Who do you think is the best Pixar side character ever? Check out our rankings for the top 15 and see if your favorite made the list.
When it comes to animated movies, Pixar is king. With their adorable hopping lamp mascot and ability to make us cry over literally anything. (Toys? Dinosaurs? Bugs?) Pixar has effectively ingrained themselves into all our childhoods and given us some of our most tender cinematic experiences. In a world of all-too-frequent animated movie flops, Pixar reliably comes through for us every time.
So what’s their secret? Let’s be honest, there are a lot of things that make Pixar movies work. Their stories are always unique (an underground family of superheroes, anyone?); the animation is beautiful (just look at Merida’s hair in Brave); the soundtracks are memorable (think “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”). And the feels levels are always a little intense (remember that time Buzz learned he couldn’t actually fly?)
But the real power of Pixar is in something else entirely: their characters.
Yup, the characters, not the people, because more often than not, Pixar characters are definitely not human. And yet, the cars, action figures, and monsters of Pixar are frequently more lovable than most human characters. And the real power of Pixar characters is that they make everyone a star. Just think about it, Cars may be about Lightning McQueen, but every automobile in Radiator Springs is lovable in their own way. Pixar gives attention to every character in the story, no matter if they’re the lead or not. And frequently, it’s all those colorful side characters who make the film.
In fact, some of those side characters are such great screen-stealers that they deserve their own film. And we’re not talking side characters who basically are lead characters who got their own films, like Dory and Mater. We’re talking those other side characters whose handful of lines are some of the film’s best.
So here you have it: The top 15 Pixar side characters, who stole the screen, and our hearts.
Fillmore (Cars)
Of all the citizens of Radiator Springs, there’s something special about Fillmore, the hippie, ’60s Volkswagen van with a penchant for Jimi Hendrix and all natural organic fuel. After all, Fillmore’s life would a booming entrepreneurial success if not for the conspiring major oil companies controlling the government.
Fillmore’s film presence is limited to a few key moments emphasizing his liberal spirit. Take, for example, his encouragement of “fly away Stanley, be free!” when the statue of town founder Stanley gets toppled by Lightning McQueen, or his observation that every third blink of the streetlight is slower. (See: “The ’60s weren’t good to you, were they?”)
And of course his “respect the classics, man. It’s Hendrix!” is a classic in and of itself. Each of those moments demonstrates the star quality of Fillmore, who most definitely had an intriguing life before his Radiator Springs days. (Speaking of which, what brought Fillmore to the cutest little town in Carburetor County in the first place?)
Even better, Fillmore’s next door neighbor is the militarily patriotic Sarge. While they have their differences over the star-spangled banner and yard decor, they are also friends. And in a day where nobody seems willing to set aside political differences, the friendship of an environmentalist hippie van and a proud WWII army Jeep is oddly inspiring.
Horst (Ratatouille)
You might not even remember who Horst is by name alone. When it comes to side characters, Horst is pretty far to the side in 2007’s Ratatouille.
And yet, every time he makes a stony-faced appearance, we’re left wanting more. If for no other reason than Horst’s background sounds somewhat more criminal than his current life at Gusteau’s and leaves us with lots of questions.
What we do know about the German sous-chef is that he’s done time. Though according to Colette, he changes the story every time you ask him.
So is it true that he defrauded a major corporation? Robbed the second-largest bank in France using only a ballpoint pen? Created a hole in the ozone over Avignon? Killed a man – with only his thumb? We hope at least one of those stories really is his. Even better, maybe they’re all true.
But the truth is, even if every single one is a lie, Horst still deserves our attention for coming up with such fabulous stories. And if they’re all false, we still don’t know what he served time for. Horst is also voiced by the always wonderful Will Arnett, which almost certainly adds to his screen-stealing appeal.
Sheri Squibbles (Monsters University)
When it comes to best Pixar moms, Incredibles’ Elastigirl seems like the obvious front-runner. But not so fast.
You might want to hold on before giving supermom all the glory, because the 2013 prequel to Monsters Inc., Monsters University, gave us another Pixar mom to love. While Ms. Sheri Squibbles may not have nearly as much screen time as Elastigirl, her few moments in the spotlight are some of the film’s best.
Ms. Squibbles is the doting, multi-eyed, single, hair-in-curlers mom of Scott “Squishy” Squibbles, who still lives at home. She is a little over-the-top motherly, but her sweet coddling extends to the entire Oozma Kappa gang (or Squishy’s “little friends”) when Squishy has them all over to “play fraternity.”
Her mothering, while not always appreciated by the fraternity (like when she accidentally interrupts their initiation ceremony to do laundry) is one of the most endearing and hilarious elements of the second Monsters film. And let’s not forget about her jamming out to her “tunes,” which ends up being some pretty heavy death metal, proving that there is a lot more to Sheri Squibbles than meets the eye.
Hamish, Harris, and Hubert (Brave)
There is no question that Brave’s Merida is one of the greatest warrior princesses of not just the Pixar multiverse, but all multiverses in general.
But let’s not forget about the other three children of King Fergus and Queen Elinor: the tart-stealing triplet Scottish princes Hamish, Harris, and Hubert. Dubbed by their sister as “wee devils,” the triplets are cute, mischievous, and indistinguishable from one another – really, we never learn which one is actually which.
Relatably, they love sweets, but avoid haggis (don’t blame you there, boys) and add a certain amount of charm to the film. They drive a hard bargain, too, refusing to help their sister sneak out of the castle until she promises them her desserts for an entire year. They’re even adorable as bear cubs, after their obsession with cake leads them to eat the enchanted confection that turned their mother (and themselves) to bears.
Though the triplets never speak a word in the entire film, it turns out you don’t need lines to steal the show. Their pranks and appearances add just the right amount of hilarity and cuteness to an overall heavy mother-daughter flick. If Pixar ever decides to revisit the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch, we would love to see who these three princes grow up to become.
Roz (Monsters Inc.)
An argument could be made that Roz belongs much higher up on this list. After all, the slug-like, horn-rimmed-glasses-wearing monster definitely proved herself to be a character with a story of her own.
Just take, for instance, when she turned out to not only be the scare floor manager, but also the head of the Child Detection Agency, tasked with preventing the spread of human children in the monster world. But Roz’s memorability also has a lot to do with her persona. With her grating, monotone voice and sarcastic sense of humor, we can see why Mike Wasowski jokingly refers to her as a “succulent little garden snail” and “tender oozing blossom.”
In her relatively few appearances during the film, Roz masterfully imitates a paperwork-obsessed floor manager while doing undercover work to discover Waternoose and Randall’s plot to kidnap children. You get the sense by the end of the film that Roz somehow knew about everything going on. After all, she did tell Mike she was watching him – “I’m watching you Wasowski, always watching.”
Already a pretty layered character, especially for a side character, you can see yet another side of Roz if you check out the Monsters Inc. blooper reel (yet another clever Pixar move) which shows Roz surprising Sully in a bathroom stall and dazzling her fellow CDA agents in a sparkling sequin cardigan, both times laughing a very dry Roz-like “ahhh-haaa.”
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).
Francis (A Bug’s Life)
If we thought Rex was challenging conventions as a timid T-Rex, that’s got nothing on the tongue-in-cheek humor of one of Pixar’s greatest insects, Francis the ladybug.
Frustrated with the fact that he is constantly assumed to be female (because he’s a ladybug and plays a female bug in P.T. Flea’s circus act), Francis is rather grumpy and short-tempered. But his character gets a surprising amount of depth for being one of many side characters in A Bug’s Life.
After rescuing Princess Dot in a bird attack, Francis is made the “den-mother” of Dot’s Blueberry troop squad of young ants. Though at first Francis is unhappy with the assignment (which he can’t escape physically thanks to a broken leg) he eventually embraces this calling and dotes on his Blueberries.
The evolution of Francis is a pretty remarkable example of the attention Pixar gives its secondary characters. He goes from being an aggressive performer who gets in bar fights (“So! Being a ladybug automatically makes me a girl? Is that it, fly boy?”) to being a compassionate leader of a children’s troop, who are all crying when he and the rest of the circus troupe leave the colony — not to mention the fact that he is a circus ladybug drag queen, which in and of itself is just brilliant.
The Abominable Snowman (Monsters Inc.)
It seems inconsiderate to refer to this friendly yeti as the Abominable Snowman, considering that one of the few things we know about him from his brief appearance in Monsters Inc. is that he dislikes the name, claiming that “the Adorable Snowman” or “the Agreeable Snowman” would have been more appropriate.
The Abominable Snowman’s role is brief but unforgettable. He’s a monster that’s been banished to the Himalayas, which is what happens to Mike and Sully as well, introducing themselves to the yeti.
A self-proclaimed “nice guy,” the Abominable Snowman offers Mike and Sully yellow snow cones — “don’t worry, they’re lemon” — and then points them towards a local village, through which Mike and Sully are able to return to the monster world.
