How did we get here? Pixar is, in terms of gross if not profit, the most successful movie studio of the last 25 years. They arguably have had only one miss before 2020 (The Good Dinosaur). They were so successful that Disney bought the studio to resuscitate their flailing Disney Animation studio. Yet, now Pixar is just the carrot they dangle on Disney+ for subscribers? In my amateur diagnosis, it’s a two-fold explanation for this. Part 1 is COVID. Onward came out the week before COVID shut everything down. I remember questioning if I should’ve even been seeing it that opening weekend. It was the last movie I saw before my 8-year streak of seeing at least one movie every week in a theater was broken. Even though BoxOfficeMojo labels Onward’s debut as the last non-Pandemic weekend at the box office, the low [for Pixar] opening isn’t necessarily indicative of a lack of popularity. It didn’t get to benefit from the long tail that other Pixar movies get. Even without the pandemic, it was a gamble. Onward was the first non-May, June, or November release for Pixar ever. It was a risk in any scenario*. Then, when Soul was ready for a release, the public wasn’t ready for a blockbuster in theaters. So, releasing it on Disney+ was kismet. Then releasing Luca too in June 2021 was weird. Now Turning Red on Disney+ is just weird. Pixar is a cash cow. While I know the public in general doesn’t pay that much attention to the difference between Pixar and Disney Animation, it’s weird how they are rewiring people to think of Pixar as a Disney+ brand.
*In fairness, Zootopia came out the same weekend in March a couple years before and became a huge hit, so the weekend was somewhat battle tested already.
I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is the longest sustained run of originals for Pixar since 2009. Pixar built its reputation on original films that didn’t always look like they would work. I remember being convinced that Up meant Pixar had finally run out of ideas before being pleasantly surprised when I saw it. Then they moved into a phase of mostly sequels from 2010-2019. They only released back-to-back originals once in that period (Inside Out then The Good Dinosaur in 2015). Starting with Onward, the last 4 releases have been originals. Frankly, I think Disney lost their nerve and used COVID as an excuse. Pixar built its reputation on turning odd ideas like Ratatouille and Wall-E into massive hits, but they didn’t always look like sure things on paper. Onward, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red look scary. It’s not obvious why any would be hits, and I think Disney let that fear drive their decisions. I just hope this doesn’t become a trend. I’d hate to see Disney wreck one of their shining jewels.
Anyway…the movie. I liked Turning Red. It’s middle-tier Pixar, which would be top tier on any other list of movies. The red panda is cute. I always love playing the game of “I know that voice” with Pixar, where it’s someone famous but not necessarily the biggest star in the world. And, sometimes that super familiar voice turns out to be a Pixar staffer or some random teenager. The metaphor of the movie isn’t super subtle. There’s something almost crude about having a stand-in for a girl having her period being a Red Panda. Thankfully, the Red Panda is more a metaphor for standard teenage rebellion. It’s cool how the person really going through an identity crisis is the mom and not the daughter. Meilin is oddly confident about herself throughout the movie. Her red panda is embraced by everyone. The problem is more that her mother can’t fathom a world where her daughter’s red panda is accepted. It’s kind of sad the more you think about it. I love how, on the right day, a Pixar movie can really fill you with existential dread, and the older I get, the more it happens.
I’m having trouble figuring out how to say this without it sounding like I’m against the reason for it, so I’m just going to say it and attempt to explain. I can’t shake the feeling that Disney and Pixar are working through a checklist at this point. It feels calculated, like they are specifically working through all the cultures they’ve ignored before now. Encanto was Colombia/South America. Luca was Italy. Raya and the Last Dragon was Southeast Asia. Soul – black jazz culture. Coco – Mexico. Moana – Pacific Islanders. It all feels a bit calculated, like the tail wagging the dog. There are worse things in the world than being conscientious, and many of these movies I really loved. I’m sure that it’s not Disney saying “OK, we need a Chinese-culture movie now, come up with an idea”. More likely, it’s dozens of ideas being pitched and Disney saying “Oh, I like this one. We haven’t done anything about this region/topic before”. In the macro-though, it’s feeling a little too calculated. Part of the fun with Pixar in the original run was that there didn’t seem to be a formula to it. They were just working off that infamous idea napkin. I don’t mean for this to come off as a “Why aren’t there more white Disney Princesses?” complaint. It’s just something I’ve noticed.
I’m sorry that actually talking about Turning Red only got about 10% of the space in this. It’s why I don’t call these things reviews. Reactions are more of a personal journal told though my movie-watching journey. It’s not like there’s much to say though. It’s good. Pixar makes good movies. I hope some people feel seen in a way they aren’t used to in movies because of this. Anyone trying to knock this movie down a peg is trying too hard to be upset about something. I hope I get to see more Pixar movies in theaters soon.
Side Rant: I get that realism isn’t the chief concern for Pixar, but didn’t Turning Red feel more 1998 than 2002? Rather, it was 1998 through a 2022 prism. The Tamagotchi is something I firmly associate with 5th grade (1997-98). I don’t think I’ve seen one in the 2000s. The boy band craze was also winding down by 2002. Backstreet Boys’ Millennium was 1999. By Black & Blue in 2000, they were already evolving past the pure pop phase. The NSYNC high point was No Strings Attached in 2000. They had Celebrity in 2001, but they were one step out the door by 2002. Turning Red sure seems like it wants to be set a couple years earlier than it is. Also, that boy band seems way more BTS and One Direction inspired than BSB or NSYNC. I’m not really holding this against Turning Red. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment, but as a #90sKid I’m not allowed to let this go.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment