The Ultimate Pixar Animated Film Guide: 2020 - 2024

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The Ultimate Pixar Animated Film Guide
1995-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-2009 | 2010-2014 | 2015-2019 | 2020-2024

Pixar is a company considered to create the epitome of computer animation, dominating the Academy Awards for their animated films. Following a period in which they had made numerous sequels, they announced plans to return to making more original films. Yet their first challenge was one that no-one could have foreseen when the film went into production as they experienced their very first financial flop.

The Films

The films made during this five year period are listed below, with recurring characters shown in Bold. This entry also states whether the films pass the Bechdel Test. This can be summarised as whether the film involves two or more female characters who have a conversation together that is not about men.

22. Onward (2020)

DirectorDan Scanlon
Plot

In a fantasy world where technology has replaced magic because technology is easier live the Lightfoot family whose father died before Ian died. On Ian's 16trh birthday he is given a wizard's staff, a powerful crystal and a spell that can reincarnate Ian's father for one day that can only work once. Ian tries to cast the spell, but only manages to reincarnate his father's legs before the crystal disintegrates. He and his brother Barley decide to find a replacement gem to let them complete the spell before the time runs out, heading for the Manticore's Tavern, the first step on their journey.

Will Ian and Barley succeed in their quest, and will they both develop as people and learn about themselves during the experience? Will their attempt to find magic in a world that has long gone without it encourage those around them to discover magic for themselves?

Length99 minutes
SettingNew Mushroomton, city in a fantasy world where technology has replaced magic
Characters
  • Ian Lightfoot, nervous 16-year-old elf whose father died before he was born (Tom Holland)
  • Barley Lightfoot, Ian's older brother who loves his van and role-playing games (Chris Pratt)
  • Laurel Lightfoot, Ian and Barley's mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
  • Corey The Manticore, former firey tavern keeper, now restaurant owner (Octavia Spencer)
  • Colt Bronco, policeman and potential partner for Laurel (Mel Rodriguez)
  • Wilden Lightfoot, Ian and Barley's father and legs (Kyle Bornheimer)
  • Specter and Gore, police officers (Lena Waithe and Ali Wong)
  • Dewdrop, intimidating Pixie Duster Biker (Grey Griffin)
  • Grecklin, pawn shop owner (Tracey Ullman)
Music'Carried Me With You' by Brandi Carlile, Phil and Tim Hanseroth
Accompanying ShortPlaydate with Destiny (2020) – short film based on The Simpsons1
Cameos
  • The Pizza Planet van appears by the Troll Booth, now renamed Pizza Realm
  • Triple Dent Gum is also mentioned
  • The police officers discuss that there is 'A 113 in progress' in reference to A113, a number appearing in each film.
  • The Pegasus logo on the van Guinevere can also be seen on the bouncy castle at the funfair in Toy Story 4
  • The calendar that Ian has shows a scene from Brave
  • There is a shop named 'Sword in the Scone'
  • The chef at Manticore's Tavern looks remarkably like Remy from Ratatouille
  • The hats worn in the tavern are inspired by Mickey's sorcerer's hat in Fantasia
BechdelPass

One of the joys of the film is looking out for the other film references. There is a Burger Shire serving second breakfast in a reference to The Lord of the Rings and the appetite of hobbits, as well as Indiana Jones references. The film was inspired by Dan Scanlon's personal experience, as he had lost his father at a young age.

Although it saw rave reviews in the western world2, the film bombed at cinemas, recouping half the production budget. This was largely because it was released just before the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak spread worldwide. On its opening weekend cinema attendance was a small fraction of what would normally be expected across all films, and by the following weekend many key markets had taken steps to close all cinemas. Rather than plan to re-release the film later in the year once the outbreak had passed, Disney announced that Onward would be available on their newly-launched Disney+ online video-streaming service and used extensively to try and persuade households to subscribe during the period of social distancing and lockdown.

Sadly Onward's failure at the box office may have consequences, no matter how unfair. It has led to speculation that Pixar may well abandon their strategy on making new, original films and instead return to making more films based on established successes. There is also a belief that fantasy western animated films consistently flop, following such film financial failures as The Lord of the Rings Part One (1979) and The Black Cauldron (1985).

