Pixar Animation Studios is one of the most influential and successful animation studios of all time, having made unparalleled contributions to the film industry in computer animation. The studio has produced 27 feature films and is gearing up to expand its film slate with Inside Out 2, which is set to release on June 14, and is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2024. Read on to discover where to stream every Pixar Animation Studios film.
Pixar began as a part of Lucasfilm’s Computer Division. Under Lucasfilm, it created the first wholly computer-animated sequence in a feature film by designing a scene where a planet transforms in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. By 1986, Steve Jobs bought the Computer Division and formed it into the independent company Pixar, which quickly began collaborating with Disney.
Out of Pixar and Disney’s collaboration, the very first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, was born. The computer-animated movie was released in 1995 and explored a world where toys like Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) come to life. It was like nothing viewers had ever seen before and quickly became the most important film of its kind, setting a precedent for further computer-animated features.
Since then, Pixar has stayed on top of the computer animation field, with every film boasting cutting-edge technology, innovation, and creativity. Nearly every Pixar film has achieved high critical acclaim, but a few stand out especially. Finding Nemo took home the studio's first Best Animated Feature win at the Oscars, while The Incredibles was the first wholly animated film to earn the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Cars became a profitable trilogy and introduced Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), one of the most iconic and recognizable Pixar characters. Meanwhile, the emotional and adventurous Up became the first Pixar film and second animated film in history to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Toy Story 3 soon became the third animated film to earn a Best Picture nomination and broke $1 billion at the box office.
Its movies have only become more sophisticated, with films like Inside Out, Coco, Soul, and Turning Red seeking to celebrate girlhood and other cultures and exploring concepts like grief and mortality. With Inside Out 2 poised to explore emotions in puberty and raise awareness for struggles with anxiety in adolescence, the studio could be adding another critically acclaimed film to its slate.
For those looking to catch up on Pixar’s movies before Inside Out 2, here is how to watch them in release date order from oldest to newest.