Ep. 27 - Ranked! Top 20 Pixar Movies!

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[0:00] J.J.: Welcome back to another episode of Back to the Movie Theater with J.J. and Olaf! Today, we’re diving into a fun topic: Pixar movies!

[0:30] Olaf: That’s right! We’re ranking our top 20 Pixar movies, and I’m excited to see where we land on this list.

[1:00] J.J.: Absolutely! Pixar has given us so many great films over the years, and it’s going to be tough to narrow it down.

[1:30] Olaf: For sure! There are so many classics, and I’m sure we’ll have some disagreements along the way.

[2:00] J.J.: Oh, definitely! Let’s get started with number 20.

[2:30] J.J.: Coming in at number 20 for me is Onward. I overall enjoyed it. I mean, was it, like, an amazing Pixar movie? Probably not, but could it be on this list? Maybe. Depending on what other stuff you have going on. Right. I have clearly, I have nineteen other movies that are better than this and a handful that I thought Onward was better than, so, but I thought they did, it was nice to hear Tom Holland and Chris Pratt who have done voice work before, and they had a really nice dynamic. The overall message and theme I really enjoyed. So, number 19 moving on is a movie that came out in 2012. I feel like it's one of the first Pixar movies that have a really strong female lead in it, and that's the movie Brave.

I liked most of Brave. I thought it had, like, a lot going for it and then it kind of took a turn and then it wasn't, it seemed like the quality kind of went away near the end. Well, again, I liked the female lead aspect of it because there really aren't, at least up to this point, I don't feel like a whole lot and maybe I'm mistaken. I just felt like this one was, they made a really deliberate choice to have a female in a strong lead, and then they've got the mother-daughter dynamic which is really the through line of this whole movie. I've been watching it recently with my little girl, and it was a nice sort of revisit because I hadn't seen it in a while.

[5:00] Olaf: Yeah, it's been a minute. But it does lack in a few ways as well, but overall, I mean, it's still a solid movie, but again, one that I would put further down on this list, like where it is.

[5:30] J.J.: Okay, well I can't quite say how wrong you are yet. Alright, so far so good, everybody.

[5:40] Olaf: I wouldn't say that either, but we'll see.

[6:00] J.J.: Number 18, holding in at the number 18 spot, a movie that I feel was Pixar's first speed bump, no pun intended, and that is the 2006 Cars.

[6:30] Olaf: Wow. You think it should be higher?

[6:32] J.J.: I think a lot of people will think that it should be higher. I'm not a huge Cars fan, but I did enjoy the first one. I thought the third one was even better, so maybe that's higher up on the list. Who knows? But I am shocked that in the bottom three you have Cars.

[7:00] J.J.: Well, here's the thing. I feel like Cars is such a leap from Onward and Brave.

[7:30] Olaf: Brave. Okay. This is a shocker. I almost hear people gasping.

[7:40] J.J.: The people you hear loudly are my son and my wife because they love Cars. Here's the other thing. I was late to the party with Cars, meaning when it first came out, I was like, okay, maybe. I think maybe I saw it once and sort of dismissed it. It wasn't until much, much later that now I've consumed Cars a lot. I like Cars, but I think clearly from an overall... It's like it made the list. From an overall Pixar list, it's not... Again, it's the first sort of not quote unquote miss, but if you were to list the movies from Toy Story to Cars, Cars probably is in the bottom two.

[9:00] Olaf: Well, now I'm really curious to what the last two bottom five movies are because they're higher than Cars.

[9:30] J.J.: Yeah, this is where... I would say a testament to the quality of films that Pixar puts out because at number 17 is a sequel to a movie that's going to show up later on in the list, and that is the... Now there's a bunch of sequels. People are like, what is he going to drop? What's he going to put here at number 17? Incredibles 2.

[10:00] Olaf: Oh my gosh. What? What are you talking about? What is happening right now?

[10:30] J.J.: I really need you... You put Cars and Incredibles 2, which I do agree is above Cars, but you put them in the bottom five, and we're not even at the highest level of the bottom five yet. There's still one more.

[11:00] Olaf: Oh my gosh. I need you to... I'm sorry. I'm shocked and outraged for you.

[11:30] J.J.: Always, always the quote-unquote voice of the people. Everybody, please, drive safely. If you need to pull over, do so. Don't fall off that treadmill over there. Here's the deal. I need you to not be prisoner of the moment here. I've recently re-watched both of these movies, Incredibles and Incredibles 2, and while Incredibles 2 is still a very fun movie, still a lot of things going on, it's not clearly as strong as the first one. That's not another reason why it's here, but it does lack in a few areas.

[12:00] Olaf: The good news is it's not a retread. It's not like a rehash of the first movie. They let the Holly Hunter character, Elastigirl, take the lead here, which is great.

[12:30] J.J.: Here's the thing. You're a big fan of the female leads. Let's put them down at the bottom.

[12:40] Olaf: Here's the thing. They're not giving them enough quality material to be higher on this list because I love Holly Hunter and I love Elastigirl. I love the Incredibles.

[13:00] J.J.: Oh, gosh. What's 16? What is the crown jewel of the bottom five?

[13:30] Olaf: This is where... Please don't walk away. Is it going to be... What's it called? The Little Dinosaur or whatever?

[14:00] J.J.: No. The Good Dinosaur? No. Spoiler alert. The Good Dinosaur did not make the top 20. Thank goodness. My number 16 is another Pixar movie that did not get a theatrical release. It got the streaming service...

