Pixar Has Proven They’re Still A Great Studio In The 2020s

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Since 1995, when Pixar began making full-length movies, they’ve become known as leaders in animation. They consistently create films that are innovative, critically praised, commercially successful, and widely loved. Movies like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and Coco have created an incredibly impressive collection of work.

Over time, people’s opinion of Pixar has shifted somewhat. While once universally praised, Cars 2 marked the first time one of their films didn’t receive rave reviews, and that’s happened more often recently. They’ve had some box office disappointments and increasingly depend on making sequels to popular movies, leading some to question whether they can still create truly original, high-quality films.

It’s easy to see why people worry about Pixar, but they’ve actually continued to make excellent films. Some of their very best movies have come out in the last ten years, which says a lot. While other studios are also doing great work, Pixar is still a major contender.

Some Have Claimed That Pixar Has Fallen Off

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about whether Pixar is losing its touch. For years, the studio consistently released highly praised films that also did well in theaters and were often nominated for animation awards. While they haven’t fallen completely, recent films haven’t reached the same heights. For example, Cars 2 wasn’t well-received, and while sequels like Finding Dory and Toy Story 4 were good, they didn’t feel as innovative or impactful as Pixar’s earlier work.

Pixar continues to create excellent original films like Coco and Inside Out, but it’s been hard to maintain a consistent level of quality. The pandemic added new challenges, severely impacting Onward‘s box office performance. Following that, three original movies – Soul, Luca, and Turning Red – were released simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters. While this got the films to audiences at home, it gave the impression that Disney didn’t see them as strong enough for an exclusive theatrical run, leading some to perceive them as less significant than Pixar’s traditional releases.

Pixar Has Put Out Some Of Their Best Films This Decade

These Pixar films are truly among the best, and easily rank with the decade’s top animated movies. While there’s strong competition from films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Flow, The Boy and the Heron, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Pixar remains a major force in animated filmmaking.

Despite being released in unconventional ways, Onward, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red are all excellent movies. Each film boasts high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes—Onward at 88%, Soul and Turning Red at 95%, and Luca at 91%—and features a unique, engaging story that resonates with many viewers. Pixar also continued to produce successful, high-quality films alongside these releases.

While Elemental wasn’t a critical favorite, it unexpectedly did well in theaters. Inside Out 2, on the other hand, broke box office records for animated movies and is widely considered one of Pixar’s best sequels. Although Pixar isn’t quite as consistently successful as it used to be, it’s still having a strong run.

A Lot Of Pixar’s Recent Movies Have Flopped

A key issue when discussing Pixar’s recent challenges is its performance at the box office. For a long time, nearly every Pixar movie was a hit. Before 2020, only a few films – Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Cars 3, and The Good Dinosaur – earned less than $400 million worldwide, which is a great record considering the studio released many films over 25 years. But since 2020, seven of their movies haven’t reached that $400 million mark.

Actually, a number of Pixar films haven’t even earned $300 million, and both Turning Red and Luca made less than $75 million. While the lower earnings for those two are understandable because they were released on Disney+ at the same time as in theaters, the performance of films like Lightyear and Elio is more concerning. Lightyear was Pixar’s big comeback to cinemas, starred a well-known character, and featured Chris Evans as the voice actor, but it still didn’t reach $250 million despite costing around $200 million to make.

Following the massive success of Inside Out 2, Elio didn’t perform as well, earning just over $150 million and being considered a disappointment. Even Hoppers, released in 2026 and generally liked by audiences, didn’t achieve blockbuster status.

Pixar Should Be Putting Out More Original Films

Pixar is currently relying more on making sequels because of financial difficulties. They used to rarely make sequels, but now we can expect one every couple of years. While films like Inside Out 2 prove they can still create excellent sequels, they should prioritize original stories. Original movies like Elio haven’t performed as well at the box office, but that’s where Pixar truly shines.

Pixar consistently delivers imaginative and enjoyable films, and titles like Hoppers are among their most creative. They excel at crafting heartwarming stories from unusual ideas. Elemental showcased another incredibly unique world – something Pixar does exceptionally well. Even Elio, despite not being a box office success, offered a relatable story and beautiful animation. While we love revisiting familiar characters, Pixar truly shines when they introduce something completely new.

Pixar continues to prove its excellence in animation with films like Luca, Soul, Hopper, Elemental, and Turning Red, demonstrating that claims of a decline in quality are likely overstated.

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2026-05-14 19:49