10 Greatest Pixar Endings, Ranked

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Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.

A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.

Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.

Warning: There are spoilers ahead!

Since 1995, Pixar Animation Studios has established itself as the ruling animation studio not just in North America, but arguably worldwide. Even today, after the many missteps they've experienced throughout the 2020s, many would still call Pixar the world's best producer of animated films. Its filmography is beyond iconic, as it has made some of history's best animated features. A film, of course, is only as good as its ending, and the studio's best outings fittingly have some of the most memorable endings in animation's history.

Countless things can make a Pixar ending stand out. Some are bittersweet, while others are downright thrilling; some set up a sequel perfectly, while others bring their story to an entirely satisfying conclusion; some balance humor and emotion, while others are tear-jerkers through and through. Whatever it is that makes these ten conclusions special, they're all proof that no studio does unforgettable endings quite like Pixar.

10 'Finding Nemo' (2003)

Winner of the third-ever Best Animated Feature Oscar, as well as Pixar's first recipient of the prestigious award, Finding Nemo is probably the most touching movie about fish ever made. Pixar films dealing with parenthood abound, but none put that theme front and center quite like Finding Nemo does. The result? One of the most amazing films Pixar has ever made.

The story comes to a conclusion that's not particularly surprising—after their odyssey, Marlin waves goodbye to Nemo as he leaves for school, telling him to "go have an adventure"—, but it's precisely in its simplicity that the ending finds its strength. It's a perfectly full-circle Hero's Journey moment, showing how Marlin has become less anxious, and Nemo has become more responsible since the beginning of the story.

9 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001)

Sully with a tie at the end of 'Monsters Inc'

Pixar's first-ever nominee for the first-ever Best Animated Feature Oscar (which it lost against DreamWorks' Shrek), Monsters, Inc. is still one of the studio's best. Though much more overtly comedic than much of Pixar's other works — making it one of the best monster comedy movies ever — it's not without its hard-hitting emotional moments. The ending is chief among them.

Some time after Boo is sent home and her door is destroyed, Monsters, Inc. begins to collect energy by making children laugh instead of scream. Mike becomes the company's top comedian, and Sulley becomes the new CEO. In one of the studio's most emotional reveals, Mike shows Sulley that he's been rebuilding Boo's door, and with Sulley opening the door and being greeted by Boo's "Kitty!" offscreen, we fade to black. It's a flawless example of a semi-ambiguous ending, simple yet irresistibly sweet.

8 'WALL•E' (2008)

WALL-E and EVE, two robots, look at each other lovingly in the ending to WALL-E.

Seeing as it's largely a tribute to old Hollywood rom-coms, which of course includes many silent movies, it's quite fitting that a big portion of WALL•E's runtime is mostly devoid of dialogue. It is, at heart, a techno-screwball led by the most touching romance that Pixar has ever created, in the form of the solitary trash-compacting robot WALL•E and the advanced robot probe EVE.

It's one of the most entertaining Pixar movies ever, as well as one of the funniest, most romantic, and most imaginative. During its ending, EVE repairs WALL•E after he was crushed during a heroic feat, but his memory and personality have been erased. But after EVE gives WALL•E a "kiss," the little trash compactor is restored. WALL•E and EVE reunite as the inhabitants of the spaceship take their first steps on Earth. It's a conclusion that's sweet and nostalgic without ever feeling trite or saccharine, a perfect display of how great Pixar is at these kinds of happily-ever-after endings.

7 'The Incredibles' (2004)

The Parr family at the end of 'The Incredibles'

Before superhero films became all the rage in Hollywood with the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar dipped its toes into the genre, and it just so happens that The Incredibles is far and away one of the genre's best outings. Part exciting family film, part spy thriller, and part dissection of the meaning of middle-class suburban family life in post-9/11 America, The Incredibles is, needless to say, one of the studio's most mature and complex efforts.

After one of the most exciting Pixar climaxes ever, the film's third act concludes with a tranquil day in the Parrs' family, everyone watching Dash run a race. But after the event, the family witnesses the arrival of the supervillain The Underminer. They suit up, ready to face this new threat. This cliffhanger famously took a whopping 14 years to materialize into a (rather underwhelming) sequel, but even in a vacuum, it's one of Pixar's most exciting and satisfying conclusions.

6 'Up' (2009)

Carl, Russell, and Dug eating ice cream in 'Up' (2009)

Some Pixar fans claim that Up peaks during its first act. That may be true, but its hard-hitting ending mustn't be underestimated. Pixar's first movie to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar remains both exciting and touching throughout, aided by some of the studio's most compelling characters and one of their most memorable scores (composed by Michael Giacchino).

