Resurrecting Nemo - In 3D Of Course

If I'm not mistaken, Finding Nemo is Pixar's second most profitable movie release behind Toy Story 3 (and allowing for inflation, the two are pretty much equal). When I did my ranking of Pixar films (link here) from least favorite to favorite, I had Finding Nemo near the bottom with only Cars 2 being more insufferable along with A Bug's Life simply because I can't remember that movie even though I know that I have seen it. The reasons for my disliking Nemo are simple. Pixar, through many of the films, uses the some premise - a lovable misfit in peril. None of their movies embodies that formula more than Finding Nemo. It seems more formula and less creative originality than many of their other films. That and Ellen Degeneres's incessant chattering voice just plain annoys me.

But I am in the minority and plenty of people will be out in droves to see Finding Nemo in 3D for the next couple of weeks out ahead of its 3D home video release. Good for them. Considering most of the garbage movies that are out right now, a revisit with Nemo may be an improvement, maybe even for a curmudgeon like me.

I follow Albert Brooks, who voiced Nemo's dad in the movie, on Twitter. He is a bright and funny guy along with being a fine actor (like Steve Martin, Brooks was an inventive comedian long before he to took acting). Albert Brooks tweeted last week that the Nemo 3D looked so good at its premiere that he thought that he needed a wet suit. High praise indeed. Enjoy Finding Nemo 3D but I think I'll pass.

Taking A Pass On Pixar's Brave

I wrote a few weeks back (link here) that after seeing previews in 3D of Pixar's newest film Brave at the theaters, I was all in about getting to the local multiplex to see it when it was released, which was yesterday. Now no one should ever let professional critics be the barometer as to whether or not you should make a decision to see a movie. Critics are writers stating opinion, it's the film's viewers that matter. So with that, critics are pretty much on board with Brave as being a quality movie, beautifully animated and with wonderful music. And then we get to the story. Ooops.

Here is where things get a little complicated and opinions vary greatly. I think the bottom line for most, both critics and regular people who have seen the movie, the story is good but not great and the film as a whole is nowhere near the best of Pixar and that for me is kind of disappointing. After the horrid Cars 2 story (though once again, an impressive visual spectacle) I was hoping for Pixar to return to glory, return to the storytelling of what was probably Pixar's best run of films  - Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3, all Oscar winning films. Almost universally, most will tell you that Brave doesn't run in that category of Pixar films. It's more middle of the pack or below. 

I have mentioned before, the older I get, the less I am inclined to go to the theaters to see a movie. I have a nice set up here at home - large screen TV, blu-ray player, 5.1 surround sound, and a pause button. I really got to want to see a movie to go to a theater and it's not about the ridiculous price it costs to see a movie in the theaters these days, espcecially in 3D or IMAX 3D. For me, unless the audience is small, quiet, and well behaved, I can get terribly distracted about what's going on around me. Not to mention in a filled theater, I get claustrophobic. Case in point is The Avengers which I had to see (along with millions of others). I saw The Avengers twice. The first time Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I saw the movie it was in a 3D theater on a Monday afternoon with about a dozen other people. Perfect, great, outstanding. The second time we took The Boy with us. Also in 3D, the theater was probably close to three quarter full right at the tipping point where claustrophobia begins to set in. And a couple of seats down from 4 teenagers took up residence. They talked through the entire movie, not loud enough to where I could here what they were saying, but loud enough to where I just heard a steady stream of distracting background noise in my ear from their constant whispers. Oh, and every 15 minutes or so, one of them would get a text message, the number one reason why going to theaters has become a whole lot less fun in recent years.

So with the reviews of Brave being good but not great, with another common complaint about the movie is it seemed more like a good Disney Princess story than a Pixar original, I think I've decided to wait for it to come to video. Of course, I can always change my mind or Mrs. DLT can change it for me.

Betting On Pixar - A 'Brave' Prediction

Merida from Pixar's Brave - A Disney Parks Blog Photo

I can't say that I have been particularly impressed with the still publicity photos and YouTube trailers for Pixar's new Brave movie which will open June 22nd. That changed yesterday when I saw the 3D preview in front of Marvel's The Avengers. The trailer was stunning and convinced me that Brave will be a winner. Brave marks the return of Pixar in bringing an original story to the screen. We last had the dreadful Cars 2 and previous to that was the astonishingly well made Toy Story 3 but Brave marks Pixar's first original film since Up. And if were I betting man, Up would be a good benchmark for Brave as would Ratatouille. A lot is made of animated movies that feature female leads and their relative success. I believe Merida from Brave will transcend that bias or at least put up a good spirited fight.

