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From Dory to Buzz Lightyear: Six of our favourite Pixar sidekicks

Our favourite forgetful blue tang Dory finally has her own film and to celebrate, we’re looking back at some of Pixar’s best sidekicks.

by Amanda Keats

Sherlock without Dr Watson? Harry without Hermione or Ron? Pete without his dragon? It???s hard to imagine these characters without their trusted sidekicks and Pixar has proven time and again that they understand the brilliance of keeping the sidekick close at hand, whether it be for light relief, a voice of reason or just somebody to counteract the personality of our hero or heroine. 
Dory – Finding Dory (OUT NOW)

The Finding Nemo sequel has been a long time coming. Fish fans have been campaigning for another undersea installment for thirteen long years – and it’s finally here. In Finding Dory, it’s Nemo’s much-loved friend Dory who takes centre stage. She’s looking for her long-lost parents but that chronic memory loss makes things very tricky – especially when her quest takes her all the way across the ocean and gets her trapped in a tank. Will she be reunited with her family? There’s only one way to find out.

Mike Wazowski – Monsters Inc.

Whether it was handling Boo using oven gloves, putting in his single contact lens or busting out a song and dance number to avoid being caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing, Mike quickly became everyone’s favourite one-eyed monster. Massively entertaining, he was also loyal, outspoken, quick-thinking and even soppy when he needed to be.

EVE – Wall-E

Eve and Wall-E had an unconventional love affair, filled with rubbish collecting, lightning strikes, old school film-watching, and one of the most beautiful dance sequences ever seen on screen – and with fire extinguishers, no less. At first, EVE was merely company to our lonely Wall-E but she soon became much more important. She may have been a robot of few words but dialogue was not required to make us fall for her charms or her dedication to her all-important ‘directive’.

Elinor – Brave

It was probably a bit of a hard sell to convince people that the heroine’s mother would make an interesting sidekick – even when it was explained that she’d be a bear. Yet, somehow, it works. When these two are forced to work together to reverse a spell cast on Elinor, the real depth of their love starts to shine through all the mother/daughter bickering and the result is a beautifully touching, funny and sweet story about family and duty.

Sadness – Inside Out

Sadness and Joy were thrown together rather reluctantly in Inside Out and even when she was being dragged around because she was too miserable to get to her feet, Sadness brought her own style to proceedings. At first, the pair made for great comedy simply because they were so different. However, when they started to explore the depths of Riley’s mind, this particular sidekick proved invaluable in understanding one fundamental point Joy seemed to be missing – it’s okay to let yourself be sad from time to time.

Buzz Lightyear – Toy Story

Buzz Lightyear shook things up when he first landed in Andy’s bedroom back in the first Toy Story outing, making hero Woody question his position as Andy’s favourite toy. Buzz came with a charming arrogance and a light bulb that blinked but he stayed for the fun, the friendship, the occasional daddy issue and some great dance moves. Whether he was flying or falling, Buzz Lightyear always came to the rescue and he did it with style.