23. Soul (2020)

DirectorPete Docter
Plot

Joe is a music teacher who dreams of being a jazz pianist and one of his former students informs him that jazz legend Dorothea Williams is desperate for a pianist for a performance that night at a jazz club. After impressing her and getting the gig, he falls down a manhole and falls into a coma, becoming an untethered soul.

Joe finds himself heading to the Great Beyond but wishing to return to his life escapes to the Great Before where souls who have not yet lived exist. Impersonating a soul mentor designed to aid young souls he is assigned to soul 22 who is unwilling to live and does not have the spark that would permit her to be born. Joe and 22 agree that if he is able to give her the spark that would give her the pass to go to Earth she will give the pass to him.

After speaking to spiritual guru Moonwind, who still lives but can visit the spirit realm, an accident results in their falling to Earth with 22 in Joe's body and Joe trapped in the body of a therapy cat that had been next to Joe. Can Joe find his way back to his body and will 22 learn to accept life on Earth and finally want to live? Or will they be found by soul counter Terry

Length100 minutes
SettingNew York and the spirit world, both Great Beyond and Great Before
Characters
  • Joe Gardner, music teacher longing to be a jazz pianist whose soul finds itself in the afterlife (Jamie Foxx)
  • 22, a soul in the Great Before who doesn't want to live (Tina Fey)
  • Moonwind, sign twirler and spiritual guru (Graham Norton)
  • Curley, Joe's former pupil who is now Dorothea Williams' drummer (Questlove)
  • Libba Gardner, Joe's seamstress/tailor mother (Phylicia Rashad)
  • Dorothea Williams, famous jazz saxophonist head of Dorothea Williams' Quartet (Angela Bassett)
  • Soul counsellors all named Jerry (Richard Ayoade, Alice Braga, Wes Studi, Fortune Feimster and Zenobia Shroff)
  • Terry, soul accountant (Rachel House)
  • Dez, barber (Donnell Rawlings)
Soul Music
  • 'Things Ain't What They Used to Be' by Mercer Ellington
  • 'We Get Along' by Joseph Crispiano), David Anthony Guy, Sharon Jones, Catherine Orchard, Gabriel Roth and Homer Steinweiss
  • 'II B.S.' by Charles Mingus
  • 'Rappin Ced' by Daveed Diggs
  • 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' by Bob Dylan
  • 'Check the Rhime' by Roger Ball, Malcolm Duncan, Q-Tip, Stephen Ferrone, Alan Gorrie, Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Owen McIntyre, Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph, Hamish Stuart, Malik Izaak Taylor, and Leon Ware
  • 'Body and Soul' by John Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton
  • 'Parting Ways' by Cody Chesnutt
  • 'Apple Tree' by Erica Wright and Robert Bradford
  • 'Space Maker' by Walter Norris
  • 'It's All Right' by Curtis Mayfield
  • 'Cristo Redentor' by Duke Pearson
OscarBest Animated Film
Best Original Score
Spin Off22 vs. Earth (2021) – Short film
Cameos
  • An Inside Out broccoli pizza appears.
  • The Pizza Planet van appear in the Hall of Everything
  • The Luxo Jnr lamp appears in the Hall of Everything
  • 22 has a spirit version of the Pixar ball.
  • 'Brang', the company Riley's dad works for, is advertised.
  • The stock market trader has the same Chinese takeaway as A Bug's Life, Ratatouille and Inside Out
BechdelPass

Many of the mentor name stickers in 22's room are either famous inspirational figures or Pixar employees.

This film had been intended for a summer 2020 release but was delayed by the Covid-19 outbreak which closed cinemas worldwide. Despite a premiere at the London Film Festival it was released worldwide on Christmas Day 2020 on Disney+.

24. Luca (2021)

DirectorEnrico Casarosa
Plot

Off the coast of Italian harbour town Portorosso in the 1950s is a community of mermaid 'sea monsters'. They have tails, gills and fins when underwater but, when dry, appear fully human. 13-year-old boy Luca, who has lived a sheltered life shepherding goatfish, encounters the adventurous and reckless 14-year-old sea monster Alberto, who lives alone on an isolated island, the two bond and dream of living in the human world and riding a Vespa motorscooter around the world. When Luca's parents discover this they plan to send him to the bottom of the ocean, but instead Luca runs away with Alberto to the nearest human town, Portorosso.