For being a banished hermit, the Abominable Snowman is incredibly cheery, a characteristic emphasized in part by the recognizable voice of John Ratzenberger, a Pixar legend whose voice appears in every Pixar film to date.
While the Abominable Snowman seems like nothing more than a friendly mountain monster, we still have questions about his background. Though we learn in Monsters University that his banishment had something to do with tampering with mail as a mail sorter, this still seems like an inadequate explanation for a lifelong banishment to the Himalayas. Then again, as proven in Monsters Inc., if the Abominable Snowman wanted to get back into the monster world, he could’ve. So why didn’t he?
Crush (Finding Nemo)
Pixar moms had their moment with our ode to Sheri Squibbles, and now it’s time to give the dads some attention. And at the top: Finding Nemo.
But not just for Marlin and Nemo. Nope, there’s another father-son duo in Pixar’s fish flick that deserves some recognition. It’s the surfer dude sea turtles Crush and Squirt, affectionately referred to by his father as “offspring.”
Crush just might be the coolest character in all the Pixar multiverse. He’s 150 years old, but you’d never guess it from his surfer slang and laid-back demeanor. He uses the term “dude” more often than any other Pixar character, and gives “Jellyman” (Marlin) and “Little Blue” (Dory) a ride down the East Australian Current to help them find Nemo.
Crush’s lines are brief and perfect in establishing him as the chillest turtle in the ocean, who insists on being called Crush (“Mr. Turtle is my father”) and shows great care for his surfboard… I mean, his shell. (“No hurling on the shell dude okay, just waxed it.”)
Best of all though, Crush is a good dad. Though we only see him and Squirt briefly on Marlin’s own quest for fatherhood, we would love to learn more about Crush, Squirt, Mr. Turtle, and the whole righteous family.
Anger (Inside Out)
The emotions in 2015’s Inside Out are some of the most fun characters Pixar has ever given us. After all, what is more entertaining than colorfully animated personifications of the emotions we all feel every day?
Fear, Disgust, Sadness, and Joy all have their shining moments. Joy and Sadness are the main characters of the story, who go adventuring through Long Term Memory, Imagination Land, and Memory Dump while Fear, Disgust, and Anger hold down the fort at central command. But the real star inside Riley’s head is Anger.
Short-tempered and explosive, Anger’s head literally bursts into flames whenever he’s had enough, which happens quite a bit, especially once Joy and Sadness are gone. Though his tantrums lead to the crumbling of nearly all of Riley’s islands (Friendship, Family, Honesty, and Hockey), he is by no means the villain of the story.
In fact, for all his touchiness, he’s one of the most endearing characters, as his frequent eruptions on Riley’s behalf are certainly recognizable in ourselves. One of the most intriguing aspects of Anger’s character is revealed when the audience sees the emotions inside Riley’s parents minds, and Anger is revealed to be the dominant emotion in her father, just considerably more controlled and even-tempered than Riley’s Anger. This brief clip raises all sorts of questions about the development of the emotions – both as characters and as actual human feelings.
Heimlich (A Bug’s Life)
Why we all love Heimlich, I’m not sure, but the truth of the matter is that we all love Heimlich. The fat green caterpillar with a German accent who dreams of becoming a butterfly is one of Pixar’s most beloved secondary characters.
Truthfully, he probably reminds us all a little bit of ourselves. After all, he loves food and eating and looks longingly to the future, declaring “Someday I will be a beautiful butterfly and then everything will be better.” Haven’t we all had similar dreams of transformations solving all our problems? The truth of this sentiment is seen in Heimlich’s own life, when he finally receives his butterfly wings which end up being hardly big enough to move his body off the ground without the assistance of some ants.
Despite this, his optimism gives us one of the greatest lines of the movie: “From way up here, you all look like little ants!” (Get it? Because they’re all ants). But character depth aside, Heimlich is just a lovable guy. How this German caterpillar ended up juggling in P.T. Flea’s circus, we don’t know, but we do know about his affinity for candy corn and accidental bravery in distracting the bird. He may be the comic relief in a pretty serious tale of bug enslavement, but he’s a comic relief we love all the same.
Dug (Up)
Oh, Dug. If ever someone comes up with technology that allows us to hear the thoughts of dogs, it’s likely that 100 percent of your lines would be actual dog thoughts. Never before has a fictional dog character so perfectly captured everything that makes dogs so lovable.
Just listen to some of these lines: “I have just met you, and I love you!” “I was hiding under your porch because I love you.” And of course – “Squirrel!”
