Pixar has a simple formula: take something that can't feel, whether a toy, a car, a robot, a rat, a monster or an emotion, and ask what it would feel if it could. The answers have produced some of the most loved characters in film, from a pull-string cowboy afraid of being replaced to a little robot cleaning up an abandoned Earth.
Pixar started as a computer graphics company. It made Toy Story (1995), the first fully computer-animated feature, and has been owned by Disney since 2006, though it still works as its own studio. This guide goes franchise by franchise through the main characters of every Pixar feature, with voice actors, then lists all the films in order. Looking for one alphabet across Pixar and Disney? Try our Disney and Pixar characters A–Z.
- Founded
- 1986 (now based in Emeryville, California)
- Owner
- The Walt Disney Company (since 2006)
- First feature
- Toy Story (1995)
- Mascot
- Luxo Jr., the hopping lamp
- Biggest hit
- Inside Out 2 (2024)
Toy Story
Four films (1995, 1999, 2010, 2019) about toys who come to life when people leave the room. Their whole world revolves around being played with and the fear of being outgrown. Toy Story 5 (2026) continues the series; this section focuses on the first four films.
Woody
Pull-string cowboy · Andy's favourite toy
Woody is the sheriff of Andy's room, a loyal, slightly bossy leader whose whole identity is being Andy's favourite. Across the four films he goes from jealous rival to Buzz, to discovering he was once a collectible, to the hardest lesson: letting his kid grow up. By Toy Story 4 he chooses a life of his own.
- Voice
- Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear
Space Ranger action figure
Buzz arrives convinced he's a real Space Ranger on a mission. The scene where he discovers he's a toy is one of Pixar's great early moments. He becomes Woody's best friend and co-leader, the earnest heart of the gang, and the source of "To infinity and beyond!"
- Voice
- Tim Allen
Jessie
Yodelling cowgirl · Toy Story 2
Jessie is a high-energy cowgirl doll from Woody's old TV show. She is terrified of storage because her first owner, Emily, gave her away. Her flashback song, "When She Loved Me," is one of the saddest scenes Pixar has made.
- Voice
- Joan Cusack
Bo Peep
Porcelain shepherdess
Bo Peep is Woody's love interest in the first two films. She's absent from the third, then returns in Toy Story 4 as a confident "lost toy" who has made a free life without a kid.
- Voice
- Annie Potts
Rex, Hamm, Slinky and Mr. Potato Head
Andy's toys
These four are the core supporting gang: Rex, a nervous tyrannosaurus; Hamm, a sarcastic piggy bank; Slinky Dog, loyal to Woody; and Mr. Potato Head, a grumpy cynic, later joined by Mrs. Potato Head.
- Voice
- Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney / Blake Clark, Don Rickles
Lotso
Strawberry-scented bear · Toy Story 3
Lotso is the cuddly, grandfatherly bear who runs Sunnyside Daycare like a prison. He's bitter because he was once replaced, which makes him a dark mirror of Woody.
- Voice
- Ned Beatty
Forky
Spork-turned-toy · Toy Story 4
Forky is a craft-project spork made by Bonnie, who comes to life convinced he is trash. Woody teaching him what it means to be a toy drives the fourth film.
- Voice
- Tony Hale
Zurg, Stinky Pete and Gabby Gabby
Antagonists across the series
Each film has its own threat. Emperor Zurg is Buzz's toy-line nemesis. Stinky Pete is a mint-condition prospector who wants to go to a museum. Gabby Gabby is a vintage doll with a broken voice box, and Toy Story 4 makes her more sympathetic than she first seems.
Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University
A city of monsters powered by children's screams, with two best friends who work the scare floor.
Sulley
Top scarer · James P. Sullivan
Sulley is a huge, furry blue monster and Monstropolis's star scarer. Meeting a human toddler, Boo, makes him realise how much harm the job does. His gentle side is the emotional core of the first film.
- Voice
- John Goodman
Mike Wazowski
Scare assistant · Sulley's best friend
Mike is a small, round, one-eyed green monster. He's a motormouth with big dreams. Monsters University shows his failed attempt to become a scarer himself, a rare Pixar story about not getting the dream you wanted.
