This week we're reviewing Up, Pixar's tenth movie. It is a movie about a grumpy old man who wants to give one last gift to his wife but instead finds a grandson, a talking dog, and more adventure than he signed up for. While this movie is a love story, it's also a crazy adventure story, and somehow Pixar manages to blend those themes so seamlessly that it works really well, aside from sometimes feeling two separate movies, Even so, this move does have some really good ideas that it puts out there, and I think it would be a great one to share with children of any age, but especially the older o ..read more

In which we put on our cowboy hats, fall with style, and go to infinity and beyond! Links: Watch Toy Story | Prime Video — Toy Story Watch Toy Story | Disney Plus — Toy Story ..read more

This week we're reviewing WALL•E, Pixar's ninth movie. It is a movie about a janitor robot who just wants to find some love. He's cleaning up earth after the humans left on a giant spaceship, and he's been at it for the last 700 years or so. Then a ship lands and launches another robot, EVE, who has been sent to find signs of life, which she ends up doing. Well, WALL-E falls desparately in love with her, but she doesn't reciprocate, and the rest of the movie is him chasing her and doing what needs to be done. Hilarity ensues, many robot noises are made, and the humans find out what living is a ..read more

This week we're reviewing Ratatouille, Pixar's eighth movie. It is a movie about a rat who wants to cook and learns that he can control a young man by pulling on his hair just so. They create some great food, make some enemies, a restaurant, scare some patrons and generally have a good time. This movie is riddled with good ideas and does an amazing job at portraying them in ways that are quite organic and easy to pick up. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: Do not Steal. Ideas, food, things, etc. It's bad, so don't do it. It is better to do something than to do nothing. D ..read more

This week we're reviewing Cars, Pixar's seventh movie. This movie is another of their straightforward movies, and like a lot of the rest, this one does not disappoint, It has some great ideas that it presents clearly for all to see, even the youngest in the family. It tells the story of how a race car discovers that there's more to life than just winning. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: There is more to life than just winning, Without friends and family, life ends up being empty. Don't judge others solely because they are different than you (a book can be more than ju ..read more

This week we're reviewing The Incredibles, Pixar's sixth movie, and one of our clear favorites. This movie seems to be a straightforward superhero movie, and for the most part it is. But it also has some strong themes and great ideas that it presents in an amazing set of packaging. It follows a family of super people just trying to make it through life as they deal with kids, job troubles, and a mid-life crisis or two. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: Family is Super Important! For the kids, for the parents, and for each individual. Life is more than just what you do ..read more

This week we're reviewing Soul, Pixar's twenty-third movie. It is hard to say what Soul is, a plunge into a mid-life crisis, a study in nihilism, or simply a story about a guy who figures out a bit of what is missing in his life. It follows Joe, a jazz musician who gets his dream gig and then goes on some remarkable spiritual adventures where he meets an ancient child, angers a cranky angelic accountant, and eventually answers all the questions of the universe...sort of. While surprisingly deep for a Pixar movie, and in spite of the amazing music and artistic flair, this one ended up disappoin ..read more

This week we're reviewing Finding Nemo, Pixar's fifth movie. Finding Nemo is a simple story about a fish who loses his son and needs to go find him. During his adventures he meets a forgetful fish, an old turtle, and a vegitarian shark. Not surprisingly for a Pixar movie, this one ends up delighting the senses, telling a comprehensive story, and ends up diving into some rather deep topics. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: Family is worth fighting for, and sometimes family means more than just your relatives. You can't be paralized by fear of failure, sometimes you just ..read more

This week we're reviewing Monsters, Inc., Pixar's fourth movie. While at first glance this has a simple good guy / bad guy vibe, it ends up being rather deep with some fun corporate espionage (who would have thought those words would end up together?) Like most other Pixar movies the characters are very well written and the voice actors give them so much emotion that it is easy to fall in love with them and enjoy your time in their lives. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: Tyrrany and Evil are worth fighting against. Life is precious, not just those that look and act lik ..read more

This week we're reviewing A Bug's Life, Pixar's second movie. Unlike Pixar's first movie Toy Story, A Bug's Life is a very simple and straightforward story with very few twists and turns. The characters are all very relatable and well written, and even the big bad guy, Hopper, ends up being very well fleshed out with story appropriate justifications for their actions. Some of the ideas that this move puts forward are these: Tyrrany is worth fighting against. This can include standing up against a bully at school, a boss who is doing bad things, or a government that is overstepping its bounds ..read more