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It was 1995, and a stuffed cowboy and an astronaut, Woody and Buzz, changed the world of animation and cinema forever. With Toy Story, the first Pixar movie, the production company born from a rib of George Lucas's LucasFilm and reinvented by Steve Jobs, began an incredible narrative journey, culminating today with the great success of pretty much every single Pixar movie that is released.
Iconic soundtracks, memorable characters, and perfect scripts: Pixar movies cannot be defined as children's films. They are emotional stories that have been touching audiences of all ages for over 20 years.
Pixar movies have not only entertained audiences of all ages but have also pushed the boundaries of animation and storytelling, making them some of the most beloved films in cinematic history.
Albeit being subjective and each Pixar film having multiple emotionally moving moments, we want to celebrate Pixar's masterpieces and legacy with a list that can show the diversity of the life lessons they have been able to convey so beautifully in their stories and the range of emotions given to audiences worldwide.
*Spoiler Alert
Going from most recent to oldest, here are some of the most moving scenes in Pixar movie history
'SOUL' (2020)
Forget, just for a moment, all the motivational speeches and life coaching to get you inspired to achieve something great in life. By all means, strive for it and find meaning in the process of it, but don't forget the "just regular old living." Never take the simplest of moments for granted. The ones without the highs and lows of life, but still the forming moments. That is the message conveyed by Pixar's Soul movie in this scene.
Pixar's newest movie Soul, certainly packs an emotional punch right from the start when the lead character, Joe, dies right before he gets his big break. There are a lot of really eye-opening scenes that certainly have a lot of people thinking. But the way Joe gets inspired by glimpses from his memories tops them all.
'COCO' (2017)
It is impossible to leave Coco's finale unscathed. Young Miguel is in the afterlife and intends to save one of his ancestors, but to do so, he must ensure that his great-grandmother can remember his father. He, therefore, plays his guitar, intoning the verses of the song 'Remember Me.'
The scene is bittersweet, where we finally see Mama Coco emerge from oblivion, immersed in a feeling of grief due to the years of separation. All in all, however, it reminds us that art is one of the most powerful tools to bring back our memories and the only way to truly preserve them over time.
'CARS 3' (2017)
After a gripping first chapter, the Cars franchise truly cements its legacy and its value with the third film, which manages to make an impressive leap in quality.
Lightning McQueen is seriously 'injured' in a race and is forced to start over with the vivacious Cruz Ramirez. Perhaps the glory days are over, or is there hope for change and revenge for the champion? Emotions run high, as does the commotion during Cruz's last race.
'FINDING DORY' (2016)
The studio that is ostensibly supposed to produce children's films will be remembered for some scenes with a bitter and often 'horror' aftertaste, such as the opening of Finding Dory: the little fish suffering from short-term memory loss is separated from her family and sets out to find her parents.
With a clever play of editing, the film reveals how much time has passed: months, years, in which Dory has stubbornly traveled a journey without ever seeing the end of it. Heart-wrenching.
'INSIDE OUT' (2015)
Inside Out, conceived by the brilliant mind of Pete Docter; also the father of Toy Story, Monsters & Co., and Up, is a candidate to be one of the best Pixar films ever (at least so far): after having given emotions to toys, insects and monsters, Pixar has made the emotions themselves the protagonists, abstract concepts that become actual characters in the film.
As in Toy Story 3, we are faced with a practically perfect film in which every scene is memorable and full of content: the most moving, however, is the one in which Bing Bong, the imaginary friend, sacrifices himself so that Riley can grow up and try to be happy by accepting sadness. Once again, it is a metaphor for the transition to adulthood and, once again, guaranteed tears.
'TOY STORY 3' (2010)
It's hard to pick just one emotional scene from Toy Story 3, a film where every character seems to have a sad backstory. Just think of the incinerator scene as moving for its dramatic impact, but the final stage is a real gut-bite, more complex and mature. Andy plays for the last time with Woody, Buzz, and the other toys, giving them to a younger child who will know how to love them as only children, full of imagination and enthusiasm, learn how to do.
The transition to adulthood has never been so bittersweet.
'UP' (2009)
Few things can make anyone, regardless of age, background, or apparent tough exterior, cry on time like the first few minutes of Up. The montage of Carl and Ellie's life together, done without words, using only images and music, is one of the most powerful scenes in the entire history of cinema.
The sequence is perfect, moving, and painful, and it makes us realize how much the absence of the missing character weighs on the protagonist's mission and relationship with little Russell.
'WALL-E' (2008)
Wall-E and Eve's dance in space is pure poetry: only Pixar could make two robots so exciting.
'RATATOUILLE' (2007)
Arcane and ruthless throughout the film, food critic Anton Ego - the name says it all - undergoes an emotional reminiscence worthy of Proust when he tastes ratatouille cooked by the rat Rémy: thanks to the smell and taste of that dish, he becomes a child again, rediscovers enthusiasm, ruins his career but is finally happy again. One of the scenes that best explains the power of art and beauty, in whatever form they present themselves.
Ego can write a review that gets to the heart of the critic himself, perhaps the best and most honest of his life.
'FINDING NEMO' (2003)
Not that the protagonist himself isn't full of emotionally moving moments, but Marlin and Dory's adventures in search of baby Nemo have become part of the collective memory, thanks to the bright colors and likable character of Dory, soon to be the star of Finding Dory.
It is precisely the forgetful little fish that offers one of Pixar's most moving moments: when she finally manages to remember while looking at Marlin and tells him: "I see you, and I feel at home."
'MONSTERS & CO. '(2001)
And here we come to the heavy artillery: The relationship between giant furry monster Sully and little Boo is one of the most moving things ever seen in cinema: when the two have to part and exchange that silent embrace full of meaning, the knot in the throat is a mathematical certainty. Bright eyes guaranteed.
TOY STORY (1995)
Toy Story is the first Pixar movie ever made. It is filled with great emotional scenes, from when Buzz thinks he can fly and for a moment fools us all that he will actually pull it off or when he realizes he is just a plastic action figure. Or the horror-like scene when Sid is chased by the toys he abused.
But despite all the laughter, sadness, and joy Toy Story 1 can convey, in hindsight, nothing is more moving than the opening scene. Pixar made generations of children and adults fall in love with these initially inanimate toys that would soon become some of the most beloved 'animated' characters in the history of cinema. Looking at the opening scene and seeing them so inanimate, the innocent of Andy's imagination, unaware of the adventures they would soon embark on. Combined with Randy Newman's legendary soundtrack, "You've Got a Friend in Me," playing in the background, we realize now how they actually would become our friends from that opening scene onwards.
So long, partners.
For more Highsnobiety-approved movie suggestions, check out the most iconic sneaker moments in cinema history, or the best gangster movies of all time.
