Pixar is the most successful animation studio in the Best Animated Feature category at the Academy Awards. Collectively, the studio has won 11 Oscars in this category and reaped 18 nominations. That is the most amount of wins and nominations out of any studio in Oscar history.
However, while we know that Pixar is one of the best animation studios around, which one of its films is the most successful in terms of Oscars? Here, we break down every single one of Pixar’s 27 feature films (not including its most recent, 28th film, “Inside Out 2”) and rank them from worst performing to best performing at the Academy Awards.
Zero nominations
“Cars 2” (2011)
Dir: John Lasseter
Cast: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer
Synopsis: “Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.”
“Monsters University” (2013)
Dir: Dan Scanlon
Cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren
Synopsis: “A look at the relationship between Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sully” Sullivan during their days at Monsters University, when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.”
“The Good Dinosaur” (2015)
Dir: Peter Sohn
Cast: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin
Synopsis: “In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.”
“Finding Dory” (2016)
Dir: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neil, Ty Burrell
Synopsis: “Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.”
“Cars 3” (2017)
Dir: Brian Fee
Cast: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Larry the Cable Guy
Synopsis: “Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best race car in the world.”
“Lightyear” (2022)
Dir: Angus MacLane
Cast: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi
Synopsis: “While spending years attempting to return home, marooned Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg who are attempting to steal his fuel source.”
One Nomination
“A Bug’s Life” (1998)
Dir: John Lasseter
Cast: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Hayden Panettiere
Synopsis: “A misfit ant, looking for “warriors” to save his colony from greedy grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troupe.”
“Toy Story 2” (1999)
Dir: John Lasseter
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer
Synopsis: “When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.”
“Incredibles 2” (2018)
Dir: Brad Bird
Cast: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener
Synopsis: “The Incredibles family takes on a new mission which involves a change in family roles: Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) must manage the house while his wife Helen (Elastigirl) goes out to save the world.”
“Onward” (2020)
Dir: Dan Scanlon
Cast: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Octavia Spencer
Synopsis: “In a magical world full of technological advances, elven brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot set out on an adventure to resurrect their late father for a day.”
“Luca” (2021)
Dir: Enrico Casarosa
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Burman, Maya Rudolph
Synopsis: “On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.”
“Turning Red” (2022)
Dir: Domee Shi
Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Wai Ching Ho, James Hong
Synopsis: “A thirteen-year-old girl named Mei Lee is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the changes of adolescence. And as if the challenges were not enough, whenever she gets overly excited she transforms into a giant red panda.”
“Elemental” (2023)
Dir: Peter Sohn
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen, Catherine O’Hara
Synopsis: “Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, earth- and air-residents live together.”
Two Nominations
“Cars” (2006)
Dir: John Lasseter
Cast: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman
Synopsis: “On the way to the biggest race of his life, a hotshot rookie race car gets stranded in a rundown town and learns that winning isn’t everything in life.”
Three Nominations
“Toy Story” (1995)
Dir: John Lasseter
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn
Synopsis: “A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy’s bedroom.”
(“Toy Story” won a non-competitive Oscar — a Special Achievement award for First Feature-Length Computer-Animated Film)
One Win, One Nomination
“Brave” (2012)
Dir: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters
Synopsis: “Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.”
One Win, Two Nominations
“Inside Out” (2015)
Dir: Pete Docter
Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader
Synopsis: “After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.”
“Toy Story 4” (2019)
Dir: Josh Cooley
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale
Synopsis: “When a new toy called “Forky” joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.”
One Win, Four Nominations
“Monster’s Inc.” (2001)
Dir: Pete Docter
Cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn
Synopsis: “In order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.”
“Finding Nemo” (2003)
Dir: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
Synopsis: “After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.”
One Win, Five Nominations
“Ratatouille” (2007)
Dir: Brad Bird
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, Ian Holm
Synopsis: “A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.”
One Win, Six Nominations
“WALL-E” (2008)
Dir: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
Synopsis: “In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.”
Two Wins, Two Nominations
“Coco” (2017)
Dir: Lee Unkrich
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach
Synopsis: “Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.”
Two Wins, Three Nominations
“Soul” (2020)
Dir: Pete Docter
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House
Synopsis: “Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.”
Two Wins, Four Nominations
“The Incredibles” (2004)
Dir: Brad Bird
Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee
Synopsis: “While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.”
Two Wins, Five Nominations
“Up” (2009)
Dir: Pete Docter
Cast: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson
Synopsis: “78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.”
“Toy Story 3” (2010)
Dir: Lee Unkrich
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton
Synopsis: “The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it’s up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren’t abandoned and to return home.”
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