Pixar is known for films that break hearts and warm them. A bit more recently,
they’ve made a habit of focusing on stories about kids and teenagers learning how to
navigate the world as they grow up. But these coming of age themes have been present to
varying degrees since the studio first started making feature films.
But of all these movies, which was the best at specifically expressing the trials of growing up?
I’m Caleb with WickedBinge and today we want to figure out:
What is Pixar’s Best Coming-of-Age Story?
First, what is the criteria for a good “coming of age” story? According to Masterclass.com,
it’s a story that shows a protagonist transitioning from childhood into adulthood.
In these movies, typically, protagonists have to come to terms with the fact that life as a
whole isn’t as simple or perfect as they once perceived. Usually with an emphasis placed on
the emotions behind transitioning from a kid to a teenager; or a teenager to a young adult.
Secondly, just to be clear. This list is a ranking of these movie’s overall quality.
But rather an analysis of which of Pixar’s movies best fit into the Coming-of-Age genre
in terms of story and themes. And how effectively they pull it off.
Taking our 10th place spot is a tie between The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. We had to
rank these as the lowest on our list since the children taking the first step into adulthood were
pushed into the background for a fair portion of these movies. In both of The Incredibles,
we saw Violet, Dash and Jack Jack all experience significant growth through their stories,
but it was more focused on understanding the value of the family and the sacrifices that had to be
made in order to stay together. The most we see them reflecting on what it meant to grow as an
individual was when Violet and her relationship with Bob was examined, and we were able to see
her reflect on how much her father was taking on. In Finding Nemo, while Nemo was doing his
own growth in the dentist’s fish tank, it was really Marlin that did the growing. The movie
was much more centered on Marlin accepting that his son needed room to experience life on his own.
In ninth place, we have Onward. This story was more focused on gaining closure and dealing with
loss, with Barley offering to help Ian find a way to see their late father. Much like with
The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, the arc centered on growth was more secondary. In Barley’s case, we
didn’t witness everything his journey entailed as the movie was shown mainly from Ian’s perspective.
By the end scene, Ian finally was able to reach the realization that Barley had forced himself
to grow up in order to be a good role model and support for Ian. Without either of the brothers
putting much thought into it, Barley had become more than just an older brother, taking on many
of things that Ian thought only their father would be able to truly do. Overall, Ian did show
a lot of growth because of their interactions on this small quest. He went from being uncertain of
himself to displaying confidence and skill in magic all because Barley supported him.
Eighth place goes to Monsters University. This sequel followed Mikey and Sully as they found
their footing and moved towards their desired career paths, and did an excellent job showing
that sometimes plans just don’t work out no matter how much determination or work goes into them.
However these two were closer to being adults in their universe than many of the protagonists
on this list. Yes, they were coming into their own, but Mikey and Sully already had quite a bit
of knowledge and experience under their belts. At least enough to understand what they were
pursuing and why it was so important to them. With Sully there was a little more development
seeing as he was only following in his father’s footsteps, so one could argue that he was the
one that was really “coming-of-age.” After all, it was Sully facing his shortcomings that led
to him following Mikey’s lead and gaining respect for him, leading to their careers.
Our seventh place ranking goes to the franchise that started it all:
Toy Story. And yeah, we’re talking about the whole franchise. And this is because in many ways,
the Toy Story series emulates the audience’s growth. Specifically Toy Story 1 and 3.
When Toy Story came out, it was relatable to children; because it emphasized the imaginary
characters behind their favorite toys. As Andy grows older, and eventually goes off to college,
we see milestones in his life. And how he ultimately moves on from his
toys to become an adult; gifting them to Bonnie before driving off the university.
When it comes to the perspective of the toys… Seeing Andy slowly grow older and gain new
interests was a main motivator for how Woody and the other toys behaved during the films.
With every new obstacle, the audience was reminded as to why the choices were so difficult and why
the stakes were so high. On the one hand, a toy could last for ages and be there for a child for a
long time. But on the other hand, what could that mean when the child would eventually
leave the toy behind? The inescapable fact that kids grow up and leave behind their
toys was something our heroes and villains all had to face throughout this franchise.
Not to mention the fact, there’s a lot of existentially dark themes in the
Toy Story universe… Including Buzz’s identity crisis and having to accept what he truly is…
the concept of “death” in how it pertains to toys… and even abandonment and purpose.
Sixth place goes to the movie Luca. Starting in a similar fashion to The Little Mermaid,
this story revolved around Luca learning more about the “land monsters” that lived on the
surface. As his curiosity grew, Luca came across Alberto and Guilia. Because of their
blooming friendship, Luca and Alberto were both able to learn more about how the humans lived.
Luca had been far more open about adapting to the humans and how they lived than his friend Alberto,
becoming torn between the urge to explore more and the promise to travel with Alberto.
