There are many things that make Pixar great (great writing, animation, orginality, basically all the people that started with Pixar are still at Pixar, the balls to make death a theme in almost every film they make, they have a "Do what ever the @#$! you want" card from Disney, etc.) but I think I just figured out another one that has been over looked. It hit me after I saw Toy Story 3. Not to spoil anything that hasn't been given away by the trailers (and if you haven't seen it yet, FIX THAT), Andy, the kid that is the center of the Toy's very world, has grown up and is heading to college. Most of the films message is moving on for the Andy side of the story, your not a child forever. This message is squarely aimed at the kids that grown up with the Toy Story films and are headed to adulthood. I noticed something, THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE AT LEAST MONSTERS INC.
Monster's inc in many ways was aimed at average smucks that parent hood isn't that bad of a thing. How many kids here thought about boring factory work, sharing a room with a friend and two room apparments as a child?
Cars was aimed at sub-burb america to show the interesting things one can find if you take the scenic rout.
Finding Nemo was pointed at over protective parents to loosen up, and let your child swim freely.
Wall-e was in many ways pointed at socially awkward Geeks to try out love.
Look at Up. Two old men, only one of the human cast was a child. They reffered to the old practice of having news at the theater, and the popularity of exploration/adventure fiction of the 30's-50's. This is not a kids movie but a films for old people, just to show that even the twilight of life, one can still find adventure.
To summerize, my point is thus: Pixar is choosing an audience with each film, older audiances at that. It almost... no, it DOES give me hope in humanity to see a company devoted to making family films dare to go were almost no other film in the dishwater we call the current state of films, and to make films that must make the marketing department cry bloody tears.
Monster's inc in many ways was aimed at average smucks that parent hood isn't that bad of a thing. How many kids here thought about boring factory work, sharing a room with a friend and two room apparments as a child?
Cars was aimed at sub-burb america to show the interesting things one can find if you take the scenic rout.
Finding Nemo was pointed at over protective parents to loosen up, and let your child swim freely.
Wall-e was in many ways pointed at socially awkward Geeks to try out love.
Look at Up. Two old men, only one of the human cast was a child. They reffered to the old practice of having news at the theater, and the popularity of exploration/adventure fiction of the 30's-50's. This is not a kids movie but a films for old people, just to show that even the twilight of life, one can still find adventure.
To summerize, my point is thus: Pixar is choosing an audience with each film, older audiances at that. It almost... no, it DOES give me hope in humanity to see a company devoted to making family films dare to go were almost no other film in the dishwater we call the current state of films, and to make films that must make the marketing department cry bloody tears.