Top 5 Disney/Pixar Movies

5 - Toy Story. The essence of Toy Story is not just that toys come to life when people aren't around them, but that they're completely aware of the fact that they are toys to begin with. Woody doesn't believe that he's a sheriff to uphold the law. Although he is a toy with integrity.

Woody knows that making a kid happy is why he exists as a toy. He's a leader amongst the rest of Andy's toys for multiple reasons. For one, he's Andy's favorite. So he knows how to be special for Andy and make sure that he's always there for Andy when he wants to play. Another is because he cares about the well-being of the other toys. Mr. Spell's meeting on plastic corrosion awareness is essential to the health and longevity of the toys. No one likes to play with a toy whose paint is fading and Rocky Gibraltar doesn't want his muscles to deteriorate. Though they have dangers as well. The sight of Buzz Lightyear's "severed" arm is disgusting to them, even though there aren't broken bones or mangled muscle tissue.

Buzz has a background story that makes him believe he is a real space ranger and that he has a mission to complete. He doesn't believe that he's a toy because he's never been played with. He hasn't had the experience of being played with. He believes he is destined to serve Star Command because that's what he's been programmed as. He eventually realizes that Star Command is just part of a marketing ploy and learns first hand that he can't fly.

But when Buzz and Woody need the help of each other, Buzz realizes that he is in fact a toy. There is no Star Command. His laser can't stun or kill anything. Woody is then able to point out that while he isn't a space ranger on a finite mission, he is a toy that will serve a purpose for a much longer time.

4 - Toy Story 2. One of the perks of being a toy is that they last forever. An eternity. Even though their time is infinite, toys have to make the best of it.

A toy must know its purpose to help make the time worthwhile: to make a child happy. A child playing with his or her toy is just like some childhood relationships. Eventually you outgrow them and look for something new. And that's the lesson learned. Making the best of your relationships. The stronger a friendship is, the better the time together is.

Buzz reminds Woody of what he once taught him. Life's only worth living if you're being loved by a kid. Thinking that Andy won't love him for that long, he opts to go with Jessie, Bullseye, and Prospector to the museum in Tokyo. This way he'll be loved by kids forever. It isn't long until Buzz points out that being looked at and revered by countless kids in a museum isn't the life a toy should live. Jessie put it very well. When a kid is playing with a toy, even though they're not moving, the toy feels alive. And toys don't get that opportunity when they're preserved in museums.

Woody remembers how special his relationship with Andy is. And even though it's finite, it's the best thing for both kids and toys. Make the best of it while you can. Plus Woody and Buzz have each other to share the time together.

3 - Monsters, Inc. The interpretation of monsters living under the bed and in children's closets can be trite. But portraying them as average joes is original. The two main joes, James P. Sullivan, a.k.a. Sulley, and Mike Wazowski, live ordinary lives together. They work together and still have experiences that dwarf many we have. The attitudes they have differ in many ways. Mike is proud of his accomplishments that most would see as diminished. Mike is either too imperceptive to notice them (the company logo covering him in the TV commercial) or he doesn't let them bother him. While both are the answer, the former takes the cake. Mike's failure to sweet talk Roz so he won't be reprimanded for not filing his paper work is another case in point of how idiotic he can be.

The love Mike and his girlfriend Celia have for each other can be considered puppy love. Even though they don't show public displays of affection, their pet names for each other make you laugh and feel happy for them. Googly Bear (Celia's pet name for Mike) expresses his love for Schmoopsy Pooh (Mike's pet name for Celia) so much that she could do almost anything that would make some other person love her less.

But the love and care Sulley has for Boo is the heart of this movie. He's able to show her that she doesn't have to be scared of monsters. Sully will go through even the grittiest conditions like a blizzard in the Himalayas, and persevere anything and anyone to get her back home safely.

2 - Up. True love lives on long after the passing of one's soulmate. If it didn't, Carl Fredricksen's house would still be down on the ground in the city. His wife Ellie's lifelong dream is to live in a house atop of a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, a land lost in time. The strength of Carl's and Ellie's love for each other puts Glenn Beck's love for the United States to shame.

