Toy Story became the world's first all-computer-animation feature-length film on November 22, 1995, which was followed on November 25, 1998, by A Bug's Life, with Toy Story 2 coming out November 24, 1999. The first Pixar movie of the 21st century was Monsters, Inc, which opened November 2, 2001; and audiences went to Australia for Finding Nemo on May 30, 2003. The Incredibles were introduced to the world on November 5, 2004, a trip down Route 66 was taken with the cast of Cars, release date June 9, 2006. France was the setting for June 29, 2007's Ratatouille, and the future in WALL-E, released June 27, 2008. Up proved one of their most wonderfully-heartwrenching stories yet on my 16th birthday, May 29, 2009. The movie my generation of high school and college students waited most of our lives to see was Toy Story 3, which proved just right once it hit theaters on June 18, 2010. Cars 2 was looked at as the company's first big flop, appearing June 24, 2011. Brave was another flop from June 22, 2012, and the first prequel was introduced on June 21, 2013 as audiences were enrolled at Monsters University. Finally, Inside Out has just opened on June 19, 2015.
Toy Story
Plot Summary - Andy Davis's toys are special; they come alive when no humans are around. It's the day of Andy's sixth birthday party, held a week early because of the upcoming move, and so he'x helping his mom get the last details fixed up. While he's doing that, we're introduced to the toys of Andy's room, led by Woody the cowboy doll, Slinky Dog, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm the piggy bank, Rex the dinosaur and Bo Peep the china shepherdess. Their job is "to be there for Andy when he needs us". With everyone flipping out over the birthday party being moved up(and scared that Andy might get a new toy to replace them), Woody sends the army men downstairs to spy on the new presents. And one of those new toys that he gets is....a brand-new Buzz Lightyear space ranger action figure. (Complete with laser, wings and karate-chop action!)
Buzz soon takes over Woody's spot on the bed as Andy's NEW Favorite Toy, and even worse, everybody else likes him! Hearing that there's a trip to Pizza Planet being planned, and that Andy can take one toy, Woody tries to knock Buzz behind the dresser, but sends him flying out the second-story window instead. The other toys take Buzz's side even more strongly than before, seeing Woody as a murderer. At a Dinoco stop for gas, Buzz reveals that he's still alive and rode on the back bumper; he and Woody get into a fistfight, which results in them falling out of the car and getting left as lost toys. And Buzz is still convinced that he is a real space ranger. However; they spot a beat-up Toyota pickup truck driven by a Pizza Planet delivery boy, and they hitch a ride. Once they get to Pizza Planet, they still have to sneak inside and jump into Molly's stroller...but then Buzz sees a claw machine shaped like a rocket and jumps in to get a ride "home". Woody has to leap in as well to rescue him from the claw-worshiping aliens, and at that moment Andy's awful neighbor Sid Phillips plays the machine and grabs them both, taking them to (gulp) his house. (Sid blows up toy soldiers. Just for FUN!)
After a miserable night hiding from Sid's mutant toys, Buzz discovers that he's a toy, from a TV commercial, and then tries to prove that he can fly. He can't. And it's so incredibly sad. His arm breaks off, and he's rescued(sort of...) by Sid's sister Hannah, who makes him play tea party with her dolls. Woody finds an extremely drunk and depressed Buzz, pulls him back to Sid's room, and tries to fool the rest of Andy's toys that he and Buzz are friends now. He accidentally reveals that Buzz's arm is dismembered, which ends hope of any chance of being saved. Rex throws up, and even Bo Peep and Slinky give up. With no one else to turn to, Woody and Buzz patch up their differences and start working together; and the mutant toys repair his severed arm. But then Sid comes in and decides that he may as well send a spaceman into orbit with his new mega-firework rocket. So he duct-tapes the rocket to Buzz; and Woody enlists the help of Sid's toys to teach him a lesson and help himself and Buzz escape. It works - barely - but they miss the moving van. So they have to chase it down and grab RC to catch up, with some heroics from Slinky. It doesn't quite work, though; and RC's batteries run dead. They remember Sid's rocket still strapped to Buzz's back; miss the moving van completely, and drop into Andy's mom's car, where he finds them again. Everything ends happily ever after. Cut to Christmastime, and things are going well. "Buzz, what could possibly be worse than you?" Woody jokes. Just then, over the radio....Andy yells "Oh, boy! A PUPPY!"
My Thoughts - THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING. That's all. I'll never get this post finished if I say anything more at the moment. It's just a masterpiece of storytelling with brilliant characters.
Quotable Quotes - "Reach for the sky!" - Woody.
"Stop it, stop it you mean old potato!" - Andy as Bo Peep, to Mr. Potato Head(as Black Bart).
"You're going to jail, pard. Say goodbye to the wife and tater tots." - Andy as Woody, dumping Mr. Potato Head into Molly's crib.
"Ages 3 and up, it's on my box. Ages 3 and up. I'm not supposed to be babysitting Princess Drool." - Mr. Potato Head.
(Molly has just took Mr. Potato Head apart; he's hastily reassembled his face.) "Hey, look, I'm Picasso!" "Eh...I don't get it," Hamm shakes his head, walking past. "You uncultured swine!" Potato Head yells. "What're you lookin' at, ya hockey puck?"
"RAWWWRRRR!!!" "How you doing, Rex." - Woody. "Were you scared? Tell me honestly." "I was close to being scared that time." "I'm going for fearsome here, but I don't feel it. I think I'm just coming off as annoying..."
"I am Buzz Lightyear. I come in peace." "Oh, I'm so glad you're not a dinosaur!" - Rex.
"Are you still using fossil fuels, or have you discovered crystallic fusion?" - Buzz. "Uh, well...let's see...we've got double-A's." - Woody.
"All right, that's enough. Look, we're very impressed with Andy's new toy." - Woody. "Toy?" - Buzz. "T-O-Y. Toy!" "Excuse me, but I think the word you're searching for is 'space ranger'." "The word I'm searching for, I can't say, because there are preschool toys present."
"Hey, look, a laser! How come you don't have a laser, Woody?" - Mr. Potato Head. "It's not a laser! It's a...it's a little light bulb that blinks!" "What's with him?" - Hamm. "Laser envy." - PH.
"To infinity...and beyond!" - Buzz.
"That...that wasn't flying! That was...falling with style." - Woody.
"That's Mister Potato Head to you, ya back-stabbin' murderer."
"I just wanted you to know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not an idea we promote on my planet." "Oh. Well. That's good." "But we're not on my planet, are we?" "No." (Buzz punches Woody.)
"Sheriff, this is no time to panic." - Buzz. "This is the perfect time to panic!"
(Woody's trying to convince Buzz to leap into Molly's stroller.) "It's a special spaceship. I just saw it." "You mean it has hyperdrive?" "Hyperactive hyperdrive. And Astro....uh, Turf."
"I've set my laser from 'stun' to 'kill'." - Buzz. "Oh, great. If anybody tries to attack us we can just blink 'em to death." - Woody.
"Wait a minute....I just lit a rocket. ROCKETS EXPLODE!" - Woody.
