Turning Red (Pixar)

pixelburp

Another Pixar film, they're starting to come out thick n' fast now; not so bad while they remaining charmingly entertaining I suppose ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqdHP2dWQ9M

Mickeroo

I get the feeling that some of these films are more Disney than Pixar and they are just sticking the logo on there to give them a bit more credibility. Having said that Luca was grand but it didn't really feel like a Pixar film to me (compared to something like Soul for example).

pixelburp

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117612027#Comment_117612027

out of curiousity, what would you peg as "Pixar" appropriate? :-) This and Luca seem to be going for stories about "identity" and coming to terms with yourself (even Soul to an extent), which if nothing else feels emotional complex enough to be broadly in Pixar's wheelhouse

Mickeroo

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117612656#Comment_117612656

Hard to quantify I suppose but Luca felt very slight to me compared to something like Soul or Inside Out. More about the execution than premise itself.

speedboatchase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117612802#Comment_117612802

I never understood this common criticism of Luca. It's a movie for children. Inside Out and Soul (another of those children's movies where the protagonist is a middle-aged pianist) are existentialist and clearly aimed at adults, hence their lack of appeal compared to the merchandising behemoths of Frozen and Cars. There's nothing 'slight' about aiming your movie at the appropriate audience.

johnny_ultimate

I don't think any Pixar film is aimed at adults in particular. They're all family-friendly, aiming to work for pretty much anyone who watches it. Some absolutely have themes and ideas that will resonate strongly with adults and some are pitched more overtly at younger audiences. But I think anyone of any age should find something to enjoy in any Pixar film - whether that's Up or Luca.

I don't mean that entirely in a positive way, though. There's no doubt Pixar's approach of 'try to make something for everyone' has made some fantastic films, particularly in the glory days. But it's also what holds them back creatively, especially recently - what was once refreshing has become formulaic, and why even some of the more 'mature' films like Soul are weighed down with goofy creature antics and the like. Studio Ghibli has done a much better job diversifying the style and tones of their films over the years.

pixelburp

I'll say one thing; if I had to choose either Soul or Luca as a film to rewatch today, right now ... while the former is probably the better film, the latter was far more enjoyable, personable entertainment. The charisma and empathy jumped off the screen, its messaging of love curiously rare these days in blockbuster cinema. It told such a simple, low-stakes story with such effortlessness.

And the pasta. The pasta.

Santa Mozzarella.

Tom Mann Centuria

She's a Red Panda, the one true Panda, so it's going to be great. Even if it isn't, Red Panda.

pixelburp

A full trailer has just appeared; honestly, I laughed a good few times. Definitely looks to be channeling the Luca side of Pixar more than anything else

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKzUbAiswE

pixelburp

So for the third time in a row, a Pixar movie will head to Disney+ instead of cinemas. Release is still March 11, and no confirmation yet if it'll be "free" with the service or a Premium add-on.

johnny_ultimate

It really feels like Disney is treating Pixar films like b-tier fare with this approach - tossing them on to a streaming service as if they’re an inconvenience. Doesn’t look great at all after three films in a row, given the amount of films they are happily putting into actual cinemas. Especially a shame that two first time feature directors haven’t had a chance to see their films get a proper theatrical release. Hell, I’ve seen several Netflix films in a cinema over the last two years and no Pixars :/

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118445480#Comment_118445480

It will be free according to Empire

It really strange. Pixar is a massive money maker - is it possible that the people who subscribe just lastest Pixar equals the money at they box office that they have it online at no extra charge? Could the Premium for Disney films be because they can’t generate the same money?

conorhal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118445786#Comment_118445786

Especially so when you consider that Sing 2 is the first film to crack 100m at the box office during the pandemic. Kids films have in fact performed remarkably strongly at the box throughout the pandemic, so it seems an odd decision to leave that money on the table. I can only assume that the Disney marketers have decided that content driving subs to Disney Plus provides a better long term return. That or it's garbage. There's something about the 'bean mouth' Cal Arts asthetic that has infected Pixar lately that makes me want stuff like this to fail, it's horrible, horrible animation. I just got done watching Arcane and was amazed at what putting a bit of effort into animated features can still achieve. Leave that cheaply animated, asthetically ugly Stephen Universe kack to the Cartoon Network.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118454520#Comment_118454520

I have yet to see anything from Pixar that is garbage. They have ups and downs but never make something terrible.

Soul is wonderful and I have heard nothing but praise from Luca from people I work with.

They were both free so it isn’t about the quality of it.

TheIrishGrover

I was never gone on A Bug's Life or the Cars sequels. Toy Story 4 was not needed but didn't screw up a perfect trilogy (It's still redundant but worth it for Keanu Reeves).

Encanto and Luca were pleasant. But this looks very funny. I'm well looking forward to this. And God, look at that fur animation.

Full_Circle_81

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118454520#Comment_118454520

Could you elaborate a little on the "bean mouth Cal Arts aesthetic"? Not looking to argue or disagree, just curious. Was there a movie when you felt the animation style changed for the worse?

conorhal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118460005#Comment_118460005

The 'Cal Arts' asthetic has become pretty common in cartoons these days, you can see and example of it's 'bean mouth' below, notice how every gob is a simple kidney bean shape, just as every face is largely made up of the same collection of very basic and easy to reproduce shapes?

