Just about anyone who was born and raised in the 1990s or later has some degree of familiarity with and affection for Pixar movies.
From Toy Story to Frozen, Pixar’s animated classics made us laugh, cry, and think a little bit about ourselves.
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Come explore the lovable world of Pixar characters with Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Incredible, and Nemo.
To create a video game with the same level of care that Pixar puts into its creations would be a monumental undertaking, to say the least. This is probably why games specifically based on Pixar movies end up pretty half-baked.
But while Pixar itself doesn’t really dabble in the realm of games, there are many games out there that contain at least some of the secret sauce that make Pixar films stick with us so much.
10Luigi’s Mansion 3
Delightfully Spooky
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Out of the three Luigi’s Mansion games, the third one definitely resembles a Pixar film the most.
The first Luigi’s Mansion is a bit too claustrophobic, while the second game is too light on the story.
Luigi’s Mansion 3, however, has an artistically varied locale to explore, lots of wacky characters, and plenty of prat-falls and gags to enjoy.
It’s admittedly not the most emotionally-complex story, but it’s got the aesthetic down at least.
9Kena: Bridge Of Spirits
All The Ingredients Of A Pixar Classic
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spiritshas just abouteverything you’d expect to find in a classic Pixar film.
It’s got a young protagonist exploring the world and a nebulous corrupting force throwing the world out of balance.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s got highly marketable mascots in the form of Kena’s little buddies, the Rot.
Even if you’re there for the story or animation, you can’t deny it’s not a Pixar film without an Olaf to sell the merch.
8The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Cartoony, With An Emotional Center
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
Just about any game in theLegend of Zeldaseries would probably make a good animated film.
As far as games that Pixar-like in their presentation, though, we definitely have to give it to The Wind Waker.
Wind Waker is bursting with personality, offering plenty of visual humor in addition to the classic Zelda formula.
The game is alsofull of somber and quiet moments, though, which serve as a good contrast to the silly stuff.
7It Takes Two
A Wild Premise Full Of Poignant Moments
It Takes Two
One of the big charm points of some Pixar films is their ability to convey more mature and sensitive topics.
Up springs to mind as an example of this, covering the uncomfortable truth of losing loved ones.
Divorce is certainly a good example of a sensitive, uncomfortable message, andIt Takes Twopresents it with a similar level of flair and whimsy to a typical Pixar film.
Though, there are some scenes in It Takes Two that might be a bit much for the kiddies in the audience.You know the ones.
6Ori And The Blind Forest
Guaranteed To Tug Your Heartstrings
Ori and The Blind Forest
If there’s one thing Pixar films are good at, it’s tugging at our heartstrings. Try and say you don’t get choked up by the incinerator scene in Toy Story 3. You can’t do it.
As far as games that have that same heartstring-tugging acumen go, one of the most prominent examples is definitelyOri and the Blind Forest.
This game is set in a colorful, verdant fantasy world with plenty of art to show off.
Not only that, but the first few minutes of the story, particularly Ori’s relationship with Naru, already have you tearing up.
5Rayman 2: The Great Escape
A Colorful World Under Existential Threat
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Raymanas a character and franchise has some potential for that Pixar magic in general thanks to the series’wacky designs and settings.
Out of all the Rayman games, though, Rayman 2 definitely has the most Pixar-like feel.
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It’s been ten years! Give him something at least!
This is due mostly to the dire circumstances of Rayman’s world in the story, with innocents imprisoned and lands under siege by pirates.
There’s no better time for an epic story than when the world as you know it is under existential threat from an invader.
A Little Guy Makes It Big
The best kind of hero for a Pixar film is an unlikely one. We want a hero who doesn’t seem like much at the start, only to really come into his own at the end of things.
Knackdefinitely has some of those vibes, with the titular character being barely knee-high at the start of the story only to go on to become a hero at the end.
As an added bonus, the game’s credits features Knack dancing to How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy.
It’s not a CG kids movie without the characters dancing over the credits, whether it’s Pixar, DreamWorks, or Illumination.
Similar To Pixar’s Famous Shorts
Besides its feature-length films, Pixar is also well known for producing animated shorts.
These shorts can still make you laugh or cry, even with just a few minutes of runtime and little-to-no dialogue.
If you want a thought-provoking game that’s shortwith no dialogue,Journeyis pretty much that to a tee.
Through nothing but animation and music, Journey offers a comparable level of emotional push to most of Pixar’s shorts.
A Classic Buddy Adventure
One common formula seen throughout many of Pixar’s films is the buddy adventure.
Films like Onward, Up, Zootopia, and Toy Story focus on two main protagonists for the bulk of the action and characterization.
There’s odd couple friction, maybe an argument, a reconciliation, and a good time is had by all.
If you want an old-school buddy adventure, 2009’s The Maw has got the vibe down.
Take a stubby alien survivor and put him on a journey with an ugly-cute blob full of teeth, and you’ve got a traditional kooky adventure fresh out of the oven.
1Kingdom Hearts 3
Is This Cheating?
Kingdom Hearts 3
Okay, we’re definitely cheating a little bit by including this on the list, but can you blame us?
Kingdom Hearts 3literally has appearances by characters from Pixar films including Frozen, Tangled, Big Hero Six, Toy Story, and Wreck-It Ralph.
Even putting aside the Pixar cameos, though, the Kingdom Hearts series, in general, has some Pixar vibes.
We’ve got young folks wielding incredible magic, traveling around to worlds they only could have dreamed of to fight off an existential threat.
If the wholelight, dark, and hearts thingwere a little easier to understand, the series would be ripe for a Pixar film adaptation.
10 Best Pixar Movies, Ranked
Pixar is known for crafting incredible narratives and loveable characters. This list breaks down the very best movies from the studio.
