15 of the most memorable and lovable Pixar side characters ranked

Rex (Toy Story)

There is a wealth of fabulous side characters in the entire Toy Story franchise, but amid all the action figures, dolls, and plush animals, Rex the Tyrannosaurus Rex stands out as a particularly memorable figure.

Perhaps it’s because, with him, Pixar challenged conventional identity roles. After all, T-Rexes are supposed to be ferocious and mean, but poor Rex is more insecure and anxious than anything else. Just remember his concern at the beginning of the film, when Andy is opening his birthday presents: “but what if Andy gets another dinosaur, a mean one? I just don’t think I could take that kind of rejection!”

And it’s Rex’s impatient worrying that causes him to accidentally destroy the baby monitor which the toys are using to spy on the party. Rex’s fear of rejection, avoidance of confrontation (“I don’t like confrontations!”) and insecurity about being annoying (“I’m going for fearsome here, but I just don’t feel it! I think I’m just coming off as annoying!”) are all attributes you wouldn’t assign a T-Rex, yet they’re all characteristics that make Rex more lovable and a frequent fan favorite.

Rex’s character is expanded slightly in future Toy Story movies, where we learn of his video game obsession (Toy Story 2) and later friendship with fellow dinosaur toy, Trixie (Toy Story 3).