Luca’s story was a complicated one. In many ways, he had been free to express himself
and learn more about who he was. His identity was able to flesh out without being hidden
away by his family who were threatening to send him away. But at the same time a very
important part of himself had to continue to be kept secret in order to avoid being a victim of
violence. It was a story that resonated with a lot of people. Many older viewers commended the
story for expressing the difficulty that came with being vulnerable and open. By the end,
Luca and Alberto were able to decide how they wanted to go into adulthood. Luca-at thirteen-
was able to choose to attend school with Guilia. Meanwhile, Alberto-at fourteen- was able to stay
with Massimo to help the man with his work while gaining a new father figure in his life.
We’re placing The Good Dinosaur in the fifth place spot. Arlo was another protagonist forced to grow
up. Pixar is one of the many studios that love to tug at heartstrings with a parent's death,
so it wasn’t too shocking to see this utilized to get Arlo’s story to pick
up speed. Arlo’s first approach to being more mature was easy enough,
with Arlo taking on more work around the farm without complaining. After Arlo was
swept away and had to find his way home, the audience was able to see how Arlo had
grown both emotionally and physically. Though there were many torn reviews about this film,
there’s no denying that this movie fits the criteria of a “coming-of-age” movie.
It wouldn’t be a complete list without mentioning Brave. Which we’re ranking as Number Four. Little
explanation is needed as to why this movie made it onto this list. The story centers around a young
woman faced with the reality of having to marry in order to help her kingdom. Merida was able to hold
off being wed by the end of the movie, but she had to come to the realization as to why it was
so important to eventually take her role as queen. Merida’s encounter with Mordu had forced her to
come to terms with what can happen when someone puts themselves above their kingdom. Thankfully,
she was able to use that lesson to remind the other lords why they had chosen to declare Fergus
king. As archaic as it is to push the idea of a forced marriage onto young audiences, the message
and how it was delivered worked considering the setting of the story. The stakes being so high
pushed that Merida was being catapulted into not only being a grown woman, but a wife and
ruler. Ultimately, though, Merida had been able to get her way and delay taking her place as queen.
The bronze medal for Pixar coming-of-age movie goes to Coco. Following the story of Miguel
fighting to follow his dream, he learns some unexpected things about his family. Through his
time in the land of the dead, Miguel was able to uncover what really happened to Hector and Imelda.
One of the most difficult things to do when trying to break the line of trauma in a family is trying
to figure out how it began in the first place. In Miguel’s case he was luckier than most. After all,
what happened wasn’t a secret. The only thing Miguel didn’t really know was the true identity
of his grandfather, which led to the disastrous misunderstandings that took place. After meeting
Hector and hearing what occurred, Miguel was given the information and courage he needed
to heal his family after he returned to the living. Considering Miguel’s initial goal for
much of the film was to simply follow his dream regardless of the consequences, it was a relief
to see him able to achieve his happiness without having to leave his family behind as Ernesto had
done. In the final scene, we also see that Miguel’s actions led to others in his family
finally being able to freely express themselves through music. We didn’t see the wounds the
other members of the family held, keeping their love of music hidden as we see in Encanto when
Mirabel confronts her siblings, but it was enough for a story about Miguel’s own personal growth.
Taking the silver medal ranking is Inside Out. While most of the screen time centered around
Joy and Sadness, Riley’s inner turmoil was the motivation for the entire film.
Inside Out is one of the most shockingly powerful movies Pixar has ever released.
Seeing such an accurate depiction of a child experiencing depression hit home for many viewers.
By the end of this feature, we saw that Riley was able to finally experience and welcome
layered emotions. She was able to recognize that not everything could be simply happy or sad,
and was able to go on to express herself in a more complex fashion. In the final scenes
it was shown that Riley wasn’t quite experiencing puberty just yet, with the emotions uncertain as
to what the word even meant. Riley wasn’t quite into adulthood just yet, and instead making
those first steps in her teen years. After all, the film states she was only eleven years old.
Finally, we have to give the gold medal of best coming-of-age story to Turning Red. This ranking
isn’t because this is the most recent film to come out of Pixar. Of all the films on this list,
Turning Red was the most blunt about its themes and what it meant to grow up.
Ming discussed menstruation and puberty openly, which was a first for a Pixar movie. And it did so
in a humorous way without making itself immature. The whole plot of Mei turning into a red panda was
meant to be a way to show how puberty can turn even the most well-mannered kids into beasts.
Mei had to endure conflicting emotions and come to terms with the side of herself that
she wasn’t used to. She saw herself as a monster because she was changing, and so was
torn between staying the same and embracing the path that was being presented to her.
On top of that, it really handled the crossroad in life in which a
kid starts to detach from their parents a bit more and become their own person.
Which worked nicely as the primary conflict Mei has with her mom.
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our ranking. What Pixar movie do you
think works best as a coming-of-age film? And tell us what we should cover next. Remember to
hit that notification bell and binge more of our videos. But most importantly, stay wicked.