I have been a bit disappointed that the last two summers Pixar has put out sequels. I’m not saying they’re bad movies. I liked Toy Story 2. I liked it better than Toy Story actually. Last summer, Toy Story 3 was an entertaining end to that tale. I actually haven’t seen Cars 2, and I likely won’t see it until it’s on home video. With as much creativity as Pixar has under one roof, I feel a little short changed when they come out with a sequel. That’s why this teaser trailer for their new, original film, Brave has me absolutely stoked.
Here’s a still.
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I agree. This looks very promising!
I haven’t seen an original Pixar movie that I didn’t at least likeI/i>. Several of their movies are on my “Top Ten Animated Features” list. Every now and then I find a get a bit of an artist’s crush on Disney / Pixar female characters. I really like the character design of the princess in Brave. I also thought Meg from Hercules was really appealing
I love Pixar, but I too have been a bit dismayed at there decisions to go with sequels. TOY STORY 3 was ok and made sense from a narrative (as well as being a huge cash cow), but much of it was based on things we had seen before in TS 1 & 2.
The decision on doing CARS 2 really had me scratching my head though. It was almost as if it were some faustian style deal struck on behalf of UP (“Ok, we will let you take a risk with UP, but then you have to go totally commercial again”). I mean of all the potentials for sequels they do CARS? Why not THE INCREDIBLES (ripe for a sequel) or MONSTERS INC or FINDING NEMO? Even A BUG’S LIFE would have seemed more sensible.
Of course I will see CARS 2, just as I will see anything PIXAR does, but the sequel focus has me wondering if they are starting down the road the Disney animation went in the 90s, and before you know it we’ll getting a flood of lower quality direct to DVD sequels. I love animation (2D and 3D), but I hope that is not the case.
And of course (after I post) I now see that MONSTERS INC. is getting a sequel in 2013. Always late to the party I am… ;-P
It does make you wonder what contractual restraints there are between Pixar and Disney, even after Disney bought them a few years ago. With John Lasseter in the drivers seat for all Disney features, Pixar and otherwise, I’m not that worried about a return to the DVD fodder of the 90’s.
Sequels are almost always a cash grab. I get it. These movies are not cheap to make. Sequels help keep the really creative, new stories coming. I think that it’s on the studio(s) to 1) only make them if absolutely necessary, if the story calls for it, and 2) make them better than the first. Batman The Dark Knight is a good example.
I’m really excited for Brave! The imagery looks amazing, but I’m also excited for an animated movie with what looks like a really strong female lead character. They are few and far between. Disney’s Tangled started off really strong, but the ending delivered some very questionable messages. I really hope the story-line is such that they allow the main character to stand on her own.
That’s the other reason I am excited about Brave, Gillian. Pixar has the stones to do a female lead right. Elastigirl from The Incredibles, was a great female lead, but it was about the family as a whole, not just her story. Brave looks to be a tale focusing on one main character.
Did you like Mulan?
I do like Mulan, it’s the only non-princess Disney movie with a female lead that comes to mind. It would be encouraging, however, to see more films with female leads — especially if they don’t have to go in drag for half the movie be deemed heroic. ;)
There have been other strong female lead characters in Disney films, but the ones that come to mind are all from ensemble casts. Captain Amelia, Treasure Planet. Meg, Hercules – artist crush on her too!.
I liked Tangled after they got one or two awkward songs out of the way early on. I think the problem with most Disney films is that eventually the guy has to man up and the girl has to (at some point) play the princess or it doesn’t really keep that fairy tale quality.
Did you see The Princess And The Frog? I only saw it the once, but Tiana was on the strong side wasn’t she?
It’s interesting when you start to think about the whole formulaic approach of the ‘princess’ narratives of the 90’s animations. Women in the lead and most are considered strong (for that era), yet always having fall to that role that Joel mentioned (and the supporting men as well). I think that was one of the reasons I really liked ALADDIN when it first came out…but it too ultimately fell to that same character structure.
The post-millenial films seemed to move away from that structure, but with the exceptions of FANTASIA 2000 and LILO & STITCH, I did not really like much of what was being done with Disney’s 2D theatrical releases.
BRAVE looks promising…but it looks like it could easily turn into a ‘Pocahontas’ type of story as well. That being said, if anyone has consistently proven to shock me right out of my expectations it is Pixar (WALL-E and UP are two perfect examples).