50 Greatest Pixar Characters Of All Time

Stinky Pete

The Character: Woody's old nemesis from his time on fictional TV Show Woody's Roundup , Stinky Pete is a crooked old prospector with a surprisingly eloquent turn of phrase. A bitter old soul, he resents Woody and his newfound happiness with Andy.

Why So Special: Kelsey Grammar channels Sideshow Bob to gleefully villainous effect, with his contempt for Buzz particularly amusing. "Take that, space toy!"

Lightning McQueen

The Character: A Le Mans-style endurance racer, Lightning is a free-spirited hot-head hoping to become the youngest car ever to win the Piston Cup. He's certainly got the paint-job for it.

Why So Special: As cars go, he's pretty heroic, with Owen Wilson channeling Steve McQueen to extremely cool effect. Cars might not be a Pixar high point, but Lightning is still a pretty easy guy to root for.

Molt

The Character: Hopper's well-meaning but ultimately dozy younger brother, who lives in fear of his tyrannical sibling. Hard to blame him really.

Why So Special: This one is all about Richard Kind's superlative voice work. As anyone who's seen him in Curb Your Enthusiasm will know, he's a scene-stealer extraordinaire!

Ken

The Character: The impeccably turned-out, distinctly flamboyant partner of Barbie, who seems to spend an inordinately long time in his closet…

Why So Special: Ken makes the biggest impression of all the new characters in Toy Story 3 , with Michael Keaton cranking up the camp to hilarious effect. The fashion show sequence is particularly awesome.

Syndrome

The Character: Buddy Pine, a highly intelligent super-villain who prized Mr. Incredible as a boyhood hero before being snubbed in his offer to become his sidekick. it's a slight that Syndrome hasn't let go over the ensuing years…

Why So Special: Jason Lee gives really good villain. And Syndrome is pretty scary as Pixar baddies go. All together now... "I'm your biggest fan!"

The Jackalope

The Character: The co-star of Pixar's Boundin ' short, who takes pity upon a newly shorn lamb and encourages him not to be downcast at his stringy new appearance. A good egg is he.

Why So Special: Not only is he a thoroughly nice chap, he's also something of a badass too. Witness the way he silences a group of chuckling critters with one cock of his eyebrow.

Heimlich

The Character: A Bug's Life 's portly Germanic caterpillar, Heimlich is a clown in PT Flea's circus with a dream of one day becoming something beautiful: "Someday I will be a beautiful butterfly," he muses, "then everything will be better."

Why So Special: Heimlich is a reliably cheery presence throughout, and the scene where he finally gets his wings is a real treat.

Elastigirl

The Characters: Mr. Incredible's long-suffering wife, who is forced to dust off the spandex and return to a life of superheroism when her husband gets in over his head with supervillain, Syndrome.

Why So Special: Taking aside the fact that her body-stretching antics are pretty cool, Helen Parr is the responsible one in the family, realising the importance of being a good mum while her other half moons over a lost life of glory.

The Aliens

The Characters: The Squeeze Toy Aliens who live within a grab-based arcade game and harbour an endearing reverence for the all-powerful "Claaaaaaw".

Why So Special: They're extremely cute, but also play a key role throughout the trilogy. After all, if it wasn't for them, Woody, Buzz and co. would have ended up in the incinerator!

Carl Fredricksen

The Character: A gnarled old misanthrope who just wants to be left alone, Carl is also something of an innovator, as demonstrated by his balloon-assisted flying house. How many pensioners have got one of those, eh?

Why So Special: Despite being a bit of an old curmudgeon, Carl was once a great romantic, as demonstrated by Up 's heartbreaking opening salvo. Pass the tissues!