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

Since they started releasing feature films in 1995, Pixar has been considered by many as the king of animated movies. They were consistently putting out projects that were groundbreaking, acclaimed by critics, blockbuster hits at the box office, and beloved by almost everyone. Films like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and Coco make up a catalog that’s almost unmatched.

However, the perception of Pixar has changed a bit over the years. Cars 2 was their first release to not receive glowing reviews, which has become a bit more of a consistent thing over the years. The studio has put out some movies that flopped commercially and they’ve started to rely more on sequels to their established hits, which has made people wonder if their ability to deliver great original films has gone by the wayside.

While those concerns about Pixar as a studio are understandable, there’s actually a lot of proof that they still have the goods. In fact, some of the best movies they’ve ever put out, which is high praise, were released within the past decade or so. Other studios are certainly in the conversation for the current kings, but Pixar is far from out of the race.

Some Have Claimed That Pixar Has Fallen Off

As noted, there has been a lot of talk about Pixar’s downfall. The studio used to put out a movie every year or so which was met with widespread critical acclaim, a strong box office intake, and probably a nomination for Best Animated Feature. That hasn’t totally been the case in recent years, so the concern over their status makes some sense. Cars 2 was poorly received and sequels like Finding Dory and Toy Story 4 were solid, yet felt like they were lacking compared to what came before.

Pixar still put out great originals like Coco and Inside Out but it felt like consistency was gone. The pandemic then hit and the studio hit a new struggle. Onward had its box office destroyed by the pandemic, which then saw three straight original films get released straight to Disney+ alongside theaters. While that allowed the movies to reach homes, it almost felt like Disney considered them unworthy of a sole theatrical release. That made some view Soul, Luca, and Turning Red as lesser movies.

Pixar Has Put Out Some Of Their Best Films This Decade

The truth about these movies is that they’re actually some of Pixar’s best movies and certainly rank among the best animated movies of the decade. There’s a lot of competition for the best animated films of the 2020s, from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Flow to The Boy and the Heron to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but there’s no doubt that Pixar is still heavily involved in that conversation.

While Onward, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red may have felt lesser because of how they were released, they’re all actually great films. Each has a strong Rotten Tomatoes score (Onward is at 88%, Soul at 95%, Luca at 91%, and Turning Red at 95%) and each is an intriguing original concept that deals with things that are relatable for most of its audience. The studio continued to deliver quality films with its more notable successes too.

Elemental didn’t receive the critical acclaim that some of those other movies did, but it turned into a surprise box office success. Inside Out 2 set records for an animated film’s box office and is mostly considered one of the best sequels that Pixar has ever put out. The studio may not be as dominant as they once were, but they’re still on quite a roll.

A Lot Of Pixar’s Recent Movies Have Flopped

One major topic of discussion when it comes to Pixar’s struggles are its box office numbers. It used to be that almost everything Pixar touched would be a success. Before the 2020s, only Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Cars 3, and The Good Dinosaur grossed less than $400 million worldwide, which is impressive given how many movies the studio released across 25 years. However, since 2020, a whopping seven of their releases have not cleared $400 million.

In fact, several haven’t hit $300 million and both Turning Red and Luca didn’t clear $75 million. While those two films are understandable due to the simultaneous Disney+ release, movies like Lightyear and Elio are more troubling. Lightyear was Pixar’s big return to theaters, featured a popular character, and saw beloved actor Chris Evans in the lead voice role, yet it still couldn’t hit $250 million on a budget of around $200 million.

Elio came a few years later, hot off the heels of Inside Out 2 being a monster success, and barely got past the $150 million mark, making it another flop. Even 2026’s Hoppers, another well-received film, wasn’t exactly a huge hit.

Pixar Should Be Putting Out More Original Films

Due to those financial struggles, Pixar has resorted to focusing more on sequels. In their heyday, sequels were rare, but now we’re getting them every couple of years. Toy Story 5 and Incredibles 3 are on the horizon, and while the likes of Inside Out 2 has shown they’re capable of delivering great sequels, they should focus on original movies. The box office is less confident with those, as evidenced by the likes of Elio, but they’re where Pixar is at its best.

Hoppers is one of the studio’s most creative and fun films ever released. It takes a wacky concept and manages to tell a heartfelt story with it, which is where Pixar shines. Elemental introduced us to a unique world that’s the kind of thing that almost nobody does better than Pixar. Elio, despite flopping, is a relatable story and gorgeous animation. While we’re excited to see more of the characters we already know, there’s always something magical about Pixar giving us an entirely new project.

It’s in these original films, like Luca, Soul, Hoppers, Elemental, and Turning Red, that Pixar shows why they’re still such a stellar animated movie studio and why talk of their downfall isn’t totally accurate.