After Ellie dies and he's about to move into a retirement home due to court orders, Carl embarks on the adventure of his life. He is soon joined by a little boy named Russell, a Wilderness Explorer who is willing to do anything to be with the person he wants.

Hindrances (some unexpected, others not surprising) start to deter Carl and his journey the same way kids prolong a drive to the family cabin by wanting to stop for fast food and needing to go to the bathroom every fifteen minutes. They meet Kevin, a bird that is the core reason of why Carl and Ellie wanted to go to Paradise Falls to begin with, the MacGuffin. And Dug, a dog who can talk with the help of a voice collar. Despite being bothered by the possible presence of a squirrel occasionally (SQUIRREL!), he is a devoted servant to Carl. He want Carl to be his new master.

The four of them encounter three other dogs with voice collars. The leader, Alpha, has a malfunctioning voice collar, leaving him with a high-pitched, squeaky voice. Can't imagine what helium would do to it. This idiosyncrasy undermines Alpha's toughness, like a paraplegic villain in a James Bond movie. The three of them are on the hunt for a snipe, the kind of bird Kevin is.

After being chased by Alpha and the other dogs, Carl and Russell meet Carl's boyhood hero, Charles Muntz. He is Dug's and Alpha's master, as Dug and the other dogs call him that. When Carl and Russell find out that Muntz sent the dogs to hunt and capture Kevin, they flee. But not without Muntz putting up a good fight and trying to stop him.

Carl and Russell try to flee Muntz with Dug and Kevin, but Kevin is almost immediately caught by Muntz. With Kevin now captive and Russell wanting to save Kevin so she can get back to her babies (yes, Kevin is a girl), Carl is stuck with a dilemma: tow his house on his own, or help Russell rescue Kevin. Carl chooses the latter, allowing him to achieve both while realizing that even though you have to let some things go, it can be for the best.

1 - WALL-E. The heart of this movie outweighs its humor. Though it's funny in a very cute way, the movie is more heart warming than ANYTHING. Passengers of the Axiom, the captain included, are so obese that they get around by using hovering lounge chairs with computers that appeal to whatever they desire, because walking isn't necessary. They prefer talking with someone via a Skype-like technology, which is a lot easier and more convenient than turning their heads to look at the actual person who's right next to them while conversing.

When WALL-E gets ejected from the Axiom and his escape pod blows up, EVE refuses to believe the worst. But he escapes with a fire extinguisher. Using the extinguisher for propulsion, he shows EVE that he has the plant, the MacGuffin. She's so delighted that a hug and kiss sends WALL-E into euphoria. EVE then invites WALL-E on a spacewalk that is reminiscent of a couple ice skating alone in Central Park at night. This is the quintessential moment of WALL-E and EVE's affection for each other.

Even though WALL-E does some foolish things involving EVE (which usually anger her), she eventually realizes that he is doing it simply because he fears something bad will happen to her and he wants to help her. EVE returns the favor when WALL-E needs help more than EVE possibly ever did.

Lack of Diversity in Films?

Lately there has been criticism about the lack of "colored people" and females in the film industry getting recognition for their work. One reason is due to the Oscar nominees for the acting categories. When the media, such as the Huffington Post and CNN, mention "colored people," I don't know if that's limited to just black actors or includes actors of other ethnicities such as Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, etc.

I want to make clear that when I say "colored people," no matter how politically correct or incorrect that may sound, I am referring to anyone whose ethnicity and/or heritage is Asian, Hispanic, African, or anywhere that isn't the United States. I personally don't like the term because there are people both black and white people, all over the world within close proximities of each other. And what about a black man and a white woman or a white man and a black woman having a kid? If the kid appears to be very white, can that kid still be considered a "colored person" because one of the parents is "colored?"

If you want to call "colored people" the minority, throw in caucasian people as well. And consider throwing out some Asians, particularly Chinese. China's population according to the 2010 census is 1,338,612,968. India's population according to indiastat.com is 1,194,334,330 and rising as I write this on January 29, 2011. Also according to indiastat.com, the world's population is 6.975017 billion and rising as well. China's population represents roughly 1/6 of the world's population. And with India included, the two most populated countries represent a little over a quarter of the world's population. So anyone but Chinese people should be considered a minority regarding the world's population. But if you want to be more broad, for example Kenyan African-Americans or Somalian African-Americans instead of just African-Americans, anyone who isn't of Asian ethnicity is a minority in this world. And the Academy recognizes talent from all over the world, not just people born in the United States. So on a global level, which is what the Academy looks at when it comes to nominating people, anyone who isn't Asian or part Asian is a minority.