During the ending, Russell receives his badge for assisting the elderly, and Carl presents him with "The Ellie Badge," a bottle cap that his late wife gave him when they first met as kids years ago. They go get ice cream together, while Carl's floating house lands on the cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, fulfilling his promise to Ellie. It's a conclusion that ticks every box, tying up every character's arc with a nice ribbon in a way that feels natural. That last shot of the house by Paradise Falls is as tear-jerking as the movie's first act.

5 'Inside Out' (2015)

Sadness and Joy smiling at the console in 'Inside Out'

On the basis of one of the most creative premises in Pixar's history, Inside Out tells one of the studio's most emotional stories. It's not all tears, though: The film constantly finds ways to make the inside of an 11-year-old's head one of the most enrapturing and fun spaces in any animated movie, with world-building so creative that suspension of disbelief is never an issue.

It's an emotionally mature ending showing the importance and beauty of sadness in one's life.

This unique approach is what makes Inside Out one of the best family movies of the last 15 years, and the ending certainly doesn't hurt. After a warm embrace between Riley and her parents, Joy finally allows Sadness to touch the control console — creating a new core memory and a new island in the process — and a new Headquarters where all the emotions are working as a team. It's an emotionally mature ending showing the importance and beauty of sadness in one's life, and the positive things that can come from allowing oneself a moment to cry.

4 'Coco' (2017)

At once a beautiful tribute to Mexican culture and a hugely entertaining story in itself, Coco is visually delightful and full of excellent music. Taking the Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead as a point of departure, it embarks on a reflection on life, death, family, and music that's absolutely irresistible, like a warm bowl of soup on a cold, sunny day.

The film's ending has that exact same kind of feeling. After making audiences sob their hearts out when Miguel sings "Remember Me" to Mama Coco, prompting her to remember her late father, Héctor, who was unfairly maligned. We then jump ahead one year; now allowed to pursue his passion for music, we hear Miguel perform a heartfelt song for both his living and dead relatives, including the previously shunned Héctor. Memories and love make it so that death is never truly the end, and no Pixar film shows that better than Coco.

3 'Soul' (2020)

Joe coming out of the door in 'Soul' (2020)

Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic made it so that 2020 wasn't exactly a highly prolific year for cinema. Nevertheless, there are some movies from that year that are already considered modern classics, including what might just be Pixar's best movie of the decade so far, Soul, whose hybrid distribution model didn't stop audiences from falling in love with it.

Soul's metaphysical world-building is surprisingly profound and believable, making its conclusion all the more powerful. Having found that a deep, strong desire to live is a soul's sole purpose, Joe is happy to see 22 go down to Earth to live a life of her own. Ready to enter the Great Beyond, he's instead given another chance at life that he happily takes, committed to finally living life to the fullest. It's not just a moving conclusion, but also one filled with unexpected philosophical complexity.

2 'Ratatouille' (2007)

Praised by some as Pixar's single greatest film, Ratatouille takes the concept of a cooking rat and turns it into a beautiful story about passion, talent, and how everyone is worthy of doing what they love. It's one of 2007's most essential films, as well as one of Pixar's crowning jewels, a love letter to art itself, and it leads all the way up to an emotional payoff almost unparalleled in the realm of animation.

Remy cooks ratatouille for Ego, evoking in him memories of his mother's cooking. Ego, delighted, asks to meet the chef, and is obviously baffled to discover that it's a rat. He writes a glowing review nonetheless, and some time later, he becomes a frequent guest of a new bistro opened by Remy, Linguini, and Colette. Ratatouille has one of the studio's most powerful, nuanced, and layered endings. There's no big twist, no predictable emotional beat; just a perfect way to bring the story's themes and characters to their natural conclusion.

1 'Toy Story 3' (2010)

Toy Story 3 - 2010 - Woody looks at something with puppy dog eyes

There's no question about it: No Pixar film has an ending more memorable, more iconic, or more emotionally stirring than Toy Story 3. Released eleven years after its predecessor, this follow-up took the world by surprise by proving the heights that a purposeful, well-made legacy sequel can reach. The result is what's far and away Pixar's most emotional film.

Everyone, even the slightest bit familiar with Pixar, knows it by heart: Toy Story 3's ending sees Andy gift his toys to Bonnie, introducing them individually. Woody bids him an emotional farewell, and the toys begin their new life with Bonnie. Largely, it's this conclusion that makes this one of the best animated movies of the last 25 years, bringing these characters to an ending that feels as bittersweet as it does poignantly satisfying. Whether Toy Story 4 did or did not feel like a natural progression of this story and its characters is beside the point; Toy Story 3's ending is a masterpiece, easily the best in Pixar's lineup.

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