Timeline of Pixar Movies

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Pixar Movies in Release Order: Quick Timeline Table

The table below lists every Pixar feature film in release order. First column: year. Second column: movie title. Third column: a very short note on why that release is important in the broader timeline.

Year	Film	Timeline Note
1995	Toy Story	First fully CGI animated feature; opens the modern Pixar era.
1998	A Bug’s Life	Expands Pixar into ensemble storytelling with a classic underdog tale.
1999	Toy Story 2	Proves sequels can be deeply emotional and technically ambitious.
2001	Monsters, Inc.	Introduces a new original world where fear literally powers a city.
2003	Finding Nemo	Pushes water animation and father–son storytelling to a new level.
2004	The Incredibles	Blends superhero action with family drama in a stylish retro world.
2006	Cars	Opens the Radiator Springs era and becomes a merchandise powerhouse.
2007	Ratatouille	Paris, fine dining and the “anyone can cook” philosophy in one film.
2008	WALL•E	Minimal dialogue, maximum emotion; a bold sci-fi environmental story.
2009	Up	Opens with one of animation’s most famous emotional montages.
2010	Toy Story 3	Closes the original toy saga for a generation that grew up with Andy.
2011	Cars 2	Takes the Cars world global with a spy-flavored adventure.
2012	Brave	First Pixar film with a princess lead and a Celtic fantasy setting.
2013	Monsters University	Prequel that shows how Mike and Sulley became best friends.
2015	Inside Out	Visualises emotions as characters; a milestone in abstract storytelling.
2015	The Good Dinosaur	Alternate history where dinosaurs survive and meet a human boy.
2016	Finding Dory	Returns to the ocean, focusing on memory, disability and family roots.
2017	Cars 3	Addresses aging, legacy and mentoring the next generation.
2017	Coco	Celebrates family and memory during Mexico’s Día de los Muertos.
2018	Incredibles 2	Continues the Parr family story with Elastigirl in the spotlight.
2019	Toy Story 4	Gives Woody a new path and redefines what “a toy’s purpose” can be.
2020	Onward	Urban fantasy road trip about grief, brotherhood and one last goodbye.
2020	Soul	Asks what makes life meaningful through jazz, art and metaphysics.
2021	Luca	Summer-holiday coming-of-age story on the Italian Riviera.
2022	Turning Red	Explores puberty and identity with a giant red panda metaphor.
2022	Lightyear	In-universe sci-fi adventure inspired by Andy’s favorite space hero.
2023	Elemental	Immigrant and romance themes in a city where elements are alive.
2024	Inside Out 2	Riley hits her teen years; new emotions join the control room.
2025	Elio	A shy boy becomes Earth’s accidental ambassador to the universe.

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Era 1 (1995–2004): The Birth of the Pixar Timeline

When Toy Story premiered in 1995, most people still thought of animation as hand-drawn frames. Pixar flipped the table. A story about jealous toys and friendship became the first fully computer-animated feature, and it landed like a small earthquake in film history. The very first dot on the Pixar timeline is already historic.

Three years later, A Bug’s Life (1998) scaled that ambition down to the size of an ant, but kept the emotional ambition big. It experimented with huge crowds, tiny heroes and a simple yet effective message: being different can save everyone.

Toy Story 2 (1999) arrives surprisingly early in the timeline for a sequel, and that timing matters. Pixar shows that it’s not just chasing box office; it’s ready to talk about abandonment, identity and purpose. Jessie’s backstory alone makes this film a pivot point for deeper emotional storytelling.

With Monsters, Inc. (2001), the studio steps into the idea of “hidden worlds” layered beneath everyday life. Doors become portals. Children’s screams become energy. The year 2001 on teh Pixar timeline marks the moment workplace comedy collides with fantasy world-building.

Finding Nemo (2003) pushes technology and empathy at the same time. Water, light and underwater crowds look stunning for the era, but the heart of that year on the timeline is very down to earth: a nervous father learning to trust his child.

Finally, The Incredibles (2004) rounds out Era 1. Superheroes already existed on screen, sure, but not like this. The movie puts family dinner, burnout and secret identities into the same frame. In timeline terms, 2004 proves Pixar can merge genre thrills with domestic realism and still speak to kids.

Era 1 shows Pixar is not just inventing new technology. It’s inventing a tone: playful on the surface, quietly complex underneath.

Reading the early years of the Pixar timeline

Era 2 (2006–2010): Expanding Worlds, Sharper Themes

After a brief pause, the timeline jumps to Cars in 2006. Lightning McQueen may look like a simple kids’ character, but the year marks a shift: Pixar leans into mascots that can live in games, toys and theme parks, while still telling a story about slowing down and appreciating small-town life.

In 2007, Ratatouille travels to Paris and makes cooking feel like a superpower. The key timeline detail here is risk: a rat in a kitchen could have turned audiences away, yet the film became one of Pixar’s most beloved stories about creativity and criticism.

WALL•E (2008) is possibly the boldest experiment of this era. For long stretches, there’s almost no dialogue, just a lonely robot, a devastated Earth and a growing love story. On the Pixar timeline, 2008 is the year the studio proves it can hold children’s attention with near-silent storytelling and still move adults to tears.

Then comes Up (2009), best known for that devastating opening montage. A lifetime of love and loss in a few minutes sets up a globe-spanning adventure with balloons and talking dogs. Here, the timeline blends fantasy with very real grief and regret.