The United States is the third most populated country, with a population of 308,745,538 according to the 2010 census. And given that the United States is a melting pot, ethnicities are merging and getting lost like tears in rain. Whereas in India where pre-arranged marriages are still common, Indians are marrying Indians, and thus giving birth to more Indians. That is uniformity. They are not marrying Swedish people, or French people. Or Germans or Aussies or Mexicans. They are staying out of the melting pot. At least those with pre-arranged marriages.

Anyways. First, I want to address the media's mention of "colored people" and lack of recognition. Since the Academy Award nominations were announced on January 25, it has been noted that all the nominees for all four acting categories are white. I want to point out that this isn't entirely true.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem received a nomination for his performance in "Biutiful." CNN acknowledges this, but claims that since he is a Spaniard, he is therefore European, which is true. But a colored person is a colored person regardless of where they're from. A black person is still black whether he or she is from Chicago, Illinois or London, England or Lagos, Nigeria. Is a white person who is born in Johannesburg, South Africa and immigrates to New York City more African-American than a black New York native whose parents and grandparents are also New York natives and have all lived in New York their entire lives?

Colored people in the film industry do get recognition. Plenty have been nominated for acting categories. They include (but not limited to): Whoopi Goldberg**, Denzel Washington**, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman**, Cuba Gooding Jr.*, Michael Clarke Duncan, Queen Latifah, Djimon Hounsou***, Don Cheadle, Jamie Foxx **, Terrence Howard, Will Smith***, Forest Whitaker*, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson*, Ruby Dee, Gabourney Sidibe, and Mo'Nique*. (Note: * indicates they won. ** indicates they have been nominated multiple times and won at least once. *** indicates they have been nominated multiple times but never won.) And that's just African American nominees dating back the past 20 years. How about Mexican actress Salma Hayek being nominated for "Frida" or Japanese actor Ken Watanabe for "The Last Samurai?"

Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to win a leading role acting category for his performance in "Lilies of the Field" in 1963. Not for another 38 years in 2001 would another African-American win an Oscar for acting in a leading role.

In fact, in 2001 two African-Americans won. Denzel Washington won Best Actor for his performance in "Training Day" and Halle Berry won Best Actress for her performance in "Monsters Ball." Also nominated that year for Best Actor was Will Smith for "Ali." Denzel Washington beat out Sean Penn for his performance in "I Am Sam." And the Academy seems to absolutely love performances involving characters overcoming adversity. Enter Tom Hanks in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump," Jamie Foxx in "Ray," Sean Penn in "Milk," and Daniel Day-Lewis in "My Left Foot."

Is there a lack of movies with "colored people" in leading or supporting roles? Morgan Freeman starred in "Red," Denzel Washington starred in "The Book of Eli" and "Unstoppable," Ken Watanabe in "Inception," Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson in "Iron Man 2," and "Brooklyn's Finest" which not only starred Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes, but was directed by Antoine Fuqua, an African-American as well. Of all these, "Brooklyn's Finest" seems to be the most respectable film. Note that Antoine Fuqua directed Denzel Washington to receive his Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "Training Day."

Who could forget "Death at a Funeral" with Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence? Or "Lottery Ticket" with Bow Wow and Ice Cube? And not to mention your Tyler Perry movies. In 2010 he gave us "Why Did I Get Married Too?" as well as "For Colored Girls." Rocky Seker, a film curator who runs the blog "Invisible Woman.....Black Cinema at Large" says, "The stories that we would like to tell usually don't get greenlit. We're just not taken seriously. It's all a moneymaking issue." Now while each of the movies I've mentioned in this paragraph did make a profit, they don't appeal to larger demographics. It seems that they are able to get the budget to make movies and get them wide distribution. It's the subject matter that doesn't attract larger audiences. But if movies like "Are We There Yet?" with Ice Cube are ripped apart by critics, how can they be taken seriously?