Top 20 Pixar Characters - Monsters University Update - Squishy makes the list!

Top 20 Pixar Characters

 After watching and reviewing all 14 Pixar films, I compiled a list of MY favourite characters at the minute, they change quite regularly, so check back for updates.
Squishy has leapt in at number 14, knocking Luigi off the list.

20. Mrs Potato Head - Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. 

 Even though she was absent from the first film, Mrs Potato Head's thick New York accent won me over as soon as we were introduced to her in Toy Story 2. "Where's my other eye?" Was one of the few lines she said during Toy Story 3, but in the end, her clumsiness helped some of the most loved characters in cinema history get back home in one place.

19. Hamm - Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

 He reminds me of myself. His blunt sarcasm cues a large amount of the adult laughs during the Toy Story trilogy. "Wait, nobody look until I get my cork back in!" What a line! One of my highlights of the second movie. Another thing that makes this character extra special is the vocal talents of John Ratzenburger. The Pixar good luck charm really hits Hamm home.

18. Mr Potato Head - Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

He's basically Hamm's sarcastic twin. He's also the polar opposite of Mrs Potato Head, but THAT is what makes them work. His bushy plastic moustache and black trilby hat make him stand out amongst the other toys, along with his loud persona. Undoubtedly my favourite Mr Potato Head moment is at the end of Toy Story 3. "You saved our lives! And we are eternally grateful."  The aliens are finally re payed. However, his crowning moment is when he is forced to turn into Mr Tortilla/Cucumber. Sheer genius.

17. The Triplets (Harris, Hamish and Hubert) - Brave.

I love the three little nightmares that steal every scene they're in during Brave. Although they have comparatively short screen time compared to Merida, they manage to steal a laugh from the entire room. Especially when they turn into three of the cutest and cuddliest black grizzly bears alive. If there ever is a sequel to Brave (I doubt that will happen, even though Pixar have been turning to sequels for ideas recently) they need to have more screen time, as these three gems made bigger laughs than the rest of the characters combined.

16. Crush - Finding Nemo.

Another supporting character who stole the show. (Notice how none of my top 20 so far have been major characters). Crush only has one scene (although it's a biggie) but together him and Squirt totally steal it. Their utterly hilarious take on Marlin's situation is the second funniest thing to come out of the film. Their now famous fin/noggin greeting is brilliant, so much so that me and a friend now do it every time we meet.

15. Squishy - Monsters University.

He is just amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, Squishy makes you laugh. A lot. Partly due to his hilarious design (he's effectively a rubbery gelatin) and partly due to his great voice, provided by Peter Sohn. He provides many laughs and instantly warms your heart, with simply his smile, abundance of eyes and that stupid tuft of hair. 
Squishy may not be scary, but he's got heart.

14. Slim - A Bug's Life.

Basically another Hamm/Mr Potato Head. Slim's sarcasm is hilarious on it's own. However, when it's teemed with Francis' aggression and Heimlich's gluttony and utter cluelessness, it becomes a class act. The mere mention of the scene were Francis loses him in the tree makes me laugh my head off. "Francis! Help! I'm the only stick with EYEBALLS!" The scene backstage with PT Flea was also brilliant. Naturally, he finds some pleasure in scaring of the grasshoppers, with jelly. Brilliant. Truthfully, for me, Slim is one of the characters that makes A Bug's Life one of the best. 

13. Roz - Monster's Inc.

"I'll be watching you Wazowski, always watching. Always." LIMITED SCREEN TIME. Pixar if your reading this, some of your best characters are minor characters. This list is mainly compromised of them! Give them more! Roz's lack of emotion and steely gaze really makes her scenes some of the best. Billy Crystal's Mike Wazowki really complements her, in a bizarre, but hilarious way. 