- Voice
- Billy Crystal
Boo
Human toddler
Boo is a little girl who follows Sulley through her closet door into Monstropolis. She isn't scared of monsters at all, and that changes everything.
- Voice
- Mary Gibbs
Randall Boggs
Rival scarer
Randall is a lizard-like, colour-changing monster who would do anything to beat Sulley's scare record, including kidnapping children.
- Voice
- Steve Buscemi
Finding Nemo and Finding Dory
Marlin
Clownfish father
Marlin is an anxious, overprotective clownfish who lost his wife and most of his eggs to a barracuda. When his son is taken by a diver, he crosses the ocean to find him. He learns that keeping someone safe isn't the same as letting them live.
- Voice
- Albert Brooks
Dory
Blue tang
Dory is a friendly, optimistic fish with short-term memory loss who joins Marlin's search. Her motto, "just keep swimming," is the film's thesis. Finding Dory (2016) turns her into the lead as she searches for her parents.
- Voice
- Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo
Young clownfish
Nemo is Marlin's son, born with one smaller "lucky fin." He ends up in a dentist's fish tank in Sydney, where he has to prove to himself that he's braver than his father thinks.
- Voice
- Alexander Gould
Crush, Gill and Bruce
Ocean and tank friends
Crush is a 150-year-old surfer sea turtle. Gill is the scarred leader of the dentist's tank and its escape plans. Bruce is a shark trying to give up eating fish. Each has a small role, and all are memorable.
The Incredibles
Mr. Incredible
Bob Parr
Bob Parr is a former superhero forced into an insurance job after "supers" are outlawed. He's bored, out of shape and secretly moonlighting, which leads him straight into Syndrome's trap.
- Voice
- Craig T. Nelson
Elastigirl
Helen Parr
Helen is a stretchy, unflappable hero who gave up the cape to raise three children. She's the real brains of the family, and Incredibles 2 puts her in the spotlight.
- Voice
- Holly Hunter
Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack
The Parr children
Violet is a shy teenager who can turn invisible and cast force fields. Dash is a hyperactive speedster. Baby Jack-Jack seems to have no powers at all, and then turns out to have dozens.
Frozone and Edna Mode
Allies
Frozone, Lucius Best, is Bob's cool, ice-making best friend. Edna Mode is the tiny, imperious designer of hero suits, firmly against capes.
- Voice
- Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Bird
Syndrome
Villain
Syndrome is Buddy Pine, a former superfan Mr. Incredible brushed off as a kid. He grows up to build a hero-killing robot so he can stage his own heroics. His plan is to sell gadgets until everyone is super, and then no one will be.
- Voice
- Jason Lee
Cars
Lightning McQueen
Race car
Lightning is a cocky rookie who gets stranded in Route 66 town Radiator Springs and learns there's more to life than winning. Cars 3 has him face the end of his own career.
- Voice
- Owen Wilson
Mater
Tow truck
Mater is a rusty, buck-toothed tow truck and Lightning's devoted best friend. He takes the lead in Cars 2's spy caper.
- Voice
- Larry the Cable Guy
Doc Hudson
Retired racing legend
Doc is the town judge and doctor, secretly a champion racer whose career ended in a crash. He becomes Lightning's mentor.
- Voice
- Paul Newman
Sally and Cruz Ramirez
Radiator Springs · Cars 3 trainer
Sally is the lawyer-turned-motel-owner who loves the old town. Cruz is the trainer who becomes a racer in her own right in Cars 3.
Inside Out and Inside Out 2
The emotions inside a girl named Riley's head, trying to steer her through a move to San Francisco and, later, the start of puberty. Our Inside Out 2 characters guide covers every emotion in depth.
Joy
Lead emotion
Joy is relentlessly upbeat and in charge of Headquarters. Her arc is accepting that Riley needs other emotions too.
- Voice
- Amy Poehler
Sadness
Emotion
Sadness is slow, gloomy and quietly wise. The first film's point is that her role is essential: sadness is how we ask for comfort.