"Hey, Buzz! You're flying!" - Woody. "This isn't flying! This is falling! With style." "To infinity, and beyond!" (Woody laughs gleefully, then looks down.) "Uh, Buzz? We missed the truck!" "We're not aiming for the truck!"
A Bug's Life
Plot Summary - There's this ant colony that's in a bad situation, you see. This biker gang of grasshoppers, led by Hopper and his brother Molt, take all the food the ants have harvested each summer. It's sort of an extortion plot. And one of these ants, a klutzy eccentric inventor named Flik who kind of lives in his own world, accidentally destroyed the entire summer's harvest. Hopper demands twice as much food to make up the difference; and the Queen, her advisers and Princess Atta worry about what to do. Flik's volunteers to go on a rescue mission to recruit a band of warrior bugs to fight off the grasshoppers, and the rulers see this as a perfect opportunity to get him to leave. So Flik sets off for the big city, his friend Dot watching him leave. (She's Atta's little sister.)
Meanwhile, P.T. Flea's circus troupe has just finished another miserable show(and been fired), and they're drowning their frustrations at the local bar. They're antagonized by a couple of jerks from the audience that night, still harassing everyone. During the tussle that follows, Flik mistakes the actors for warrior bugs, and since they're desperate for work, they accept his offer, thinking Flik was a talent agent. Neither side realizes that they misunderstood the agreement. By the time the troupe goes to Ant Island with Flik, they've all realized the truth, but the rest of the ants haven't, so....it's still a bad situation. Flik tries to sneak out of town with them, but a bird almost eats Dot, who's trying to fly a dandelion-hot-air-balloon like Flik - They rescue her, and that turns the ants into believing that the actors are real heroes, which further complicates things...
That encounter inspires Flik to build a fake bird decoy to terrify Hopper away, since birds are his only known weakness. During a celebration party for finishing the bird, P.T. Flea shows up to rehire his former employees, and the ants find out the truth. Flik is banished for good this time; and the grasshoppers arrive, find the meager collection of food, and forcefully take over the colony. Hopper tells Molt that he plans to squeeze the Queen's head in; which Dot overhears and she goes chasing down the circus group, reminding Flik of an inspiring conversation about imagination and creativity that they had earlier. The bugs come back, that they try to use the decoy bird, but P.T. Flea also thinks it's real and sets it on fire. Hopper nearly beats Flik to death after the ant stood up to him, but then it starts raining, and things get really chaotic here. Hopper is tricked into being eaten by a real bird, and sometime later the circus promises to return next year; Molt has joined them. Atta takes the throne, she and Flik are a couple, and his inventions are in widespread use throughout the colony.
My Thoughts - This one is overlooked for some reason. But it's one of their best, in my opinion. I've always really loved it. The animation is so great, and it's so interesting to see the world from an insect's perspective. It emphasizes the importance of creativity and thinking outside the box. The characters are really well-developed. Plus Hopper is a very frightening villain.
Quotable Quotes - (Flik's trying to encourage Dot, who's having trouble with flying.) "Here. Pretend - pretend it's a seed, okay?" - Flik, handing rock to Dot. "It's a rock," she answers, pointing out the obvious. "Oh, I know it's a rock. But let's just pretend for a minute that it's a seed, all right? We'll just use our imaginations. Now, do you see that tree? Everything that made that giant tree is already contained inside that tiny little seed. All it needs is some time, a little bit of sunshine and rain, and voila!" "This rock will be a tree?" "Seed to tree - you've gotta work with me, all right? Okay. Now, you might not feel like you can do much now, but that's just because, well, you're not a tree yet. You've just got to give yourself some time. You're still a seed." "But it's a rock." "I KNOW IT'S A ROCK! Don't you think I know a rock when I see a rock? I've spent a lot of time around rocks!" (Dot giggles.) "You're weird. But I like you."
"First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault." - Hopper to Princess Atta.
"What's the point in going out there? They'll only laugh at me." - Slim asks. "That's because you're a clown!" - P.T. Flea snaps. "No, it's because I'm a prop. You always cast me as the broom, the pole, the stick...a splinter..." "You're a walkingstick! It's funny!"
"My dad says he gives you one hour before you come back to the island crying." - One of Dot's friends. "Does he now?" - Flik. "My dad doesn't think that." - Another Friend. "He doesn't, huh?" "Nah. He's betting you're gonna die."
"Okay, everybody. Come on now. Break a leg." - Rosie. "Whoa...you're vicious!" - Flik says admiringly, completely not getting it
"Oh! Look at all the....beautiful....colors of the blood..." - Rosie manages to say, looking at the Blueberries' mural of the "warrior bugs" massacring the grasshoppers.
"...and so that's how my twelfth husband died. So now I'm a widow. I mean, I've always been a black widow, but now I'm a black widow widow." - Rosie to an ant at the bird-reveal party.
"I swear, if I hadn't promised Mother on her deathbed that I wouldn't kill you, I would kill you..." - Hopper to Molt.
(Dot grabs a rock and drops it in Flik's lap.) "Pretend it's a seed, okay?" (He smiles.) "Thanks, Dot." "Hey. what's with the rock?" - Francis whispers to Slim, confused. "Must be an ant thing." Slim shrugs.
(The circus bugs elegantly present the ants with a rock before leaving.) "What's with the rock?" - One ant whispers to another. He shrugs. "Must be a circus thing."
Toy Story 2
Plot Summary - Andy's all set for Cowboy Camp with Woody, but just before it's time to leave, Woody's arm rips, so he has to stay home. Rex has been spending his time establishing himself as the best of the toys at the "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" SNES video game. Mom's holding a garage sale, and while saving a toy from being sold, Woody gets kidnapped by a collector named Al. (Who drives a car which looks remarkably like Flo... Also, he's the owner of the Al's Toy Barn franchise.) Buzz, Slinky, Rex, Mr. Potato Head and Hamm all go on a rescue mission to save Woody.
From new acquaintances Jessie, Bullseye and the Prospector, Woody learns that he is a valuable collectible, star of the 1950's TV show Woody's Roundup. Now that they're a complete set, they'll be sent off to a museum in Japan. On hearing this, Woody wants out as fast as possible, which Jessie hates, because if he leaves, they'll just go back into storage. Woody's arm comes off completely, so he's forced to spend the night in Al's apartment.
The next day, Jessie shares her story of being abandoned by her girl, Emily; and the Prospector convinces Woody that Andy will cast him aside, too. The rescue party has made it to Al's Toy Barn, where they encounter a less-than-helpful pair of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, and a helpful Tour Guide Barbie. Also, Buzz gets into a fight with a newer, even more deluded version of himself. This new Buzz imprisons Buzz in a cardboard box-spaceship, while New Buzz joins the others as they go to Al's apartment. Buzz eventually escapes and follows, but inadvertently releases a Zurg action figure, which follows Buzz in order to destroy him. After they all find Woody and the Roundup Gang, there's a bit of a mix-up as everyone tries to figure out who the real Buzz is. Buzz repeats the "toy's true purpose" speech to Woody, who initially rejects it, but then changes his mind. Prospector blocks his way out; determined to last forever in the museum since he was never taken out of his box. Al shows up and packs everyone up as he rushes to the airport, and Andy's toys follow, intent on rescuing them. Along the way, Rex finally defeats Zurg, purely by clumsiness. Anyway, they steal the Pizza Planet truck and chase after Al, freeing Woody and the rest while in a maze at the baggage area. The Prospector tries to tear Woody to shreds, but is foiled by Slinky, Rex, Hamm and Mr. Potato Head, who blind him with some high-end camera equipment they found. Jessie is put onto the plane heading for Tokyo, so Woody and Buzz ride Bullseye to save her; and then everybody piles into a baggage cart and drive it back to Andy's house, just as he's getting back from Cowboy Camp.
