Pixar's movies are so widely respected and beloved because they contain great storylines and relevant messages no matter what age the audience is. Despite most of these films containing fantastical elements and non-human protagonists, they remain relatable and timeless. It is no small feat that these films can make their fans grow attached to talking cars and ants.
Pixar characters go through struggles that audiences may have experienced, and their successes show that fans can overcome many difficulties in their own lives. Although not all Pixar movies are of the same quality, all of them are capable of teaching lessons that have had a lasting impact on their fans.
10 Cars 3: Don't Be Afraid Of Failure
Cruz Ramirez is a sports car who dreamed of becoming a racer. When she had the opportunity to race for the first time, she became so anxious that she chose not to participate. As a result, Cruz became a personal trainer for the Rust-eze company. Opportunities to race were slim, so she was stuck in a job she had never wanted for a long time.
It wasn't until Lightning McQueen offered her his place in a race that she finally had another opportunity to prove herself. She won the race, earning the respect of the onlookers. Cruz immensely enjoyed her time in the race, proving that the experience was just as valuable as the victory.
9 Up: Don't Get Stuck In The Past
After losing his wife, Carl Fredricksen began to cling to the material possessions that reminded him of her. He confined himself to their home and lashed out at construction workers when they accidentally damaged the mailbox he and Ellie painted together. He was doing the opposite of what Ellie wanted him to do, as he had become a bitter old man with no friends.
Ellie wanted him to go on an adventure and to keep living his life. When Carl goes to South America, he is obsessed with reaching Paradise Falls. His stubbornness to make his late wife's dream consume him, and he could only let go of his obsession when Russell was in danger. After realizing that there were still many great things to live for, he became a much happier man.
8 A Bug's Life: People Can Accomplish Amazing Things As A Group
The grasshoppers took advantage of Flik's ant colony for many seasons. They would force the ants to gather food for them, using their intimidating physiques and harsh words to strong-arm them. Since a grasshopper was much stronger than an ant, the colony believed that they couldn't do anything to protect themselves.
When Flik brought home the circus bugs, their presence motivated the ants to fight back. Along with their new friends, the ants showed their ingenuity when they built a giant, realistic bird. After that didn't work, they realized that they had superior numbers. The small group of grasshoppers couldn't do much to defend themselves when the ants turned against them.
7 Luca: True Friends Will Accept Each Other's Differences
Luca's parents warned him never to go to the surface. There, on land, many humans view Luca's species as monsters, and subsequently hunt them. While Luca discovered that there were people who simply would never be able to accept his differences, there were also people who would.
He found valuable friends in Giulia Marcovaldo and her father. They saw the kindness in Luca and Alberto, and when they discovered that they weren't human, their main concern was for the boys' safety.
6 Toy Story 4: Don't Sacrifice Happiness For Another Person
Woody spends the entirety of the film trying to live through Forky. Forky was Bonnie's new favorite toy, and Woody shifted from being Bonnie's favorite to a forgotten addition to her closet. He did everything he could to make her happy, but he was only successful in making himself feel worse.
All his life, Woody had dedicated himself to Andy. His whole world revolved around making a kid happy, and having this mindset with a kid who had forgotten him wasn't healthy. He needed to move on to the next chapter of his life.
5 Inside Out: Every Emotion Has A Purpose
Every emotion has a purpose. People have these feelings to not only allow them to navigate through social situations, but to protect them from harm. Emotions like Fear and Disgust allow people to protect themselves from dangerous or unsanitary things. Even Sadness will enable people to be empathetic.
Suppressing emotions is unhealthy, as it can often lead to an emotional outburst, or keep important issues from being addressed. Since Sadness wasn't allowed to take control, Riley spent too much of the film carrying an unnecessary burden by herself.
4 Turning Red: It's Okay To Have Confidence
The unfortunate truth about the world is that people may find parts of a individual's appearance shameful. Meilin's red panda form was considered a source of shame to her family, leading them to pressure her to get rid of it. However, her friends adored this part of her, allowing Meilin to grow to embrace her panda.
It became an integral part of Meilin's life, as she spent a lot of time in her red panda form. There will often be societal pressures telling people how they should look, but the most important thing is for people to find happiness within their own bodies.
3 Finding Nemo: Taking Away A Child's Independence Won't Protect Them
After Nemo's mother and siblings were eaten, Marlin became fiercely overprotective of Nemo. It took a great deal of effort to allow Nemo to be on his own. Unfortunately, Marlin showed that he didn't trust Nemo to take care of himself, or make the right decisions.
Nemo, who had finally experienced some semblance of independence on his school trip, didn't appreciate Marlin's demands to return home. In fact, Marlin's controlling behavior was what made Nemo act out.
2 WALL-E: Humans Should Value The Earth And Themselves
Audiences were introduced to the world of WALL-E, in which Earth was all but abandoned as a rubbish heap. Detritus was everywhere, so humans decided to leave the planet – rather than taking the precautions to ensure the planet's ability to support life.
Robots were tasked with cleaning up after the humans, indicating that people had become too complacent and lazy. Humans also lost a lot of bone mass from a sedentary lifestyle, as they relied on robots to take care of them. As a result, nearly irreversible damage had been done to both the Earth and humanity's bodies. This movie is a frightening depiction of a reality that could happen if people don't care about the things that truly matter.
1 Monsters University: Life Doesn't Always Go As Expected
No matter how much a person may plan, life will still find a way to surprise them. People need to be able to roll with the punches. Mike Wazowski spent most of his life dreaming about enrolling in Monsters University and becoming a Scarer.
He was eventually expelled despite his hard worked because he went into the human world. This situation wasn't ideal, but he and Sully decided to work in the Monsters, Inc. mailroom, looking for opportunities to climb the ladder. Mike may not be a Scarer, but he found joy working alongside his best friend Sully.