- Voice
- Phyllis Smith
Anger, Fear and Disgust
Emotions
Anger is a hot-headed brick. Fear is a jumpy safety officer. Disgust guards Riley against being poisoned, physically and socially.
- Voice
- Lewis Black; Bill Hader / Tony Hale; Mindy Kaling / Liza Lapira
Anxiety
New emotion · Inside Out 2
Anxiety is an orange whirlwind who arrives with puberty and takes over. She's not a villain, just a protector who has lost all sense of proportion.
- Voice
- Maya Hawke
Bing Bong
Imaginary friend
Bing Bong is Riley's forgotten childhood friend, part elephant and part cotton candy. His sacrifice is the first film's big tear-jerker.
- Voice
- Richard Kind
Pixar's standalone films
Pixar's one-off films hold some of its most ambitious characters.
Flik
A Bug's Life · 1998
Flik is an inventive, accident-prone ant who hires what he thinks are warriors to save his colony from the grasshopper Hopper. They turn out to be circus performers.
- Voice
- Dave Foley
Remy
Ratatouille · 2007
Remy is a Parisian rat with an extraordinary palate. He secretly cooks by steering a clumsy kitchen boy, Linguini, by pulling his hair. The critic Anton Ego's closing review is one of Pixar's best speeches.
- Voice
- Patton Oswalt
WALL-E and EVE
WALL-E · 2008
WALL-E is a lonely trash-compacting robot left on an abandoned Earth. He falls for EVE, a sleek probe sent to look for plant life. Most of their love story is told without dialogue.
- Voice
- Ben Burtt (WALL-E's sounds), Elissa Knight
Carl Fredricksen and Russell
Up · 2009
Carl is a grieving widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfil a promise to his late wife, Ellie. He doesn't notice the eager Wilderness Explorer, Russell, on his porch until it's too late. Dug, the talking dog, completes the team.
- Voice
- Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai
Merida
Brave · 2012
Merida is a Scottish princess and archer whose wish to escape an arranged marriage turns her mother, Queen Elinor, into a bear. She's Pixar's only official Disney Princess.
- Voice
- Kelly Macdonald
Miguel Rivera
Coco · 2017
Miguel is a music-loving boy from a family that has banned music. On the Día de Muertos he ends up in the Land of the Dead. With the trickster Héctor's help, he uncovers the truth about his family's past.
- Voice
- Anthony Gonzalez
Joe Gardner and 22
Soul · 2020
Joe is a jazz pianist who dies on the day of his big break. In the Great Before he's paired with 22, a cynical soul who refuses to be born. Together they work out what makes a life worth living.
- Voice
- Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey
Ian and Barley Lightfoot
Onward · 2020
Ian and Barley are elf brothers in a suburban fantasy world. A spell meant to bring back their late father for one day goes wrong and only restores his legs.
- Voice
- Tom Holland, Chris Pratt
Luca and Alberto
Luca · 2021
Luca and Alberto are two sea-monster boys who turn human on dry land. They spend a summer in an Italian seaside town dreaming of a Vespa, a gentle story about friendship and hiding who you are.
- Voice
- Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer
Mei Lee
Turning Red · 2022
Mei is a confident 13-year-old in Toronto who turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets emotional. It's an inherited family trait, and it puts her at odds with her mother, Ming.
- Voice
- Rosalie Chiang
Ember and Wade
Elemental · 2023
Ember is a hot-tempered fire element who is expected to take over her immigrant father's shop. Wade is a soft-hearted water element city inspector. Their romance across elements is the film's spine.
- Voice
- Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie
Elio
Elio · 2025
Elio is a lonely boy obsessed with space. Aliens mistake him for Earth's leader and beam him up to an intergalactic council. He lives with his aunt Olga, and his film is about finding where you belong.