In Portorosso they encounter Giulia, who spends the summer holidays with her fishmonger father Massimo training for the Portorosso Cup, a swimming, cycling, pasta-eating competition that she always loses. If they work as a team and win, Luca and Alberto will be able to afford to buy a Vespa. Can Luca and Alberto keep their secret and stay hidden from their parents? Will their views of not only humans but also the whole universe change?

Length101 minutes
Setting1954 Italian harbour town and surrounding water of Portorosso
Characters
  • Luca Paguro, 13-year-old sea monster (Jacob Tremblay)
  • Alberto Scorfano, 14-year-old sea monster (Jack Dylan Grazer)
  • Giulia Marcovaldo, 13-year-old girl who feels like an outside and underdog (Emma berman)
  • Ercole Visconti, teenage bully who owns a Vespa (Saverio Raimondo)
  • Daniela & Lorenzo Paguro, Luca's overprotective parents (Maya Rudolph & Peter Sohn)
  • Massimo Marcovaldo, Giulia's one-armed fisherman father (Marco Barricelli)
  • Mrs Marsigliese, Portorosso Cup organiser (Marina Massironi)
  • Grandma Pagguro, Daniela's mother (Sandy Martin)
  • Uncle Ugo, Lorenzo's brother (Sacha Baron Cohen)
SoundtrackComposed by Dan Romer
Cameos
  • There is a Pizza Planet Piaggio Ape, a three-wheeled van, seen in the cycle race.
  • The Pixar ball can be seen on a rooftop during the chase.
  • Luca's train ticket is number A113
  • There are film posters for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), with diving suits from that film also featured.
  • Giulia has a cuddy Donald Duck and book The Adventures of Pinocchio
  • The distinct Toy Story-shaped clouds can be seen in the sky
BechdelPass

The film is heavily influenced by the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki, which also often have a period and Mediterranean setting. The town of Portorosso is named after film Porco Rosso (1992), although meaning 'Red Port' it is also a reference to Pixar's next film, titled Turning Red. Cyclist Giulia wears the same clothes as cyclist Tombo does in Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). Other influences included Federico Fellini and his 1954 film La Strada, which actually can be seen as a poster Enrico Casarosa had previously directed Pixar short La Luna, with character Massimo who rows a small boat in order to get to work (fishing) looking very similar to the character Papa rowed a small boat in order to get to work.

There is a short post-credits sequence. This was the second Pixar film in a row to be released direct to Disney+ subscribers without first being shown in cinemas. As it was not even released as a premiere subscription this has led to complaints from Pixar employees that their work is undervalued by the Walt Disney Company.

25. Turning Red (2022)

DirectorDomee Shi
Plot

Meilin 'Mei Mei' Lee is a 13-year-old girl balancing living her own life with pleasing her loved but domineering parents, who run a Chinese temple in Toronto. She, along with her closest friends, has a crush on boy band 4*Town, who are due to perform in Toronto. After being majorly embarrassed by her mother Mei Mei discovers that due to a family curse whenever she feels emotional, she turns into a giant Red Panda. Horrified, Mei Mei tries to hide but later comes to realise that being a Red Panda can help her raise the funds to pay for the expensive tickets so she and her friends can see 4*Town, yet they are due to perform on the Night of the Red Moon, which is the only time when she can be freed of the curse of turning into a Red Panda.

Can Mei Mei please her parents, end the curse or come to accept this new part of herself?

