The 20 Best Pixar Characters, Ranked

Pixar’s best characters are characteristic of the studio’s whimsical style and storytelling. Pixar’s signature move is to tell stories through the lens of mostly anthropomorphic and fantastical beings, including toys, machines, animals, robots, and more. However, underneath the aesthetics of a Disney-style adventure, there is always a heartrendingly real story that at least a few people in the audience will be able to relate to. They might be surprised to be moved to tears by the troubles of a doll or race car, but this is because all of Pixar’s characters express human emotions.

Pixar’s best characters embody the studio’s practice of seamlessly blending fantasy and reality. They demonstrate different kinds of innovation, intelligence, and emotional depth to take on things ranging from managing a relationship with a family member, to going after their dream, to losing someone. In the end, Pixar’s audiences hopefully walk away having learned something from one of the characters that they can apply to their own lives.

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20 Soul 22

Soul (2020)

“22” is one of the first souls ever made, who refuses to take part in anything to do with human life. However, her “mentor” Joe manages to show her the simple beauty of living. 22 has some funny bits referencing her many famous mentors over several millennia. The gimmick can be irritating — 22 says it herself when Joe asks why she sounds like Tina Fey, and she says she “[uses] this voice because it annoys people.” Soul’s ending and 22’s heartfelt arc also don’t resonate as much as they could due to the surrealist nature of the story.

19 WALL-E

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E is the expressive main character of Pixar’s first sci-fi movie, whose relative lack of dialogue still won a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He finds beauty in the desolate wasteland he was built to clean up, providing some home for the future in a very dark movie. Additionally, WALL-E and Eve’s romance is about finding love when all logic says it is impossible, and the scene of them “dancing” through space is beautiful. However, some people might be put off by WALL-E’s story and the movie in general when it is more intellectual and foreboding than Pixar’s usual fare.

18 Mei Lee

Turning Red (2022)

Mei is a funny but very accurate depiction of the best and worst of being a young teenager. Her bizarre storyline driven by her recently discovered power to turn into a giant red panda leads to her being able to assert that she is a typical 13-year-old and that there is nothing wrong with that. Mei has a sense of self-awareness that most pre-teens don’t have — but hopefully, they learn from her. Mei also might come across as annoying to people who don’t personally relate to her, but she is still adorable.

17 Mike Wazowski

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Mike is among the fan-favorite classic Pixar characters if not necessarily the most iconic overall. Mike is funny throughout Monsters, Inc. and the developments in his and Sully’s lives, driven by comedian Billy Crystal’s voice acting. The company deciding to collect children’s laughs instead of screams can even be seen as the culmination of Mike’s arc, since he now gets to do what he does best. However, Mike is still a flawed character who fights with his best friend and hesitates before going to help Boo.

16 Doc Hudson

Cars (2006)

Cars comprises harshly real scenarios about fame, selfish behavior, the thrill of early success, and the betrayal of being forgotten. Doc represents a key figure in this, as a bitter former star race car, who is unnecessarily unkind at some points. However, Doc has a fulfilling storyline, beginning with him rediscovering racing in one of the overall best scenes in any Pixar movie. Doc finds a new place in the racing world as a coach and realizes that his fans haven’t forgotten him, while his friends have been there for him all along.

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15 Mamá Imelda Rivera

Coco (2017)

Imelda’s backstory is somewhat glossed over by Coco, but she is to be admired for finding a way to support her daughter after her husband apparently abandoned her. Her ban on all music in the family in Coco is unreasonable, but Imelda comes around once she understands Miguel’s passion and is reminded of the joy of music herself. All the time in between, Imelda’s combination of being feisty and loving is amazing. One of her best moments is smacking de la Cruz for “murdering the love of her life,” while still asserting anger at said love.

14 Alberto Scorfano

Luca (2021)

Alberto has an unusually sad storyline for a Pixar movie. He is a young boy sea monster who lives on his own after his father abandoned him. Luca’s ending of Alberto finding a new family is incredibly bittersweet but effective, because Alberto doesn’t just go to school with Luca and Giulia, but stays with Giulia’s father. While he makes some bad choices, Alberto’s is a sweet story about finding a new family and asserting what is best for him. He gets credit for Luca’s best and most inspirational joke of “Silenzio Bruno!”

13 Remy

Ratatouille (2007)

The movie Ratatouille is driven by the fact that Remy’s passion for cooking is palpable. He doesn’t always make the smartest decisions (Collette finding Linguini asleep is not worse than trying to puppet Linguini while he is asleep), but his humor and sense of the world are more subtly intelligent than that of other Pixar characters. Remy is a fun character to route for, he makes the audience care about the most particular ingredients, and his scene of fixing a ruined batch of soup as the theme music swells is an underrated iconic Disney sequence.

12 Merida

Brave (2012)

Merida is a classic rebellious heroine. Her spirited “Touch the Sky” sequence can make anyone seriously consider running away to live in the woods, “hair flowing in the wind and firing arrows into the sunset.” Merida is also a flawed character, but her tense relationship with her mother and the storyline of them learning to see things the way the other one speaks to parents and children struggling to connect. Merida is also the underappreciated, true first Disney princess without a love interest, with Brave being released a year before Frozen.

11 Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story (1995)

Buzz starts out believing that he is a real space ranger, a situation that is mostly played for laughs, but becomes a level-headed leader. Buzz and Woody essentially lead the rest of the toys together and make an effective team. Buzz uses his “space ranger expertise” to help the other toys throughout their adventures. However, the humor of Toy Story 4 is to the detriment of Buzz’s character because it makes him unintelligent. He apparently doesn’t understand Woody referring to “the voice inside his head,” despite having been around Woody for at least 10 years at this point.

