As one of the most popular animation studios in the world, Pixar movies are, unsurprisingly, some of the most memorable. From Toy Story to Up to Wall-E, these movies have made billions of dollars at the box office. As part of Disney, Pixar has the full marketing power of the world’s most outstanding entertainment company, which means many of these movies come alive at Disney theme parks.
For boomers who have been around for the box office release of every major Pixar movie, these films offer great memories. This makes any list of the most popular Pixar movies, according to boomers, so interesting. With this in mind, let’s look at which Pixar movies are the most popular in descending order according to the boomer generation as ranked by YouGov.
Why We’re Covering This
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The film industry’s success has long been a minor factor in evaluating America’s economic health. With movie ticket prices only heading in one direction, going to the movies is now at least $50 or more for a family of four. Whether families go to the movies is a strong indicator of how much disposable income is available. Between this and the global animation market, which is worth hundreds of billions, there are numerous reasons why it’s important to cover popular Pixar movies.
15. The Incredibles 2
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 39%
After the first movie’s events, The Incredibles 2 picks up three months after Pixar’s favorite superhero family defeats the evil bad guy. Unfortunately, returning to normal life for superheroes doesn’t always go as planned, so hijinks ensue. Of course, it’s all in good fun, and this family of Incredibles works so well together, as does the whole film. There are plenty of laughs and jokes, and boomers will love to share this film with their grandchildren.
14. Finding Dory
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 42%
A 2016 sequel to Finding Nemo, Finding Dory is a comedy-drama film that tells the story of Dory. The forgetful blue tang fish voiced by Ellen Degeneres is both a sequel and a spin-off. As Dory wants to meet her parents, Nemo and Marlin accompany her on her journey. Unfortunately, Dory gets captured by some bigger fish, and a rescue attempt has to be made. Without any spoilers, it’s an adorable story that easily captures the Pixar magic.
13. Wall-E
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 43%
One of the most unique films released by Pixar, Wall-E is a beautiful tale about the story of an adorable robot looking for companionship. Pixar’s first film to weave in live-action characters, Wall-E, was a box office success, grossing $521.3 million and receiving six Academy Award nominations. The story takes place in the 29th century after Earth became an eco wasteland. After too much consumerism, Earth became a giant garbage dump, and humans left the planet, leaving it to robots like Wall-E to clean up.
12. The Incredibles
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 48%
There is just something about the superhero aspect of The Incredibles that is so much fun. In the 2004 Pixar film, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Craig T. Nelson are just some of the voices you will recognize. The story follows Bob and Hellen Parr, married superheroes who hide their powers at the government’s direction and attempt to live a quiet life in the suburbs with their three children. Of course, superheroes can only stay hidden for so long.
11. Toy Story 4
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 45%
A 2019 Pixar release, Toy Story 4 is a sequel to Toy Story 3 and looked to close out some of the storylines in the wildly popular series. Fortunately, all of the main cast and production team returned, so the magic is immediate right from the first time you see Woody, Buzz, and Bo Peep on screen. Toy Story 4 was nominated for two awards at the 92nd Academy Awards and remains a favorite of boomers.
10. Cars 2
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 45%
Recapturing the magic of the original Cars movie, Cars 2 is a hilarious spy comedy film released in 2011 by Pixar. Owen Wilson returns to voice Lightning McQueen, who now is a four-time Piston Cup winner. Cars 2 was the second Pixar film to return as a sequel following the release of Toy Story 2. With an over $200 million budget, Cars 2 is one of the most expensive animated films ever made.
9. Toy Story 3
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 48%
The third installment in the Toy Story series, Toy Story 3, was released in 2010 as a comedy-drama film from Pixar Animation Studios. Once again, most of the original voice and production cast returned and found the magic again to help Toy Story 3 earn $1.067 billion at the box office. Something about this film and series resonates well with boomers who fell in love with the original Toy Story 15 years earlier.
8. Up
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 49%
With one of the most beloved opening sequences of any animated film, Up is a 2009 Pixar animated film that hits all the right emotions. Telling the story of Carl, a 70-something crabby human being who refuses to move out of his house even as construction is going up all around it. It comes as little surprise a story about love, loss, and life-long promises resonates well with boomers. Up received a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, one of only three animated films to do so.
7. A Bug’s Life
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 49%
Pixar’s second animated film after Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, premiered in 1998 and quickly received positive reviews. With the voices of Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Hayden Panettiere, A Bug’s Life went into production almost as soon as Toy Story was released in 1995. Earning $363 million at the box office, A Bug’s Life currently has a 92% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.
6. Ratatouille
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 53%
While Remy, voiced by Patton Oswalt, loves all things food in the world’s dining capital in Paris, there is just one problem. Remy is a rat. This is the basis of Ratatouille, another popular Pixar film with the boomer crowd. Released in 2007, Ratatouille was the 8th Pixar film and also included the voices of Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, and Brad Garrett. The film would earn $623.7 million worldwide.
5. Monsters, Inc.
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 54%
Following the story of Sulley and Mike Wzowski, Monsters, Inc. tells the story of a world inhabited by monsters who scare human children for energy. While it sounds frightening, the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, and Steve Buscemi provide a lot of humor. Earning $528 million at the box office, Monsters, Inc. was the third highest-grossing film of 2001.
4. Toy Story 2
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 62%
The widely anticipated sequel to the hugely successful original Toy Story, Toy Story 2, was one of the rare sequels that was just as good as the original. With the original cast returning in 1999, Toy Story 2 was another massive box office success, earning $487 million during its theatrical run. Not only is Toy Story 2 considered one of the greatest animated films ever, but it has also been re-released multiple times in theaters and spawned a third movie in 2010.
3. Cars
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 64%
A 2006 Pixar film, Cars, was different from anything the animation company had created to date. It was something of a sports comedy film, voiced by Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, and George Carlin. Even race car drivers like Tom Petty, Mario Andretti, and Dale Earnhardt got in on the voice action with this film. Cars was nominated for Best Animated Picture at the 79th Academy Awards.
2. Finding Nemo
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 69%
With an almost perfect 99% score on the Tomatometer, it’s hard to say anything negative about Finding Nemo. Voiced by Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks, Finding Nemo quickly became a favorite with boomers. The story of a clownfish named Marlin searching for his son with a forgetful fish named Dory is one of joy, sadness, and everything in between. Premiering in 2003 grossed $871 million at the box office.
1. Toy Story
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- Percentage of boomers with a favorable opinion: 72%
Pixar’s first entirely computer-animated film in 1995, Toy Story, is one of the most beloved animated films ever. In a world where toys named Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Bo Peep, and Slinky Dog come to life, Toy Story earned over $373 million worldwide. With 100% approval from Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story is the most popular Pixar movie with boomers for all the right reasons. It’s hard not to love the incredible dynamic between Buzz and Woody.
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