12. Bonnie's toys - Toy Story 3. 

They may not be one character, but Bonnie's toys won me over during Toy Story 3 and the latter short film Hawaiian vacation. In particular Chuckles, Buttercup and Mr Pricklepants. Chuckles' disgruntled expression and deep gravelly voice is what gives him his laughs. Buttercup appears to be a lovely, fluffy unicorn, with an accent and personality that doesn't match! Mr Pricklepants is the resident thespian, who steals every scene he's in. These toy's provide hilarious results when mixed together.

11. Mike Wazowski - Monsters Inc and Monsters University.
How could this guy not make my list? He won us over within seconds of meeting him. Although he seems crabby and slightly rude at first, we soon discover he is a hilarious romantic, who always manages to see comedy in any situation. "Youuuuu and meeee, both of us togetherrrrr!" His relationship with Boo is critical to the film, especially when he tries to make her laugh, with painful consequences! Note that Mike is the first major character to appear on this list.

10. Aliens - Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
Some would say these three little guys are the true heroes of the final Toy Story movie. "The claw!" Is one of their very few lines within the trilogy, along with "You saved our lives and we are eternally grateful." If Buzz and the gang didn't get in the Pizza Planet truck to chase Al in Toy Story 2, we wouldn't have these little guys. More importantly, we wouldn't have any of the toys, because they would've met their deaths in the dump. Yet again, characters that should be given more screen time.

9. Rex - Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

RAAAH! A terrifying dinosaur! Not really, instead we meet a lovable, yet somewhat annoying, green dinosaur. His over sized body makes him clumsy, but his undersized arms give him constant problems. 'The Dinosaur that eats Force Field Dogs' is undoubtedly one of my favourite characters in the Toy Story trilogy. In fact, he's the last character from Toy Story to appear on this list, so I suppose that does make him my favourite. Along with the rest of the toys, he enjoys new friendship at the end of the trilogy, especially with fellow dinosaur Trixie. Happily ever after.

8. Tuck and Roll - A Bug's Life.

The second best characters to come out of A Bug's Life. If only they had more time on screen! Although, much like other characters on this list, they provide some of the biggest laughs out of the whole film! In particular, their performance in front of Hopper. When they get into a little squabble, as they do multiple times during the film, my sides split and split and split! Their lack of dialogue is part of their genius. They are the best characters in A Bug's Life, bar one, truly brilliant bug. 

7. Heimlich - A Bug's Life
This immense German caterpillar steals the whole film. His gluttony is something to behold. But his highlight is at the end of the film, where he transforms into, (his words, not mine) 'a beautiful butterfly!' He also makes a cameo in the actual film, Toy Story 2. He is seen crawling up the branches before Buzz chops them away. "Francis, don't listen to them, they have poo poo hands!" What other character could come up with such genius as that? Quite literally one of my favourite quotes ever. The late Joe Ranft brings him to life expertly. A Bug's Life wouldn't be the same without him.

6. Wall-E - Wall-E. 
This little guy conveys more emotion in literally 2 words than any actor on the planet. The first 30 minutes of his film has virtually no dialogue, which is part of Wall-E's brilliance. His relationship with EVE (or Eva) is truly marvellous and one of the best relationships in Hollywood. Wall-e's golden moment comes when he discovers a fire extinguisher. Those few minutes being hurtled around space are genius, which is nothing less than what we'd expect from the creative experts at Pixar. As a lot of people have now said, Pixar characters are outperforming real actors and will do for years to come. No one is a better example than this little guy.

5. Guido - Cars and Cars 2. 
Another character who manages to steal every scene their in, with so few words. This little guy is fantastic. Along with Luigi, they live a merry and peaceful life, oblivious to the outside world. They retain that in Cars 2, were they return to Italy and see MORE FERRARIS! Even better than that, is the moment when he triumphs over Chick Hicks' pit team and changes McQueen's tires within seconds. "Pitstop". 
 

4. Edna 'E' - The Incredibles.

Go find him. Fight! WIN! Brilliantly voiced by The Incredibles director Brad Bird and excellently animated, although she only has 2 full scenes, Edna Mode leaves a lasting impact on anyone who watches the film. Her no nonsense attitude is absolutely hilarious. Crucially, she forces Helen to go and find Bob, so if it wasn't for her Mr Incredible would probably be dead. And without Mr Incredible, Syndrome would've succeeded on his mission. So this feisty little woman, is critical to the story.