- Voice
- Yonas Kibreab
Pixar voice cast at a glance
| Character | Film | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Woody | Toy Story | Tom Hanks |
| Buzz Lightyear | Toy Story | Tim Allen |
| Jessie | Toy Story 2 | Joan Cusack |
| Sulley | Monsters, Inc. | John Goodman |
| Mike Wazowski | Monsters, Inc. | Billy Crystal |
| Marlin | Finding Nemo | Albert Brooks |
| Dory | Finding Nemo | Ellen DeGeneres |
| Mr. Incredible | The Incredibles | Craig T. Nelson |
| Elastigirl | The Incredibles | Holly Hunter |
| Lightning McQueen | Cars | Owen Wilson |
| Remy | Ratatouille | Patton Oswalt |
| Carl Fredricksen | Up | Ed Asner |
| Joy | Inside Out | Amy Poehler |
| Anxiety | Inside Out 2 | Maya Hawke |
| Joe Gardner | Soul | Jamie Foxx |
One fun Pixar tradition: John Ratzenberger, Hamm in Toy Story, voiced a character in each of the studio's early features, from the Yeti in Monsters, Inc. to the school of moonfish in Finding Nemo. See our voice actors directory for more casting connections.
Every Pixar feature film in order
- 1995 Toy Story
- 1998 A Bug's Life
- 1999 Toy Story 2
- 2001 Monsters, Inc.
- 2003 Finding Nemo
- 2004 The Incredibles
- 2006 Cars
- 2007 Ratatouille
- 2008 WALL-E
- 2009 Up
- 2010 Toy Story 3
- 2011 Cars 2
- 2012 Brave
- 2013 Monsters University
- 2015 Inside Out; The Good Dinosaur
- 2016 Finding Dory
- 2017 Cars 3; Coco
- 2018 Incredibles 2
- 2019 Toy Story 4
- 2020 Onward; Soul
- 2021 Luca
- 2022 Turning Red; Lightyear
- 2023 Elemental
- 2024 Inside Out 2
- 2025 Elio
What makes a Pixar character
Pixar's characters tend to share a few traits, and spotting them is a good way to tell a Pixar film from a Disney Animation one:
- A job or a purpose. Woody exists to be played with, Sulley to scare and Joy to keep Riley happy. The story usually begins when that purpose is threatened.
- Grief and growing up. From Carl's montage in Up to Andy leaving for college, Pixar keeps coming back to loss, and it rarely skips the sad part.
- Odd-couple friendships. Woody and Buzz, Mike and Sulley, Marlin and Dory, Joy and Sadness: the central relationship is usually two characters who would never choose each other.
- Parents as people. Recent films like Turning Red, Elemental and Coco give the parents their own fears and histories.
For the other side of the family, see our Disney characters hub. For the rival studio that made Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, see DreamWorks characters.
Frequently asked questions
What was the first Pixar character?
Pixar's first characters came from its short films: the desk lamps of Luxo Jr. (1986), whose little lamp became the studio's logo. The first feature-film characters were Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Andy's toys in Toy Story (1995), the first fully computer-animated feature.
Who is the most popular Pixar character?
Woody and Buzz Lightyear are Pixar's signature characters, and Lightning McQueen sells the most merchandise. In recent years the Inside Out emotions, especially Joy, Sadness and Anxiety, have become the studio's most talked-about characters. Inside Out 2 (2024) became Pixar's highest-grossing film.
Is Merida a Pixar character?
Yes. Merida is from Pixar's Brave (2012). She's the only Pixar character in the official Disney Princess line-up.
Who voices Woody and Buzz?
Tom Hanks voices Woody and Tim Allen voices Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films. In the 2022 spin-off Lightyear, which is presented as the film that inspired the toy, Buzz is voiced by Chris Evans.
Are Pixar and Disney characters the same?
Disney has owned Pixar since 2006, so Pixar characters belong to Disney, but they come from a separate studio. Frozen, Moana and Zootopia are Walt Disney Animation films, not Pixar. Our Disney and Pixar A–Z tags every character with the studio it comes from.
Is there a Pixar theory that connects all the characters?
Yes, a popular fan theory argues that every Pixar film happens in one shared universe. Pixar has never confirmed it. The films do hide recurring Easter eggs, like the Pizza Planet truck, the code A113 and Luxo balls, but the animators say those are in-jokes rather than a timeline.