Now take a look at the character design for Turning Red in the trailer image:

https://youtu.be/XdKzUbAiswE

The whole Cal Arts asthetic is just a simplistic style intended for low budget animation that won't tax unskilled animators.

The California Institute of the Arts (which that particular style of animation is associated), was founded by Walt Disney to train animators, among it's first graduating class you had the likes of John Lasseter, Tim Burton and Brad Bird. How far the mighty have fallen.

If you are a top tier animation studio maybe don't employ a symplistic style designed for cheaply and quickly produced animation to be churned out by animators that can barely draw.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118460596#Comment_118460596

How are Tim Burton and Brad Bird “fallen”?

conorhal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461039#Comment_118461039

Perhaps I worded that poorly, I mean't the grand institution founded by Disney to train the next generation animators (many of it's first graduates were visionaries that I listed) but which now churns out Tumblr artists, that said, I don't think anybody is clamboring for Alice in Wonderland 3 or Tomorrowland 2 that's for sure.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461064#Comment_118461064

Okay - with Lassiter’s name in there it has me thinking it was about being “handsy “ and I knew Bird & Burton had done nothing wrong so I was confused

pixelburp

Well we can say Brad Bird is "fallen" in the sense that Tomorrowland kinda nuked his live-action directorial career into the ground. He won a lot of runway off the back of MI: Ghost Protocol - which gave the franchise a big shot in the arm - but then helmed a giant flop. Still directed/wrote Incredibles 2 but interesting how he returned for a sequel to the film that put him on the map in the first place.

johnny_ultimate

To be honest, I'm semi-relieved to see Pixar at least pushing the limits of their visual design beyond the stale 'house style'. Luca and this do have a different look to their usual fare, and both are clearly primarily pitched at a younger audience that would likely more appreciate the more overtly 'cartoonish' look. It's a very modest change though and hardly at the cutting edge of animation we see from the best international fare (and occasionally, with the likes of Spiderverse, from America too).

That said, I do think Pixar has been in a creative rut generally for a while now - their films are far too formulaic narratively and stylistically. They still typically make films that are at least solid, but I’ve lost hope at this stage that they’re going to really push themselves in a new direction - especially within an increasingly artistically conservative Disney.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461583#Comment_118461583

As conorhal pointed out above he wasn’t referring to to those guys or their careers as “fallen”

So let us not put words in his mouth

I was not aware that Brad Bird’s live action directed suffered as a result Tomorrowland (other directors have made terrible movies and just carried on) - I thought he just went to work on Incredibles 2

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461716#Comment_118461716

Not putting words anywhere. Just taking the conversation elsewhere, off the back of mentioning Bird and mentions of being "fallen" of sorts. In this case his career, rather than his personal reputation ala Lassiter.

Incredibles and Ghost Protocol put Bird on the map, and Tomorrowland was something of a "blank cheque" for him, the two films basically opening doors to allow him to make the film he had been itching to make, relatively unobstructed - creatively or monetarily.

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461827#Comment_118461827

Nothing wrong with taking that point in another direction - I just wanted it clear to anyone ready that that was not what conorhal was talking about. I didn’t mean you couldn’t make a new point from it ;)

anyway are you sure it killed his live action directing? I just thought he wanted to spend time getting Incredibles 2 right

The Raging Bile Duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118460596#Comment_118460596

The cartoons I've watched on that comparison sheet, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, We Bare Bears and Gumball, are all really enjoyable shows.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461583#Comment_118461583

You DARE besmirch the man who gave us The Iron Giant???!!! 😀 Nah, I know what you mean. He got a bit of a kicking after Tomorrowland. I actually thought Tomorrowland wasn't bad. It was a bit muddled and the tone had some add shifts (Probably down to the differences between Bird and David Lindlehof's styles). Its optimism is a little heavy-handed but in general it's a pleasant, if forgettable film.

As for the animation-style? I suppose some of that could also come down to the sub-genre. Yes, the character design is reminiscent of "Luca" (Almost Chibi anime style) but look at the storylines: These are more about growing up/coming out - Certainly Turning Red seems to be all about Puberty (I thought that was a funny mic drop at the end of "Inside-out" looking at all the teenager buttons and dials etc.).

The character models for Encanto were much more complex as the characters, in general, were older. I know the adults in Luca and this seem to conform to the same style but that would because they don't want the shift to be so jarring.

I would like to see what Pixar would do with something more "Grown Up". I'm not talking about sex and violence but a more adult storyline. Think of Waltz with Bashir or The Breadwinner

Need a Username

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118461953#Comment_118461953

Gravity Falls is fantasic

i haven’t got to We Bare Bears yet

Mr Crispy

What's really depressing is that no matter how stale Pixar's offerings become, they're still a shoo-in for best animated Oscar despite stellar work from lesser known (to the Academy) studios. Yes, I'm still pissed off that Wolf Walkers didn't win.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462396#Comment_118462396

America is a bit of a closed house when it comes to Animation, and plaudits thereof. But then given live-action has barely managed the crazy idea of giving non-American films the Best Picture gong, perhaps it stands to reason Animation lags further behind.

One does wonder where Pixar might have gone, had it not been swallowed up by Disney; certainly the obvious guess would be we would have seen fewer sequels to past hits. But then when their half-ássed films still charm and entertain as much as Luca, it's hard to feel that annoyed or disappointed either.

TheIrishGrover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462396#Comment_118462396

For crying out loud, "Boss Baby" was nominated over "Your Name"..... BOSS BABY!!!