3. Dory - Finding Nemo.

No list is complete without Dory. She made Finding Nemo (even though it was already a great story, with decent characters, shout out to the likes of Bubbles and Bloat) what it is. The best animated film, of all time. "Just keep swimming" That phrase is permanently implanted in the brain of anyone who has watched Finding Nemo, along with 'P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney". Naturally, her bouncy personality and forgetfulness was annoying at first, but the instant you warmed to her (usually during the 'fish are friends not food' guilt meeting) you feel in love, with the natural blue.

2. Russel - Up.

This chubby little hero is one of the 2 characters that I rarely go a day without quoting (him and number 1 down there). "Good afternoon. My name is Russell." His lisp and lack of chin is adorable, as well as his Wilderness explorer outfit and pure determination. Him, Carl, Doug and Kevin create the most bizarre team of heroes ever to grace a cinema screen. But this bizarre group captures the hearts of every single person who watches them.

1. Dug - Up.

"My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you!" This furry little bundle of fun is in my opinion the best Pixar character of all time. "Oh a ball! I would love the ball!" Many people have wished to know what their dogs think. Pixar have come as close as you can get with Dug. He speaks so directly and so creatively, that you know Pixar have done it again. The exception with this top 3 is they have the screen time the majority of my top 20 don't have.  Bob Peterson is a genius for creating and voicing this character. What a gem Pixar. What a gem.

Top 10 Pixar Villains - MU Update!

Top 10 Pixar Villains

Anyone who has read one of my blogs will probably have noticed a recurring theme; Pixar! This blog might change, so check back! Particularly when new films are released. Please check out my other blogs, Top 20 Characters etc. 

I'm sad to knock AUTO and Skinner off the list, but Chick Hicks, Miles Axelrod and Professor Zundapp don't really deserve a place amongst these Pixar legends.

 

10.  Dean Hardscrabble - Monsters University.
She may not be an official villain, but Dean Hardscrabble is so damn chilling and perfectly acted that I had to include her! She's the closest thing to a true antagonist in MU and although her role isn't as prominent as other villains in this list, she is a scene-stealer, in a difference sense to many of the other villains, earning her a unique spot on this list.
Most Villainous Moment: (IMMENSELY MINOR SPOILER) Chucking Mike and Sulley out of MU, scandalous!

9. Al, the Chicken Man - Toy Story 2.
Perhaps one of the most hated characters in cinema history, Al the Chicken Man (real name Al McWhiggin)  is the antagonist in Toy Story 2. How dare he steal Woody from us and all the other toys? However, a villain is supposed to be hated, so Al was pretty decent! 
Most Villainous Moment: Stealing our beloved Woody, right from under our nose! How could he?!

8. Alpha, Beta and Gamma - Up.
I originally only considered Alpha for this place. However, I watched Up a few days ago and I realised that Beta and Gamma just add comedy to Alpha's character! They truly are great, probably the funniest characters on this list. Not only is Alpha terrifying with his normal voice, but he provides one of the biggest laughs of the film when his collar breaks! "Hey Alpha! Your voice sounds funny!"
Most Villainous Moment: Alpha nearly tossing Dug (my favourite film character of all time) off the cliff! :(.

7. Randall - Monsters Inc. 
This creepy (close to paedophilic) monster is up there with number's 1 and 2 being one of the most threatening villains on this list. Imagine if he had kidnapped Boo! What kind of terrible world would we live in? Volcanoes would erupt, suns would supernova, children's heads would explode! Frankly, Randall is great, but he isn't scary enough to be on to far up this list. Mor'du is probably the scariest, except number one down there. He is frightening.
Most Villainous Moment: Nearly killing Sully. Pushing his claws off the door, one by one. Until Boo comes along. 

