Pixar has been consistently churning out hits pretty much every year since 1995. Seriously, almost every Pixar movie the studio has ever made is great. (They've won Oscars and everything.) Even the sequels are pretty decent, and it's usually hard to make follow-up films as good as the original.
With so many amazing movies to choose from, it's no surprise that there was hardly a consensus when CableTV.com did a study on the most popular Pixar films in every state. The closest anything came to a majority was Cars, which claimed the title of 13 states' favorite film. But 22 total movies made the list, and some states couldn't even pick just one. (Utah had a five-way tie, and Alaska had a four-way tie.)
We get it, it's too hard to choose!
But the ones these states picked aren't bad choices, that's for sure.
'Up'
Most popular in: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York
Who doesn't love this heartwarming tale of an old man rediscovering his adventurous side, thanks to a talkative young boy, and a super sweet dog? Sure, Up starts off on an extremely sad note, but then, it's all beautiful colors and exciting voyaging. Honestly, we're surprised that it only won seven states and not more.
'Brave'
Most popular in: Alaska
This is one of the four movies that tied for first place in Alaska. It's set pretty far away from the snowy state in Scotland, but Brave is also an awesome movie about a super strong young woman. (How can anyone from any state not love it?) We're a little surprised more states didn't list this one as a fave, but Pixar makes so many good movies that there's just a lot to choose from.
'Inside Out'
Most popular in: Alaska
Inside Out also tied for most popular in Alaska. The movie explores a young girl's emotions as she grows up and moves away from her childhood home. The movie tackles some pretty big issues — like depression — so it's a little more adult than mosyt Pixar films, but still very valuable for kids to eventually see.
'The Incredibles' & 'Incredibles 2'
The Incredibles was most popular in: Idaho, Maine, and Vermont
Incredibles 2 was most popular in: North Dakota and Alaska
Pixar's superhero movie about a family with special powers came out in 2004, with the sequel hitting theaters 14 years later in 2018. Both have remained popular in several states, although there was no overlap in states that cared about the first one versus the second one. North Dakota and Alaska just prefer the sequel it seems, while Idaho, Maine, and Vermont like that OG animation and story style.
'Monsters, Inc'
Most popular in: California
Cali is the only state where Monsters, Inc was popular, which is suprising on a couple of fronts. For one, we thought that California would be partial to Finding Dory, since the movie's Marine Life Institute was inspired by California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. Secondly, how can more states not love the lovable Monsters, Inc characters? Sully? Mike? Boo? ("Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me"?) At least California has this iconic film's back.
'Monsters University'
Most popular in: Montana
For Montana, folks there preferred Monsters University to Monsters, Inc. Although it came out 12 years later, Monsters University is actually a prequel. It follows Mike and Sully meeting at college and going on to form their epic friendship — but not before having some tense moments as they get to know one another.
'WALL-E'
Most popular in: Colorado, Washington, and Utah
It's not surprising that states like Colorado and Washington would like WALL-E. The movie is all about how humans can negatively affect the planet, and what we need to do to fix things before they get as bad as they are in WALL-E. Colorado and Washington are both very eco-concious states.
'Ratatouille'
Most popular in: Connecticut and Utah
Ratatouille takes place in France, so there's no geographical reason for Connecticut and Utah to love the movie other than it's just a really cute film. Ratatouille will also make its viewers crave the titular meal, which children everywhere will be disappointed to learn is just a stewed vegetable dish. But, hey, could be a great way to convince little ones to eat their veggies.
'The Good Dinosaur'
Most popular in: Delaware and New Hampshire
This is one of Pixar's newer films, coming out just a few years ago. The Good Dinosaur imagines a world where dinosaurs were never wiped out by a giant comet, instead living to walk amongst the cave men. The movie specifically follows the friendship between an Apatosaurus named Arlo, and a young human child.
'Cars'
Most popular in: Arizona; Georgia; Iowa; Kentucky; Minnesota; Nevada; New Mexico; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; South Carolina; Tennessee; West Virginia; and Wisconsin
The most popular of the popular films, Cars generated high search volume in 13 states. Considering that Route 66 plays such a large role in the movie's setting, it's unsurprising that the film is highly talked about in places like Arizona and New Mexico. The real Route 66 runs through those states.
'Cars 2' & 'Cars 3'
Most popular in: Wyoming
Wyoming said miss me with that original Cars nonsense, we like the sequels! That's sort of unheard of, becasue both Cars sequels bombed with critics and audiences alike. Cars 2 has a 49% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Cars 3 fared a little better with a 69% score. The spin-off, Planes, didn't do much better with a 49% rating.
… and it also didn't make any state's most popular list.
'Toy Story'
Most popular in: Florida; Illinois; Indiana; Kentucky; Nebraska; Oklahoma; Rhode Island; Texas; and Utah
Toy Story was the first ever Pixar movie, released in 1995. And while it's rare for the first project from a company to be one of its best, the studio really knocked things out of the park on this one. Twenty-five years later, it's still one of the best movies of all time — and it's the most popular Pixar film in a whopping nine states.
'Toy Story 2'
Most popular in: South Dakota
The OG Toy Story is obviously the best, but the 1999 sequel is pretty iconic as well. It introduced us to Jessie and Bullseye who would go on to become major parts of the Toy Story franchise. We're glad South Dakota repped this film; it deserves it.
'Toy Story 3'
Most popular in: Kansas
Fifteen years after the original movie came out, Toy Story 3 joined the franchise. This installment followed Andy's toys as they're accidentally given to a day care. They meet new toy friends (and enemies) on their journey back to Andy. Only one state picked this as their favorite, but at least it got a little love.
'Toy Story 4'
Most popular in: Utah
The most recent installment in the Toy Story franchise came out just last year and introduced us all to the magic of Forky. Thanks to Utah's inability to choose just one favorite (it was a five-way tie between *Onward, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Toy Story 4, *and WALL-E), this movie landed a spot on this list. Here's hoping an eventual Toy Story 5 is in the works now.
'A Bug's Life'
Most popular in: Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Mississippi.
Something about the M-states — they just really love A Bug's Life. One of Pixar's earliest films, A Bug's Life gave people a whole new appreciation for so-called creepy crawlies … except for grasshoppers that were the evil villains in this movie.
'Finding Nemo'
Most popular in: Ohio Oregon, Virginia, and Alaska
Both waterfront states and landlocked states love Finding Nemo. It was the film studio's first time animating water in a signicant way, and they really pulled off a realistic sea setting. Even though this movie came out way back in 2003, it's still just as good today — and so quotable! We always find ourselves saying things like "just keep swimming," "fish are friends, not food," and trying out our best whale accents.
'Finding Dory'
Most popular in: Hawaii
It makes sense that an island state like Hawaii would love an ocean-based movie. Finding Dory is Finding Nemo's sequel. Dory sets off to try to find her parents, but she gets lost in the process. So it's up to Nemo and Marlin to track her and her parents down before it's too late.
'Coco'
Most popular in: New Mexico
Coco explores the Day of the Dead holiday in a beautiful and accessible way. Death can be a tough subject for kids (and adults), but Coco explained it in a way that made it less sad and scary. The holiday is widely celebrated in Mexico, so it's no surprise that a state just over the border loved the film.
'Onward'
Most popular in: Utah
Pixar's newest film is another of the movies that tied for most popular in Utah. The studio is lucky that they were able to release Onward right before the whole world shut down so people still got to see it. It's a charming (and tear-jerking) tale of two brothers who will do whatever they can to bring their father back — even if just for a day.
