27 Best Pixar Movies to Watch Now (September 2025)

Pixar launched to infinity and beyond on Nov. 22, 1995, with its first feature film, Toy Story.

Since releasing the first installment created entirely through CGI, the animation studio — acquired by Disney in 2006, per The New York Times — has been delivering top-quality movies that appeal to children and adults of all ages.

Whether it’s overcoming fear in Monsters, Inc., dealing with growing pains in Inside Out or embracing differences in Luca, every film has a message anyone can relate to.

Since The Walt Disney Studios owns Pixar, many of its biggest successes are available on Disney+. As you await the 2025 sci-fi adventure Elio to arrive on streaming, here are the best Pixar films to watch (or rewatch) right now.

Inside Out films

Inside young Riley’s (Kaitlyn Dias and Kensington Tallman in Inside Out 2) mind is a team of emotions — Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (voiced first by Bill Hader, then Tony Hale) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling, then Liza Lapira) — steering ship as she goes through the many highs and lows of life.

After a few hiccups, the crew finds their rhythm in the 2015 original, only to be joined by four new emotions in the 2024 sequel. Once you’ve watched both films, be sure to catch the 2015 short Riley’s First Date and the spinoff miniseries Dream Productions.

Watch the Inside Out films on Disney+

Elemental

Pixar’s standard formula is on full display in this 2023 animated rom-com: Take an ordinary object, bring it to life, and voilà, you’ve got a story. In a world where nature’s elements coexist, hot-tempered Ember (Leah Lewis) and cool-headed Wade (Mamoudou Athie) couldn’t be more opposite. Yet, in this unlikely fire-and-water romance, they discover that embracing their differences can lead to feeling that ultimate spark.

Watch Elemental on Disney+

Toy Story franchise

You’ve got a friend in Toy Story! What began in 1995 as the first-ever fully computer-animated movie — centered on a group of toys belonging to a boy named Andy (John Morris) — quickly grew into one of Disney’s most beloved franchises. The first installment follows cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) as he butts heads with flashy newcomer Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and the two must work together to find their way back home after getting lost.

Since then, the gang has experienced countless adventures and welcomed new additions, but they always stick together. Stream all four films, plus the shorts and spinoffs, before Toy Story 5 hits theaters on June 19, 2026.

Watch the Toy Story franchise on Disney+

Monsters, Inc. franchise

We’re “always watching” our favorite monster duo — top scarer Sulley (John Goodman) and his one-eyed sidekick Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). In the 2001 classic, the team must set aside their differences when they accidentally let a human child, Boo (Mary Gibbs), into Monstropolis and race to get her home before she falls into the wrong hands.

You can revisit the original or start with the 2013 prequel Monsters University, which follows Sulley and Mike’s college days as unlikely roommates. (You can also stream the spinoff series Monsters at Work!) However, if you’re pressed for time, check out the shorts Mike’s New Car (2001) and Party Central (2014) for some quick laughs.

Watch the Monsters, Inc. franchise on Disney+

Finding Nemo and Finding Dory

The 2003 Pixar classic follows worried clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) as he teams up with the forgetful but lovable Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to search the ocean for missing son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). Years later, the 2016 sequel Finding Dory flips the script: This time, it’s Dory who’s lost as she sets out to find the family she forgot she had.

Watch the Finding Nemo films on Disney+

The Incredibles films

The Parrs aren’t your average family — they are secretly the Incredibles, a team of undercover superheroes with powers like stretching, super speed, force fields and more. Start with the 2004 original, where the family comes out of hiding to take down a sadistic villain. Then jump to the 2018 sequel, where matriarch Helen (Holly Hunter) is called back into action while dad Bob (Craig T. Nelson) holds down the fort at home.

Here’s something even more incredible: A third installment has been in production since late 2024.

Watch The Incredibles films on Disney+

Luca

Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who feel stifled in the water. So, they spend one summer on land on the Italian Riviera, where they get to experience the best the dry world has to offer: namely, good food and friendship with a human named Giulia (Emma Berman). Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan also star in this 2021 coming-of-age story.

Extend your stay in Portorosso with the 2021 short Ciao Alberto, which follows Alberto working for the intimidating fisherman Massimo (Marco Barricelli).

Watch Luca on Disney+

A Bug’s Life

Shrink to insect size in this 1998 film that depicts the battle of an ant named Flik (Dave Foley) and his misfit friends against an imposing grasshopper named Hopper (Kevin Spacey), who wants to take over their home. Along the way, Flik learns the importance of friendship and believing in yourself. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Richard Kind and Phyllis Diller also lend their voices to this classic.

