This is something I can never quite decide with Pixar films. I think it’s fair to say that, very generally, aside from the technical side of stuff, Pixar has two big strengths- in humour and in drama. Finding Nemo is a great example, as right near the beginning of the film there’s a lot of heart-string pulling, and this continues throughout, but there’s also a lot of humour in there and the way Pixar manages to balance the two rather than just focusing on the humour (as a certain other animated film company does…) is something very unique to them.
But, I have to admit it, sometimes I feel as though the humour isn’t quite as strong as the drama. Sometimes it seems a bit too…obvious. And part of me feels as though Pixar is stronger in the drama department, focusing on that with films like WALL-E and Ratatouille.
So what do you think? Do you think Pixar has managed to achieve that balance between the two? Do you think one is weaker than the other in terms of Pixar’s films?
Well, that might be true, but if Pixar is to gain true recognition from everyone, that includes the Academy, it needs to go like extreme right towards drama because Comedy is ranked the lowest genre in terms of film art.
And with everybody in the Academy blinded with greed, they don’t want comedy. No. They want hardcore drama that earns big bucks. They want people who can bring in the greens with drama, because in their hearts they know, that comedy just doesn’t sell.
Mmm… I think it depends on the film in question. Pixar’s earlier works certainly seem more light-hearted than do their latest productions; at least, they do in a dramatic sense. As for humor, I think they’ve always been pretty adept at balancing the laughs with the tears. But, again, I believe that the scales are balanced differently depending on the film at hand.
Ratatouille had, I think, a nice balance of depth and humor, although the humor itself was more adult than other Pixar films. WALL-E really stepped over the line in that there were hardly any laughs involved at all; it was excessively dramatic, in my opinion. Up returned to the light-hearted days of Pixar, spewing out a healthy handful of funny moments along with sentimental ones.
Earlier films, such as A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, and Cars, were out-weighed by more humorous sequences than heavy-duty ones.
In essence, I think it all comes down to what Pixar film is being highlighted.
I think Pixar has been able to achieve this ever since the first Toy Story. They’ve only grown and matured as a movie studio, and you can see that change with each film they make.
I think they have it perfectly balanced with each film. Granted, Pixar does not make the funniest movies ever, but that’s not the point of them. Pixar is not trying to make those types of films where you just laugh your head off and not know why. Pixar wants the audience to be able to feel the emotions of the characters, and the ability to smile.
Pixar has definitely achieved this formula and that’s what brings them above every other movie company, because they have the ability to get people emotionally hooked no matter how old they are.
[quote="Disney_Guy":2oh01lg2]Granted, Pixar does not make the funniest movies ever,.[/quote:2oh01lg2]
Is that why some people thinks Pixar films are too childish because they’ve added too much elements that they considered to be silly (in other words, comedic scenes) and unnecessary?
Hey, I’m just saying. If I don’t grind Pixar to the most superb quality with harsh criticisms, which of you loyal fans will?
[quote="Dragon of Omnipotency":hmim9xyi][quote="Disney_Guy":hmim9xyi]Granted, Pixar does not make the funniest movies ever,.[/quote:hmim9xyi]
Is that why some people thinks Pixar films are too childish because they’ve added too much elements that they considered to be silly (in other words, comedic scenes) and unnecessary?
Hey, I’m just saying.[/quote:hmim9xyi]
I’m not saying Pixar films are not funny. I find them all humorous and funny in their own ways - but saying they’re the funniest movies ever created is kinda going a little far. That’s just what I’m saying.
And personally, I think most people who label Pixar films as childish is not because of the humor, but just because the fact that they’re animated films.
Probably true. Animated films do give people a sense of belief that they should not be taken seriously and it’s merely a trip of silly fun that turns your brain off for a few hours (when the action-packed CGI flicks are the true culprits nowadays…).
But, like I said, if Pixar movies start to adapt a more serious tone and take up a more mature turn, recognition by the people might be gained.
However, as much as I like all people to be a fan of Pixar, I would hate for the company to decline in its quality just to gain the attention of those unworthy movie buffs.
Yeah. I’m very contradictory towards myself now. I guess what I really want to say is, it might be interesting to see Pixar movies make me really feel as if I’m one of the characters for once, for me to truly connect with the film’s humanity.
Oh you have no idea how many people I’ve ran in to who refuse to see an animated film just because it is animated… Pretty much all these people who are biased against animated films is because they think they’re too mature to watch something they (In their own mind) think is for kids. It gets to me when some people make such snobbish remarks about animation, but ehh, not much I could do for them. At least I like what I see on the screen, animated or not.