My Thoughts - This one really grows on you, especially since the trilogy was completed eleven years later. In my opinion it's still typically overrated, but it's still very good. Lots of entertaining one-liners, and some big stuff to think about, too.
Quotable Quotes - "Don't worry, Woody. In just a few hours, you and Andy'll be sitting 'round a campfire, eating delicious hot schmoes." "They're called s'mores, Buzz..."
"Hey, how do you spell 'FBI'?" - Rex.
"I may not be a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is." - Slinky.
"This is for Woody, when you find him." - Bo Peep gives Buzz a long kiss. He coughs uncomfortably. "Um....okay. But it won't be the same coming from me..."
"We've been down this aisle already!" - Slinky. "We're haven't been down this aisle yet! It's pink!" - PH. "Face it. We're lost." - Slinky.
"I say we stack ourselves up, push the intercom and pretend we're delivering a pizza." - Mr. Potato Head. "How about a ham sandwich? With fries and a hot dog?" - Hamm. "What about me?" - Rex. "Eh, you can be the toy that comes with the meal." - Hamm.
"Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him." - Buzz.
"You're right, Prospector....I can't stop Andy from growing up. But I wouldn't miss it for the world." - Woody.
(Hamm reading the driver's manual for the truck.) "I seriously doubt he's getting this kind of mileage."
Monsters, Inc.
Plot Summary - Sulley's the top scarer at Monsters, Inc. Mike's his assistant, best friend and roommate. In Monstropolis, electricity is generated by children's screams, so it's vital that someone goes in there and collects those screams, by scaring them. But here's the thing: Children are toxic. Other important details to know: Sulley and Mike's main rivals are Randall and Fungus, Mike's dating Celia the receptionist, Sulley's been named Employee of the Month for the past four months in a row, children are becoming harder to scare, and Mike's constantly being threatened by Roz the clerk for turning in paperwork late.
One night, Sulley discovers that Randall has been working overtime, accidentally leaving a door activated. And a little girl walked through the door! After trying to put her back in her world, he gives up and puts her in a bag, hiding while Randall comes back and stores the door again. Sulley then crashes Mike's date with Celia, and the little girl gets loose, causing a panic. They get the girl to their apartment, find out she isn't toxic, and her laughter causes a power surge throughout the entire building. Sulley names the girl "Boo", much to Mike's frustration. The next morning, Mike tries to get her back through her door, which doesn't work. Randall then tries to kidnap Boo, capturing Mike instead.
Randall puts Mike in his torture machine in the factory's basement, only to be foiled by Sulley unplugging it. Sulley then reports Randall to Mr. Waternoose, who's working with Randall on an underhanded diabolical plan to boost production at all costs. Waternoose banishes them to the Himalayas, where they run into their old mailroom-coworker the Abominable Snowman. He points them towards the nearest village, where Sulley and Mike barge back into their world. Sulley rescues Boo from the Scream Extractor, too.
A high-speed world-hopping chase occurs here; with Mike, Sulley and Boo avoiding not only Randall and Fungus, but also the agents of the Child Detection Agency. Randall is eventually trapped in a doublewide trailer in the Deep South; beaten up as an alligator. Boo is returned to her room, but her door is put through the shredder, and Waternoose is arrested by the CDA agents after revealing his role in masterminding the illegal energy-harvesting plot. Sulley becomes the new CEO of the company, and realizes that laughter is ten times more powerful than scream, has completely reorganized the company, with Mike now one of the top performers. Mike has secretly rebuilt Boo's door as a surprise for Sulley; and the movie ends with them reuniting.
My Thoughts - Okay....this movie as good music, and I love the detail of the monsters' alternate world, but the pace is way too rushed. That's my complaint with this movie.
Quotable Quotes - Mostly just wonderful Billy Crystal one-liners in response to something somebody else said. When written out, they lose something.
"One of these days, I am really gonna...let you teach that guy a lesson." - Mike to Sulley, about Randall.
"I'm sorry, Wazowski, but Randall said I'm not allowed to fraternize with victims of his evil plot." - Fungus.
"I think I have a plan here. Using mainly spoons, we dig a tunnel under the city and release it(Boo) into the wild." - Mike. "...Spoons?" - Sulley. "That's it! I'm out of ideas! We're closed. Hot air balloon? Too expensive. Giant slingshot? Too conspicuous. Enormous wooden horse? Too Greek!"
Finding Nemo
Plot Summary - A severely overprotective clownfish named Marlin is anxiously shuttling his disabled son Nemo off to school for the first time. They live in the Great Barrier Reef. On a field trip, Nemo is picked up by a scuba-diver, leading to a panicked Marlin giving chase. Along the way he meets a blue tang named Dory who suffers from severe short-term memory loss. She agrees to help Marlin search for...whatever his son's name is - Elmo. Along their search, the duo meets a group of friendly sharks trying to kick their fish-eating addictions, they're nearly killed by a smack of jellyfish, and they run into some cool surfer sea turtles. Nemo is placed inside a fish tank in a dentist's office in Sydney, which his new tankmates quickly break him out of. After a lot of minutes later, Marlin and Nemo are reunited, and Dory now lives nearby.
My Thoughts - Not a huge fan of this one...the message is aimed at adults, and the action is for kids. Doesn't quite hit either audience. The Australian accents are cool, though.
Quotable Quotes - "Just keep swimming....just keep swimming....just keep swimming..." - Dory.
"SHARKBAIT. OOH HA HA." - the Tank Gang. (This works as a pretty good volleyball rally cry, too.)
"P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney!" - Dory.
The Incredibles
Plot Summary - In the 1950's, superheroes are forced to relocate and give up crime-fighting due to massive lawsuits by people and companies caught up in the wreckage caused by their battles with supervillains. Because of this, they're forced into a witness-protection-type program. And also, using their powers is illegal. So Bob(Mr. Incredible) and Helen(Elastigirl) Parr are forced to raise their kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack (mostly) as ordinary humans...which includes teaching the kids not to use their powers(Hers, invisibility and force fields, his, super-speed. Nobody knows if Jack-Jack has any.) Bob works in an insurance office, Helen is a homemaker, Dash is super-bored with school, his pranks threatening to blow their cover, and Violet is a serious wallflower. Despite it being illegal, Bob and his friend Lucius(Frozone) Best sometimes do vigilante work in order to feel like they're doing something.