Toy Story 3 (2010) closes Era 2 on a perfect full circle. Many who watched the first film as children were now leaving school themselves. The timing of this release is everything: 15 years after the original, Pixar says goodbye to childhood right alongside its audience.

Era 3 (2011–2017): Sequels, Prequels and Bold Experiments

From 2011 onward, the timeline gets more crowded with sequels and side stories. Cars 2 (2011) takes the franchise into a globe-trotting spy adventure. It shows Pixar experimenting with tone: faster, louder, more action-driven, but still rooted in friendship and loyalty.

Brave (2012) marks the studio’s first Celtic fantasy and first princess protagonist. It moves the timeline into fairy-tale territory while focusing firmly on a mother–daughter relationship instead of romance. That shift alone makes 2012 a key year for how Pixar handles female leads.

With Monsters University (2013), Pixar rewinds the clock. Prequels can be tricky, but this one uses college comedy energy to deepen Mike and Sulley’s friendship. On the timeline, it shows that returning to a world doesn’t always mean moving forward in time.

2015 brings a double release: Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur. Inside Out is a turning point: it literally personifies Joy, Sadness and other emotions, giving families a new language to talk about feelings. The Good Dinosaur, released the same year, offers a quieter “what if the asteroid missed?” adventure about fear and courage.

Finding Dory (2016) revisits the ocean through Dory’s eyes, focusing on memory loss and self-acceptance. Sequels at this stage of the timeline aren’t just “more of the same”; they are chances to re-examine side characters as leads.

2017 is another two-film year: Cars 3 and Coco. Cars 3 addresses aging athletes and mentorship, making the franchise feel more reflective. Coco, meanwhile, is a cultural landmark, placing Mexican traditions, music and intergenerational memory at the heart of the story.

By 2017, the Pixar timeline is no longer just a list of hits. It’s a layered universe of sequels, prequels and stand-alone classics.

Reading between the release years

Era 4 (2018–2020): Legacy, Closure and Big Questions

Incredibles 2 (2018) picks up immediately after the first film but arrives on the timeline 14 years later. This gap means some kids from 2004 are now adults, watching the Parr family deal with media, reputation and changing gender roles.

Toy Story 4 (2019) is another delayed sequel that lands at exactly the right emotional moment. It introduces Forky, a toy literally made from trash, and questions what “being a toy” even means. On the timeline, this year feels like a gentle second farewell to a world audiences never really wanted to leave.

Then 2020 arrives with a one-two punch: Onward and Soul. Onward uses a fantasy quest to explore grief and sibling bonds, while Soul dives into questions of purpose, talent and everyday joy. These releases sit right at the point where Pixar starts asking more openly philosophical questions, not just “will the heroes succeed?”

Era 5 (2021–2025): Identity, Representation and the Streaming Age

Luca (2021) brightens the timeline with Italian seaside vibes and a gentle metaphor about feeling different. Its place in the chronology marks a shift toward more intimate, small-scale stories that still carry huge emotional weight.

In 2022, Turning Red tackles puberty, family expectations and fandom culture in early-2000s Toronto. The giant red panda transformation makes inner turmoil visible in a way that’s funny and instantly memorable. The same year, Lightyear reframes a toy’s backstory as a serious sci-fi adventure, expanding the Toy Story mythos in a new direction.

Elemental (2023) arrives next, turning fire, water, air and earth into citizens of a single metropolis. In timeline terms, it represents Pixar looking at immigration, family duty and cross-cultural romance through a very visual metaphor.

2024 brings Inside Out 2, returning to Riley’s mind just as she hits her teenage years. New emotions like Anxiety join the cast, showing how the internal cast of characters only grows more complex as we age. It’s a natural, almost inevitable continuation of the themes planted in 2015.

Finally, Elio lands in 2025. A quiet, imaginative boy gets mistaken for Earth’s official representative and pulled into an intergalactic council. Placed at the current edge of the Pixar timeline, it continues the studio’s interest in outsiders, empathy and the feeling of being seen for the first time.

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How To Watch Pixar Using This Timeline

So, you have the full release order in front of you. But what’s the smartest way to actually watch these movies? Here are a few practical paths your visitors (or you) can follow.

Quick FAQ for Pixar Timeline Fans

To make the page even more useful for visitors, it helps to answer a few common questions directly within the article.

Do I need to watch Pixar in release order?

Strictly speaking, no. Most Pixar films are stand-alone. But release order is the easiest way to feel the studio’s growth. It’s like watching an artist’s sketchbook gradually turn into a gallery.

Which Pixar movies connect directly as sequels or prequels?

• Toy Story → Toy Story 2 → Toy Story 3 → Toy Story 4 (with Toy Story 5 announced)
• Monsters, Inc. → Monsters University (prequel)
• The Incredibles → Incredibles 2 (and a third film on the way)
• Cars → Cars 2 → Cars 3
• Finding Nemo → Finding Dory
• Inside Out → Inside Out 2
• Coco → Coco 2 (planned future sequel)

Where should I start if I only want “core” Pixar?

If someone has very limited time, a strong “core timeline” sampler could be: Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, Inside Out, Coco, Soul and Elemental. That set alone lets you feel how far Pixar travels in 30 years of stories.

How can I keep this timeline page updated?

• Keep the main table strictly for films that have already been released.
• Add a short “Future Pixar Films” area (as above) with year and working titles.
• Update release dates when studios confirm changes; many animated films shift slightly over time.
• Consider linking from each year to a deeper article, review or character guide as your site grows.