Watch A Bug’s Life on Disney+

Coco

The Day of the Dead is about honoring your ancestors, and Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) wants to do just that. This colorful tale blends fantasy with reality as Miguel heads to a magical land to confront Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) with the help of a new friend and trickster named Héctor (Gael García Bernal). While in the Land of the Dead, he learns that his family history isn’t quite what he always thought.

A sequel is officially in the works, with Disney CEO Bob Iger teasing that it “will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” adding, “We can’t wait to share more soon.”

Coco 2 is set to be released sometime in 2029.

Watch Coco on Disney+

Cars franchise

In the 2006 film, hotshot race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is at the top of his game until he accidentally lands in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs. There, he meets a quirky crew of vehicles, including tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), lawyer Sally (Bonnie Hunt) and the wise Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), who help him discover that there’s more to life than the finish line.

The 2011 sequel sends Lightning and Mater overseas for the World Grand Prix, while also speeding into the world of espionage. Then in the 2017 follow-up, Lightning faces a new generation of racers and teams up with old friends and new allies to prove he’s still got gas in the tank.

Watch the Cars franchise on Disney+

Onward

When elven brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot cast a spell to bring their late dad (Kyle Bornheimer) back to life, things don’t go according to plan. So, they set out on a quest filled with magic and wonder to spend an amazing day with him. Meanwhile, their mom, Laurel (Dreyfus), teams up with the Manticore (Octavia Spencer) to bring the boys back safely in this 2020 film.

Watch Onward on Disney+

Turning Red

This 2022 coming-of-age film centers on a 13-year-old girl named Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang), whose life gets interesting when she begins to randomly transform into a giant red panda as part of a family curse. As she grapples with the curse, in addition to the other challenges of early adolescence, she discovers who she really is. Sandra Oh, Jordan Fisher, Ava Morse and more star, with songwriting sibling duo Billie Eilish and FINNEAS contributing original songs to the soundtrack.

Watch Turning Red on Disney+

Ratatouille

The 2007 film Ratatouille is about a rat named Remy (Patton Oswalt) who dreams of becoming a chef. He befriends a young kitchen worker named Linguini inside a Paris restaurant, and things quickly get chaotic. This film stars Lou Romano, Will Arnett and Peter Sohn.

Watch Ratatouille on Disney+

Soul

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey star in 2020’s Soul, a beautiful film about life and death and the relationships that transcend both. When jazz musician Joe (Foxx) has an accident before playing his dream gig, he ends up in The Great Before. There, he and soul 22 (Fey) search for answers to the meaning of life. Angela Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove and Daveed Diggs also voice animated characters in this Oscar-winning film.

Watch Soul on Disney+

WALL-E

Pixar went hundreds of years into a dystopian future in the 2008 film WALL-E. A trash pick-up robot named WALL-E (Ben Burtt) is the only one left on Earth to clean up the garbage left by humans. When a reconnaissance robot named EVE (Elissa Knight) is sent to Earth to see if it’s once again sustainable for people, WALL-E falls in love. He then does everything he can to save EVE and the human population in the process. This film was nominated for six Oscars and won for Best Animated Feature Film in 2009.

Watch WALL-E on Disney+

Up

An unlikely duo takes to the sky in Up, an adventurous film about love, loss and friendship. A retired balloon salesman named Carl Fredericksen (Ed Asner) hatches a plan to float away with the help of thousands of balloons tied to his house, and he is unknowingly accompanied by an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai). Along the way to Paradise Falls, they meet a talking dog named Dug (Bob Peterson) and a 13-foot-tall bird named Kevin (Pete Docter — who is also the director). This 2009 film also stars Christopher Plummer and John Ratzenberger.

Watch Up on Disney+

Brave

Happily Ever After means something different to Merida (Kelly Macdonald) from Brave, who is the first Disney princess not to have a love interest. In this 2012 magical tale, costarring Emma Thompson and Julie Walters, the fiery redhead creates an uproar in her kingdom when she defies a marriage custom. Now, the princess must gather enough strength from herself and her triplet brothers to undo a curse.

Watch Brave on Disney+

The Good Dinosaur

A young apatosaurus named Arlo (Jack McGraw) befriends a human boy (Jack Bright) when he’s swept away from his family in this heartwarming 2015 movie. This buddy comedy is perfect for dinosaur fans and tells an inspirational tale about friendship. Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Ryan Teeple, Raymond Ochoa and Marcus Scribner also star.

Watch The Good Dinosaur on Disney+