Up brought Pixar its customary Oscar for best animated film (Cars 2 was not even nominated). It was a solid box office performer with global appeal. So that is where I kind of seeing Brave ending up and that certainly isn't a bad place to be. When all is said and done, I think Pixar and Disney will pat themselves on the back for this film. A great story, beautifully filmed, with memorable characters is always the best place to start. I couldn't say it before yesterday but now I am looking forward to seeing Brave come to life on the screen.

Oh! By the way, Disney announced it was putting in a Brave Meet and Greet with Merida and friends over by it's a small world in Disneyland and adding a Brave promotional segment to World of Color in Disney California Adventure. This should come as a surprise to.... nobody.

Home of the 'Brave'

Disney Parks Blog posted last week that a new Meet & Greet will be constructed in Fantasyland for Merida, the title character of Pixar's upcoming film Brave which will hit the screens June 22.  Knowing the popularity of these promotional meet & greet's there's probably 8000 kids with their parents planning to be first in line. 

There have been a few TV trailers for Brave but I haven't seen enough of it to form any preconceived opinions one way or another.  The only thing I am sure of is that after the absolutely abominable Cars2, there is only one way for Pixar to go.  Cars 2 was so bad that I heard the Academy Awards asked John Lasseter to give one of his Oscars back as penance.  Anyway, with Brave being sandwiched in between Cars 2 and Monsters Inc 2 its appreciated that Pixar is once again producing an original story for which they have set a very high bar for themselves.

But here's the question.  It's not a sexist thing, but can a female lead carry a Pixar film to box office glory?  The Princess label has been batted around Disney offices for a few years now.  Many at Disney blamed the word Princess for causing the film Princess and the Frog to under perform at the box office.  That later forced the re-titling of Rapunzel to Tangled to make it seem like less of a 'girls' movie.  Here is the thinking, whether its true or not is subject to debate - its not hard to get girls to see movies about cars, toys, houses floating in the air with balloons, or cute little robots - it is hard to get little boys to go see movies about girls.  Just saying, not trying to pick a fight.

So Brave is going to be an interesting case study for Pixar on many levels.  I have a feeling its going to have fine success.  But I also could be wrong.

Ranking Pixar Films - 2012

There are probably a couple of thousand of the lists like this one on the Internet in various blogs and web pages.  With Cars Land set to open and Pixar characters firmly entrenched in Disney California Adventure (along with Buzz and Nemo over in Disneyland), here are my rankings for the 12 Pixar films that have been made over the years.  It should be noted that all Pixar movies are successful and have made money (lots of money) but not all of them have exactly been works of art as the very best of them are.  So here is my list from worse to first.

12) A Bug's Life:  I saw the movie - on video - I don't remember a thing about it.  Not the movie's fault it came in last, more my fault (memo for the To-Do List - see A Bug's Life again).

11) Cars 2:  Visually stunning but one of the most lazy disappointing efforts I have ever witnessed from a group of people who should know better.  I am on a personal quest to rid Larry the Cable Guy and his buffoonery from show business.

10) Finding Nemo:  Along with Toy Story 3, Nemo is Pixar's most profitable movie. Never has the Pixar formula of cute little misfit in peril put more prominently displayed. I just didn't like it.  Ellen Degeneres voice annoys me (but not as much as Larry the Cable Guy).

9) Monsters Inc.:  My opinion of Monsters Inc. seems to waver.  I saw it in a theater and liked it a lot.  I remember being sick at the time so the movie was much better than I was.  When I saw it on video the first time, I didn't like it.  Then I watched it again last year and enjoyed it thoroughly.  I guess it depends how I feel.

8) Cars:  Mrs. DisneylandTraveler drug me to the theater to see Cars - she had already taken The Boy to see it and loved it - she thought I would too.  I was kicking and screaming all the way.  But guess what, I enjoyed the original Cars movie though I did think it was a little too long.  Cars had more Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, and Holly Hunter and less Larry the Cable Guy - a very wise choice.

7) Ratatouille:  This one may have been one of Pixar's best efforts with an Oscar to show for it and I did like Ratatouille.  Its just not a movie I can watch over and over again. Maybe its too good.

6) Toy Story 2:  Even the weakest effort of the Toy Story trilogy is a very, very good movie just not quite as good as the other two.

5) Up:  I kink of put Up in the same category as Ratatouille.  Excellent movies, great stories, and a visually stunning.  But like Ratatouille, I just can't watch Up over and over again.  It is a bit too emotionally fetching and yes, maybe too good.