[14:30] Olaf: I think I know what it is.

[14:32] J.J.: It's Turning Red.

[14:34] Olaf: Oh my gosh. I've got a lot of those Incredibles fans that love the first one, that grew up on the first one, that were really excited about the second one, that are going to be really upset with me that Turning Red is above Incredibles 2.

[14:26] J.J.: There are days where you come in with these lists and I'm thinking, you know, maybe today's the day we're all on the same page. Maybe you've seen Reason and realized, no, no, this is the order they should be in. But no, no. Let's move on. Let's move on to number 15 as we climb into the, you know, the mid tier, the 11 through 15. And we'll start with 15, which I believe is an oldie but goodie. The second movie that Pixar released, and that is 1998's A Bug's Life.

[15:03] Olaf: Oh man. Okay. Wow. You're trying to justify arguing this one because I feel 15, it's in this tier, it's going to stay in this tier. It's not a top 10 movie.

[15:11] J.J.: I don't necessarily know if it should be a top 10. I'm leaning towards top 10 at the moment. What a classic. It's so good. It's so funny. It's great. And here it is. Wow. Why don't you just put Turning Red at 15 and not A Bug's Life down in that bottom five?

[15:37] Olaf: I'm not doing that. You know why? Because it doesn't deserve to be in the bottom five. It deserves to be at least in the 15 spot, which is, there we are. There we are. Proving my point. Proving. A Bug's Life is a really solid movie. A solid second outing for Pixar. No question. And I feel like we can have more of an in-depth conversation about A Bug's Life in a versus episode because I feel like-

[16:03] J.J.: Don't worry. We're going to be covering the majority of these Pixar films on their own or paired up or in a versus episode at some point. This one deserves a versus episode for sure.

[16:15] Olaf: But yeah, right now, let's just focus on the insanity that we are being spoonfed right now. And A Bug's Life is at 15. What's at 14?

[16:27] J.J.: Okay. Well, I'm glad you asked because at number 14, and this one, it was hard to put this one higher than it is, but-

[16:38] Olaf: Cars 2.

[16:39] J.J.: No. No, I'm talking about the 2017 release, Coco.

[16:49] Olaf: That's a really good movie.

[16:50] J.J.: It's a great movie. And this is where it gets hard because there are 13 movies above this one, and it was hard to position this movie higher than it is. And this is a great movie. This movie really surprised me. I didn't have any expectations going in other than it was Pixar. And I just remember, I don't know, maybe halfway through, I was just like, wow, this is incredible.

[17:17] Olaf: Yeah.

[17:18] J.J.: Now, would you say this is one of the last movies you watched in the theater? Because this one came out in 2017, and then it was like Incredibles 2 came out next. But then after that, it was like COVID times and all that. I feel like Coco is one of those that was-

[17:33] Olaf: I did not see Coco in the theater.

[17:36] J.J.: Okay.

[17:37] Olaf: I saw it on streaming.

[17:38] J.J.: On streaming. It's so good. It's so good.

[17:42] Olaf: Incredibles 2, I think, was the last Pixar movie I saw in a theater.

[17:47] J.J.: Yeah. Coco surprised me as well. Obviously, the culture of it hits a little bit with me being from San Antonio and having that sort of a big focal point of that city. But just more than that, the music, the story, the connections with the characters, like all of these things. And it's, to me, sort of creeps up on you. Like you're not-

[18:11] Olaf: Yeah.

[18:12] J.J.: You don't know. And then all of a sudden, you get-

[18:14] Olaf: I don't think it was marketed well.

[18:17] J.J.: I think the trailers don't give you a real sense of what the movie actually is about.

[18:22] Olaf: Agreed. I mean, you're right. I would agree with you there. I mean, unfortunately, that didn't hinder what I would consider a pretty successful film. I mean, it really surprised me when I did watch it because the opinion I had of it, which wasn't much, was just based off of a misguided trailer.

[18:41] J.J.: Yeah. But anyway, I mean, what a great movie. And you have that at 14.

[18:48] Olaf: I have it at 14. But I hope as we continue to climb this list, you'll see that maybe it could go up one or two, but I don't know.

[18:58] J.J.: I don't know. Because what I have-

[18:59] Olaf: There's still some other movies that are languishing away in places they shouldn't be.

[19:16] J.J.: What I have at number 13-

[19:19] Olaf: Okay.

[19:19] J.J.: Is another sequel, and that is the 1999 Toy Story 2.

[19:27] Olaf: And I'm going to say, before you gather your thoughts and come at me, I already know that a lot of people hold this movie in a really high regard. It was one of those that was supposed to be a direct-to-DVD sequel. It wasn't even supposed to get a theatrical release.

[19:43] J.J.: And then they decided to make it a movie, theatrical movie. And then the movie got deleted.

[19:50] Olaf: Right.

[19:52] J.J.: A bad code was written. It deleted the whole movie.

[19:55] Olaf: And they just happened to have one backup at someone's house.

[20:01] J.J.: Yeah. And they had to bring it to-

[20:04] Olaf: To the studio. That's wild.

[20:06] J.J.: Yeah. They almost lost that movie.

[20:08] Olaf: Yeah.

[20:09] J.J.: I enjoy Toy Story 2. It's not its strongest outing. So to be in the mid-tier is fine. I feel like as far as quality goes, I think Coco should be higher than that.

[20:25] Olaf: Maybe even the Buzz Lightyear.

