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Which Pixar movie do you feel has been the most creative?

Squarehard

Squarehard

Member
Oct 27, 2017
25,874
And this is different from your favorite Pixar movie, but the movie you felt was the most creative. This can be from a story perspective, world building, characters, or another aspect you felt just jumped out at you more so than the others. Which Pixar film takes a concept and really pushes it to the next level?
 
Dark Knight

Dark Knight

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,305
I haven't seen enough of the newer ones, but the world building in Wall-E is fantastic. A lot of the technology designs are really cool too.
 
skeptem

skeptem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,747
I would probably say Ratatouille, though I'm not thinking through every movie.

While all Pixar films have some kind of point of reference, beyond french cuisine, it has an incredibly unique premise.
 
Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,915
Ratatouille by far. The concept is bonkers, and the fact that the execution works as well as it does beyond mere physical comedy is astonishing.
 
KNZFive

KNZFive

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,764
Coco and Soul are up there, along with the non-human parts of Wall-E. At points, Soul just feels like Pixar was flexing with their excellent animation and design; it was the first movie I've seen post-covid that I was disappointed I didn't get to see on a big screen.
 
affeinvasion

affeinvasion

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,951
I think Inside Out is probably the most conceptually creative, but I really like the execution of Monsters Inc. as a fantastical comedy.
 

NoMoreNoLess

Banned
Sep 18, 2020
99
The Incredibles was a radical shift in Pixar thinking at the time. A live action director made a film centered mostly on humans using the toolkit of a team who made primarily non-human characters. The intersection of technical prowess needed to render the diversity of scenes (50's city, boring office, lush jungle) is pretty wild for that time that cake was being baked (probably 2002-ish)

Barring that I'd say Coco due to the ways so many of the details faded into the background in the best way. Mastery is making you not notice. This comes up again with the Jurassic Park thread every 9 minutes where someone points out how much was very little CG.
 
skrskg

skrskg

Member
Oct 27, 2017
968
Sweden
It's Ratatoullie.

The first non-dialogue section of Wall-E is easily Pixars best, but then all the human stuff happened.
 
Seesaw15

Seesaw15

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,819
NoMoreNoLess said:
The Incredibles was a radical shift in Pixar thinking at the time. A live action director made a film centered mostly on humans using the toolkit of a team who made primarily non-human characters. The intersection of technical prowess needed to render the diversity of scenes (50's city, boring office, lush jungle) is pretty wild for that time that cake was being baked (probably 2002-ish)

Barring that I'd say Coco due to the ways so many of the details faded into the background in the best way. Mastery is making you not notice. This comes up again with the Jurassic Park thread every 9 minutes where someone points out how much was very little CG.
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Are you talking about Brad Bird?
 
Plinkerton

Plinkerton

Member
Nov 4, 2017
6,060
In terms of just creativity, it has to be Wall-e. The first half at least is basically a silent movie, but still a modern-day family film. They manage to pack so much character development and heart into that first half hour without either character really saying anything.
 
Space Gomez

Space Gomez

Member
Oct 28, 2017
614
From a story perspective it's gotta be Up, right? A boy scout accompanies an elderly widower in fulfilling his wife's dying wish to visit South America is a wild premise that no typical animated movie would've come close to.

Monster's Inc is the most creative when it comes to world-building, IMO. The concept of scaring kids as an energy source is a cute little commentary on how kids think while also having huge implications for the monsters' society.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,031
Coco is the best.

I dunno if that makes it the most creative. Up is very creative, from concept to execution. I struggle to say that Soul is anymore creative than any of pixar's other recentish movies because the general theme is basically what they've been running on for almost a generation of movies, adult whistfulness packaged into a children's movie. The idea of falling into a sort of rebirth where you can discover your passion is not anymore creative than their other movies and it's become a major pixar trope. Soul is still a good movie for adults, I liked it. It's definitely more creative than the "dad died and moms divorced sad brother movie" from a couple years back.

Is monsters inc a Pixar movie? The whole theme of that -- training for monsters who are terrified of children -- is a wonderful idea.
 
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floridaguy954

floridaguy954

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,631
Inside Out and Coco are my two favorite Pixar movies.

They both also happen to be the most creative movies they have released so far.
 

Deleted member 83599

Banned
Oct 22, 2020
6,280
I think it's Ratatouille pretty easily.

Its themes center on artistry and art criticism - pretty mature and out-there stuff for what is ostensibly a kids' movie.
 

Deleted member 16657

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
10,198
Ratatouille. They made having a fucking rat in the kitchen palatable.

Coco doesn't strike me as that inventive, the core family values stuff isn't that out there.
 
skeptem

skeptem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,747
PogChamp said:
Ratatouille. They made having a fucking rat in the kitchen palatable.

Coco doesn't strike me as that inventive, the core family values stuff isn't that out there.
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It's also taking a massive holiday and while doing an amazing job at it, I wouldn't say it's as creative since it's using existing imagery and traditions. I say this as a Latino who cried during it.
 
Cass_Se

Cass_Se

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,124
I think Toy Story is likely the most brilliant out of their creations but after nearly 30 years we just take it for granted, which is why it's barely mentioned in the preceding posts.

Out of the more modern stuff, I would say it's Coco, the afterlife is just brimming with creativity

e: just to clarify, I realize it takes existing imagery, but the world they've created feels very consistent in how these motifs are applied and built upon throughout the film
 
Archduke Kong

Archduke Kong

Member
Feb 2, 2019
2,311
Leona Lewis said:
Ratatouille by far. The concept is bonkers, and the fact that the execution works as well as it does beyond mere physical comedy is astonishing.
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The fact that a movie about a man who gets controlled by a rat like a marionette so he can cook better doesn't feel like a weird concept tells me Ratatouille is the right answer.
 
AlgusUnderdunk

AlgusUnderdunk

Member
Dec 30, 2020
15,280
I'd have to give it to UP. Look at the plot.

An old man uses helium balloons to sail his house into the grand tepuis of South America, and together with an inadvertantly kidnapped boyscout, a rare bird, and a talking dog, they fight a manaical old pulp radio star in his airship manned by more talking dogs.

SQUIRREL!
 
RochHoch

RochHoch

One Winged Slayer
Member
May 22, 2018
18,909
Yep, it's Ratatouille. The premise is completely insane but in context you don't even think too much about that. That's impressive.

Also Wall-E. Hell of a bold move to have hardly any dialogue at all in the first half.
 
MrCheezball

MrCheezball

Banned
Aug 3, 2018
1,376
I know none of the stuff is plausible in Pixar movies, but the rat grabbing his hair to control his body... that's just silly.
 
LossAversion

LossAversion

The Merchant of ERA
Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,704
Monsters Inc. is the first movie that came to mind. The entire concept of that movie is inspired and crazy. A movie about monsters scaring children to power their city... from the perspective of the monsters?
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,031
skrskg said:
It's Ratatoullie.

The first non-dialogue section of Wall-E is easily Pixars best, but then all the human stuff happened.
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Didn't even know ratatouille was pixar, I thought disney, so yeah this is a valid choice. The premise of "a rat wants to cook" is turned on its head pretty quickly and it becomes instantly brilliant.
 
Midramble

Midramble

Force of Habit
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
10,461
San Francisco
Up is pretty creative and unique but everything about Monsters Inc was unique. The world building in that movie is amazing.
 
Puggles

Puggles

Sometimes, it's not a fart
Member
Nov 3, 2017
2,870
I feel like it's Inside Out. It took such an abstract concept and made it relatable to anyone.
 
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