4) The Incredibles:  Now you're talking.  A Pixar super-hero story.  A Pixar movie that doesn't intentionally try to make you cry.  Just good, fun, entertainment.

3) Toy Story:  I saw Toy Story in a movie theater and walked out in amazement at what I had just seen.  Pixar set the bar high right from the get go and created a truly American film experience with its Toy Story Franchise.  Having Tom Hanks in the lead doesn't hurt.

2) Toy Story 3:  Supposedly the TS trilogy ends here and if it did, it went out in grand style.  The ending of Toy Story 3 is about the most beautiful ending for a movie I have ever seen.

1) Wall-E:  If Toy Story 3 soared off into the sunset at the end, Wall-E blew me away from the beginning.  The love story of Wall-E and Eve is one of the greatest in movie history.  This movie did not need any of the humans that showed late in the movie.  The hearts of Wall-E and Eve, two robots, are greater than 99% of everyone on this planet. This movie did not need a spoken word to convey the richness of all emotions. Wall-E is one of the greatest movies of all time.

Lots-O-Huggin' the Bear, Let's Buy a Creep

This has been bothering me for awhile now. I guess I'm easily bothered. When we last saw Lots-O-Huggin' the Bear in the great movie Toy Story 3, he was plastered to the front of a garbage truck and deservedly so. You see Lotso, for short, was a creep, evil to the core, completely incapable of any sort of redemption. Voiced by the great character actor Ned Beatty (who I still hear in my nightmares from maybe the creepiest movie ever Deliverance) Lotso is really a fully developed character but beyond any doubt, the character is all bad. He was creepy even at the beginning of the movie when you thought he was the kindly old grandfather type.

So what should Disney do now that they have such a reprobate character like Lotso? Well back when the Pixar Play Parade ran in Disney California Adventure, you give him a a spot on a float and make him smell like strawberries. Let's take a walk through some of the larger Disney retail stores around the resort. What's that lined up on the multitude of shelves of stuffed animals? Why its kindly ol' Lotso.

So what's the moral of the Lotso story? Kind of like Duffy the Bear, no matter how so short-sighted, if he's huggable for a kid, slap a price a price tag on him and make a few bucks. Some day the kid will realize they are hugging a creep of epic proportions.

Are You Sure About This Cars Land Thing?

Disney has got several hundred million bucks invested in this Cars Land expansion and without a doubt the pictures that are still coming out of the soon to be opened land (June 2012) show a level of detail that is second to none. A reasonably close rendition of Radiator Springs will spring to life but is Disney sure about hitching something that is supposed to last generations to the Cars movie franchise?

I watched Cars 2 on blu-ray last night. Without a doubt, it is the worst thing from Pixar that I have seen (my previous Pixar low water mark was Finding Nemo). Now to be fair, the computer generated graphics and especially the use of color, light, and reflection are eye popping but there is a movie behind dazzling colors and that movie isn't very good. I could go on and on about why I didn't like it but it comes down to too much Larry the Cable Guy and taking the simple charm of the original Cars on a globe trotting spy chase almost seems like something that would come out of an old copy of Mad Magazine.

It was fun to see the Radiator Springs on the screen (what little of it there was) and compare it to what is being built in Southern California but building a land on the movie franchise where its last effort was horrid seems a bit of a head scratcher. The original concept of Cars land wasn't based on the movie at all but the original Route 66 that wound its way half way across this country once upon a time. But Disney in their never ending quest to tie their brands and franchises together in profitable packages moved into the Pixar Cars realm. Hopefully Cars Land comes together better than Cars 2 the movie.

An Evening With The Incredibles

I believe as far as the box numbers go, Pixar's The Incredibles ranks 4th out of the 12 films the studio has released to this point (Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, and Up all had bigger grosses). I never saw it when it was released in theaters because let's face it, I'm far too busy of a guy. I did see it once on DVD and remember liking it. Saw parts of it while visiting other people and remember liking the parts I saw there as well.

It was out of my radar but Disney released a Blu-Ray version of the film a few months ago and I just happened to notice it was available from Netflix, so I plunked it in my queue and it showed up a few days ago in the mail. So on a quiet evening here on the home front, I spent some time with the Incredibles.

It's a bit different from many of the Pixar films because it is entertainingly accessible. It doesn't go overboard trying to pull at your heart strings like many of the other Pixar offerings which often try to manipulate you into the story. Is the Incredibles one of Pixar's better movies? Not really, Wall-E and Toy Story 3 top my list. But it is also far from the worst where I have the annoying Finding Nemo. What The Incredibles is turns out to be a family story, a fun story, and a superhero story all rolled into one entertaining package.