Animated Feature Film & Best Original Score).
- Nominated for 3 other Oscars (Best Motion Picture, Best Original Screenplay & Best Sound Editing)
--- Story recap coming soon ---
(MJ)
