I am so excited! Wall-E hits theaters tomorrow. I wish there was some sort of giant hat that looked like the little robot that I could wear when I see the movie; that's how totally stoked I am for this flick. Why? 2 reasons. I like the general premise of the film; a robot all alone on a garbage inhabited Earth; a film with almost no dialogue. It's an odd premise, but it sounds cool. The second reason I'm excited for this movie? It's PIXAR!! Pixar, the company single handedly saving animation from becoming the dreaded scum of cinema; since Toy Story, the only animated film I've seen that can hold a candle to a Pixar movie is Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda.

All of the Pixar movies rock, some of them being among my favorite films of all time. You can rank some of the Pixar movies with the best animated classics from the days of Walt himself; since Toy Story, the only animated film I've seen that can hold a candle to a Pixar movie is the recent Kung Fu Panda. Kids love them, teenagers love them, adults love them, and critics have an unbridled fascination with them.

Today, we're going to take a look at the studio's films, ranking them from best to worst; of course, the worst Pixar movie is still incredible filmmaking. Joining me near the end of this retrospective is guest critic Thomas Lack, with his own choice on how the list would go. So grab your Buzz Lightyear action figure and get ready for a trip down animation-memory lane!

The list is in descending order, starting with the weakest.

8. The Incredibles (2004)

Nearly everyone on the face of the planet holds this film in sacred reverence, like it's the holy grail of animated films. While "The Incredibles" is great filmmaking, with creativity to boot, to me, it's easily the weakest Pixar production yet. My only problem with the movie is that I think it had too high an opinion of itself; this is hard to explain, especially through writing, but I think the creativity on display is never subtle enough. The idea of superheroes leading normal lives is fairly original, but it's over emphasized just a tad. The action, the dialogue, the acting and the animation is all over emphasized, and it makes the great ideas harder to swallow.

But don't get me wrong; this is still a great film. The voice acting is almost unanimously great (except for whoever voices the kid Dash; he's just annoying), though the actors lack the chemistry other pairings of voice actors in other Pixar films have. The animation is detailed and fun to look at, and the action is pretty great. The plot is extremely involved for a family film; possibly too much so, but it's still good. Overall, this is a fun film that I can see anyone enjoying; it's just not as good as other Pixar films.

7. Cars (2006)

In many ways, this movie is like a road trip; long, more fun to experience with friends, and enjoyable as one singular experience than the sum of its parts. "Cars" is an experience that envelops you, and leaves you with a great feeling at the end. It's greater as a whole than as the individual components, which combine to make a very fun 2 hours. It's fun to watch with buddies because there so many sight gags and references you can point out to each other.

The film is a love song to the days of old when you could drive down a strange road and feel right at home. Come to think of it, the film kind of has this quality too. It's strange in the beginning, with talking cars and no sight of humans, but soon it feels like you're right at home watching a classic. The voice acting is great, as is the music, animation, and directing. The only problem is that the film is definitely too long; someone needed to introduce the filmmakers to the concept of editing, because the film often goes on tangents that really lead nowhere. Then again, that just serves the road trip aspect of the movie.

6. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

This film works because of the chemistry between the two main characters. Mike (John Goodman) and Sully (Billy Crystal) are obviously great buds, and viewing this fantastic adventure through their eyes (or eye) is a treat. The premise, like all Pixar movies, is fascinating and creative, and executed with precision. Monsters in the closet becomes a corporate empire; genius. The animation is a tad dated by today's standards, but the story and emotions are so good that it doesn't matter, and the film looks beautiful nonetheless. This is one of the best examples of a Pixar film perfect for Kids and equally enjoyable for adults.

5. A Bug's Life (1998)

The second Pixar feature is enthralling entertainment. It's a classic good vs. evil story, with great heroes and unforgettable villains (namely Kevin Spacey's Hopper); the colorful characters make the movie what it is. I remember seeing this movie when I was really young (six, to be exact) and simply loving it. I think I made my parents see it with me three or four times. It speaks volumes that I can still hold the same affection for it 10 years later. This is also one of Pixar's darker movies; the threat of death is a heavy influence throughout. In fact, it was one of the darker movies I'd ever seen when I was six, which probably lead to my fascination with the film. Most animated films gloss over real life problems, the logic being that kids aren't emotionally developed to handle them yet. Well guess what? When the stakes feel real, it makes the movie more effective for kids and adults. Pixar has never shied away from these themes, which makes it such a great studio.

4. Finding Nemo (2003)

The most financially successful Pixar movie to date works so well because of how heartfelt it is. From the very beginning, we feel the pain of Marlin the fish, and sympathize with his over-protectiveness towards his son Nemo. This is the rare animated film that has the potential to make one tear up. Marlin thinking Nemo is dead near the end is a perfect example; we know Nemo is alive, but we are so invested in the characters that we emotionally feel Marlin's pain.