I hope animation over the years can become more accepted as well, just like the old days when everyone watched Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse. Hopefully now with John Lasseter and other Pixar people head of not only Pixar, but Disney Animation, they can bring quality back to cinema in more places than just Pixar.
Edited. There is no need to quote the entire post. – Mitch
I, too, think it depends on the film. I know with Up, Disney’s quote: ‘for every laugh, there must be a tear’ was mentioned in various interviews. For me, Up was a perfect balance of drama and humor. Other films like, Wall E, are heavily dramatic. Knowing where they want a film to go, they tip the scale in either direction. They have good control over it.
I do have to say that I think they are stronger with the drama. Like Disney_Guy said, they don’t focus on purely humor to make really funny movies. They focus on heart first and creating that emotional hook. Humor is used to balance the films.
Overall, I think Pixar has a found a nice balance.
Pixar definetly has made some funny and hilarious movies. THey have also proved that they can balance humor and drama in their movies. I don’t believe that they do humor better than drama, or the other way around either. Are some Pixar movies more funny than serious compared to others? yes they are. But still, serious or silly, Pixar has done well balancing the two.
Well some movies I think favor one side maybe a little more than the other, but I think Pixar is very good at both. Nemo is probably the one I’d pick that balances them the most. To me there are some really funny moments there as well as high drama. Monsters Inc I still find the most humorous and I’d probably say I found Up to be the most dramatic. I think Pixar is almost equal with both sides. I would probably say that they may be a little better at drama, but only a little. Humor does have to be flawless with me. It’s much easier for me to feel sympathy than it is to get me to laugh.
I do know what you mean, Dragon of Omnipotency. There are times when Pixar definitely gets their humour spot on, even creating cult jokes that people know even if they haven’t seen the film (a good example of when Dory says ‘es-cap-e’ in Finding Nemo) but very generally, I’m not always a big fan of their humour.
Thing is, I’m not sure if I’d want Pixar to be compared with serious drama films. There are definitely some elements of serious issues in their films, and WALL-E is a great example of that, as the whole scenario of the film is quite dark apocalyptic. So I guess without the humour that’s present in WALL-E, it would be too dark, not just for the children but for the adults as well.
I think also that Pixar does verbal humour really well, but I’m not as keen on their physical drama. Monsters, Inc. is a good example that includes both. I love it when Sulley says, ‘have you lost weight? Or a limb?’ for example, or when Needleman and Smitty are talking and one of them seems to be moaning about his girlfriend but we then find out he was talking about his mum, which always makes me laugh, but on the other hand there’s all the physical humour with Mike that I just don’t get.
Each to their own though, and I’m pleased Pixar does a good variety because they really do manage to keep a lot of people happy. Not everyone, perhaps, but a lot of people.
Too much comedy is called slapstick, and that’s not in Pixar’s vocabulary. Too much drama means it wouldn’t be suitable to be labelled as a family movie. What’s wrong with achieving a perfectly good balance of both?
Somehow, that’s like saying too much logic would render Pixar movies too intelligent for kids to understand, thus not allowing Pixar to earn a profit off them.
Dragon of Omnipotency - ah, but I did not mean that kids may not like drama - I just don’t think parents like their kids watching a full-on dramatic film. It’s like parents would not approve of their kids watching a law enforcement show like Law & Order, a true drama.
I never, ever questioned the intelligence of kids, and for those that have read my posts on PP, I have actually tried to advocate that kids movies shouldn’t be dumbed down, but I question the approval of parents when it comes to a “outright dramatic” movie labelled as a kids movie.
Then you’re talking in terms of censorship? I think it is rather silly that with all this push against discrimination of sexuality, gender, race, etc. there are still no regards paid towards the discrimination of age. What a child would not see now would still be shove in his face 10 years from now. Isn’t that what ‘true freedom’ is all about in America, the ‘free’ country?
Also, there is one factor that annoys me just a little bit - how Pixar only focuses on making movies with a G Rating. Sure, it is fine and dandy to make kiddies movie every now and then, but with such storytelling talent and skills, I feel that it is a waste not to contribute them into making hardcore drama, even for once. But this is a more personal thing because, like I said a couple of times before in other threads, I just don’t feel much connections between me and most Pixar movies, as much as I enjoy them. Maybe I just don’t understand the general concept of a typical Pixar film yet, so you could just ignore what I said about its rating system.
