Special Movie Moment Entry - Brian's Top 10 Favorite Pixar Moments

Pixar is the powerhouse of the animation world. In 1995 they released Toy Story, which was the first feature-length, computer animated movie ever. Fast forward 17 years and now they're on their 13th film called Brave.

It is the story of Scottish Princess Merida battling an evil curse with her bravery and her bow and arrow. Since Brave comes to theaters this Friday, I thought I'd do a special tribute to Pixar and share my favorite moments of the company's first 12 films. I've chosen my top 10 with five honorable mentions. And because some of the scenes might give away something if you haven't seen the movie, please be aware of SPOILERS!!!

Honorable Mentions
Lotso's Story - Toy Story 3

Chuckles the clown tells the sad story of how he, Lotso and Big Baby were lost by their original owner. They make it back to her house to see she has a new Lotso. This changes him for the worse.

Door World - Monsters Inc.

Sully and Mike attempt to get Boo back in her room as the salamander-like monster Randall chases them down. They venture into a giant room of doors in one of the most detailed and impressive sights in any Pixar movie.

Just keep swimming Finale - Finding Nemo

Marlin learns what his son Nemo is truly made of as he leads a net full of scared fish into a rally against a fishing boat. This achievement mirrors one we saw earlier in the movie which helped save Nemo in the dentist office fish tank.

Army men mission - Toy Story

In true military fashion, the bucket of soldiers parachutes their way to the ground floor to investigate Andy's birthday presents. There's a great part when upon getting stepped on by Andy's mother one of the soldiers tells the team to go ahead without him. This leads to the classic line "a good soldier never leaves a man behind."

Dash runs on water - The Incredibles

Dash Parr pushes the limits of his super powers as he's being chased by bad guys in flying saucers. The forest he's running in suddenly opens up into a giant body of water which Dash runs right over as the James Bond-like music emphasizes the scene.

Top Ten
10. Word travels - Finding Nemo

Marlin tells some turtles the story of his journey across the ocean. Next thing you know Marlin's story goes from fish to fish to lobster to bird in no time until the word gets back to Nemo that his dad is on his way. You get the dueling swordfish talking while fighting, the dolphins only speaking above water, the Maine lobster with the Boston-type accent and, my favorite, the tiny fish with the low voice talking to the large fish with the high voice.


9. Guido's pit stop - Cars

Easily one of the most satisfying scenes in Pixar's history. The little tire changer Guido has his moment to shine and shine he does.


8. Food critic eats blast of nostalgia - Ratatouille

Anton Ego is very hard to please, but Remy and the kitchen staff put together a little recipe that takes him back to his youth. It's very touching to see such a negative character make such a quick positive swerve.


7. Andy's send off - Toy Story 3

Pixar makes a gutsy decision to depart Andy and his toys at the end of the trilogy. It's sad, but we know Bonnie is a perfect owner for toys who want to be played with. The best part is Andy gets to introduce each of his toys and explain why they're individually special to him.


6. WALL-E and EVE dancing in space - WALL-E

It's an absolutely gorgeous achievement in animation and music. WALL-E shows EVE he recovered the plant which earns him a sparked kiss. This leads to the two of them dancing in twists and turns in space with EVE flying and WALL-E utilizing a fire extinguisher in beautiful fashion.


5. Strength in numbers  - A Bug's Life

The best way to defeat your opponents is to respect them. Hopper knows ants are weak, but also realizes they greatly outnumber grasshoppers. He proves this with a not-so-subtle demonstration.


4. Carl discovers Ellie's adventures - Up

Carl and Ellie, while having a wonderful marriage and life together, were saving up for a trip to Paradise Falls in South America. As usual life gets in the way and the trip never happens leaving Ellie's adventure notebook blank, or so Carl, and us viewers, think. This scene is certainly a resident of Eye Moisture City.


3. The Incinerator - Toy Story 3

It's one of the most tense and thrilling experiences I've had in a movie theater. Woody and the gang is stuck in a trash yard and with a little help from that jerk Lotso end up in a giant room of fire and, seemingly, certain doom. Upon realizing their fate, Buzz grabs Jessie's hand. This leads to the whole group of toys into a warm embrace as they knock on death's door. That is until we realize three members of the group are missing and that there is a monster, metal object hanging above them. Awesome stuff.

2. Married life montage - Up

Possibly Pixar's most sentimental film, Up is a joy to watch. The early montage of Carl and Ellie's relationship and marriage is so sweet and eventually so sad it's almost too much to take. It only takes Pixar a few minutes to tell you one of the greatest love stories you'll ever hear. Michael Giacchino's Oscar winning score is so pretty and moving and the different variations we hear in this scene give it even more impact.

1. Jessie and Emily - Toy Story 2

I think it's Pixar's most underrated film and this scene is the true moment of their arrival as the dominant force in animation. This was their third film and it's in this scene they show the endless emotions they're capable of. It's something we thought about after watching the first movie and it's the defining theme of the third movie. What happens to toys when their owners grow up? To answer that question we're told the heartbreaking story of the cowgirl Jessie's life with her owner Emily. But the true power of the scene is in Randy Newman's beautiful song performed by Sarah Mclachlan. Newman won his first Oscar in 12 tries for his Monsters Inc. song, but he should have won for "When She Loved Me."