Last week, three separate news articles on /Film about Pixar appeared in three days. All of them to me were a bit strange considering the Pixar we’ve known is all about story first and does not usually make decisions for a quick buck.
Let’s start with the least bothersome and the most recent. Supposedly, Tim Allen signed a contract to once again voice Buzz Lightyear for Toy Story 4. Slashfilm states this may be nothing more than making sure Tim Allen is lined up just in case. I thought the ending of Toy Story 3 was nearly perfect, and while the door is still open for a Toy Story 4 it would take an incredible story to go beyond Toy Story 3‘s ending.
The first article published last week (and the second I’ll touch on) reported on Pixar library films being re-released to theaters in 3D. First, the 3D versions of all three Toy Story films haven’t made me say “wow, that was definitely the way to see the movie!” Personally, I think 3D is better suited for shorter experiences, such as the 3D films in the Disney Parks. And yes, I believe a few “cheap 3D tricks” (as Fozzie Bear would say) should be part of the experience as long as those tricks involve the story. The most wowing part of any of the three Toy Story films was the Walt Disney Pictures introduction. The article mentions Pixar is looking at Ratatouille as the first film to convert to 3D. For a studio that puts story first, I cannot think of a single Pixar film whose story would benefit from 3D conversion.
Finally, the article that really prompted this writeup, and the second one published, talks about a direct-to-video Cars spinoff called Planes. Now this could mean absolutely nothing. Toy Story 2 was originally supposed to be a direct-to-video release. It could also mean everything. The Disney pressure to expand beyond theatrical releases for quick DVD sales may be seeping into Pixar. Planes would certainly fit into the Cars world, but would the story fit in? Pixar is known for making good stories out of unlikely topics, but direct-to-DVD releases seem to not be Pixar’s way of operating (remember, Disney asked for the direct-to-DVD version of Toy Story 2 when Disney and Pixar were two separate companies).
These three news articles all seem to point to Walt Disney Pictures attitudes starting to seep into Pixar Animation Studios despite the agreement to keep the studios separate even to the point of having different Human Resource policies. Pixar’s attitude has been that sequels should only be made if the story is as good or better than the original movie. These articles give me cause for concern that the story-first attitude is starting to fade in the chase for the almighty dollar. Instead, I think the dollar will continue to come to Pixar if it continues its current schedule of high-quality annual theatrical releases and Pixar doesn’t worry about the latest fad (3D) or a quick buck from a DVD spinoff.
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