Length99 minutes
SettingToronto in 2002
Characters
  • Meilin Lee, called both 'Mei Mei' and 'Mei', 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl (Rosalie Chiang)
  • Ming Lee, Mei's strict mother (Sandra Oh)
  • Miriam Mendelsohn, Mei's friend (Ava Morse)
  • Priya Mangal, Mei's friend (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan)
  • Abby Park, Mei's friend (Hyein Park)
  • Jin Lee, Mei's father (Orion Lee)
  • Wu, Mei's grandmother and Ming's strict, traditional mother (Wai Ching Ho)
  • Tyler Nguyen-Baker, school bully (Tristan Allerick Chen)
  • Mr Gao, shaman (James Hong)
MusicComposed by Ludwig Göransson
Cameos
  • There is a Bao Restaurant
  • Miriam's skateboard has a Lightyear logo
  • The Pizza Planet van is seen parked when Mei runs to the SkyDome to attend the concert
BechdelPass

Shi had previously directed Pixar Oscar-winning short Bao, about a Chinese-Canadian mother whose son is leaving home, which is referenced in the film and pitched a story about a 'girl going through a magical puberty'. The film was inspired by Studio Ghibli classics such as My Neighbor Totoro and even had a joke working-title of My Neighbor Toronto, with cats in the film having similar colouring to those in the Studio Ghibli classic.

Inexplicably there were complaints in America that menstruation was an inappropriate topic for a film aimed at children, even though this will affect half the world's population between the age of 9–16 whether approved of or not. Other influences on Mei include the character of Lisa Simpson, who also plays an instrument in the school orchestra, with the temple's panda statues named 'Bart' and 'Lisa'.

Following the success of Encanto which was praised for having the main female protagonist wear glasses, Mei wears glasses in this film too. Like the previous two Pixar films, Turning Red was released directly on Disney+ instead of in cinemas as a result of the Covid pandemic, leading to further reports that Disney were deliberately side-lining Pixar's films, especially ones featuring non-white lead characters. Despite this, following its release Domee Shi was promoted to be one of Pixar's Vice President of Creative [sic].

26. Lightyear (2022)

DirectorAngus MacLane
Plot

Buzz Lightyear is a Space Ranger in Star Command. When exploring a hostile planet he refuses to accept help, and crashes the ship. While the crew begins to colonise the planet Buzz is determined to find a way off the planet and volunteers for a series of hyperspace tests that will allow them to escape. However each flight he takes at near-hyperspace speeds lasts only minutes for him, but years for those on the planet.

Eventually he discovers how to refine the fuel, only to realise that his best friend Commander Alisha Hawthorne has married Kiko, they've had a granddaughter and Alisha has died of old age. Meanwhile alien robots commanded by Zurg have invaded the planet and seem to be after Buzz's fuel. With the colony besieged, only his robot cat Sox and eager, but inexperienced rookies Izzy Hawthorne, Alisha's granddaughter who has astrophobia, paroled convict Darby Steel and clumsy quitter Mo Morrison are free. Has Buzz learned his lesson that he needs to befriend and trust others, or will he try to fight Zurg on his own?

Length105 minutes
Setting Space, the Final Frontier. Particularly planet T'Kani Prime
Characters
  • Buzz Lightyear, space ranger (Chris Evans)
  • Izzy Hawthorne, hero-worshipping granddaughter of his best friend (Keke Palmer)
  • Alisha Hawthorne, Buzz's best friend and commanding officer (Uzo Aduba)
  • Sox, robot cat (Peter Sohn)
  • Zurg, evil space warlord (James Brolin)
  • Mo Morrison, recruit (Taika Waititi)
  • Darby Soules, elderly convict recruit (Dale Soules)
SoundtrackComposed by Michael Giacchino
Related
  • 1. Toy Story (1995)
  • 3. Toy Story 2 (1999)
  • 10. Toy Story 3 (2010)
  • 21. Toy Story 4 (2019)
  • Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000) – feature length
  • Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-2001) - cartoon series.
  • Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation (2011)
  • Toy Story Toons: Small Fry (2011)
  • Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (2012)
  • Toy Story of Terror! (2013)
  • Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)
Cameos
  • The Mission Control Worker is voiced by astronaut Tim Peake
  • The star outline of the Luxo Jnr lamp can be seen as a constellation
  • Mission Control contains Scream Cannisters from Monsters, Inc
  • A lot of Buzz's dialogue is the same as phrases said in Toy Story series.
BechdelFail

A spin-off of the Toy Story series covering the same ground as cartoon Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000), with this film purporting to show the real adventures of Buzz Lightyear, who Andy in the Toy Story film series has a toy of. Unfortunately his adventures seem to consist largely of blaming himself for a mistake made a century ago and trying to avoid interacting with anyone else. The plot, in which the faster that Buzz travels, the longer in years it takes for him to return to the planet he is marooned on, makes it difficult to care about the supporting characters as the first lot are disposed with quite quickly.