10 Lightning McQueen

Cars (2006)

Rookie race car Lightning McQueen also plays an important role in conveying the main themes of Cars. Wholly unlikable at first, Lightning’s character arc convincingly shows him learning to care about others through the residents of Radiator Springs, especially Sally, Mater, and Doc. “Actions speak louder than words” is especially true for Lightning, as the movie ends with him making some heartwarming decisions that demonstrate his growth. He pushes the King across the finish line, decides to stay loyal to his sponsors, and uses his new goodwill with Dinoco to secure Mater a helicopter ride.

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9 Anton Ego

Ratatouille (2007)

Ego is a dark horse if there ever was one. For most of Ratatouille, he is framed as an evil, unfair critic, the final obstacle that Remy and Linguini must overcome. However, Ego’s scene of eating the ratatouille is an awesome depiction of the power of good food. Ego then becomes a completely new character: friendly to Remy, Linguini, and Colette, and an investor in their new business.

Ego also claims what is one of the best lines in Pixar. Discussing Chef Gusteau’s catchphrase “Anyone can cook,” Ego says: “Only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”

8 “Tow” Mater

Cars (2006)

The point of Cars would not be complete without Mater. While Doc is bitter and Lightning is selfish, Mater is the most genuine character in the movie. Mater’s friendliness forces Lightning to change because Lightning is simply stunned by the fact that someone this kind exists, or that he would want to be his best friend. Mater is also the funniest character in Cars, courtesy of his voice actor, Larry the Cable Guy. While Cars 2 and Cars 3 don’t live up to the first, they are consistent when it comes to Mater’s characterization.

7 Carl Fredricksen

Up (2009)

Up snagged a surprise Best Picture nomination, at least in part because of its protagonist. Carl Fredricksen is an incredibly unusual main character for Pixar/Disney. He is not a cheerful anthropomorphic animal or a hopeful young person trying to achieve their dream, but a lonely, grieving widower. The audience has good reason not to like him when he is constantly rude to Russell and Dug, the movie’s more cheerful characters. Yet, Carl’s journey of healing and finding a new purpose in life is so poignant, that he has one of Pixar’s best character arcs.

6 Frozone

The Incredibles (2004) & The Incredibles 2 (2018)

No Pixar line is a more perfect combination of iconic, memorable, and hilarious than “Where is my super suit?”Frozone was Operation Kronos’ original target, but he might not have fallen into the trap as easily, since he is more cautious about his and Bob/Mr. Incredible’s illegal hero work. However, he is still ready to come to the rescue at a moment’s notice. Lucius is also a dependable friend to the Parrs and a role model to their kids, and Incredibles 2 expands upon all the best aspects of his character.

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5 Jessie

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Toy Story bizarrely gets the audience to care about the lives and trials of children’s toys, which is especially true with Jessie. The cowgirl doll is a surprisingly complex character, who has boundless energy and is tons of fun, but still has a sad past. The song that reveals Jessie’s backstory, “When She Loved Me,” is one of the saddest moments in all the Toy Story movies. Additionally, when Jessie arrived in Toy Story 2, the franchise had found its perfect main trio of her, Woody, and Buzz.

4 Edna Mode

The Incredibles (2004) & The Incredibles 2 (2018)

Any character based on costume designer Edith Head’s look and personality and voiced by director Brad Bird is bound to be a hit. Edna is one of the best side characters in Pixar: For all her attitude, she is very practical, but her knowledge and no-nonsense demeanor push the other characters into new adventures. Additionally, Incredibles 2 organically expands upon her humor and design knowledge by having her bond with Jack-Jack. While she does not drive the emotional storyline of The Incredibles, there is no one else in Pixar who can match Edna’s sass, sharpness, and style.

3 Dory

Finding Nemo (2003) & Finding Dory (2016)

Ellen DeGeneres might be the best voice actor on Pixar’s roster. Dory’s jokes are nothing short of iconic, and her catchphrase “Just keep swimming” is oddly inspirational. Dory adds some much-needed levity to Finding Nemo. Though he may not realize it, having a relentlessly optimistic character as his companion might have helped Marlin forge ahead on his mission to find Nemo. Furthermore, while Finding Dory has its issues as a movie, it still deepens Dory’s character by making her more than just the comedic sidekick.

2 Woody

Toy Story (1995)

Woody is another character that the audience arguably should not like. He is initially selfish and superior, even before Buzz shows up. Yet he is the original Pixar hero, whose story not only gets the audience to buy into the supposed responsibility of a toy to their child but shows Woody buying into something he didn’t believe in. Woody changes from mocking Buzz to exclaiming that they are flying and calling out “To infinity and beyond,” in the most famous scene of a movie that changed animation.

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1 Elastigirl

The Incredibles (2004)

The Incredibles opens with Helen’s interview where she says she’s in no rush to settle down, before transitioning seamlessly into a retro title drop. Yet The Incredibles then flashes forward and shows Helen years later, facing true-to-life trials in her marriage and relationships with her children (minus the superpowers). Helen is both a stay-at-home mom and a perfect hero, challenging many misconceptions about both. She is not only the best character in a Pixar movie, but deserves to be considered among the best of any Disney movie, because she is shockingly realistic, strong, and loving.