6. Stinky Pete - Toy Story 2. 
Ah yes, Stinky Pete. This guy wasn't really a villain until the last half hour of the film. Then he nearly killed Woody. Anyone who would consider killing possibly one of the most loved characters in cinema history will be hated. However, I think this guy is actually quite a good villain. Very sneaky and he's clearly a brilliant actor. But he hasn't got that little thing that puts the top five clearly above the rest.
Most Villainous Moment: Dragging Woody back into Al's case, after Buzz and the gang's attempt to save him! How greedy!

5. Syndrome - The Incredibles.
Syndrome (A.K.A Buddy Pine) is the antagonist in The Incredibles. The reason he made it to the top 5 was because we saw him as Buddy, before he turned evil and power crazy. It's great to see someone transform into a villain. Brad Bird decision to show him like that was a very good one. As well as this, he actually carries serious threat, potentially killing not only our beloved 'supers' but a whole host of innocent people! However, he is immensely stupid, being outwitted by your own robot isn't a good thing in my mind.
Most Villainous Moment: Torturing Mr Incredible, by sending rockets at his wife and children. Talk about blackmail.

4. Sid - Toy Story.
The very first Pixar villain. And isn't he a terror. He simply tortures toys (to be fair, he doesn't know their alive) using all kinds of sadistic methods and items. Somehow, he manages to get his hands on a rocket (what kind of parents does he have?!) and strap it to Buzz! This was probably a good thing in the end however. If he hadn't, the moving truck would've left Woody, Buzz and RC on the road! Sid finally gets his comeuppance in the third film, when he's grown up. He is the bin man who drums on the metal bins. Notice the skull shirt. Proof.
Most Villainous Moment: Nearly exploding Buzz! Life wouldn't be the same.

3. Charles Muntz - Up.
With Up being my favourite Pixar film (probably making it my favourite film ever) Muntz had to be included! He goes to extreme limits to kill Carl and the gang (for a pretty poor reason, not on Pixar's part but on his). He does however provide moments of amusement (unlike most villains). Notably, when Russel slides across the glass and he's standing there completely puzzled. He also helped Dug to speak. So naturally he's actually a massive legend. Maybe he isn't so bad. Wait, he threatened to kill Russel. GRRRRR.
Most Villainous Moment: His fight with Carl. Tense as anything! 

2. Lotso - Toy Story 3. 
The most hated villain in animated (possibly cinema) history. This guy nearly killed a wonderful set of toys. Even if he did seem like an old, loving bear, who smells of strawberries, at first, he ruined it by turning sour. Along with his cronies (special mention to Stretch, the purple octopus who I found hilarious for very little reason) he dominated Sunnyside for years. Until Woody, Buzz and the gang came along.
Most Villainous Moment: Refusing to press the button, in a dire moment of need. I could've forgiven him for all he'd done it he'd pressed it. But no.

1. Hopper - A Bug's Life.
As I've said previously on this list, only number one can match Mor'du for scariness. Hopper certainly is terrifying. He abuses the colony of ants, to breaking point. Eventually Flick gets his own back. Hopper is brilliant. He has a very dry sense of humour (some misinterpret as grumpiness), especially when confronted with his brother Molt. Hopper truly shines when he is at his scariness. Particularly when he is scaring his own kind. The grasshoppers.
Most Villainous Moment: Plucking Flick right from Princess Ada's arms. He soars from the canon, stealing him. Luckily he get's his comeuppance. The bird!

Pixar Films: Best - Worst - Monsters University Update!

Pixar Films Best to Worst

There have been 13 released Pixar films. Most of them have been a critical success, only one has failed critically (spotlight on Cars 2). However, I don't think any of them have been all that bad! Here's my countdown, from 13 - 1. Check back occasionally, it might change. ;)

14. Cars 2

In Pixar terms, it was a disaster. Cars 2 was lighthearted, visually appealing and funny in parts, but, when your competing with Pixar greats such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, which are some of the best, Cars 2 is pretty much as bad as it could get, for Pixar standards.The focus on Mater lost some of the charm from the first film.