This was the first Pixar film to be released in cinemas since the start of the Covid pandemic, and bombed. In 2018 Disney released Solo, a science fiction prequel film named after a major character in the Star Wars series only with the main role recast with a different actor instead of the iconic man who made the role famous, creating a film that bombed. In 2022 Disney released Lightyear, a science fiction prequel film named after a major character in the Toy Story series only with the main role recast with a different actor instead of the iconic man who made the role famous, creating a film that bombed. Why Tim Allen was replaced as Buzz Lightyear with Chris Evans is unclear, however audiences did not react well to the change. Lightyear also featured a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kiss between two women, one of whom doesn't even have any lines. This led to it being banned in all the usual countries where Lesbianism is illegal3. As the last few Pixar films were released straight to Disney+, with the popularity of that streaming service it is believed that many Disney fans who have subscribed to it preferred to wait 45 days to see the film in the comfort of their own home rather than go to the cinema. There is also a belief that western science fiction animated films consistently flop4.

There are pleasing references to numerous science fiction films throughout, which rewards multiple viewings even though the plot is predictable and cliched.

27. Elemental (2023)

DirectorPeter Sohn
Plot

In a world divided between the four elements - Earth, Air, Water and Fire - Firish immigrants to Element City Bernie and Cinder establish a shop called the Fireplace and hold onto their heritage and tradition in a new place despite being labelled hot heads by the other elements. There they raise their daughter Ember, with the expectation that she will one day inherit the shop, once she is able to control her temper.

Following a hot-tempered outburst that breaks a water pipe, a water element named Wade who is an inspector, floods into the shop and threatens to close it down. After submitting his report, Wade helps Ember talk to his boss. They agree that if Ember can help Wade find and solve a serious leak in the city, the shop won't be shut for good.

Can a hot-headed fire element work with a wet water element who is transparent and goes with the flow? What are Ember's temper tantrums trying to tell her?

Length109 minutes
SettingElement City, especially Fire Town
Characters
  • Ember Lumen, young fire element due to inherit the family shop (Leah Lewis)
  • Wade Ripple, young, emotional water element who is the love interest (Mamoudo Athie)
  • Bernie Lumen, Ember's ill father who established the Fireplace shop (Ronnie del Carmen)
  • Cinder Lumen, Ember's mother who can smell love (Shila Ommi)
  • Gale Cumulus, Wade's air element boss (Wendi McLendon-Covey)
MusicBy Thomas Newman
OscarTBC
Accompanying ShortCarl's Date (2023)
Cameos
  • The air elements look similar to Gus from Pixar short Partly Cloudly
  • There are background nods to next Pixar film, Elio
  • The Pixar Planet van appears behind Cinder when she is outside Wade's flat
  • A train station sign spells 'A113' through the periodic table of elements - it reads 'A', 'H', 'Al'. There is no element for A, but with H standing for Hydrogen (atomic number: 1), Al is Aluminum (atomic number: 13), it reads A113.
  • There is a very minor background character named Ghibli
BechdelPass

This film is a thinly-veiled story of people migrating to the United States, particularly New York. Director Peter Sohn had himself migrated to New York from Korea with his parents, who opened a shop. Influenced by rom-coms, this is a breathtakingly beautiful film with likeable characters, but a largely cheesy and predictable plot that contains elements of earlier films such as An American Tale and Zootopia.

The Future

The Ultimate Pixar Animated Film Guide
1995-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-2009 | 2010-2014 | 2015-2019 | 2020-2024
1Disney having acquired the rights to The Simpsons following their purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019.2The film was banned in many Middle Eastern countries as minor character Specter who only appears in one scene mentions that she has a girlfriend. In Russia the word was translated to mean 'partner' instead of 'girlfriend'.3 Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Russia, which it is unlikely to have been released in anyway due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.4Examples include Warner Bros' The Iron Giant (1999), 20th Century Fox's Titan AE (2000), Disney's Treasure Planet (2002), ImageMovers Digital's Mars Needs Moms (2011) and Blue Sky's Spies in Disguise (2019).

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