Bob gets fired from his job, and on coming home he gets a message from someone named Mirage, who gives him a mission as Mr. Incredible to destroy a robot called the Omnidroid on Nomanisan Island. Although his skills are a bit rusty, he tricks the robot into ripping out its power source. Mirage promises that she'll find him more work, and he gets back into shape and just acts really....different. He gets costume designer E to patch up a tear in his super-suit, and she makes matching new sets for the whole family. Once on the island, he discovers that Mirage is working for Buddy Pine, who was his biggest fan, but that he blew off, which motivated Buddy to become the supervillain Syndrome, who murdered a whole lot of other superheroes waiting for revenge on Mr. Incredible. And also, to make the term "super" meaningless because everyone can have superpowers.
Helen gets suspicious of Bob's weird behavior and visits E, who tells her about Bob's superheroing and shows her the new suits. She decides to chase after him, and the kids stow away for the ride, leaving Jack-Jack with ditzy babysitter Kari. Syndrome captures Bob. After crash-landing their jet, Helen finds Bob and rescues him with Mirage's help, while Violet and Dash fight off a variety of guards. Bob and Helen find the kids, and then Syndrome recaptures them all, heading off to Metroville to start his plan to eliminate all superheroes. Mirage helps them all escape again, and the Parrs head for Metroville in an old RV(powered by a spare rocket Syndrome had laying around).
The Omnidroid is too intelligent to control, and so it almost kills Syndrome before he runs away, while the Incredibles and Frozone eventually defeat it. Syndrome captured Jack-Jack while they were busy, intending to use him as a sidekick to get further revenge on the Parrs, but Jack-Jack's shapeshifting powers kick in, and Syndrome is chewed up a car motor after his cape gets caught in the machinery. Several months later, Dash has finally convinced Helen to let him run track, and Violet gets asked out on a date by a guy at school. Meanwhile a new villain called the Underminer shows up, prompting the family of supers to jump back into action.
My Thoughts - The superhero parodying is kind of funny, and the spy-ish tone at times is neat, but this is not one of the better Pixar films, in my opinion.Which is kinda strange, since I love superheroes, but, yeah... The family dynamics are really good, though.
Quotable Quotes - "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess. Can't we keep it clean for, like...ten minutes?" - Mr. Incredible.
"Want to catch a robber?" - Bob. "No. To tell you the truth, I'd rather go bowling. Look, what if we actually did what our wives think we're doing, just to shake things up?" - Lucius.
"So now I'm in deep trouble. I mean, one more jolt of this death ray and I'm an epitaph. Somehow I manage to find cover, and what does Baron von Ruthless do?" - Lucius. "He starts monologuing?" - Bob. "He starts monologuing! He starts, like, this prepared speech about how feeble I am compared to him, how "inevitable" my defeat is, how 'the world will soon be his', yada, yada yada...." "Yammering." "Yammering! I mean, the guy has me on a platter and he won't shut up..."
"We look like bad guys. Incompetent bad guys." - Lucius to Bob while on an unsanctioned rescue mission..
"Freeze!" - Cop. "I'm thirsty." - Lucius. "I said freeze!" "I'm just getting a drink." (Take long drink.) "Okay, now you've had your drink. Now I want to-" "I know, I know... Freeze." (Lucius freezes the cop so he and Bob can escape.)
"Normal? What do you know about normal? What does anyone in this family know about normal?" - Violet. "Now, wait a minute young lady-" - Helen. "We act normal, Mom! But I want to be normal! The only normal one of us is Jack-Jack, and he's not even toilet trained!"
"Shut it down, do it quickly, don't destroy it." - Bob repeats Mirage's instructions. "And don't die," she reminds him. "Great. Thanks."
"What are you waiting for?" - Bob. "I don't know...something amazing, I guess." - Neighbor Kid.
"Mom and Dad's lives could be in jeopardy. Or worse - their marriage." - Violet. "Right....So, the bad guys are trying to destroy Mom and Dad's marriage." - Dash.
"Everyone can be super....and when everyone's super....no one will be." - Syndrome.
"A jet's not fast enough." - Mr. Incredible. "Hey...how about a rocket?" - Dash. "Great. I can't fly a rocket." - Elastigirl. "You don't have to. Just use the coordinates from the last launch." - Violet. "Oh, wait. I bet Syndrome's changed the password by now. How do I get into the computer?" - Mr. Incredible. "Say 'please'." - Mirage, over intercom.
Cars
Plot Summary - Lightning McQueen is the fastest rookie the Piston Cup circuit has ever seen. He's also incredibly arrogant - running through three crew chiefs in one season. This cockiness leads to a sure title victory ending in an embarrassing three-way tie with "The King", Strip Weathers, and Chick Hicks, a tiebreaker race a week later in Los Angeles, and his entire pit crew walking away. While traveling to California, his driver Mack falls asleep, leading to some delinquent road hazards to push him around, and Lightning falling out of the semi trailer. In a panic to catch up to Mack, Lightning takes a wrong turn at the interstate, lands on Route 66, and is chased by the past-his-prime Sheriff, tearing up most of a worn-out town and eventually passing out upside-down hooked on a power line.
When he wakes up, he's in the impound, where he meets a redneck tow truck named Mater, and then Sheriff takes him to jail, where he meets all the rest of the angry residents of Radiator Springs - diner owner Flo, her husband Ramone the painter, neighbors Fillmore(the hippie) and Sarge(the soldier), Red the very shy fire truck, and senile Lizzie. This includes physician/judge Doc Hudson and motel operator/lawyer Sally. With Sally's insistence, Doc reluctantly sentences Lightning to community service for however long it takes to fix the torn-up road. Meanwhile, the media are going crazy keeping up with this "Hotshot racer disappears!" story.
While repairing the road, Lightning becomes friends with the townspeople, learns the history of Radiator Springs and what the interstate did to Route 66, falls in love with Sally, and finds out that Doc used to be a champion racer. He also pitches in to organize a party to spruce up the town back to what it was in its heyday....which is quickly crashed by the media flooding into the town and forcing him back to LA.
During the tiebreaker race, he seems really lost and unfocused for most of it; his mind still in Radiator Springs, when most of the Radiator Springs gang shows up to cheer him on(Sally and Red stayed at home to keep an eye on Lizzie.) Chick wrecks The King out of pent-up frustration at constantly losing, and Lightning screeches to a halt, not wanting The King's career to end like Doc's did. This allows Chick to win the Piston Cup, but nobody really notices; and The King can retire with dignity. Lightning is offered the lucrative Dinoco gasoline sponsorship, but turns it down to stick with his current sponsor Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment. Lightning also sets up his new headquarters there, which helps in a big way to put Radiator Springs back on the map.
My Thoughts - I could go on forever talking about this movie, how good it is, but I'll just say this: YOU NEED TO WATCH (or Rewatch) THIS IMMEDIATELY.
Quotable Quotes - (Hanging out at Flo's, watching the stoplight.) "I'm tellin' ya, man; every third blink is...slower." - Fillmore. "The sixties weren't good to you, were they?" - Sarge.