Favourite Character: Guido still! His screen time is reduced in the sequel sadly, but he's still great isn't he?

Favourite moment: The final action seen, even if it wasn't 'Pixar' it was still very entertaining, there's no doubt in that.

13. Cars

Cars 2 wasn't Pixar's best, as we know. Cars was better. Lightning McQueen was a much better protagonist, with lots of funny moments and even some depth. But Lasseter's feature really did feel very different from features like The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Favourite Character: Guido! - For being hilarious and brightening up every scene his in, without saying more than 1 or 2 words in Italian.

Favourite Moment: McQueen pushing King over the line, finally giving the film some of the depth that was missing the whole way through.

12.Brave 

It exceeded expectations for me. Brave offered up the tale of Merida, a young Scottish princess, who simply wants to live her life her way. Pixar told this story expertly (as only Pixar could). Not only did it offer up a handful of memorable set of characters (Merida's whole family) it showed us some of the best animations ever produced, by any animation company. 

Favourite Character(s): The Triplets. These three guys are little devils, but they manage to please adults and children alike.

Favourite Moment: Merida and the triplets attempting to sneak Bear Elinor out of the castle, whilst Fergus and his gang hunt them down. What a piece of brilliance.

11. The Incredibles 
Definitely the most thrilling of all of the Pixar films. Maybe number 2 could argue against that, but that isn't what makes number 2 brilliant. Anyway, back to The Incredibles. The Incredibles makes normal, mundane, family life, exciting. That is the true magic of the first part of the film. Then, everything goes wild. Cars explode, superheroes get tossed around and massive robots smash up town centres. That's what you get for partnering up with Disney. 
Favourite Character: E. Isn't she delightful daaaaaarliing?
Favourite Moment: E showing Helen the excellence of her new outfits. Wonderful. 

10. Monsters  Inc. 
Within seconds, I wanted to check every nook and cranny in my house for a monsters. Or an escaped child. The plot is instantly believable, because we have all thought about it! Pixar are brilliant at making weird situations from our childhood, interesting, entertaining and fun! Sulley, Mike, Roz and Boo are really the only memorable characters, which is why this is quite high up, even if it is a classic. 
Favourite Character: Mike. Put that thing back or so help meeee. So help me, so help me and cut!
Favourite Moment: I'll be watching Wazowski, always watching.

9. Wall-E.

Yes, I've moved Wall-E up! It's charm has captured my love after watching it again and truth be told, I enjoyed the film, it's charm, audacity and humour, but because of the high standards, Wall-e still can't cut it above other classics for me. It is still fantastically clever, but it doesn't match up to some of the titans down there. 

Favourite Character: Wall-E of course! This little guy is so unbelievably brilliant. He is the reason this film was an undisputed hit.

Favourite Moment: When Wall-E discovers a fire extinguisher and he decides to explore space a little bit. Genius.

8. Monsters University
It may not be the most original sounding film, but Monsters University is redmeemed by hilarious characters, gleeful nostalgia and peerless visuals. Those expecting a ride similar to Inc. will be surprised to find a completely different storyline. The storyline is good, but the hilarious characters are the true success of this film. Art, Don, Terri, Terry, Mrs Squibbles and Squishy are all absolutely hilarious and truly a joy to be with! It's really hard to imagine them not being there. Without them I'm sure MU would be higher up, but they are so charming and colourful, that they energise this lovely romp through the Monster World.
Favourite Moment: Event One at The Scare Games, again, the CHARACTERS made it so funny!

7. Toy Story 2 
I've done it again! Put another classic to high up! Oh well. Toy Story 2 deftly blends emotion, humour and action, into a fairly short amount of time. It also sees the return of Andy's beloved toys and the addition of some brilliant new ones, who we learn to love as much as the originals. This time, the main problem of the story is possibly even more perilous than it's predecessor.
Favourite Character: Rex, our favoured dinosaur, who is TERRIFYING. Honest.
Favourite Moment: The Star Wars spoof, I AM YOUR FATHER.