If you’ve ever loved a dog, owned a dog, know a dog or seen a dog, you know Pixar did it right with Dug. That said, it can be easy to set aside Dug as a sweet but simple dog, without any real depth to his character that warrants further exploration. Not so. Remember that Dug is actually an agent of the film’s antagonist, Charles Muntz, tasked with capturing the bird Kevin along with Alpha and his canine crew.
And yet, upon meeting Carl and Russell, Dug switches sides and helps them save Kevin, despite his obvious fear of Alpha. If you just shared that summary of a character without including the fact that it’s a dog you’re talking about, it sounds like the tale of a brave undercover double-crossing agent. The only reason you may think Dug is simple is because he’s a dog. And just like that, Dug empowered dogs in a way none of us realized as we laughed at his adorable puppy antics.
Mr. Potato Head (Toy Story)
Of all the Toy Story side characters who could carry their own film, Mr. Potato Head stands apart as a toy with his own story to tell. Though he is certainly one of Andy’s crew (along with Woody, Buzz, Slinky, Hamm, and Rex) he also, more than the others, seems to have a life outside the toy group.
This is partly due to Mrs. Potato Head, whose appearance in Toy Story 2 changes Mr. Potato Head from the gruff, cynical bachelor to a responsible husband and family man.
In fact, Mr. Potato Head has come a long way in the Toy Story films. In the very first one, he is rather antagonistic and rude to Woody. He is the one who accuses Woody of murdering Buzz and turns the whole crew against their sheriff. Frankly, he’s not always that likable. That changes in the later Toy Story movies, when Potato Head helps rescue Woody and inadvertently becomes the foster “daddy” of several alien toys in Toy Story 2, and reassembles himself using a tortilla to help the toys escape the daycare in Toy Story 3. All the while, he remains fiercely loyal to his wife, even when faced with an aisle full of Barbies. (“I’m a married spud. I’m a married spud”).
Honey (The Incredibles)
Though she is never seen and only briefly heard, Honey, wife to the ice flinging superhero Frozone, is definitely the runner up for best Pixar side character. Honey is the definition of a scene stealer, only showing up once, arguing with her husband about his missing super suit as a gigantic Omnidroid destroys the city outside their apartment, and emerging as everyone’s favorite. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s how the conversation goes down:
"Frozone: Where’s my super suit? Honey: WHY do you NEED to know? Frozone: I need it Honey: Uh-uh! Don’t you think about running off doing no daring-do. We’ve been planning this dinner for two months! Frozone: The public is in danger! Honey: My evening’s in danger! Frozone: You tell me where my suit is, woman! We are talking about the greater good! Honey: “Greater good?” I am your wife! I’m the greatest “good” you are ever gonna get!"
Ahhhh. The sass in those lines tells us all we need to know about Honey: that she’s a strong independent woman who knows what she wants and who definitely deserves her own film. Other than that, we know next to nothing about Honey.
She clearly knows about her husband’s dual life, is she a superhero as well? If not, how did she meet Lucius? What does she do? Helen Parr asks about her, are the two of them friends?
Honey was very close to being seen in Incredibles 2, and they even came up with a design for her character. But in the end, they decided against it and kept her as an off-screen voice. We loved Incredibles 2, but we still need more Honey.
Edna Mode (The Incredibles)
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the number one spot goes to Edna Mode. The eccentric fashion designer put on quite the show with her passionate tirade against capes in The Incredibles and her character only got better from that point on.
Excited at the prospect of finally designing for supers again (“I used to design for gods!”) Edna takes it upon herself to design unique, custom-made super suits for the entire Parr family, and demonstrated her skills even further in making a suit to fit the many super needs of Jack-Jack in Incredibles 2.
Edna is brilliant, funny, a little odd, and highly quotable — the perfect example of Pixar’s dynamic side characters. But as much as we love hearing Edna comment on Bob’s weight gain and seeing her coach Jack-Jack into imitating her mannerisms, we still want more. This woman was the go-to designer for super suits in the days of the supers, and she feels like her talents are wasted designing clothes for supermodels. (“Spoiled, stupid little stick-figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves.”)
But how in the world did Edna become Edna? She has no superpowers herself (as far as we know) and yet was connected and trusted by the world’s most powerful supers. There has got to be a story there, and it’s a story we all would love to see.
So there you have it. Pixar’s 15 best side characters. And as beloved as each of these characters are, we know this doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to the wealth of characters who help make Pixar films into masterpieces.
Did we leave out any of your favorite Pixar side characters? Let us know in the comments.