"Where am I?" - Lightning. "Where are ya? Why, shoot, you're in Radiator Springs, the cutest little town in Carburetor County." - Mater.
"The only guy strong enough to fix that road is Big Al." "Lizzie, Big Al left like, fifteen years ago." - Ramone points out. "Then why are you bringin' him up, ya lemon?"
"Maybe I should've, uh....hooked him up to Bessie, and then took the boot off..." - Mater.
(Sally and Lightning at Wheel Well, looking over the landscape of the Ornament Valley.) "Forty years ago, that interstate back there didn't exist." - Sally. "Really?" - Lightning. "Yeah. Back then, cars came across the country in a whole different way." "How do you mean?" "Well, the road didn't cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land; it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn't drive on it to make a great time. They drove on it to have a great time."
"These are good folk who care about one another. I don't want them depending on someone they can't count on." - Doc to Lightning.
"Ya know....Mater trusts you." - Sally to Lightning.
"I'm serious! He won THREE Piston Cups!" - Lightning says about Doc, shocked. "He did what in his cup?!" - Mater asks.
"What're you doin', kid?" "I figured The King should finish his last race." - Lightning answers. "You just gave up the Piston Cup, you know that?" "Eh...this grumpy old race car I know once told me somethin'. It's just an empty cup."
"Just passin' through?" - Sally asks Lightning. "Actually, I thought I'd stop and stay a while. I hear this place is back on the map." "It is?" "Yeah. Apparently there's a rumor floating around that some hotshot Piston Cup racecar is setting up his big racing headquarters here." "Really? Well, there goes the town."
"I'm happier'n a tornada in a trailer park!" - Mater.
Ratatoullie
Plot Summary - A culinary-minded Parisan rat teaches a young restaurant employee how to cook. The evil owner of the restaurant nearly kills the rat and fires the boy, but doesn't; and the unpleasant food critic is won over, mice in the kitchen is unsanitary, and everyone winds up living happily ever after. Also, there's some subplot about an illegitimate child?
My Thoughts - This is really bad. Whose idea was it to have a rat, even if he is voiced by Patton Oswalt, be the protagonist? AUDIENCES DON'T LIKE RATS. We also don't particularly care about the operations of French restaurants, especially high-end ones in Paris. And food is not interesting in a movie. You can write about food as almost a character or to move the plot along; yes; see Jan Karon or C.S. Lewis. But in a movie? We don't care.
Quotable Quotes - "Well, yeah, anyone can cook. But that doesn't mean that everyone should." - Remy the rat.
WALL-E
Plot Summary - A culture of intense consumerism eventually has a price, right? In WALL-E, it's 2805, and generations of humans' trash are coating the Earth. It's uninhabitable, actually; and a colony of mega-obese folks are living on a spaceship called the Axiom. which was part of a plan by Buy 'n' Large, the company largely responsible for the mess, to move Earth's population to starliners while janitorial robots cleaned the place up. One of these particular Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-class, or WALL-E, robots has been at work for 700 years, keeping itself running by scavenging parts from dead coworkers. He also collects human artifacts like plastic spoons, cigarette lighters and a VHS tape of Hello, Dolly!
One day WALL-E finds a small plant, which draws the attention of a spaceship that deploys the Earth Vegetative Evaluator, EVE. WALL-E's romantic nature causes him to fall in love with her, but she blows him off, focused on the mission. He shows her the plant; which she collects and then goes into standby mode, waiting for her ship to collect her. WALL-E tries without success to wake her up, but stows away clinging to the hull of the ship taking EVE to the Axiom. The autopilot system Auto controls most the ship's functions, as Captain McCrea is so ignorant. After receiving EVE's plant, the Captain learns that Earth is now habitable, and the Axiom will make a hyperjump back to Earth so that the passengers can recolonize it. EVE and WALL-E also go dancing somewhere near here; it's a beautiful scene, and leads to the Captain's researching all about culture on Earth. Auto orders an assistant to steal the plant; since orders had been programmed into BnL autopilots never to return after the planet was deemed irredeemable. Auto stages a mutiny to follow the directions, while this resistance(and his new knowledge about Earth) sparks the Captain to stand up for something and actually fulfill his job's requirements. (Auto follows Asimov's Three Rules of Robotics: First, that a robot may not harm a human being, or through inaction, allow a human to be injured, Second, that a robot must obey orders from a human except when it violates the First Law, Third, a robot must protect its own existence except when that conflicts the First or Second Laws.)
This struggle over which rules to follow leads to Auto damaging WALL-E, and he's so outdated, the only parts to fix him are in his truck-home back on Earth. And to get there, EVE has to get the plant to the holo-detector in order for the hyperjump to activate. Auto is overriden by having his control switch flipped to "manual", and EVE repairs WALL-E while the passengers and robots of the Axiom undertake a new existence in revitalizing the Earth.
My Thoughts - Pixar can make a movie mostly devoid of any dialogue, and you're still moved to tears by how well the story was presented; which is really like three love stories, WALL-E and EVE, the Captain and the Earth, and John and Mary, a pair of passengers of the ship.
Quotable Quotes - This movie is almost silent. So there's not many lines to quote. But there is this good exchange: "No, wait a minute. Computer, when was that message sent out to the Axiom?" - Captain. "Message received in the year 2110." - Computer. "That's...that's nearly 700 years ago. Auto, things have changed. We've gotta go back." "Sir, orders are do not return to Earth." - Auto. "But life is sustainable now. Look at this plant. Green and growing. It's living proof that he was wrong." "Irrelevant, Captain." "What? It's completely relevant! Out there...is our home. Home, Auto. And it's in trouble. I can't just sit here and do - do nothing. That;s all I've ever done! That's all anyone on this blasted ship has ever done! Nothing!" "On the Axiom, you will survive." "I don't want to survive. I want to live."
Up
Plot Summary - A young, very quiet, 9-year-old boy named Carl Frederickson meets a very talkative 8-year-old girl named Ellie who loves explorer Charles Muntz as much as he does. Muntz's reputation has been trashed because he's accused of fabricating a skeleton he found around Paradise Falls, Venezuela, South America. He vows to return with a live specimen. Ellie's always wanted to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls and live there. Carl and Ellie get married; she works in a zoo with birds, and he works at the balloon stand just outside the zoo's gates. Their married life goes pretty well, for the most part; they buy Ellie's old clubhouse and move in, fixing it up all just right. Ellie miscarries a pregnancy; which leaves her incredibly depressed. Carl digs out their old Adventure Book, and they decide to finally go on their trip to South America. Every time, though; something comes up when they almost enough money, so they have to start over again. Once they're elderly, Carl has finally bought the plane tickets, but just as he's about to surprise her, Ellie's illness causes her to be hospitalized, where she dies. (It's one of the saddest montages in cinematic history.)
Several years later, Carl is a very lonely, very depressed and very angry widower still living in their house. The city 's built up all around them; a construction worker next door accidentally runs over the mailbox. Carl whacks him with his cane, leading to a court ordering him to go into a nursing home. Carl uses leftover balloons from the stand to turn the house into an airship, thus keeping his promise to Ellie and avoiding the nursing home. A young Wilderness Explorer named Russell(who knows nothing about the wilderness, being from the city) gets trapped on Carl's porch, and after surviving a thunderstorm, they make it almost to Paradise Falls. They walk the house the rest of the way, like a Macy's balloon.