[20:27] J.J.: Wow. See, here's the interesting thing because a lot of people that I know love Toy Story 2. I mean, it's really good. It would be a crime that it's this low in some people's minds.

[20:37] Olaf: Toy Story 2 is really good. But if I look at Toy Story as a whole, I feel like it's the weaker of the four-

[20:45] J.J.: Subsequent sequels that have come.

[20:48] Olaf: Yeah.

[20:48] J.J.: Okay.

[20:49] Olaf: Okay. So I don't know. When I look at the overall quality of A Bug's Life, yeah, the technology wasn't as good as Toy Story 2. But the way they shot it, the script and the story and all of that stuff I think was still better than Toy Story 2. And Coco, obviously better. So yeah.

[21:10] J.J.: Wow. Okay. Moving on as we climb up to number 12.

[21:16] Olaf: Number 12.

[21:18] J.J.: 2001 Monsters, Inc.

[21:20] Olaf: Holy cow.

[21:26] J.J.: Clearly you want this to be a lot higher.

[21:28] Olaf: This should be a top 10 movie. Easy.

[21:30] J.J.: Guys, his face, his whole head, his whole head is red like Sebastian from Little Mermaid.

[21:37] Olaf: Because I'm embarrassed.

[21:39] J.J.: Oh, don't be. Don't be. It's okay. It's at 12. What an amazing movie.

[21:44] Olaf: Agreed. Here's the thing.

[21:45] J.J.: No, I don't think you do agree.

[21:47] Olaf: None of these movies are-

[21:49] J.J.: It should be a top 10. Oh my gosh. Coco is probably a top 10. A Bug's Life is probably a top 10.

[22:05] Olaf: See, this is what happens, everybody. And you'll start to see this as we go through these things. He wants every movie to be in the top five or the top 10.

[22:08] J.J.: No, that's not true.

[22:09] Olaf: There just aren't enough spots, everybody.

[22:11] J.J.: That is not true.

[22:14] Olaf: This needs to be high.

[22:22] J.J.: I don't say all three of these need to be at number five. No. I always have to rework the order you put them in because what you put them in is crazy pants.

[22:30] Olaf: I'm just saying.

[22:34] J.J.: Oh my gosh. You're going to have Monsters University in the top 10, and I'm going to be so angry.

[22:37] Olaf: Hey, let's not create a narrative.

[22:40] J.J.: Oh my gosh. Okay? Your fiction can be fun. Okay?

[22:40] Olaf: Number 12.

[22:41] J.J.: Number 11. Number 11.

[22:42] Olaf: Number 11.

[22:43] Olaf: Okay. Here we go.

[22:43] J.J.: We are at the number one spot of the bottom 10. All right? This is number 11. Didn't quite make the top 10. That's okay. Number 11.

[22:44] J.J.: All right. Number 11.

[22:54] Olaf: I'm scared.

[22:57] J.J.: Some heavy hitters are getting cut, and no one's safe at this point.

[23:06] Olaf: Number 11. Toy Story 4.

[23:09] J.J.: Oh, come on. Don't be so dramatic over there. He's rubbing his eyes.

[23:14] Olaf: I have to keep covering my face like I'm watching a horror movie.

[23:19] J.J.: It's like it's a scary movie he's watching. Listen, Toy Story 4-

[23:22] Olaf: When they announced Toy Story 4, I wanted to stand up wherever I was and cry foul and chant for pitchforks and torches to go kill the monster-

[23:37] J.J.: Storm the Pixar Studios. I get it.

[23:39] Olaf: Storm the castle, find this Frankenstein and end it because you had a perfect ending to some great movies.

[23:50] J.J.: Agreed.

[23:51] Olaf: And then I watched the movie, and I wanted to stand up and clap and cheer because they had done it. They had surpassed what I thought could be a perfect ending, and they told a story that was so moving and heartfelt, and I just, wow.

[24:13] J.J.: Right. And a correction, this movie came out in 2019, so this was the last big one technically, onward obviously, but the theatrical release because this one came out in 2019.

[24:26] Olaf: I definitely saw this in the theater.

[24:28] J.J.: Yeah, saw it in theater too. Look, Toy Story 4 agreed. When they announced Toy Story 4, I was like, what are you guys doing? Why can't you leave Well Enough alone? You have a great trilogy. I was like, they're in for the money. This is a money grab.

[24:42] Olaf: And then I watched it, and I was also pleasantly surprised, very happy, and very pleased with it. It's a solid outing, what you would think would have been a conclusion again to the Toy Story franchise. However, here we are, we're months away. And I'm less like, get the pitchforks out again, and more just like, just don't break my heart.

[25:08] J.J.: Right. Exactly. Exactly. We're months away here. So here's the thing. I feel it's in a nice spot here at 11, considering the 10 movies I'm about to mention, in my opinion. But again, my list. I'm going to have to hear some more, but right now, I'm not happy with a lot of your ranks.

[25:28] Olaf: But what's new? What's new?

[25:30] J.J.: Just to remind everybody here. You know, the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result. So me showing up to these ranks of yours, thinking it's this time for sure.

[25:46] Olaf: Look, I just want to remind the audience, too, that for whatever reason, Olaf believes that as we get into the top 10, which is what we're about to do right now, that I'm going to have movies like Monsters University and Cars 2 in here.

[26:01] J.J.: I don't know. You're crazy. I don't know. You haven't said them yet.

