Pixar: the great successes are far away
Since the release and success of History of the toy (1995), Pixar has become a very renowned studio. We can no longer count the animated films that have left their mark on popular culture, in the medium The world of Nemo (2003), Ratatouille (2007), Wall-E (2008) or even Up there (2009). However, for some time now, the results of Pixar films have not lived up to expectations. The pandemic is also to blame, given that several productions, initially scheduled for theaters, finally finished on Disney+the platform of The Walt Disney Company which owns Pixar.
This was particularly the case withAfter you (2020), from Drunk (2020) or evenred alert (2022) which had cost between 175 and 200, 150 and 175 million dollars respectively. And about Hum Lightning (2022) e Elementary (2023), released in theaters, the numbers weren’t that good. The former brought in $226 million in revenue and the latter brought in $496 million. Which is a far cry from certain Pixar productions that approached or exceeded one billion and placed these films among the least profitable in the studio.
The release of Vice versa 2 will be decisive for the future
The release of Vice versa 2 (June 19 in France) it is therefore important. And Peter Docter, artistic director of Pixar, but also co-director of Monsters and Co., Up there, Vice versa AND Drunkand producer of Vice versa 2reported his concern for the futurein an article by Time. An interview during which he explained the importance of the soundtrack of this next film for the sequel, and the new strategies of the firm.
If (Vice-Versa 2) doesn’t work in theaters, I think we’re going to have to think even more radically about how to run our business.
The first change in Pixar’s strategy was to set aside new original works to prioritize spin-off films of established hits. It was decided to proceed like this this sequence of Vice versa. Except that this strategy is delicate, since according to Peter Docter many people say to themselves: “Why don’t they do more original things?“. But the reality is that”when (they) do it, people don’t go to see them because they don’t know these universes. With sequels, people think: Oh, I saw that. I know I like it. Sequels are very valuable that wayThe fact remains that audiences would be more demanding with sequels, which pushes Pixar teams to find new things, even in a sequel to Vice versa 2to make sure you surprise your viewers.
No live action like Disney
Another way to attract the audience could be to launch yourself live adaptations of Pixar’s greatest hits. At least that’s what Time mentioning that many fans had mentioned the name of Josh O’Connor (Challengers) to play Alfredo Linguini, the hero of Ratatouille if a live version saw the light of day. But Peter Docter is categorical on this. Even though Disney has had great success in launching live action adaptations, the director does not want to go this direction.
No, we don’t want to do that. It pains me a little to say this, but it bores me. I like to make original, unique, one-of-a-kind films. Doing remakes isn’t really interesting to me. (…) And then it would be too difficult. A lot of what we create works thanks to the rules of the animation world.
So we shouldn’t see Buzz Lightyear, Alfredo Lunguini, or Carl Fredricksen in person, and that’s a good thing. It remains to be hoped that with Vice versa 2 the studio will be able to return to the top of the box office. There’s no doubt about that the first weekend of operation in the United States (this June 15-16) will be carefully observed.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
