If there’s one common feature among many of our favorite Pixar films, it’s the thrilling adventures taken by the characters. From Paris to Paradise, Headquarters to home, there have been many destinations that familiar faces set out for in the twenty plus years since Pixar’s first full-length movie in in 1995. Some had a friend to keep them company (and talk their ear off - we’re looking at you, Dory), and others braved their voyage alone.
While it may be entertaining for us to watch from the safety of our couches, our little film friends often face a variety of dangers on their voyages! Here are ten of the journeys taken by characters in original Pixar films ranked by danger level:
Lightning McQueen
The speedy race car from Cars, Lightning McQueen, gets thrown into the adventure of finding his way to Los Angeles to compete in a race. He was originally to be taken by a big rig named Mack. However, Lightning accidentally falls out of the truck and ends up in a rinky dinky town called Radiator Springs.
As far as danger goes, there is little to none in this off map city. At one point, McQueen decides to race against another car named Doc, but Lightning ends up going over a bit of a cliff into some cactus bushes. Other than that, the little red car’s course didn’t have any road hazards. However, his adventures arguably get more dangerous as the sequels go on!
Flik
In A Bug’s Life, a spunky little ant named Flik is tasked with going to find help so that his colony can be rid of a crew of grasshoppers that enslaved them. He makes his way from the country to “the city,” an area of bugs near a trailer not too far away.
Another ant is quoted as saying, “There’s snakes and birds and bigger bugs out there!” which can be quite scary for your average ant. Flik crashes into a rock after his first take off, but not too much else happens to him on his search. The expedition doesn’t last long though, as he quickly finds a troupe of bugs and brings them back to the colony.
Remy
A little rat chef called Remy makes a brief scurry through Paris in Ratatouille as he and his family must quickly evacuate the house they are staying at. They’re shot at by the old woman who lives there, and Remi soon gets separated from the rest of the rodent clan.
He has no food, which is scary enough, but then while exploring, he comes across a rat trap, a barking dog that could do who knows what to him, and a fighting couple with a gun. Thankfully, he escapes harm and finds food (and a job) fairly soon after.
Joy & Sadness
Where would we be without our emotions? When two of them, Joy and Sadness, accidentally fall out of Headquarters in Inside Out, their girl Riley experiences a glimpse of what it’s like! The two feelings have to make their way through Riley’s head to find their way back to where they belong, and it’s no simple feat.
Their world is literally crumbling around them as they try to figure out a way back, and they end up in some pretty scary situations. A “shortcut” that actually reads “danger” starts the fear, and from a scary clown to the memory dump, it doesn’t get any easier! They both make it back unscathed, but it involved a lot of walking and uncertainty!
Russell & Carl
What could be more dangerous than a floating house being supported only by hundreds of balloons? Apparently several things, as Carl and Russell from Up soon discover. While the bird Kevin and the “talking” dog Dug they meet seem to be harmless, they soon encounter a dangerous storm and Dug’s pack, which prove to be aggressive and mean.
Their human master Charles Muntz turns out to be no better, as he is looking to hunt Kevin. He goes after Russell and Carl, setting a fire underneath the house and eventually even shooting at them with a rifle. They are able to save themselves, as well as Kevin and Dug, but we don’t think they’ll be flying again any time soon!
Miguel
In Coco, a film revolving around The Day of The Dead, a young boy named Miguel finds himself among all of his deceased relatives and cursed to become a skeleton if he does not make it home by sunrise. The only way to break the curse is with a blessing, but Miguel wants to do things his own way.
He runs from the authorities to find the famous de la Cruz to help. Along the way, he experiences falling into a pool of water, not once, but twice; being thrown into a sink hole and off the edge of a building; and even a bit of stage fright. With death literally rattling his bones, the voyage back to the Land of the Living is certainly hazardous.
Woody & Buzz
As the Prospector once said in Toy Story 2, “It’s a dangerous world out there for a toy.” This proved true in the first movie when Woody and Buzz fell out of Andy’s mom’s car at the gas station in the middle of a fight. Woody nearly got run over by one truck and then was thrown around in the trunk of another (while Buzz was in the front with a seatbelt, that lucky space ranger). Things only got worse after Sid picked them up.
With the threat of being “operated on,” chewed to death by Scud the dog, or getting strapped to a firecracker, Andy’s lucky his toys made it to his new house in one piece. (Although, Buzz did lose an arm at one point!)
The Incredible Family
When Mr. Incredible of The Incredibles gets into trouble with a villain named Syndrome, his family comes to his rescue. Elastigirl and her two children survive a plane explosion, and then Violet and Dash narrowly escape a rocket rushing towards them when they are in a cave waiting for their mother, who is trying to get past security of the secret island to save her husband.
The whole family eventually gets captured after trying to outrun weapon wielding “bad guys” who are working for Syndrome, but luckily they escape. They nearly crash their car onto the highway and then fight a super-killer monster machine called an Omnidroid before finally making it home safe. This dangerous adventure can only be described with one word - incredible.
Arlo & Spot
It’s hard to believe there’s much out there more dangerous than a dinosaur, but Arlo the dino in The Good Dinosaur soon discovers that it’s true. He must make his way back to his home in Clawtooth Mountain after being washed away in a storm, just one of several that he gets caught in.
Among the other terrors, there’s a berry-protecting creature that snaps at Arlo before Spot comes to his rescue, critter-eating flying dinosaurs that nearly get Spot, and carnivorous creatures called rustlers . Not only that, but hallucinogenic fruits also factor in. Towards the end, falling trees, lightning, and a dangerous waterfall threaten the pair, but each finds their families again in the end.
Marlin & Dory
Our favorite father/son duo in Finging Nemo live in one of the most dangerous places on the planet – the Big Blue. Both survive a barracuda attack before Nemo is even born, leaving Marlin terrified of the ocean. After Nemo is captured by humans, the cowardly clownfish father and tag-along tang Dory come face to face with three fish-starved vegetarian sharks before meeting a terrifying anglerfish.
They get stung while swimming through a jellyfish forest and then become a couple of Jonahs in the belly of a whale! After escaping the whale, a flock of hungry birds, and a dentist (arguably the most horrifying), they finally find Nemo, who helps save Dory from the net of a fishing boat. The movie ends with Marlin and Nemo laughing about the adventures that were had (although, we’re still not over the dentist part).