[26:05] Olaf: These are self-inflicted wounds.

[26:06] J.J.: We've got 10 more movies to go.

[26:08] Olaf: Self-inflicted wounds you are creating for yourself. But here we go, everybody.

[26:12] J.J.: Here we go. Let's jump into the top 10. Okay. Maybe we can spend a little bit more time with these, because these are my top 10 Pixar movies.

[26:23] Olaf: At number 10, 2007, Ratatouille.

[26:29] J.J.: I'm glad that it's in the top 10.

[26:30] Olaf: Well, what did you think it was going to be? In the bottom 25?

[26:35] J.J.: I don't know with you, but it should be higher.

[26:39] Olaf: I love Ratatouille.

[26:39] J.J.: Never pleased.

[26:40] Olaf: I love Ratatouille.

[26:43] J.J.: Wow. This didn't even get as much love as A League of Their Own.

[26:48] Olaf: Which you put at number nine, and that should be higher. Oh my gosh.

[26:52] J.J.: And I'm still getting some flack on that one. All right.

[26:56] Olaf: There's a large argument that that should be higher.

[27:01] J.J.: Ratatouille, though, thank goodness it is in your top 10, should be higher.

[27:09] Olaf: Oh my gosh. Okay.

[27:12] J.J.: Are you okay?

[27:13] Olaf: No, but I'm terrified.

[27:17] J.J.: What's number nine?

[27:18] Olaf: Number nine, Inside Out.

[27:21] J.J.: Yeah.

[27:22] Olaf: What? Wait. Okay. What? What? Because Inside Out is a solid movie.

[27:27] J.J.: Inside Out is a solid movie that could easily go into the mid-tier to bring up one of these more deserving movies.

[27:32] Olaf: I would venture to say that Coco and maybe even Toy Story 4 could be higher than Inside Out.

[27:42] J.J.: And again, like I said with Coco earlier, it was hard to not put it higher, but I really feel like at the end of the day, when you watch Inside Out, it's more than just-

[27:52] Olaf: I think Inside Out is a great movie that could easily be at like 11 or 12.

[27:58] J.J.: Okay. And that's fine. And it probably is for some, it sounds like it would be for you, maybe even lower. For me, I'm putting it at number nine.

[28:09] Olaf: Okay.

[28:10] J.J.: Solid outing, considering that up to this point in Pixar's sort of chronology of movies, we'd just gotten Monsters University and before that we'd gotten Brave.

[28:21] Olaf: So we got Brave, Monsters University, there might've been a movie that came out in 2014, can't remember at the moment, but Inside Out was a very refreshing hit in my opinion.

[28:32] J.J.: It is. Yeah. And Amy Poehler, fantastic. I mean, everybody-

[28:36] Olaf: Everybody in this movie.

[28:37] J.J.: All the voice actors are fantastic in it.

[28:39] Olaf: Solid. Richard, shout out to Richard Kind, who's, I feel in the last five, six years he's having a renaissance.

[28:47] J.J.: He's the best.

[28:48] Olaf: And he is unbelievable in this.

[28:52] J.J.: Everyone's great and it's got a great message and a good story, but based on the current movies and where you have them placed, I think it should be at like 11 and you need to move some stuff around.

[29:10] J.J.: Moving on to number 8 and this is where, again, I might get some flack from the audience because I feel like I'm doing pretty good so far.

[29:22] Olaf: He already knows that it's bad.

[29:25] J.J.: No, it's not. In fact, I think you might agree with this placement. But my number 8 movie is a movie that did not get a theatrical release and that is 2020, Soul.

[29:38] J.J.: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, my shirt. Here's the deal. A lot of people might think this is too high and there would be a large argument for that. For me, this movie hit specifically when it came out at a time when obviously we were all locked up inside our homes. Somebody who's always had a dream of, in his case, being a professional piano player, jazz piano player, getting his shot and then having to give his soul back to circumstances and stuff. I love this movie. I love the music. I love the message. I love everything about this movie. I'm trying to think in my head. It's hard for me, based on what you haven't possibly said yet and there's only 7 more spots. It would be hard for me to really move it anywhere from 8. Maybe 7? Soul is great.

[30:34] Olaf: You put Soul higher.

[30:37] J.J.: Well, I'm thinking maybe I could put it at 7 based on the fact that there's 7 spots left. I know for a fact that there are so many movies that you have not mentioned yet that I'm thinking, where would I have them? You even said that I might agree with you that Soul would be at 8. I might, just depending on what else is there. It could even move to 7, but I don't think I could move it any higher just because of what's still left in my mind of where things would go. But Soul is great. Soul is a beautiful, beautiful movie. I was so blown away by it when I watched it. I think when it ended and I'm watching the credits thinking, wow, that was so good, I think I was sad that it didn't get a theatrical release because it absolutely deserved one.

[31:32] Olaf: I completely agree. It's really great. It's a great movie and it came out the same year as Onward. Oddly enough, both of these movies came out in 2020.

[31:43] J.J.: It just came out a little too late.

[31:45] Olaf: Yeah, I agree. I agree. All right, number 7. Are you ready? Because 7 is – I think if my math and my own thoughts of lists are correct, 7 is the last malleable spot on here where you could potentially move some stuff around.

[32:06] J.J.: Oh, I see.

[32:07] Olaf: But after 7, I'm just going to be angry because you're not going to have it right. Anyway, 7.

[32:15] J.J.: Number 7 is Inside Out 2.

