Pixar movies try to teach relatable life lessons. They like to show how hard work pays off, as things are seldom handed to people on a silver platter. However, there have been characters who were able to get the best of other characters not through hard work, but thanks to their natural talent.
This is usually done to create conflict within the story, sometimes to create an underdog that fans want to root for. Even if natural talent is able to beat hard work from time to time, it is never enough to ensure life-long success for any of these Pixar characters.
10 A Bug’s Life: The Grasshoppers Used Their Size To Bully The Ants
Every year, the ants were bullied by the grasshoppers into giving them food. They slaved away, and most of the ants didn’t even think that things could change.
They were all intimidated by the grasshoppers’ size, as well as their ruthless, violent nature. Hopper, the leader, was especially vicious towards the ants, terrorizing them without a second thought.
9 Toy Story 4: Buzz Had All The Right Skills To Replace Woody As The New Favorite
Woody worked hard to be the toys’ leader. Many of the things he did were for Andy, and despite not being able to move, he did all he could to remain his favorite. Once Buzz came along, he instantly became the new favorite due to his cool new gadgets.
Both Andy and the toys were infatuated with him, slowly forgetting about Woody. This made Woody jealous beyond belief.
8 Cars 3: Many Older Racing Cars Were Forced To Retire After Being Beaten By Newer Ones
The racing world was slowly being dominated by newer racers, and one such vehicle was Jackson Storm. He trained on high-tech simulators and was as good as he was arrogant.
He easily beat Lightning McQueen in a race, despite the fact that McQueen had worked hard as a racer for a longer period of time. Even after McQueen’s training throughout the movie, fans will never know if he would have been able to beat Storm.
7 Up: Kevin Outwitted Charles F. Muntz For Years
Charles was a famous explorer who was determined to prove to the world that Kevin was an animal that actually existed. After his skeleton was discredited, he dedicated the rest of his life to capturing the bird.
Kevin eluded his traps for years thanks to her wisdom and her incredible speed. It wasn’t until after she met the film’s main protagonists that Charles managed to catch her.
6 Finding Nemo: The Jellyfish’s Natural Defenses Were Too Much For Dory
The jellyfish’s natural defenses keep most animals away from them. Realizing that he made a mistake in leading them to the jellyfish, Marlin made a game out of it, in which he and Dory would bounce off of the jellyfish’s tops and race through the dangerous animals.
However, Dory wasn’t agile enough to avoid all of the jellyfish tentacles and was injured, despite her best efforts.
5 The Incredibles: Dash Comfortably Sped His Way To Second Place
Towards the end of the film, Dash participated in a race against other kids his age. In order to conceal his natural talents, his family told him to try, but not to run too fast.
Eventually, they told him to settle on being in close second, so he sped up and ended up winning a silver trophy. Thanks to his super-speed, Dash would have been able to win the race easily.
4 Cars 2: Mater Wasn’t A Spy, But Still Saved The Day
The film’s villains would have never expected someone who wasn’t even a spy to foil their evil schemes. However, Mater, by some miracle, managed to pull this off without trying. Mater didn’t really put in very much work when it came to spy work, often relying on his gadgets and sheer luck.
His natural talents came more into play when it came to recognizing various car parts, which helped him uncover the villain’s true identity.
3 Monsters University: Sully Got Into Roar Omega Roar Without Even Trying
Sully earned the respect of many people due to the fact that his father was a famous scarer. Because Sully was able to do a scary roar, people just assumed that he had his father’s talent.
Mike Wazowski, who worked hard to get to where he was, never got into the Roar Omega Roar fraternity, but Sully was welcomed with open arms. Monsters who looked naturally scary had many advantages within the university.
2 Incredibles 2: Jack-Jack Terrorized A Raccoon With His Powers
Jack-Jack saw a raccoon in the yard as a burglar, so he started a fight with it. The creature was a powerful wild animal, but it couldn’t help but cower and run away from a baby who could burst into flames, shoot lasers from his eyes, and multiply himself.
The raccoon had no chance of winning despite how new the baby was to his powers, and had no choice but to flee at the end of their encounter.
1 Brave: Mor’du Became A Bear & Killed Nearly Everyone Who Opposed Him
Mor’du was a greedy prince that wanted to rule his father’s kingdom by himself. He asked a witch for the power of ten men, and she gave him something to transform him into a bear.
Mor’du was then able to slay anyone as a bear, despite many men trying and failing to defeat him. His natural power as a bear made him nearly unstoppable, although he became a wild beast who struck down both friend and foe.
NEXT: Which Pixar Hero Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign?
Next 10 Eternals Who Could Defeat The Avengers If They Wanted To
About The Author
Jasmine Venegas (303 Articles Published)
Jasmine Venegas is a writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from UNLV with a BA in English, and has experience in tutoring elementary and high school students. She now writes list articles for CBR. She enjoys reading and drawing. Feel free to email her suggestions for Anime-related stories at jbsvenegas@gmail.com!