Russell makes friends with an enormous multi-colored bird that he names "Kevin", and an overweight, ADHD golden retriever-ish dog named Dug with a radio color that allows him to speak English. (Kevin turns out to be a girl bird trying to reach her chicks; my friend Susan calls her "Kevinista".)
Dug's master turns out to be Muntz, who's been living in his dirigible the Spirit of Adventure searching for a live Beast of Paradise Falls. Over dinner, Russell innocently points that Kevin looks like Muntz's bird, leading to him setting with pack of dogs after them and setting Carl's house on fire. Carl chooses to save the house over the bird. They reach the falls, where Carl looks through the scrapbook and reminisces, while Russell goes flying off in some balloons to save Kevin from Muntz. Carl dumps furniture and possessions out the window in order to lighten the house to chase after Russell, landing on Muntz's dirigible. Carl saves Russell, Kevin and Dug, Dug defeats pack leader Alpha and takes his spot, Carl and Muntz fight, with the house dropping into the mist and Muntz falling to his death.
Kevin is reunited with her chicks, and Carl and Russell fly the Spirit of Adventure back to the city, where they eat some ice cream together. The house has landed on the cliff next to the falls, exactly as Ellie wished. Carl gives Russell the "Ellie Badge"; the grape-soda bottle cap that she'd given him on the day they first met.
My Thoughts - As Larry said in Dave and the Giant Pickle, "I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob." This is a really emotional movie, and one of the hardest to watch because of that; but also one of their best.
Quotable Quotes - "You don't talk much. I like you!" - Ellie to Carl on the day they met.
"When I get big, I'm going where he's going: South America! It's like America, but south!" - Ellie to Carl, about Charles Muntz.
(Russell giving Dug commands, which are followed.) "Speak!" "Hi there." (Carl and Russell look at eah other.) "Did that dog just say, 'Hi there'?" - Carl. "Oh yes. I have just met you, and I love you."
"Now you must wear the Cone of Shame." - Alpha. (Dug hangs head.) "I do not like the Cone of Shame."
"This is crazy. I finally meet my childhood hero, and he's trying to kill us. What a joke." - Carl. "Hey, I know a joke! A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, 'I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.' It is funny because the squirrel gets dead." - Dug.
"I was hiding under your porch because I love you." - Dug.
"I know that might sound kinda boring, but I think the boring stuff is what I remember the most." - Russell.
"Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one!" - Ellie, on the last page of the Adventure Book.
Toy Story 3
Plot Summary - Andy's grown up now. And heading off to college soon. The toys haven't been played with for years. But he still doesn't want to get rid of them - they'll just be moving to the attic for a while. And Woody will go to college, too. Buzz'll take care of those who're left - which is just Jessie, Bullseye, the Potato Heads, Slinky, Hamm and Rex. Mom thinks that the bag the toys are in is trash, so the garbage guy(Sid!) stuffs them into the truck. They escape and climb into a box of stuff to donate to Sunnyside Daycare, thinking that Andy meant to throw them away. Woody tries to explain the mistake, but nobody else wants to listen.
Sunnyside seems perfect. Lotso the Bear gives the new toys a tour of the place; they'll be played with every day. Molly's Barbie falls in love with Ken at first sight, much to everyone's disgust. Woody tries to get back to Andy, landing in the backpack of a little girl named Bonnie, who's toys Buttercup, Dolly, Trxie and Mr. Pricklepants are part of an improv group. Everyone learns that Sunnyside is more like a prison than a paradise. Toddlers just can't play with toys properly. And Lotso, a tyrannic dictator, resets Buzz to his original space-ranger persona. Mrs. Potato Head accidentally left one of her eyes at home, so she can see Andy searching for them, realizing that Woody was telling the truth. (The rolling eye was one of Joss Whedon's ideas for the original that just didn't make it.) Woody returns to Sunnyside and they plan a breakout, but an attempt to reset Buzz puts him into Spanish mode, which is slightly friendlier but no less nutty. Spanish Buzz allies with Woody (again) and falls in love with Jessie (again). A dumpster showdown leads to Lotso being overthrown, but he and Andy's toys wind up in the trash truck going to the dump. A TV lands on Buzz, literally knocking the sense back into him, much to everyone's relief.
The dump is terribly emotional. Everyone nearly dies several times, and there's nothing anyone can do but accept it. The Pizza Planet aliens finally rescue them, though, in order to pay back Mr. Potato Head from saving their lives earlier. Lotso is picked up by a worker who ties him to the grill of his truck.
Andy's toys make it back to the house(riding in Sid's truck), and Andy decides to donate the toys instead of stuffing them in the attic. He slowly drives Mom's old car to Bonnie's house and gives her the toys; including Woody. They all have one last playtime before Andy drives away, tears in his eyes. (And all audience members'. We've been crying for the last twenty minutes.)
My Thoughts - This is an almost perfect movie. Well worth waiting for my whole life up til then. It's so beautiful, and yet so sad, but you don't really want to change anything. So I guess it's a lot like life that way.
Quotable Quotes - "We're all still here! I - I mean, yeah, we've lost friends along the way....Wheezy....and Etch..." "And Bo Peep." - Rex. "....Yeah," Woody barely whispers. "Even...even Bo."
"Now, hold on. This is no time to be hysterical." - Buzz. "This is the perfect time to be hysterical!" - Hamm. "Should we be HYSTERICAL?!" - Rex. "No!" - Slinky. "Yes!" Mr. Potato Head. "Maybe! But not right now!" - Buzz.
(Buzz has been clonked with the TV.) "Buzz! YOU'RE BACK!" - Jessie. "Uh, yes. Yes, I am. ...Where did I go?" Woody laughs and shakes his head in relief. "Beyond infinity, Space Ranger."
"You'll be okay in the attic?" - Woody. "Of course I will," Jessie rolls her eyes. "Besides, I know about Buzz's Spanish mode." "My what?"
"Now, you gotta promise to take good care of these guys. They mean - a lot - to me." - Andy to Bonnie.
"Now, Woody....he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave; like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special is that he'll never give up on you...ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what." - Andy to Bonnie.
"So long, partner." - Woody. (Last line.)
Cars 2
Plot Summary - Lightning McQueen has just won his fourth Piston Cup, and he and Mack are set for the offseason in Radiator Springs with Sally, Mater and the rest of the gang. A former oil tycoon named Miles Axelrod is promoting his new World Grand Prix series, designed to showcase his new biofuel Allinol to find out the best racer on the planet. An arrogant Formula car named Francesco Bernoulli challenges Lightning to volunteer for the final spot on the starting grid, Mater stands up for his pal, leading to Lightning being insulted and then agreeing. Mater, Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore volunteer to be his pit crew.
Also, there's this spy named Finn McMissile on an assignment, which goes badly and he must fake his own death.
