It’s appropriate that Pixar Animation Studios’ first feature, 1995’s “Toy Story,” was centered on the world of playthings. Since then, no entertainment entity has been able to tap into our inner child with more consistently boundless imagination than the team spearheaded by John Lasseter.
This Friday, Pixar will attempt to do it again, with their latest animated outing, “Brave.” Here, the studio takes the standard Disney princess and gives her a badass makeover, fiery red hair and a way with a bow and arrow, not to mention a thick Scottish brogue courtesy of the adorable Kelly Macdonald.
It’s that penchant for character development that has made every entry in the Pixar filmography a bull’s-eye. Which is why Moviefone is making a brave stance of our own and ranking almost every major character (all 118 of them!) from the 13 Pixar flicks. We also split them up into several different categories, including Cute Kids, Cuter Critters and the Adorable Sidekicks. Enjoy!
The Celebs
The studio has lured some pretty good gets from celebrities either looking to impress their kids or earn a stable residual check, but Paul Newman is the cherry on top… or should that be the salad dressing?
118. Annie Potts as Bo Peep (“Toy Story”)
117. John Turturro as Francesco Bernoulli (“Cars 2”)
116. Vanessa Redgrave as Mama Topolino/The Queen (“Cars 2”)
115. Tony Shalhoub as Luigi (“Cars 2”)
114. Cheech Marin as Ramone (“Cars”)
113. Whoopi Goldberg as Stretch (“Toy Story 3”)
112. Will Arnett as Horst (“Ratatouille”)
111. Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil (“A Bug’s Life”)
110. Wallace Shawn as Rex (“Toy Story”)
109. George Carlin as Fillmore (“Cars”)
108. Bruce Campbell as Rod “Torque” Redline (“Cars 2”)
107. Penn Jillette as TV Announcer (“Toy Story”)
106. Frank Oz as Jeff Fungus (“Monsters Inc.”)
105. Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants (“Toy Story 3”)
104. Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh (“Brave”)
103. Fred Willard as Shelby Forthright (live-action) (“WALL-E”)
102. Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head (“Toy Story”)
101. Sigourney Weaver as the voice of the Axiom’s computer (“WALL-E”)
100. R. Lee Ermey as Sarge (“Toy Story”)
99. Paul Newman as Doc Hudson (“Cars”)
Pixar Employees
Even amid the intense pressure to keep topping themselves movie after movie, some of the studio’s best and brightest find time to voice a character or two, as did the late Joe Ranft who helped define modern animation.
98. John Lasseter as John Lassetire (“Cars 2”)
97. Pete Docter as Kevin (“Up”)
96. Lou Romano as Snot Rod (“Cars”)
95. Lou Romano as Bernie Kropp (“The Incredibles”)
94. Andrew Stanton as Crush (“Finding Nemo”)
93. Andrew Stanton as Evil Emperor Zurg (“Toy Story 2”)
92. Brad Bird as Ambrister Minion (“Ratatouille”)
91. Brad Bird as Edna Mode (“The Incredibles”)
90. Joe Ranft as Red (“Cars”)
89. Joe Ranft as Jacques (“Finding Nemo”)
88. Joe Ranft as Lenny (“Toy Story”)
John Ratzenberger
The sardonic postal worker from “Cheers” has found a home in every single Pixar movie, and neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays him from doing so. His bad guy straight out of Jack Kirby-era “Fantastic Four” is the hilarious punchline of “Incredibles.”
87. John Ratzenberger as Tom (“Up”)
86. John Ratzenberger as Mustafa (“Ratatouille”)
85. John Ratzenberger as the school of Moonfish (“Finding Nemo”)
84. John Ratzenberger as Mack (“Cars 1 & 2”)
83. John Ratzenberger and Kathy Najimy as John and Mary (“WALL-E”)
82. John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea (“A Bug’s Life”)
81. John Ratzenberger as Hamm (“Toy Story 1,2, & 3”)
80. John Ratzenberger as The Abominable Snowman (“Monsters Inc.”)
79. John Ratzenberger as The Underminer (“The Incredibles”)
The Loners
“Lawrence of Arabia” himself lent an extra air of gravitas to the stuck-up food critic who gets magically transported back to his childhood via a simple peasant dish.
78. Teddy Newton as Chatter Telephone (“Toy Story 3”)
77. Bud Luckey as Chuckles (“Toy Story 3”)
76. Willem Dafoe as Gill (“Finding Nemo”)
75. Denis Leary as Francis (“A Bug’s Life”)
74. Jeff Garlin as Captain B. McCrea (“WALL-E”)
73. Peter O’Toole as Anton Ego (“Ratatouille”)
The Bad Parents
For years comedian Patton Oswalt used Brian Dennehy as a punchline in his act, so it was fitting that the great character actor should wind up playing his garbage eating, philistine rat of a father.
72. Billy Connolly as King Fergus (“Brave”)
71. Brad Garrett as Auguste Gusteau (“Ratatouille”)
70. Phyllis Diller as The Queen (“A Bug’s Life”)
69. Brian Dennehy as Django (“Ratatouille”)
Cuter Critters
“My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you.” Right back at ya, Dug. Right back at ya.
