The Pixar Problem: A Rise in Vocal Disinterest

Has Pixar changed, or its audience?

Go to any tweet from the last 5 years talking about an upcoming Pixar film, and you’re almost certain to find replies or quote retweets talking about how they don’t have any interest in said film. People sharing opinions online is nothing new, but these kinds of takes have become more frequent, and more popular.

Hot takes on Pixar films have also been around for a decade; I remember a number of people did not enjoy The Good Dinosaur despite the film's many endearing qualities and positive critical reception. Ever since Incredibles 2 however, I feel as though there has been a shift in the greater culture regarding modern Pixar films. While there are many, many, factors that account for this, I want to highlight some key contributors:

• Pixar has had several creative voices behind it over the years. It has always been changing
• “Stories for everyone” doesn’t mean that everyone will love it
• Pixar films are marketed primarily to children, and eventually we all grow up
• The highest-grossing Pixar films have been sequels
• The more human the character, the narrower the audience

Part 1: Niche Yet Unique

Let's get the first three out of the way: first, Pixar is not a single-minded entity being run exclusively by the ghost of Walt Disney. These writers and directors may have a style of filmmaking that ultimately yields a product you don’t enjoy or doesn't appeal to you. Art is subjective and everyone is different, so it’s natural that not everyone is going to love everything.

Second, Pixar films often have a broad appeal. A “family film” often comes with the intention of creating something that is at least watchable by the broad demographic of typical family members; young children, parents, older siblings, and the like. Every film like this is a balancing act; the creators understand that animated films primarily appeal to children but that parents are the ones who pay to watch it. The fact that someone outside of this age range does not find these films to be masterpieces should not be seen as a failure.

Third, I know that if A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille, or Toy Story were released today: I probably wouldn’t have any interest in seeing them. They’re good films, but I would likely view these films as meant for a younger audience. Part of the problem is that, as people grow up, they are no longer going to find these kinds of stories interesting. You can’t blame Pixar that you’re not 11 anymore.

Part 2: The Sequel

In the last 10 years, Pixar has released 13 films, and 6 of them are sequels or prequels to previous films. Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4 are some of the only animated films ever to gross over a billion dollars at the box office. Despite this success, these films have also received criticism, which isn’t entirely a fault of the films themselves. The fundamental problem with these films is often the problem that plagues most sequels: why? What story is there left to tell?

Personally, I don’t think all of the sequels were pointless or bad. I think Cars 3 and Incredibles 2 both meaningfully expand on what made their original films great. However, not all sequels are created equal; Many will argue that Toy Story worked incredibly well as a trilogy, with the third film seeing the cycle begin again as a child is given these toys to love just as the previous owner did. Some have pointed out that the entire premise of Monsters University is contradicted by an exchange Mike and Sully have in Monsters Inc. These additions to the franchise often feel unnecessary just by knowledge of its announcement, and so it becomes an uphill battle for the filmmakers to convince the audience that the film was actually important to me.

When, even on a surface level, a new film in a franchise seems pointless or contradictory, then you’re going to have a key portion of your audience (franchise fans) who fundamentally disagree with the film’s very existence. And anyone who hasn’t seen any of the previous films is not going to suddenly become really interested in watching just the fourth film.

Part 3: Humanity is Limiting

I recently watched the cartoon Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which is a great show that I ultimately stopped watching. The art style is great, the characters are entertaining, and I’d argue the writing is above average for a Disney Channel cartoon. The problem is that I’m not a 13-year-old black girl, and so there are plot points that directly interact with that part of the protagonist that I fundamentally cannot relate to. And that’s fine. The show wasn’t made for me, and I can still respect its overall qualities.

Furthermore, stories are not relatable because they are about you directly, they’re relatable through the emotional and thematic framework presented that resonates with some part of our lives. I can’t relate to Lunella’s struggles with how people view her hair, but I can abstractly relate to being rejected for presenting yourself in a way that is different from those around you.

Pixar has used abstraction of its characters to place a greater emphasis on the themes. Nobody relates to Ratatouille because you too are a rat with a knack for cooking and a disapproving father; you relate to the need to do something outside of what you’re expected to do, and that sense of rejection from friends and family if you express it. Even The Incredibles, with its human cast, has characters that broadly represent its target audience with a story surrounding a typical nuclear family.

Contrast this with Turning Red; The protagonist is a 13-year-old girl, whose struggles are ultimately ones that many girls go through (just without turning into a red panda). When the premise is directly representing people and problems that certain people go through, then that creates an outgroup of people feeling like this simply wasn’t a film made for them. The actual problem is that Pixar often caters to a wide audience, so people simply aren’t used to feeling left out. This creates confusion that manifests in people expressing how they have zero interest in these movies and a large portion of people agreeing with them. It’s not that the movie looks bad, it’s that it doesn’t appeal to them.

Part 4: Conclusion

We live in a world where saying “It wasn’t my thing” isn’t good enough. The internet is not a place that thrives off of disinterest or neutrality; you love it or hate it, you engage with others on the basis of that, and that engagement generates more people seeing these interactions.

Pixar has changed, but it has always been changing. Technology changes, creatives come and go, and even the nature of what movies can be is constantly in flux. And it’s not just Pixar; a kid who saw Toy Story in theatres would now be in their 30s. A person can change a LOT in that time, so it’s no surprise when tastes change too.

I liked Turning Red, not because I was a 13-year-old girl at any point, but for its style, characters, and theme of generational trauma. I don’t think it’s a film everyone will love, but I also like the idea of big-budget movies being niche and yet really appealing to that niche.

If you want Pixar to make films as art, you have to accept that art is subjective and you won’t love everything they make. If you want Pixar to make things that appeal to you as a Pixar fan, then there are sequels and Disney+ series of your favorite Pixar franchises.