But this is Ellen DeGeneres' movie. She steals the show as Dory, whose optimism is simply infectious. But she isn't just comic relief; she changes as a character on the adventure as well. To me, this is the first CGI film that really proved CGI could tell stories as deep and emotional as live action could. Writing about the movie makes me want to watch it.

3. Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story completely re-defined animated filmmaking, and is often remembered as a technical achievement. Is that what makes it good? Heck no. The film is amazing because of the multi-dimensional and appealing characters, the quality of the story, and how heartfelt and abundant the themes of friendship are. This is phenomenal storytelling, and as good a film as Walt Disney and his nine old men ever animated, CGI or not. It's astonishing that Pixar ever did anything better than their first grand, amazing achievement.

2. Toy Story 2 (1999)

Sequels often surpass the original in the live action realm, but it is unheard for a sequel to best the original in the world of animation, let alone hold a candle to its predecessor. Toy Story 2 broke that rule in half, stomped on it, lit it on fire, and threw it in the dumpster.

Toy Story 2 takes everything that makes the original film such a masterpiece and goes wild with it. It's like The Godfather Part II; everything you love about the original is still there, but it's taken to amazing new heights. Toy Story 2 features a much more complex plot; the original film was very straightforward, but the sequel branches off into many subplots that ultimately converge for a very satisfying conclusion. The complexity of the plot doesn't put a damper on character development; no, it enhances it. We examine these characters from many different angles and while everything that happens involves toys, it teaches us a lesson about being human and growing up as well. And the most important theme of all, friendship, is clear and strong with incredible resonance.

1. Ratatouille (2007)

It's so difficult to proclaim any film other than one of the Toy Story movies Pixar's best effort, but Ratatouille is a truly amazing picture. Some animated films bring out your inner child, and give you the same feeling you would watching a film as a kid. This is a great feeling, and evident in films like Monster's Inc. Ratatouille is completely different. I was able to enjoy this as an adult, without thinking about it as a kid would. It's a story that works on many different levels; it can be enjoyed by kids or adults in totally different ways. Children can enjoy this film for the cute character designs, slapstick humor, etc. The power of Ratatouille is that if you see it as a kid and watch it again years later, you could find a whole new treasure chest of quality in the movie. The old Disney movies were the same way.

The animation is brilliant; it's not photorealistic, which no animated film should be. The wide shots of Paris are a wonder to behold, and I love the design on the humans. It's cartoony, but the design makes them more appealing. The animation on the rats is fairly realistic, though altered to allow the rats to do more.

The storyline, about Remy the rat becoming a chef, is brilliant. There's a great moral here too, summed up in the line "Anyone can cook." Remy is a character who changes from beginning to end, as do a fair amount of the supporting cast. The characters make this movie so good. Every single character is someone the audience can connect with, in a good or bad way. Even the villain is fun to watch.

It's ridiculously hard to sum up Ratatouille with words. It's an experience, one that can feel new and different each time it is experienced, just like a good meal. Thinking about it makes me want to go watch it. To me, it's definitely Pixar's best film. And that's not light praise.

Guest Critic Thomas Lack's List

When you're ranking the films of Pixar, you're ranking various levels of perfection. As such, most everyone will have different opinions on what their favorite Pixar films are. To demonstrate this, here's guest critic Thomas Lack with his opinions on how the list should go. He loves all these films, and his comments only reflect his gripes (if any) with the films.

8. The Incredibles
They don't do as much with the interesting premise as they do in other Pixar productions.

7. Toy Story 2
Except for the horse, I don't like the new characters, and it's not as fun as the first installment. Still, it's a good sequel; definitely the best animated sequel I've ever seen.

6. Cars
It's too slow, and doesn't hold up as well under repeated viewings.

5. A Bug's Life
What to say? It's practically perfect...it's just not as good as the next four.

4. Ratatouille
Any movie that can make rats look cute is quite an achievement. The movie made me hungry.

3. Monster's Inc.
John Goodman and Billy Crystal are perfect together, but there's plenty of other perfection to go around.

2. Toy Story
See Jonathan's comments.

1. Finding Nemo
A delightful story about a father's quest for his son, with great characters. It proves that Pixar isn't afraid to be dark, which makes the film a more rewarding experience.

Well, there you have it. That's our lists for ranking the Pixar films. It's no easy task, and with Wall-E coming out tomorrow, the list will no doubt change. What does your list look like? Make use of the comment feature and tell us! And make sure to come back tomorrow night for my review of Wall-E.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch some Pixar movies.