[32:20] Olaf: Oh, my gosh.

[32:22] J.J.: Where are you going? He just walked off, everybody. He just – he's out of frame. I feel like I could talk to you, the audience, if you're still with me, and I'm hoping you are because Inside Out 2 – oh, he's back. He's back, everybody. He's back. I will save my commentary. Inside Out 2 is not only the second highest grossing animated movie of all time.

[32:48] Olaf: Well, bully for them.

[32:50] J.J.: It's also a great sequel to an already great movie where they could have easily misstepped. They could have easily not – it could have not been as good, but they not only took the original core of emotions that we have, they then nuanced it with new emotions, and they created that world, and they created those characters, and they still made it all work. It's a totally – to me, it's not a rehash of the first movie. You still walk out of there going, yeah, I get it. I don't have a teenage daughter yet, but I will, and we'll see how interesting it will be true to form, but I remember watching that movie and walking out going, this was just as good as the first one, if not better, and it's a solid, solid movie. I have no problem with living with it at seven.

[33:51] Olaf: Wow. I cannot believe this. Wow. Oh, my gosh. If you feel that it's better than the first one, then put it at 11 and put Inside Out at 12.

[34:03] J.J.: Wow. Remember, everybody, he wants everything else in the top ten. He wants everything in the top ten.

[34:07] Olaf: I don't want everything in the top ten. I want the top ten movies that deserve to be in the top ten in the top ten. I'm not just making up other spots for them to fit in the top ten.

[34:19] J.J.: Oh, my gosh. I can't – this is – wow. What a gut punch. Here's the thing, everybody. I feel like the only way this wouldn't have been a gut punch is if I somehow managed to figure out which only movie would have satisfied at number seven for him. When you said Inside Out, I thought to myself, well, there's no way that Inside Out 2 is going to be near the top five. The logical person would think if you've seen Inside Out 2 and it hasn't been mentioned yet, ain't no way it's going to be 22, 23, 24, anything. So now you just have to brace yourself for wherever it's going to land. And for me, at this point, like you said, six and beyond, you're just going to get mad because I'm getting it all wrong. Then Inside Out 2 at number seven is – I'm OK with it. Based on movies that I know you haven't mentioned yet, that is such a shock to me. Plus the fact that other movies that you have mentioned are so low compared to this movie. I'm just like, oh, my gosh.

[35:28] Olaf: Have you seen Inside Out 2?

[35:29] J.J.: Yeah.

[35:30] Olaf: OK. I just – I didn't know.

[35:32] J.J.: I said it could go in the mid-tier with its original, but oh, my gosh. OK. All right. We're at –

[35:41] Olaf: Number six.

[35:42] J.J.: Number six.

[35:43] J.J.: Number six, the movie that didn't quite make the top five. Are you ready? You're not.

[35:48] Olaf: No.

[35:49] J.J.: That's OK. I'm like – I'm so scared. You're going to hurt me.

[35:54] Olaf: Nah. I don't think I'm going to hurt you because I feel like – I mean, I feel hurt already, so.

[36:00] J.J.: I feel like the movies that are left that I haven't mentioned that you feel should still be mentioned on this list, this movie, you're going to be OK with where it's at.

[36:09] Olaf: OK.

[36:10] J.J.: Number six, Finding Nemo.

[36:11] Olaf: I would have that higher.

[36:13] J.J.: OK. Here's the thing. Based on – there's at least one movie that I'm almost certain you're going to mention, but you haven't yet. I would have this – I would put that movie that you haven't mentioned yet at number six because I know why you want to put it higher because it's probably at like number one or two.

[36:33] Olaf: Oh, I see. And I think I know what movie you're talking about.

[36:37] J.J.: And you're going to be like, because of what it did and its pedigree, not for the overall quality. See, here we go, everybody. He wants everything higher where he's like he wants everything in the top five.

[36:50] Olaf: That is not true.

[36:52] J.J.: Here's the interesting thing, everybody. Because he doesn't have a list in front of him, but he's got one in his head that he's sort of shifting around as we do this. Finding Nemo is in my top five.

[37:02] Olaf: OK. Fine. It's in my top six.

[37:06] J.J.: Yeah. All right. Number – speaking of top five. Speaking of top five, here we are. Number five. And before I mention this top five, everybody. At this point, because Olaf has already said he's just going to be mad because I've gotten it wrong. Because here's the thing. Look, I think everyone else is aghast at what you've –

[37:30] Olaf: I don't know if everyone, but –

[37:32] J.J.: Gob smacked. Shocked. I feel like there's that good dinosaur crowd out there that's a little disappointed. Hopefully, they're still listening. There's the Cars trilogy crowd that is sort of bummed because they feel like two and three probably aren't in my top five, and they aren't. Well, I'll tell you. Two doesn't have any business being on this list. Three, I feel like, has an argument.

[37:49] Olaf: Well, three, I feel like people – they went back to what worked with the first one, and it's clearly much better than Cars 2.

[37:57] J.J.: But at the end of the day, it's almost like, especially for my list, if Cars is at 17 or 18, then Cars 3 wasn't going to – no. Sorry. And I like Cars 3, but anyway.

[38:18] Olaf: OK.

[38:19] J.J.: It didn't get an honorable mention.

[38:21] Olaf: It didn't. It didn't.

[38:23] J.J.: We are – OK. OK. Hold on. There are five movies left. There are five movies left. I will let you gather your floating, malleable list of top five movies so you can be ready to disagree with mine. Number five, the 2004 action hit, Incredibles.

