​Pretty much anything that Pixar puts out over the last 25 years has been an instant classic, from Toy Story launching the genre of animated feature into the computer generated age, to visual spectacles like Finding Nemo taking us under the ocean and WALL-E taking us into deep space. On the surface, Pixar films are about animals, robots, monsters, or toys, but they all tell an essentially human story.

None is more human than exploring the emotions that each of us deal with on a daily basis and what better vehicle for this exploration that looking through the lens of a young girl going through some of the biggest changes and toughest challenges of her life. That is what Inside Out gives us and does it with perfection.

This film does it all. It makes you laugh (and get slightly annoyed) any time the Triple Dent gum jingle comes up. It makes you get angry right along with Riley when her dad is too busy with work to spend time with her (guilty). And don’t even get me started on Bing Bong’s sacrifice to help Joy. If you can watch that part of the film without at least tearing up, then you’re not human. It gets me every time and I’m honestly getting a little choked up just writing about it now.

Now, I’ve watched a ton of animated films in my time (anyone with kids knows how it works) and I can honestly say this is the best I’ve ever seen. Other films hit on some elements that you find in Inside Out, but none of them hit all the notes. Toy Story doesn’t really anger me or sadden me, unless you’re talking about the finale of Toy Story 3. The classic Disney animated princess films were never really intended to run this range of emotion. Films like An American Tale and The Land Before Time hit many of the emotions, but don’t stand up to the test of time visually.

If you’ve seen Inside Out, you know the emotional roller coaster of watching it as an adult. If you have kids, I hope you can use it as a vehicle to talk with your kids about their emotions. Call out when your family members are starting to burn up like Anger or express their displeasure like Disgust. In the end, Inside Out is about each and every one of us. We all have those variety of emotions inside us, and part of living a fulfilling life is understanding that all those emotions need their time. We can’t be happy all the time, just as we can’t always be angry, sad, disgusted, or afraid. It’s the balance of these aspects that makes us who we are.

Inside Out is available on Disney+.

Day 5 - A film where a character had a job you want | Day 7 - A film that you will never get tired of

We're on to a smaller batch of films that are coming to Disney+ next month and taking a look at the list of Pixar animated films.

If you haven't already checked out the previous posts in this series, please go back and look at the list of live action films and animated films coming to Disney+ when the service kicks off in a few weeks.

Last week, I kicked off a few preview posts about the Oscar nominated and winning films that will be part of the Disney+ offerings when that service launches next month. I started off with a lengthy list of live action films either currently owned by Disney (though not necessarily original releases by Disney).

Today I'm taking a look at the animated films that have been nominated for or won Oscars over the years. I did decide to include honorary Academy Awards here simply because that let's me write about films like Fantasia which didn't win any awards outright (it used all existing music) but is still a fantastic film that should be revisited when you get the chance.

Happy Friday and thank you for coming back for the latest in Oscar Nomination predictions. Today I am looking at several special categories of feature films: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature Film, and Best Documentary Feature Film.

Again, if you missed any of the previous posts, please check them out. So far I've posted on:

•      Sound and Visual
•      Design, Cinematography, and Editing
•      Music, Makeup, and Costumes

We are about three months away from the announcement of official nominations for the 91st Academy Awards and four months from the award ceremony in February, but last week, the Academy announced the list of films that have been submitted for consideration in the Best Animated Feature category.

The good news is that many of these films are already available on DVD, Blu Ray and digital streaming services with several more scheduled to be released in the near future. You can see the full list below and look for a few of these films still to hit theaters in the coming weeks.

Also check out the Academy's official announcement on their website.

Yes, that's a bull in a china shop in the poster for Ferdinand. If you have ever been in elementary school, chances are you read the book by Munro Leaf and have a special place in your heart for the lovable bull who refuses to fight with the other bulls and only wants to smell the flowers.

If you never read the book as a child or if it's been a while, I actually found a PDF of the entire text of the book. It is JUST the text, so keep that in mind, but I strongly urge you to get the full book for your kids since it is a classic.

Now, as much as I recommend checking out the book, you don't need to have read the book before seeing this film. In fact, you might do well to read the book after watching the film and talk with your kids about what is different between the two and why that might be.

Pixar has done it again. Coco is a stunning film that delivers fantastic visuals, rousing musical numbers, and a truly emotional story that will bring the family to tears.

The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature as well as Best Original Song, for "Remember Me," winning in both categories and continuing the tradition of Pixar's success at the Oscars over the last thirty years.

At its core, it is a story of the importance of family, and never forgetting where you came from. Being set against the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos gives it an additional pop and lends itself to the beautiful colors and pageantry seen throughout the film.

The first film on my list for Best Animated Feature from last year is The Boss Baby. This is a hugely fun film from Dreamworks and for anyone who has ever been a big (or little) sibling, parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent...OK, anyone who's ever been around an infant, you will instantly relate to some of the scenes in this film which is based on a picture book of the same name.

It was a little serendipitous that this film arrived in theaters last year right around the same time my family added a baby of our own, with two older kids that fit perfectly in the age range of the character in the film.

​I will say up front that Alec Baldwin was the perfect selection for the lead role in this film and absolutely carried the movie. I had absolutely no trouble matching the voice with the character on screen. With that, let's get on to the summary.