A group of lemons headed by German scientist Professor Z plan on using an EMP disguised as a TV camera to ignite the Allinol fuel at the first race in Tokyo. Finn is partnered with Holley Shiftwell, who is new to field work, and they need to meet up with the American spy Rod Redline in order to receive intel about the mastermnid of the lemons' plot. Redline is trapped by Grem and Acer, the main henchmen, and he slips a tracking device with the intel on Mater's bumper when trapped in a bathroom. (He's captured and blown up anyway.) Meanwhile, Holley and Finn think that Mater is Redline, who was known to be an expert with disguises. The henchmen, while killing Redline, learn that Mater now has the intel, and they set out to assassinate him. This happens during the first race, and as Finn and Holley guide him through the Tokyo streets, Mater gives Lightning poor race information, which allows Francesco to steal the win. Several racers have had their engines roasted by the EMP, too.
Lightning and Mater have a huge fight, and Mater leaves to go back home. In the airport, Finn intercepts him and they're chased by more henchmen, and Finn is convinced that Mater is one of the world's best agents. Along with Holley, they fly to Paris to track down the motor of the Big Boss Lemon. In Paris, they learn of a criminal meeting in Italy, which Mater crashes, where he discovers their plot. More cars wreck in this race; and the Allinol fuel is a subject of controversy, so Axelrod determines that it is optional for the final race in London. Lightning decides to go ahead and use it anyway, and the lemons decide to kill Lightning during the final race. Mater overhears this, and he is kidnapped and knocked out, waking up inside the clock tower of Big Ben with Finn and Holley.
They all escape; and Lightning is hit with the EMP but nothing happens. A bomb is discovered inside Mater's oil filter, and he and Lightnig apologize at high speed and while fighting off a bunch of lemons with Finn, Holley, most of the Radiator Springs group and the British army. Professor Z is captured and says only the activator of the bomb can defuse it. Mater realizes this must be Axelrod, and everything ends happily ever after. Mater is knighted, and because the qurstion of "world's top racer" was never answered, the WGP cars come to Radiator Springs to find out the answer. Finn and Holley ask Mater to take on a new spy mission, which he declines.
My Thoughts - This movie is fun. That's about all it was designed for, but that's okay. It's not that great, but it's still really watchable. Plus, it's kind of a spy-movie parody. And involves a lot of Darrell Waltrip and Brad Paisley!
Quotable Quotes - "For a second there, I thought you was goin' to fix my dents." - Mater. "I was." - Holley Shiftwell. "Well, then, no, thank you. I don't get them dents buffed, pulled, filled or painted by nobody. They's way too valuable." "Your dents are valuable?" "I come by each of these with my best friend Lightning McQueen. I don't fix these. I wanna remember these forever."
"Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro." - Luigi's Uncle Topolino. "What does that mean?" - Lightning. "Whoever finds a friend, finds a treasure." - Mama Topolino.
"I'm not a spy. I'm a tow truck. Y'all know that, right?" - Mater. "Yes. And Miss Shiftwell designs iPhone apps." - McMissile.
(Finn McMissile and Holley are trying to save Mater and Lightning. Wings have just appeared from Holley's side skirts.) "They're standard issue now," she explains. "You kids get all the good hardware..."
(Finn and Holley show up suddenly in Radiator Springs, Mater's introducing them to everybody.) "Everybody, this is Finn McMissile. He's a secret agent, but don't tell nobody. This is Holley Shiftwell. She-" "I'm Mater's girlfriend. So nice to meet you all." (Guido nearly faints in astonishment.) "Guido, he believe you now." - Luigi. "Whoa, honey. You got a nasty dent there!" - Flo. "Yeah." "Was that from where ya swooped in and saved 'em in London?" - Van the roadtripper. "Van!" - Minnie scolds her husband. "Don't you worry, sweet pea. my baby Ramone can get that fixed up for ya in no time." Ramone agrees, starts to get his tools. "Oh, no, no. I'm keeping that dent. It's way too valuable."
"He's not that good-looking, after all..." - Sally, about Francesco. "Uh-huh..." - Lightning rolls his eyes. "I'm serious!" "That's why I love you, Sally. Wish me luck!" (He drives off for the starting line.) "You don't need it!"
Brave
Plot Summary - A frizzy-haired princess named Merida outshoots a bunch of would-be suitors in an archery contest and thus escapes being forced to marry somebody(or anybody) for now, accidentally turning her mother Queen Elinor involving an enchanted cake while trying to get her mother to understand her point of view. A real bear that chomped off her father the king's leg years ago is eventually killed and the Queen returns to her human self after an ancient curse is repealed by repairing a tapestry.
My Thoughts - Can we pretend this movie doesn't exist? It's that horrible.
Quotable Quotes - None that I can remember, because everyone talks with an extremely thick Scottish accent which is well-nigh impossible to understand. Also, the best quotes are when nobody says anything; because all you hear is the beautiful soundtrack.
Monsters University
Plot Summary - Mike Wazowski has always wanted to be a scarer at Monsters, Inc. He's a freshman scaring major at Monsters University now, but things aren't really going that great. (But, hey, it's college. College is awful.) He's an extremely diligent student, but he's not really that scary. At all. This stands in sharp contrast to his classmate Sulley, an exceptionally athletic, terrifying monster who coasts on his family's accomplishments. They both try to get into the Roar Omega Roar fraternity, but Mike doesn't make it while Sulley does. They get into a fight during the final of fall semester, leading to Dean Hardscrabble failing them both and dropping them from the program. Sulley is kicked out of ROR.
Spring semester they both have drearily switched to engineering, which they're bored to tears by. They're also roommates now. Mike makes a deal with Hardscrabble; if he joins a team in the Greek Scare Games, and they win, then his whole team will be readmitted to the scaring program, but if they lose Mike will leave the school. He joins the Oozma Kappa fraternity, and since they need one more member to make a team, and since he's desperate, Sulley joins OK as well. OK's members are....really not athletic. There's Art the free spirit, Squishy the timid slob, Terri the dance major, Terry the English major, and Don the middle-aged former salesman-turned-computer-science major. Also, their frat house is actually Squishy's mom's house.
Mike takes charge of coaching his frat brothers, and they gradually improve and advance through the competition, becoming the Cinderella story just about everybody on campus is talking about. That still doesn't prevent ROR from humiliating the OK crew, though. In the final showdown, OK beats ROR, but only due to Sulley's rigging the simulator. Determined to prove that he can actually be scary, Mike breaks into the Door Lab and winds up at a summer camp, but he can't scare anyone.
ROR offers to reinstate Sulley, but he refuses and admits what he did to Hardscrabble, and then goes hunting for Mike. who he finds and they realize they've become friends. However, Hardscrabble deactivated their door while waiting for the CDA to arrive, and so they're trapped in the human's world. And being chased by park rangers. So the only way to escape is by generating enough scream to power the door from the inside. Working together, they horrify the rangers, which provides more than enough energy to get back home.
However, for so flagrantly disregarding school policies, they're both expelled. The other OK members are accepted to the scaring program, though, for next fall. Also, Don's gotten engaged to Squishy's mom, which is a little awkward for everybody involved. Sulley and Mike take entry-level jobs in the Monsters, Inc. mail room instead of trying a different school. Over the next ten years, they climb the corporate ladder until the events of Monsters, Inc.
