More Concern about Elemental and Pixar
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- More information and reviews and coming out for Pixar's Elemental and it's looking even worse. Today we are talking about Elemental and Pixar in general moving forward after Elemental doesn't make money.
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Uhhhh, *"says Roger Ebert. com...."* whoops 😂
Do the reviews and trailers influence your decision on this movie?
Having seen an enjoyable 1 and 2 of a trilogy will itch my need to be a completionist unless critics I resonate with will encourage me to avoid it. What is on my list to see is Deadpool 3, and Guardians 3. Thenceforth I become Martin Scorsese.
Never really heard of it.
I still want to see it. Just not too excited about it.
No, from my initial reaction I thought Elemental looked very subpar I actually thought it was a Pixar short and that's where it should have stayed.
Yes, absolutely. Though reading the plot summary on wikipedia is also helpful. Yes, I like to know spoilers. :D
It's extra sad cause Pixar used to be seen as being "immune " to Disney's bad decisions back in the day when all they were doing was bad animated sequels.
Right. They were more separate back then.
😢
It doesn’t matter politically what you believe, we don’t go to movies to be yelled at by either political aisle, because it isn’t fun. Disney needs to make movies that are fun and enjoyable and touch on topics that are interesting and important.
I read that after Monsters Inc, Disney was planning on parting ways with Pixar and Finding Nemo would have been the last Disney distributed Pixar film. When that became a huge box office success and the 2nd biggest hit of 2003 after Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Disney changed their minds about letting Pixar go.
"Does Pixar have an internal movie-by-numbers guide?"
Yes. It's called Disney.
Haha, judging from Marvel and Lucas doing the same stuff, I have to agree
I didn't mention it in the poll, but my assumption would be that if Disney ever sold off Pixar, that would be the exact year Pixar would pop off, and then Disney would royally regret selling. Or at least that's likely a concern they have. Ignoring the fact that if they did sell, any improvements to Pixar's product would likely be due to the new management not due to any lingering effect they had on the product.
Agreed Pixar is suffering the same issues as Disney not only would you need new management, but also sort through personnel. It's from the top going down changes.
@LTNetjak @LTNetjak Well, then they're doing "princess oriented" really poorly. Like Owen has mentioned in at least one or two other videos now, they're trying to appeal to women as if we have the same exact ambitions and fantasies as men. While not necessarily inaccurate across the board, most women don't find the power dynamic portrayed in Marvel and Star Wars movies as of late as very compelling. Tangled was good because even though one might not be able to relate to being locked in a tower by a selfish old woman, we can relate to Rapunzel's desires, hopes, and dreams. And that concept certainly isn't tired to the concept of a romance anything, though it is an easy vehicle with which to present the concept.
@@BornOfBooks Yeah, I don't remember the last time Disney did a good princess movie with a good romance for the main character.
I rather see Spiderverse instead of Elemental. I mean honestly the constant releases of films is what hurts Pixar. Instead of spacing the movies out they keep on releasing them. They need a restructuring and a reboot to get them back into what they used to be.
Honestly, elements seems like a first draft script that either needs heavy reworking or outright scrapping. Besides a lot of the played out stuff, nothing screams prejudice is bad like having the analogues kill eachother on contact.
That Variety review said they have so many things happening at once, but none of it lands. Sounds awful
The entire plot was leaked via a children's book in one of Disney's channels. There's no villain, the parents are the antagonists as usual.
When I saw the first trailer I instantly assumed it was a ham fisted allegory for mixed race couples.
I assume their child will be SUPERIOR due to its mixed heritage.
On the one hand, I’m so sad to see Disney in this state. Disney was such a huge part of my childhood. From lesser known films like Old Yeller and Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Flight of the Navigator to the Disney renaissance animation masterpieces. Even the Mickey Mouse shorts they had in the forties and fifties has such great memories for me. But honestly, as sad as I am about their state, I can’t feel sorry for them. Disney had all this goodwill from literally billions of people. And what do they do with that goodwill? They alienate the majority of their fans to cater to their ESG scores. And I’m usually not the type to enjoy anyone’s failure, but I will admit, I like seeing them pay dearly for their hubris.
Oh wow I've forgotten about Flight of the Navigator! Loved it when I was little! Thanks for the reminder!
What is ESG?
@@OscarMPG1 esg is Environmental, Social and Governance behaviors and policies that companies report and they get scored. Like, emissions reduction, climate change programs, diversity and inclusion hiring policies. Some people will actually refuse to buy or invest in a company if it doesn't have a good score.
@@katyty1496 that as a system actually isnt a bad idea in practice to, usually a good score *would* imply a good company, with a good standing, good morals, etc... but the majority of companies that appear to appease this system the most also seem to be the worst of the worst, and are just to big to fail.