68. Bonnie Hunt as Rosie (“A Bug’s Life”)
67. Madeline Kahn as Gypsy (“A Bug’s Life”)
66. Jonathan Harris as Manny (“A Bug’s Life”)
65. Brad Garrett as Dim (“A Bug’s Life”)
64. Geoffrey Rush as Nigel the Pelican (“Finding Nemo”)
63. Barry Humphries as Bruce the Shark (“Finding Nemo”)
62. Woody Smith as Big Baby (“Toy Story 3”)
61. Joe Ranft as Heimlich (“A Bug’s Life”)
60. Jeff Pidgeon as Little Green Men (“Toy Story”)
59. Peter Sohn as Emile (“Ratatouille”)
58. Jim Varney as Slinky Dog (“Toy Story”)
57. The Cockroach (“WALL-E”)
56. Bob Peterson as Dug (“Up”)
Cute Kids
Pixar knows how to do cute, no question, but when Sully walks through that door at the end of “Monsters Inc.” to Boo’s bright exclamation of “Kitty!” we dare your heart not to melt.
55. Hayden Panettiere as Dot (“A Bug’s Life”)
54. The Red-Headed Triplets (“Brave”)
53. John Morris as Andy Davis (“Toy Story”)
52. Spencer Fox as Dashiell Robert “Dash” Parr (“The Incredibles”)
51. Eli Fucile and Maeve Andrews as Jack-Jack Parr (“The Incredibles”)
50. Alexander Gould as Nemo (“Finding Nemo”)
49. Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr (“The Incredibles”)
48. Mary Gibbs as Boo (“Monsters Inc.”)
The Villains
Jason Lee’s dastardly Syndrome managed to wipe out a whole slew of superheroes, but Ned Beatty’s pink plushy Lotso ran the Sunnyside toy room like an SS officer.
47. LuLu Ebeling as Darla (“Finding Nemo”)
46. Eddie Izzard as Miles Axlerod (“Cars 2”)
45. Thomas Kretschmann as Professor Z (“Cars 2”)
44. Wayne Knight as Al McWhiggin (“Toy Story 2”)
43. Erik von Detten as Sid Phillips (“Toy Story”)
42. Elizabeth Peña as Mirage (“The Incredibles”)
41. Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks (“Cars”)
40. Kevin Spacey as Hopper (“A Bug’s Life”)
39. James Coburn as Henry J. Waternoose III (“Monsters Inc.”)
38. Christopher Plummer as Charles F. Muntz (“Up”)
37. Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete the Prospector (“Toy Story 2”)
36. Ian Holm as Skinner (“Ratatouille”)
35. Steve Buscemi as Randall Boggs (“Monsters Inc.”)
34. Jason Lee as Buddy Pine/Syndrome (“The Incredibles”)
33. Ned Beatty as Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (“Toy Story 3”)
The G-Rated Love Interests
Even cartoon characters need some delicious-looking arm candy when they’re walking down the red carpet, digital be damned. While all these lovely ladies have got the goods (and you, Ken), the carnal potential of Holly Hunter’s bendy/stretchy Elastigirl seems downright limitless.
32. Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor (“Brave”)
31. Emily Mortimer as Holley Shiftwell (“Cars 2”)
30. Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera (“Cars”)
29. Jennifer Tilly as Celia Mae (“Monsters Inc.”)
28. Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta (“A Bug’s Life”)
27. Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head (“Toy Story 2”)
26. Elissa Knight as EVE (“WALL-E”)
25. Jodi Benson as Barbie (“Toy Story 2”)
24. Michael Keaton as Ken (“Toy Story 3”)
23. Joan Cusack as Jessie (“Toy Story 2”)
22. Elizabeth Doctor as Ellie Fredricksen (“Up”)
21. Janeane Garofalo as Colette Tatou (“Ratatouille”)
20. Holly Hunter as Helen Parr/Elastigirl (“The Incredibles”)
The Adorable Sidekicks
What hero would be complete without their stalwart companion to get them out of some serious jams? Trouble is they’re often so gosh-darned likable they wind up stealing the show, like Ellen DeGeneres’ Regal tang did from Albert Brooks’ neurotic clownfish.
19. Michael Caine as Finn McMissile (“Cars 2”)
18. Larry the Cable Guy as Mater (“Cars”)
17. Frank Welker as Bullseye (“Toy Story 2”)
16. Lou Romano as Alfredo Linguini (“Ratatouille”)
15. Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best/Frozone (“The Incredibles”)
14. Jordan Nagai as Russell (“Up”)
13. Billy Crystal as Michael “Mike” Wazowski (“Monsters Inc.”)
12. Ellen DeGeneres as Dory (“Finding Nemo”)
The Stars
Every film in the Pixar canon has a central, defining character that has gone on to become an icon in their own right. While Tom Hanks’ cowboy doll straight out of the ’50s will always be the gold standard for lovability, each new hero, be they a rat, fish, robot, or superhero, is as unique as the one who came before.
11. Dave Foley as Flik (“A Bug’s Life”)
10. Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen (“Cars”)
9. Edward Asner as Carl Fredricksen (“Up”)
8. Kelly Macdonald as Princess Merida (“Brave”)
7. John Goodman as James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (“Monsters Inc.”)
6. Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (“The Incredibles”)
5. Ben Burtt produced the voice of WALL-E (“WALL-E”)
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