[38:45] Olaf: Let's just be clear. Incredibles is in my top five.

[38:48] J.J.: I know this. I'm just trying to decide if it should be at five or four.

[38:54] Olaf: That's fair. That's fair. And this one, again –

[38:57] J.J.: So from here on out, unless you really do something crazy –

[39:02] Olaf: Elemental!

[39:04] J.J.: Yeah. It's going to be more of just like a – should it be where it's at in the top five? Like Finding Nemo should be in the top five, and this one movie that I know – I don't know. I can almost see it at number one. It shouldn't be there. But anyway.

[39:24] J.J.: Number five. Incredibles is such a great movie.

[39:27] Olaf: It is.

[39:28] J.J.: And we clamored and begged and pleaded for a sequel for years because it just – it felt so right to have a sequel. And it's a shame it took so long.

[39:36] Olaf: Yeah. It's a shame it took so long because they left it wide open at the very last scene. You're like, okay, well, we're going to get another one here soon.

[39:44] J.J.: Fourteen years.

[39:45] Olaf: We got fourteen years.

[39:46] J.J.: Now – what a movie. I will say this. This list has gone through some evolution over the years. Incredibles, at one point, was at number one.

[39:55] Olaf: It was at number one.

[39:56] J.J.: It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. It was at number one. Incredibles at one point was higher for me. It has dropped a few spots, obviously, to where it is now to 5.

[40:12] Olaf: But –

[40:17] J.J.: Well, right now, there are four spots left. I already know what my top three are. And I already know that we're going to disagree.

[40:25] Olaf: That's fair. Well, I feel like some of your movies that are in your top three were already mentioned.

[40:31] J.J.: So anyway. OK. Number four, WALL-E.

[40:37] Olaf: It's hard.

[40:38] J.J.: This gets hard, man. This is – we're just jockeying for position here.

[40:42] Olaf: No, because now what's happening is all these movies that are deserving to be higher are just getting knocked down because of this one movie that you're yet to mention.

[40:53] J.J.: And it's disrupting everything. Because all up here wants to put everything at two.

[40:57] Olaf: That is not true.

[40:58] J.J.: Put it at two.

[40:59] Olaf: That is not true.

[41:00] J.J.: Oh, my gosh. How can I make this – how can these two movies share the same spot?

[41:04] Olaf: No, that is not the case. Every other week, they'll –

[41:07] J.J.: WALL-E is in my top three.

[41:09] Olaf: OK.

[41:10] J.J.: No, hey. WALL-E is in my top four. You've pushed him out of that. I've got it at four. I've got it at four. So here's the thing. I love WALL-E so much. You talk about a movie that took – it took me by surprise. I don't think – I think it took everybody by surprise. Nobody knew what to expect and then to end up falling in love with this character that doesn't talk ever. And that was the thing. This was what I walked away with being most surprised about is a movie audience as a whole embracing basically a silent movie in the 21st century. I mean you had such amazing music to really carry it.

[41:52] Olaf: Yeah, and it's one of those things where we always say don't dumb down the audience. Assume that the audience is smarter than you think.

[41:59] J.J.: And I feel like –

[42:00] Olaf: And Pixar doubled down on it.

[42:02] J.J.: They absolutely did on it because you're sitting there and you're like – you're just watching this character go about his day and then obstacles come in. And you don't see any sort of talking human until the back third of the movie, the last final act. It's such a great home run hitting movie. It was hard to put it at four because you're right. It could easily be in a top three. There's no question about it. But for me, it sits at four. And I'm going to tell you why because here we are and my top three Pixar movies. Top three. And I just need everybody to know that my number three movie – I'm going to go out on a limb here to say that Olaf doesn't even think this movie should be in the top ten. OK?

[42:48] Olaf: Oh.

[42:50] J.J.: Based off conversation. I'm not – I don't mean to throw him under the bus. I'm just saying this movie that I'm about to mention I think in iterations of his list that he creates in his mind didn't even make the top ten. My number three Pixar movie is the one that started it all. 1995. Toy Story.

[43:11] Olaf: Again, he's ready to shut it down. He thinks it should be at 11.

[43:17] J.J. Gonzalez: I think it should be in the top 10. But I have no problem with Toy Story being in the top 10. It's an incredible movie, and it comes with all this pedigree that you just eat up like candy.

[43:27] Olaf Adsit: Oh, you make it sound like I'm the only one that's eating up this pedigree.

[43:30] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh my gosh. Clearly they're making a fifth one for a reason.

[43:34] Olaf Adsit: I understand that. And look, Toy Story is a great movie. And it absolutely deserves to be in the top 10. Not even the top 5, everybody.

[43:45] J.J. Gonzalez: I would not have put it in the top 5. Not only stomping on one's childhood, but your kids' childhood. Based on your current list, I would have put it at 6, so that Nemo could have gotten where it needed to be, which is in the top 5.

[43:57] Olaf Adsit: Honestly, I was waiting for you to say this was your number one.

[44:00] J.J. Gonzalez: No, no, no. It's not my number one. Just completely based on its history and that it started it all. So it has to be number one. It started it all. But again, Godfather 2 is better than Godfather.

[44:13] Olaf Adsit: But look, I'm just saying, I knew this movie was coming, and that's why some of these movies that should be higher aren't because of that. And look, I'm insulted that you would be like, probably wouldn't even have made your top 10. Probably wouldn't even have made the list.

