Patrick wrote:pap64 wrote:
- Toy Story
- A Bug's Life
- Toy Story 2
- Monsters Inc.
- Finding Nemo
- The Incredibles
- Cars
- Ratatouille
- Wall-E
- Up
- Toy Story 3
- Cars 2
- Brave
- Monsters U
So to put that in perspective, nearly 30% of Pixar's entire catalog is made up of sequels. Now, add in the fact that 75% of those sequels have/will be released between 2010 and 2013. I'm totally excited for Finding Dory and Monster's U. I'm not denying that Pixar can make a good sequel at all and I don't think anyone else is either.
Aside from great storytelling, Pixar's initial success was because of its amazing contribution to the world of animation through originality and technical innovation. Now Pixar has very much adapted the Disney way of thinking by capitalizing on past success and by making films that can sell product. Listen, I don't dislike any Pixar film and I'm sure the upcoming projects will be just as good. I just think the company should get back to its roots.
Here's the thing: 2013 Pixar is NOT the same Pixar from 1995. 1995 Pixar mainly consisted of a few CalArts graduates and some Disney animators who were working on small projects that were mainly experimental in their nature until they were able to create their first animated feature. They didn't have an image or a reputation to uphold since, in actuality, they were just a quirky animation studio that was trying to sell some ideas of their own to some major studios.
2013 Pixar not only has a reputation to uphold, they have also employed thousands of employees, they have two studios to maintain (in the states and in Canada), and is now part of one of the biggest media conglomerates in the world, which also have their own needs and reputation to take care off. Because they are part of that family, Pixar also needs to make sure they are profitable enough while creating original content, hence the need to reach out towards some of their earlier successes to make sure their franchises remain relevant years later. I know that many look upon this as selling out, but it is a necessary "evil" so to speak. If it wasn't for that, Disney as we know it would have ceased to exist around World War II.
And speaking of which, even in their older days Disney relied on their marketable franchises to maintain their original projects, taking something like the Mickey Mouse and friends short that entertained on a mainstream level, while the Silly Symphonies served as the creative outlet for Disney and his animators to grow and create better content from there. Same deal with Pixar in a way, but on a different mentality: they use the shorts to experiment and test new creative ground, while exploring their tried and true successes to fuel those experiments in animation.
Plus, the way you say "I just think the company should get back to its roots" is like you are saying that from then on, it will be nothing but sequels, spin offs and prequels, when in actuality we have The Good Dinosaur, Inside Our and Dia de los Muertos to look forward to in between Monsters U and Finding Dory. All three sound like they will have fascinating ideas and could lead to Wall-E and Up like successes where the quirky concept lead to a story that was very appealing enough for the mainstream audience while the critical audience saw something to cheer about in terms of storytelling quality.
Finally, I find it funny how people believe that making a sequel is somehow less creative than creating an original concept just because it is going back to the same world and the same characters. Truth is, expanding on an existing world can be just as challenging, if not more, on a creative level. Take Toy Story, for example. The first movie could have ended with "And Buzz and Woody lived happily ever after with Andy". But the sequel expanded upon that by establishing Woody's worth as a value, and introducing the moral and ethical issues a toy would face: what happens when they cease to be a child's favorite toy? It introduces new ideas not seen in the first movie in a very dramatic manner. Because it dared to expand on the world and feature bold ideas into the franchise, the sequel is now seem as being superior to the original.
Now take Toy Story 3. Much like with the first movie, Toy Story 2 had a rock solid ending that vaguely hinted at the future, but still closed the story well enough that we didn't need to go back to it... at least not yet. Toy Story 3 took an even bigger risk by making the story being about what happens to Andy's toys if Andy were to grow up, and they created a really strong drama that touched a lot of people, because it dealt with mortality, finding life after another life has ended, and new beginnings. Once again, that is a challenge to not only continue the story, but introduce new themes and ideas that tested the audience's love for their characters and their universe.
I'm not saying that Pixar should dedicate themselves to just sequels, and I too want them to pursue better ideas. But I also don't see why people should get angry or upset because ONE sequel was announced amongst many original ideas, or are quick to think that Pixar has lost it. That's all I am saying. Obviously, no matter what I say, what anyone says really, I won't drive home the idea that Finding Dory is not the end of the world or Pixar as people have been saying it is.
We have Avengers 2, Star Wars 7, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, Finding Dory, Inside Out, and Ant-Man.
