For years, Pixar Animation Studios was seemingly untouchable, with every new movie being a must-watch event in theaters. Films like “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “Up,” and “Inside Out,” were not only successful financially, but also became fond childhood memories for many. But somewhere along the way, Pixar appears to have lost some of their draw.
The biggest problem seems to be the studio’s reliance on pre-established franchises. Instead of introducing new ideas and experimenting with new worlds, Pixar has depended on films audiences are already familiar with. Sequels aren’t automatically bad, as the “Toy Story” series and 2024 big hit “Inside Out 2” were both huge successes. Yet when a studio only builds on already existing ideas, the movies stop feeling as creative and more like garaunteed products.
Another factor is the competing willingness and focus on experimenting, with new mediums and reinventing the norm for animated movies. For instance, Sony Picture’s “Spider Man Into the Spiderverse” used a unique visual style of combining 3D computer animation with traditional hand-drawn 2D comic book printing. This, along with energetic storytelling, set the movie apart from how other animated movies may feel. DreamWorks Animation also had success with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” where they took a familiar character and unexpectedly swung him into an emotionally and visually appealing story. Meanwhile, Pixar has stuck to a stylized and cartoony animation style, opting to safely reuse the trademark formula which historically had been a success.
The other major issue is Pixar’s modern reliance on streaming platforms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, films “Soul,” “Luca,” and “Turning Red” were immediately released on Disney+ rather than receiving traditional theatrical releases. While this was reasonable for the time, the usage of digital release presented other issues which would have consequences down the line. Audiences became conditioned to bypass going to theaters, and would rather wait for Pixar movies to release on Disney+ before simply watching them from home. Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter admitted this strategy backfired, and subsequently impacted early box office figures for “Elemental” as audience viewing habits changed. The movie opened to only about $30 million domestically, yet it eventually recovered to almost $500 million worldwide.
There is still ample evidence that Pixar can succeed. “Hoppers” was made on a $150 million budget and went on to gross $390 million worldwide during its theatrical run, making it Pixar’s most successful launch for an original since 2017’s “Coco.” As for the future, the studio’s movie lineup is promising. The next movie will be “Gatto,” which finally debuts a highly experimental visual style of a “living painting” look. As for upcoming sequels, “Incredibles 3” is scheduled to release in 2028, and “Coco 2” the following year.
While Pixar’s competitors have improved in creativity and style, Pixar Studios itself seems to be struggling to evolve. For Pixar to see future success, they must move away from relying on their reputation to make their movies popular. As other studios have proved that innovative animated movies tend to be where the audience demand lies, Pixar must quickly and successfully adapt to these changes to see future growth and stability. Additionally, Pixar should continue to invest in preliminarily releasing films to movie theaters for extended periods of time, especially as theaters have seen the largest number of audience members since the pandemic.
With Pixar’s historical precedent of producing nostalgic films, in which have been figments of audiences’ childhood, Pixar must look to that and aim higher with more originality and imagination.