[44:30] J.J. Gonzalez: No. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I did not say that. This absolutely deserves to be in the top 10, and everyone would agree with me on that.

[44:39] Olaf Adsit: But does it deserve to be in the top 5?

[44:41] J.J. Gonzalez: I would say no. And I think you are on an island by yourself in this particular case, not putting it at least in the top 5.

[44:49] Olaf Adsit: Okay, well, we'll find out. We will find out who's on the island here.

[44:54] J.J. Gonzalez: Okay, okay. Here we go. Duking it out. The top two Pixar movies.

[45:02] Olaf Adsit: I'm not going to get this order right for J.J., but he's got to feel confident that... Look, I have a top three, and you took one of those three out, so you still haven't mentioned my two. So who knows? Maybe you will get these right.

[45:21] J.J. Gonzalez: I feel like these next two movies, you and I have switched. Because as Pixar fans, because I know you are one as well, you wouldn't be so impassioned about the list that I have made, we know that there are two movies that have not been mentioned yet that should absolutely be on this list without a shadow of a doubt.

[45:42] Olaf Adsit: But I believe we're going to have them switched. And so I know already you're going to be disappointed with the fact that my number two is not your number two.

[45:49] J.J. Gonzalez: Man, I never in a million years imagined that your top 20 Pixar list was going to be so divisive.

[46:01] Olaf Adsit: Which is so interesting because I looked at it before we even, I was like, there's going to be some pushback, I think, on some of these. I expected there to be like one or two, but you gave me a couple softballs right at the beginning where I'm like, yeah, okay, I can see that.

[46:17] J.J. Gonzalez: And then you were just like, here we go.

[46:20] Olaf Adsit: Well, what's interesting is how you reacted to those quote unquote softballs, because I bet you're wishing that they were just as soft as they are now. Because ever since then, it's been, you've been like anger from inside out.

[46:34] J.J. Gonzalez: Because at the top of your head, out of my face, yeah, it's basically been that. Man, oh, I really thought this could be a tame episode and it has not, it has not been. Can't tell if it's hotter outside or hotter in your apartment right now.

[46:53] Olaf Adsit: Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, there are two movies left. I can't imagine it being anything other than these two movies. So honestly, I'll be fine that they're whatever order you put them in, but there's one in particular that I feel should be at number one.

[47:09] J.J. Gonzalez: So let's see. My number two is Finding Dory.

[47:18] Olaf Adsit: I'm kidding. It's not. I'm kidding. It's not. I'm kidding. Just kidding, everybody. Oh my God. Don't go anywhere. I'm kidding.

[47:29] J.J. Gonzalez: You know, I actually think that Finding Dory is better than what you think it is. I know you don't like the movie.

[47:36] Olaf Adsit: It's not that I don't like it because I've seen it recently as well again, but it's hard not to compare it to the Finding Nemo.

[47:45] J.J. Gonzalez: Sure.

[47:46] Olaf Adsit: But I came to it late because I didn't want to see it.

[47:48] J.J. Gonzalez: Same. Same. I did too. I was like, I'm not interested in that. Finding Nemo was so good and so perfect. Why do I need Finding Dory?

[47:56] Olaf Adsit: Right. Well, there's another one. But then I watched it when it came out on streaming and I was like, this was so much better. I felt bad that I had not given it a chance.

[48:08] J.J. Gonzalez: I was with you there too when like my interest on it was like very low. I don't need to see this. I watched it and I've seen it a few times since and yeah, I think I like it more than you do.

[48:20] Olaf Adsit: I think so too. I think so too.

[48:22] J.J. Gonzalez: Okay. My number two, my real number two is the 2009 classic Up.

[48:31] Olaf Adsit: Yeah, this is my number one.

[48:33] J.J. Gonzalez: Right. And I knew that. And I know that. And it's again, like people don't talk about the first 10 minutes, right? That just crush your heart into a million pieces and then you get this amazing dynamic with Carl and with Russell and their quest.

[48:48] Olaf Adsit: And it's a beautiful film of mending your heart and finding love again in different areas, father figures, sons and all that. It's got all of the elements, no question. And it's not beholden to a sequel or anything like that. I mean, we're talking a fresh idea, fresh movie, which is why it's number one for me.

[49:17] Olaf Adsit: I'm 98% positive I know what your number one is and it absolutely deserves to be in the top three and maybe even at number two, which is probably where I would put it. Before we jump into my number one, what makes Up number one for you?

[49:39] J.J. Gonzalez: Well, it deals with a lot of personal stuff for me. I mean, it deals with death, which I have been familiar with from a very early age. And it deals with loss and it deals with loneliness. It deals with finding yourself again. It deals there's so I don't even want to get into it. It hits me on many personal levels. And it's the story was just so well done and so well told and executed and everyone involved did such a beautiful job. It's such a beautiful movie.

[50:15] Olaf Adsit: I agree with you. And I feel like Up will stand the test of time more so than my number one, one, because of everything you just mentioned, because whether you're 12 and experiencing loss, whether you're 25, 50, clearly Carl in this movie is somewhat much older, experienced that loss. Those are all themes that are relatable at any age across the board. So I feel like that movie will be more timeless. It will stand the test of time more so than my number one, which helps me justify where I have it.

[50:53] J.J. Gonzalez: Absolutely. Absolutely. So let's get to my number one and I'll explain why my why this movie is my number one. My number one is the 2010 sequel to the sequel, which is Toy Story 3. This movie, like when you said when they were announcing Toy Story 4, you know, you were going pitchforks and storming the castle. And this is why.

