Pixar Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
Pixar at 40: Four Decades of Heart, Innovation, and Unforgettable Stories
This week marks 40 years since Pixar Animation Studios officially became an independent company. On February 3, 1986, Steve Jobs purchased Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics Division for $5 million and renamed it Pixar. What started as a small tech outfit making short films and commercials blossomed into the studio that redefined animated storytelling.
From the groundbreaking Toy Story (the first fully computer-animated feature film) to cultural touchstones like Inside Out, Coco, and Soul, Pixar has delivered 29 feature films that have grossed over $15 billion worldwide, earned 23 Academy Awards (including multiple Best Animated Feature wins), and become a synonym for emotional depth wrapped in stunning animation.
As the studio celebrates this milestone—with Toy Story 5 and Hoppers on the horizon—we’re looking back at every theatrical and streaming feature film in chronological order, complete with U.S. release date and current Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score (critics’ percentage, as of early 2026).
Every Pixar Feature Film, in Release Order
Toy Story (November 22, 1995) – 100%
A Bug’s Life (November 25, 1998) – 92%
Toy Story 2 (November 24, 1999) – 100%
Monsters, Inc. (November 2, 2001) – 96%
Finding Nemo (May 30, 2003) – 99%
The Incredibles (November 5, 2004) – 97%
Cars (June 9, 2006) – 74%
Ratatouille (June 29, 2007) – 96%
WALL-E (June 27, 2008) – 95%
Up (May 29, 2009) – 98%
Toy Story 3 (June 18, 2010) – 98%
Cars 2 (June 24, 2011) – 40%
Brave (June 22, 2012) – 78%
Monsters University (June 21, 2013) – 80%
Inside Out (June 19, 2015) – 98%
The Good Dinosaur (November 25, 2015) – 76%
Finding Dory (June 17, 2016) – 94%
Cars 3 (June 16, 2017) – 70%
Coco (November 22, 2017) – 97%
Incredibles 2 (June 15, 2018) – 93%
Toy Story 4 (June 21, 2019) – 96%
Onward (March 6, 2020) – 88%
Soul (December 25, 2020) – 95%
Luca (June 18, 2021) – 91%
Turning Red (March 11, 2022) – 95%
Lightyear (June 17, 2022) – 74%
Elemental (June 16, 2023) – 73%
Inside Out 2 (June 14, 2024) – 91%
Elio (June 20, 2025) – 83%
These scores reflect the studio’s incredible consistency: even the “lowest” entries sit well above most animated films, and the top tier remains untouched by time. From the tear-jerking opening of Up to the joyful chaos of Inside Out 2 (still one of the highest-grossing animated films ever), Pixar has proven again and again that great stories transcend age, culture, and technology.
Here’s to the next 40 years of lamps hopping, toys coming to life, and emotions we didn’t know we had. Happy 40th, Pixar — you’ve made the world a little more wonderful.
Photo Credit: Pixar