Recently, MSN.com published an article that ranked all Pixar films from “best” to “good” (there are no bad Pixar films, or as the author said, all of them are very good but most of them are fantastic). What surprised me about the column was that the film the author ranked as #1 was WALL-E (link here; downloaded on July 5, 2011). What?!? Only an environmentalist would think that WALL-E was even close to number 1! Frankly, that film is on the bottom of my Pixar list. (Not that I don’t care about the environment, because I do. Other values just come first for me.)
I am unabashedly a fan of Pixar. And it is not the animation that impresses me so much—it is the quality of their stories. For the most part they are unique, creative, family-friendly, and family values-oriented narratives. Pretty close to 100% in accordance with what Latter-day Saints 'seek after' (AofF 13).
In all Pixar has now released 12 films, including the brand new Cars 2 (June 24, 2011). As far as “ranking” them goes, what we learn from MSN.com is that personal values obviously play a role in a decision like, “Which one do you like best?” A tree-hugger might vote for WALL-E, a person who values personal growth (or even NASCAR) might choose Cars, and someone who loves children might go for Monsters, Inc. or the Toy Story trilogy.
While I have my own personal rankings (I have seen every Pixar film and do think some of their stories are better than others), I thought it would be fun to see what the American people thought. After all, as the saying goes, people vote with their feet, or in this case, their money. So, I researched the inflation adjusted US box office numbers and was able to find a list on a website called The Movie Times (link here; downloaded on July 5, 2011). There were 169 films on their list (Box Office Mojo only had 100). While adjusting for inflation is not an exact science, it appears to my uneducated eyes that they have done a decent job. (FYI, both lists have Gone With the Wind as number 1 and Star Wars as number 2.)
As might be expected, not all of the Pixar films were on The Movie Times list—but, surprisingly, more than half were (i.e. 7). (I think that says something right there.)
So, drum roll please, here is how the American people ranked Pixar movies with their feet (at least at the box office). According to The Movie Times adjusted for inflation US box office list, the top 7 Pixar films are, in reverse order:
7 – Cars (#167; so much for the critics, like at MSN.com, who put it on the bottom of their lists)
6 – Up (#159; sweet, sweet story and my #5)
5 – Toy Story (#122; the one that started it all)
4 – Monsters, Inc. (#108; adorable; my personal #3)
3 – Toy Story 2 (#94; shows that even a masterpiece can be improved)
2 – Toy Story 3 (#69; …and improved again!)
And…what do you think American’s chose as #1? The Incredibles? Ratatouille? Finding Nemo? A Bugs Life? Or, as MSN.com predicted, WALL-E? (The not-so-biggest hint I can give you is that 4 of the above are not on the list.)
The envelope please…According to US movie-goers, i.e. the adjusted for inflation box office, the number 1 Pixar movie is:
1 – Finding Nemo (#63; my personal #2 and a gorgeous, fabulously animated film about a father moving heaven and earth to find his son)
WALL-E was not in the top 7. In fact, in raw numbers (not adjusting for inflation) WALL-E ($223.8m in 2008) comes in behind The Incredibles ($261.4m in 2004--source: Box Office Mojo; downloaded July 5, 2011). Using the Box Office Mojo "adjuster" formula (The Movie Times did not provide a formula), WALL-E comes in dead last behind A Bug's Life and Ratatouille. (It seems I am in sync with the American movie-goer and the MSN.com author is not.)
The bottom line question is this…Do our favorite movies often reflect our personal values? What does this say about Americans choosing Finding Nemo as their #1? What are your Pixar favorites? What are your overall favorites?
Epilogue: In case you are wondering (I did only disclose 3 of my top 5), my #4 is The Incredibles. I think it is a great film about how family can be our “greatest adventure” (to quote Mr. Incredible). And, my #1 personal favorite is…Cars. I love it because the racing is fun and the story is about how a self-centered young man grows up and learns that there are more important things in life than money and fame. He learns the value of friendship, respect, and how to care for others. To me, that is a priceless lesson.
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