[51:17] Olaf Adsit: Right.

[51:18] J.J. Gonzalez: Toy Story 3 closes out this trilogy in such a perfect way with the toys and Andy aging out of these toys and how, you know, these toys get discarded. Then you're sitting in the theater and this is your childhood to mind you, depending on how old you are, when the first movie came out. And even for me, I was 17 when Toy Story came out. So I was already like in my 30s when Toy Story 3 came out. But it didn't matter because I was still connected to all of these characters.

[51:48] Olaf Adsit: Yeah.

[51:49] J.J. Gonzalez: So you're sitting. But it also still takes you back to when you were that kid with...

[51:55] Olaf Adsit: Exactly.

[51:55] J.J. Gonzalez: And you get this moment at the end where you don't think they're going to make it. And you're taken on this emotional roller coaster throughout the whole film with some great moments of levity. Michael Keaton as Ken people, you know, my love for Keaton. If you've seen the videos, you've seen us talk about it. You're going to hear more about it as you listen to this podcast. Keaton in this movie is solid. And this is like before his like renaissance back into like doing stuff. He was just like randomly getting cast in these things.

[52:26] Olaf Adsit: And he's solid as Ken.

[52:27] J.J. Gonzalez: Toy Story 3 is just so special because it's so rare for any franchise to stick the landing to have such a complete and utter successful ending to a longer story. So to say we're going to do a fourth one that was so upsetting because right. The chances of you successfully rising up to that level again or even exceeding it are so hard and so rare that, you know, you're like, no, it's going to fail. It has to fail.

[53:07] Olaf Adsit: Somehow they did it.

[53:10] J.J. Gonzalez: They did it. And four is amazing. But three, holy cow. It is. It was so powerful. I remember seeing it with friends in the theater and we saw it in 3D, which I hate 3D. I didn't have a choice. It was this is where we're going. And I remember sitting there watching and you get to the boiler room.

[53:34] Olaf Adsit: Yeah.

[53:35] J.J. Gonzalez: And I remember having a sudden moment and it took me out of the movie for a hot second. And I remember looking to each side of me and everyone else. But to myself asking, is anybody else seeing this? Is this not too intense?

[53:51] Olaf Adsit: Right.

[53:52] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh yeah. Yeah. It was crazy. It just blew me away. Like how impactful.

[53:56] Olaf Adsit: Well, and that's to their credit. They're making three, not thinking about four. So they're, you know, they're pulling out all the stops from an emotional standpoint. And so when sometimes with other lists, and I know I did this with baseball, where I'll put a movie lower because of its subsequent sequels, but usually it's because the sequels are bad. And so the movie gets a lower ranking, which never makes sense to me, because in this case...

[54:23] J.J. Gonzalez: Because I feel like it tarnishes the legacy of the film or whatever.

[54:25] Olaf Adsit: I don't know. But in this case...

[54:27] J.J. Gonzalez: You're talking about one specific movie.

[54:29] Olaf Adsit: I know. And you're weighing it down by other movies. But in this particular case, I'm not doing that because I could have easily been like, well, they've decided to do Toy Story 4. And so that's diminishing Toy Story 3 in some way. And for me, it just isn't. So while Up is your number one, again, like I said before, I think Up will be more timeless the issues and the themes that are being dealt with in that movie sort of stay with you as you grow up. With Toy Story 3, it's not only your childhood and the things that you may have been attached to. But then if you have kids, you're seeing it through their eyes or nieces or nephews or anything that you beheld so dear that you might lose. And to see that. So Toy Story 3, my number one Pixar movie.

[55:16] Olaf Adsit: It's an incredible movie. It deserves to be in the top three. I can't. I wouldn't put it at number one, but you know, right.

[55:24] J.J. Gonzalez: I will say this. I know it was a rough ride for you, Olaf. I cannot speak for the crowd. I don't know. Hopefully, you'll mention it in the comments, drop us a line. Let us know. You will let us know what you think. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. I'm hoping you stuck through the end because I feel like as we got into the top 10, definitely top five, the turbulence sort of subsided and we landed the plane safely here.

[56:03] Olaf Adsit: Yeah, we're just traumatized and deal with PTSD afterwards. That scene in Airplane 2 where they land on the moon, but it was rough.

[56:06] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah. Well, what a list that was. Oh my gosh.

[56:12] Olaf Adsit: That's right. That's right. I can't wait for the next one.

[56:15] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh man. Give you some time. Well, guys, thanks so much for joining us in the movie theater today. And yeah, like we said before, let us know your thoughts. How do you feel about J.J.'s list? Was he right? Was he wrong? Is my outrage justifiable or am I just crazy? And I'll say this. There is no right or wrong. It's a completely subjective list. Everybody's got theirs. Some people have more than one, like Olaf, where you can just sort of move things around at your whim.

[56:47] Olaf Adsit: That is not how it works, but if that's what makes you feel better, fine.

[56:52] J.J. Gonzalez: But guys, thanks so much for joining us and be sure to check in next week for our next episode. And until then, to be continued.

[57:11] Johnny Clay: Back to the Movie Theater is hosted by J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit. Produced by me, Johnny Clay, J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit. Theme song and incidental music by The Dimes. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Back to the Movie Theater and find us on YouTube at Back to the Movie Theater with J.J. and Olaf.