6. Toy Story
Listed by film aggregator Rotten Tomatoes as the joint greatest film of all time (along with Toy Story 2 no less!), Toy Story is genuinely brilliant. Because Pixar's first film was so brilliant, it made the films after it have so much hype, that the majority of them deserved. Introducing us to a whole new world, Toy Story is the godfather of animation and changed the way Hollywood thought about the then infamous animation industry.
Favourite Character: Rex. He's even scarier in this one!
Favourite Moment: BUZZ! Your flying! 
This isn't flying! This is falling, with style!

5.  A Bug's Life 
Very few people would have A Bug's Life so low down (or high up depending how you look at it) on their list. I, however, think it is absolutely brilliant. A whole host of memorable characters (See one of my other blogs 'Top 20 Pixar Characters' for my favourites) make this film great. A surprisingly good plot line and possibly one of the best Disney villains of all time, Hopper, are other key factors that make this film a treasure to watch.
Favourite Character: Heimlich. This gluttonous caterpillar is voiced brilliantly by the late Joe Ranft. 
Favourite Moment: The end scene, where the circus bugs leave in an emotional farewell.

4. Ratatouille 
It's imaginative. It's funny. It's memorable. It's moving. It's Pixar. Probably the most imaginative Pixar film (only Wall-E can beat it really) ever, Ratatouille is brilliant. Even if it only leaves a handful of memorable characters. Crucially, Ratatouille brings out a whole new angle to Pixar. We see a very entertaining, personal side to Pixar, which works. 
Favourite Character: Emile! He's like Heimlich, so how could I not like him! I enjoyed him particularly when he propelled grapes at Linguini.
Favourite Moment: The rats running the kitchen. Using every method, skill and trait they have to help Remy serve Ego. The scene is a brilliant example of Pixar's boundless imagination.

3. Finding Nemo

This is where the films get insanely good. Naturally, you can tell a film is popular when it's the best-selling DVD of all time. Finding Nemo is a dream for cinema-goers. Quite literally. 'Nemo' has such a beautiful wide variety of characters, an astonishingly well-thought out plot and moving situation, that hardly any critics could fault it. Only 2 critics on Rotten Tomatoes could find faults with it. Frankly, they shouldn't have a job. 
Favourite Character: Dory! Who didn't fall in love with the natural blue? Ellen DeGeneres brings her to life. She creates one of the most memorable (certainly one of the most famous) Disney characters of all time.
Favourite Moment: Nigel flying into the dentist's room and causing havoc. Then Gill saves Nemo and our dreams are fulfilled.

2. Up
Up has moved down, but that shouldn't diminish it's achievements. It's so damn brilliant! The amazingly orignal montage at the start brings tears to multiple eyes. The hilarious set of characters who include Russel, Dug and Kevin create a whole host of verbal and physical comedy, which leaves us in stitches. We believe the storyline, because it is told so brilliantly. I also love the scoring, it won an Oscar for that wonderfully catchy tune at the start of the film, for good reason. Up gas won me over several times. Then it won me over again. Then it won me over more. And more. Perfection, from Hollywood's finest.
Favourite Character: Dug! He's my favourite Pixar character, mostly because of the way he greets Carl and Russel. And because he's brilliant.
Favourite Moment: Anything involving Dug; what a legend.

1. Toy Story 3 
So Toy Story 3 has moved up. The 2010 masterpiece has become one of the most beloved films of my generation. (Rotten Tomatoes indicates that only 3 critics haven't liked the franchise, they're a bit weird). So basically, this is my favourite film ever, regardless of it's very few critics. Our hearts skip several beat, we laugh a ridculous amount and we cry and cry and cry. A host of new characters are introduced, just increase the already unbelievable levels of fun. Pixar pour it's heart and soul into this. And boy can you tell.
Favourite Character: Rex still. Even though I adore Bonnie's new toys and Mr Potato Head, he still wins me over.
Favourite Moment: Andy saying goodbye. It made grown men cry. Enough said.