Tag: pixar

Soul Searching

Soul is a movie that, through death, steps in to look for meaning in life. As it turns out, it does not find a big answer; in fact, it has no answer at all to offer. What it shows, instead, is that – as far as our earthly perception goes – human existence is nothing but a sequence of usually small events whose significance and power will be lost on those who are either looking too hard for a purpose or working excessively towards a goal without ever giving themselves a chance to stop and smell the roses. As it happened in Inside Out, it is possible to question whether the message is understandable to kids; additionally, and coming off as pure flaws, it can be pointed out that Soul uses a couple of plot devices that feel too forced in order to make some of its major events unfold and that the conclusion it comes to is kind of cliche. What cannot be denied, however, is that it surprises and succeeds in sending its message in a way that is original, delicate, unexpected, powerful, and beautiful. In other words, it fits right in the Pixar tradition of touching animations that ought to enchant children and, even if for just a few days, make adults contemplate their lives from a different – and better – angle.

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by Matt

Highway Hijinks

Ultimately, that is certainly the greatest gift of Onward: its unbelievable ability to distract one from realizing how conventional it is deep down. And Pixar pulls it all off so well that they are actually bound to make many viewers genuinely and fairly believe in far more than that, as some will conclude the story of Ian and Barley is one of the best they have ever produced. It is part deception, part heart, part creativity, and part experience. And with these tools in hand, the company digs itself out of the artistic dead-end that Onward seemed to be in concept. Deliberately or not, it was a position in which Pixar put itself when they opted to assemble their own twist on the trope-ridden road movie genre. And from that tight starting point, it is hard to argue they could have done it any better. Whether it was a self-imposed test or a twist of fate, they passed it with flying colors.

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by Matt

Alone, Together

The Incredibles 2 was, in the end, a movie that had a whole lot to live up to. The original is still, justly, regarded as one of Pixar’s finest and, as a consequence, one of the best animation movies that have ever been produced, and the fourteen-year wait fans had to endure to get a sequel only elevated those expectations to an unforeseen degree. It is an absolute victory, then, that The Incredibles 2 feels – overall – not like a disappointment, but like a pleasant return that, despite not hitting the same high notes of its predecessor in terms of plot quality and originality, is a worthy successor to it. Sure, had it chosen to move on from the conflict between superheroes and society around which the first movie was built and had it opted to spend more of its time showing the Parrs act together, rather than separated onto two distinct fronts, it is arguable it could have benefited more effectively from the marvelous premise of the series and also presented a more considerable evolution. But, regardless of those missed opportunities, the movie delivers incredible amounts of humor, action, and conspiracy, all underlined by the lovable characters and family matters that make the franchise so likable and relatable.

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by Matt

Gone But Not Forgotten

The only problem that plagues Coco is that it takes a while to get there. The moments that define it and make it stand out among the delightful myriad of masterful Pixar animations are all tucked away in its second half, making what comes before it feel like a long – yet very much enjoyable – buildup. When Coco takes off, it transforms into a Russian nesting doll of plot twists which instead of getting smaller and less significant as they appear, just seem to become bigger and heavier as they pop out. It is a rough journey, but one that – by revealing quite a lot about Miguel’s family’s past – brings them closer together rather than setting them further apart, which is just about the perfect ending for a movie inspired by a celebration where family union and legacies of love are in the spotlight.

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by Matt

Rehab

All in all, however, even if it carries an ending that happens through means that may dynamite the experience as a whole to some, Cars 3 is a good movie. It may fall by the lower echelon of Pixar flicks, where Brave, Cars, and Monsters University lie; but, at the same time, it floats far above the cringe-inducing experiences created by Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur. With Cars 3, Pixar leads its least-admired franchise to a conclusion that comes off as natural and, to some degree, necessary, and therein exists the greatest victory of the movie: instead of making viewers wonder why it was produced in the first place, it takes them on the wheels of a journey that is a pleasant and entertaining ride. With Cars 3, McQueen and his peers can ride into the sun with some dignity, leaving the racing tracks on a sweet note, like a superstar who retires on their own terms and when the time is right.

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by Matt

The Unforgettable Second Fiddle

The element that does lift Finding Dory above the “good” threshold is its heart-wrenching emotional nucleus. Dory is always positive and good-hearted, but the world she often encounters in her search for help is one that is indifferent or that often does not know how to, or care enough to, give a hand to the poor friendly fish that wants to find her home but that has trouble figuring out where it is and how to get there. Any relation to a modern world that is way too self-centered and worried about its own problems to pay attention to those of others, which may be much more urgent and grave, is certainly not a coincidence; and Pixar delivers that message with a light and deft touch.

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by Matt

Jurrasic Bungle

Some could argue that The Good Dinosaur is Pixar’s attempt at writing a movie directly aimed at the youngsters, especially following the intricate and overly complicated concepts of Inside Out, but even if it does punctually come off as entertainment built for children, it is of the mediocre kind. Instead of reaching for the likes of Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro, two works blatantly produced for kids by Studio Ghibli – a company known for crafting mature animation, that are masterpieces; The Good Dinosaur presents all the bad quirks and goofs of a rushed and uninspired DreamWorks product. For any company, such result would be a major disappointment; for Pixar, a towering giant in the world of animation, it is appalling and, ultimately, sad.

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by Matt

Matters Of The Mind

It is, undoubtedly, a great premise, and it soars to unimaginable heights because of the work’s greatest prowess: the constant sense of wonder its endless creativity causes in the audience. Starting from its first few seconds, Inside Out pulls the curtain on a world that is awe-inspiring. Through colors, visual cues, shapes, and pure magic, Pixar materializes the astounding complexity of the human psyche in a universe of highly appealing design. It is an unparalleled audio-visual work of art that turns an awfully abstract subject into something incredibly didactic yet psychologically coherent.

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by Matt

Back To Monstrous Basics

For kids, the hilarity of it all comes from seeing Mike and Sully on their younger days; for adults, there is the added delight of recognizing a lot of what they went through on a nicely written animated feature. In the end of it all, the loose and careless environment of a university ends up being the perfect setting for a movie that, while being very important to the company’s rehabilitation, does not have much weight on its back given its prequel status.

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by Matt

Pixar’s Flat Tire

Cars with human-like attitudes were, originally, a very difficult concept to pull off, but the first movie did it with some dignity. Here, though, writers are severely limited by the glorified advertisement they need to deliver.

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by Matt