My Thoughts - Life usually doesn't have a happy ending. Neither does college. (Especially college?) This movie doesn't, either. So it's very realistic. Totally feels like a real college campus, which is astounding. And the minor characters are even better than usual, which is saying something. Plus, the cast includes Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Aubrey Plaza.and Alfred Molina.
Quotable Quotes - "Mr. Wazowski, what you lack simply cannot be taught. You're just not scary." - Dean Hardscrabble.
"It's my job to make great students greater, not make mediocre students less mediocre." - Dean Hardscrabble.
"I can't go back to jail!" - Art.
"I act scary, Mike. But most of the time I'm terrified." - Sulley. "How come you never told me that before?" "...Because we weren't friends before."
"I don't want you to think of me as your new dad. After all, we're fraternity brothers first." - Don to Squishy. "This is so weird..." "Just think of me as your big brother who's marrying your mother. Wait, hold on. We're brothers who share the same mom/wife. Hmm....Okay, yeah, you're right. This is weird..."
Inside Out
Plot Summary - A newborn baby named Riley Anderson is born in east central Minnesota, and an emotion appears called Joy(Amy Poehler, yellow). Joy plays with a button that she finds, which turns out to be the control panel for Riley's mind. As Riley gets older, there are other emotions that pop up inside the Control Room, each with their own job; Anger(Lewis Black, red) makes sure things stay fair. Disgust(Mindy Kaling, green) keeps Riley from being poisoned either physically or socially. Fear(Bill Hader, purple) keeps her safe. Nobody quite knows what Sadness(Phyllis Smith)'s job is supposed to be. Joy is kind of a control freak. Besides responding to daily events, these emotions also retain memories, with the Core Memories powering the five islands of Riley's personality; Goofball Island, Friendship Island, Hockey Island, Honesty Island and Family Island.
When she's eleven, Riley's dad gets a new job in San Francisco, uprooting the family. This doesn't sit well with anyone, really; but...well, that's life. It's stressful and usually full of unpleasant happenings. The emotions are having a bit tougher days at work, trying to figure out when to trade drivers where. Sadness turns a new Core Memory blue on Riley's first day at her new school. All the core memories get sucked up into the memory tube, depowering the Islands of Personality. And then Joy and Sadness get sucked up into the tube, too; leaving only Anger, Disgust and Fear in the control room.
Joy and Sadness are lost in Long-Term Memory; a maze of complicated passageways. They run into Bing Bong, Riley's now-homeless imaginary friend made of cotton candy. He agrees to try to guide them back a station of the Train of Thought, which will take them to Headquarters. This leads them through the terrifying shortcut factory of Abstract Thought; the more-pleasant Imagination Land, consisting of Cloudtown, Trophytown, and past the House of Cards. Bing Bong's Radio-Flyer wagon, "the Rocket", is shoved into the Abyss of Forgetfulness, and with it go his chances of reconnecting with Riley. Sadness comforts him and gets them all back on track in their journey while Joy watches their conversation, completely mystified.
Anger, Disgust and Fear cause an angry outburst at Riley's parents over dinner, and Goofball Island collapses. Riley lashes out at her best friend Meg, jealous that she's getting along so well with the girl who took Riley's spot on the Prairie Dogs hockey team. Friendship Island implodes following that event. This follows a disastrous hockey tryout for the Tri-County Youth League, where she gives up on the game, leading to Hockey Island melting. She finally falls asleep after a terrible day.
While Riley sleeps, the Train of Thought is stopped. So Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong tour the Dream Productions studios, where Joy totally fangirls out when she spots Rainbow Fairy Unicorn, star of numerous Riley dream productions, including "Fairy Princess Land No. 7". There they crash a taping of that night's programming; which scares her so much that the Train starts running again.
Anger and Disgust's last-ditch plan to restore Riley's happiness is reluctantly implemented; running back to Minnesota. She steals her mom's credit card, which is the final nail in the coffin for Honesty Island, and the debris caused by that wrecks the Train of Thought. As Riley waits at the bus station, Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong hide on Family Island; but that falls apart, too, so they drop into the Abyss. Sadness escapes somehow. Joy sorts through memories and discovers that Sadness' job allows others to help Riley when necessary. And after a bit of panic, Joy and Bing Bong remember (and find!) the song-powered Rocket wagon, and ride it through several unsuccessful attempts to sail over the cliff. Bing Bong realizes that his dream of reconnecting with Riley are weighing them down and leaps off midway through the takeoff of one last attempt, while Joy makes it back onto solid ground again. Bing Bong evaporates, knowing that Riley will continue her life by his choice.
Joy and Sadness use a trampoline(and a lot of Imaginary Canadian Boyfriend clones) to reach Headquarters, while Disgust and Anger bring them back inside. Sadness takes the control panel, and Riley regains control of her emotions, gets off the bus and returns home, where she and her parents have a long talk about what's been happening recently. The next year, the Islands are flourishing again, with some new additions like Boy-Band Island(which Fear really hopes is just a phase) and Sparkly Vampire Book Island. There's also a shiny upgraded new control panel, with a ton of new buttons and dials that everybody can't wait to try. Nobody wants to test that flashing "Puberty" button to see what it does... Riley's now playing with a team called the Foghorns, with Mom and Dad as extremely enthusiastic fans in the bleachers.
My Thoughts - When I first heard this premise, I thought, "Hmm. That's weird. I LOVE IT!!!" And I do. Joy is honestly Leslie Knope inside a Pixar movie. (Which makes three Parks and Rec stars to appear in Pixar movies; Rashida Jones has a tiny role in this one, and Aubrey Plaza is the goth announcer of the Scare Games in Monsters U.) It's ranked No. 7 right now because I've only seen it once, but I'm guessing it will climb higher in future rankings. Some of the movies switched places this time. Anyway, it's really like two movies in one, and the way that they're blended together...it's amazing. And the little details like the way the headlines of Anger's paper reflect what's been going on in Riley's life. Also, Remy the rat showed up, and Bing Bong has Dug's ears, only they're pink.
Quotable Quotes - "Can I use that curse word that I know now? It's a really good one..." - Anger.
There were A TON of other great lines, but I can't remember them right now, and nobody else on the internet has really had time to track them yet, either.
Grades....
15 - Brave
14 - Ratatouille
13 - Finding Nemo
12 - Monsters, Inc.
11 - The Incredibles
10 - Cars 2
9 - Toy Story 2
8 - WALL-E
7 - Inside Out
6 - A Bug's Life
5 - Monsters University
4 - Up
3 - Cars
2 - Toy Story
1 - Toy Story 3
That's the current rankings right now, but they should be re-ranked around Thanksgiving when The Good Dinosaur is released. (It doesn't sound too promising, but there's a good premise. What if the asteroid that killed all the dinosaurs missed the Earth?) I've just realized something, though; with the possible exception of Ratatouille, every single Pixar movie has featured at least one character getting lost during the story.
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