@@fusionwing4208 yeah, it's like the anecdote about trying to get rid of cobras paying for each killed snake. the idea is to get rid of cobras, but crafty people took to breeding them instead. (and when the program ended, they released the remaining cobras into the wild...)
the lesson is, if there's a score, someone will be trying to game it.
I have a friend who worked for Disney when they acquired Pixar. He said that Disney basically appropriated a huge chunk of their creative staff. Not long after we got Disney's Wreck-It Ralph and Pixar's Brave. I saw them both and my immediate impression was RiW was the next Pixar movie (excellent themes, characters, plots, and 'Holy Crap I'm crying over a cartoon!' - and now that you've said it, "video game characters but with feelings") and that Brave was Disney's next princess movie wearing a Pixar bow (and painfully by-the-numbers).
It feels like Disney gave Pixar the Starwars treatment, but that Pixar was too young to have a massive, multigenerational fan base willing to take up arms and fight back.
What's odd is the redundancy between them. Like you said, those movies could have come from either place. Tangled has a very Pixar feel. What is even the point of having two studios?
@@gregowen2022 And I _loved_ Tangled and absolutely abhorred Frozen. Yeah, it's like the spark got spread out between the two and became lesser for it.
I worked there for a while, all the stories I heard were about Pixar trying to keep Disney’s claws off of the studio. Once JL was gone there was no holding them back. Incredibles 2 was almost done and Onward was a lot closer to completion when JL left, which is probably why they feel more like Pixar.
Ralph It-Wreck was an interesting movie.
I bet they wanted to set a romcom in the world of Zootopia... but then they were like, "Interspecies romance might be kind of weird. What if they are just element people?"
Didn't the 2 main characters at the end get together? It's been a while since I saw the movie so I could be wrong though.
@@kartoitska8944 It was heavily implied by the ending's dialogue, but the powers that be have never actually confirmed if Nick and Judy are a legit couple or were just teasing each other.
@@draconusfrigidus I just rewatched the end scene and to me it looks a little more then just implied, but it's indeed not confirmed.
(Judging by the facial expressions of Judy in the briefing scene and by the dialoge in the car scene you mentioned)
But I guess we will find out once zootopia 2 finally releases
@@kartoitska8944 If they don't get together there is going to be an awful lot of fan fiction fans that are going to be really disapointed.
@@frednone Hahahaha, that for sure. Some people are down bad fr
Elementals is literally Zootopia but with elements. They keep using the same idea. Next it's going to be a city of desserts and it'll be about a slice of cake teaming up with a cup of pudding to solve the mystery of the great popcorn heist or some shit.
I need someone to make this as a parody.
"We're ice cream people, we don't associate with molten chocolate cake people!"
Dessertopia?
You better copy write that idea.
Disney is desperate these days.
@@toweypat That unfortunately remembers of that cringy animated ice cream segment from Bill Nye Saves the World.
Lightyear: definitely NOT the 1990’s sci fi action movie that Andy saw drumming up his love for Buzz.
Years ago, I remember reading a Tumblr thread that spread across other social platforms as a meme. The posters were talking about a movie idea about squirrels living on a college campus and one of them wanted to become a student. The last person was “SOMEONE PICH THIS IDEA TO PIXAR” or something like this. A single Tumblr thread from about 10 years ago sound more like a Pixar movie than what Pixar is putting out now…
That is adorable and hilarious to me. The squirrels at UH were fearless; they would definitely find a way to enroll lol
@@MVPMVE I would love to watch an animated movie about college squirrels. College squirrels are nuts. I saw one fat squirrel trying to take a half eaten pizza slice up a tree. It wasn’t one of those small slices that you get a Pizza Hut or Dominoes. It was a New York style pizza slice. I also been jumped by a squirrel taking a snooze in a garbage can outside the library while trying to throw something out.
I had a lab instructor who told us stories of how squirrels got into the lab when the windows were left open.
That's just ratatouille
@@hilosky more like alvin and the chipmunks 2
2:32 Honestly the idea of there being different beings who are essentially living elements would be a cool idea, but more for a darker more Fantasy Style movie rather than a Zootopia derivative.
Yes, but more fantasy. Like the elements be more separate. Why are they living together?
I am so guilty of schadenfreude when it comes to watching Disney continue to fail. I don’t want Disney to go under, I just want there to be such an insurmountable level of failure that they finally have to move away from identity politics to survive.
Perhaps the most enduring and important discovery from the last few years: You can no longer depend on brand recognition. Any reputation can be torn down by stringing together enough failures in a row
The whole story of Pixar and how Steve Jobs bought it from George Lucas and then...years later sold it to Disney is incredible.
Elemental is going to suck.
They tried to make it Zootopia. The problem is that the world of Zootopia where animals live together only requires self control on the part of carnivores. I could wonder about their diet, but I'm willing to overlook that problem.
The world of elemental requires people to control involuntary bodily functions like sneezing. Fire person sneezes on wood person and kills them. Water person sneezes on fire person and kills them. There's a reason why the "races" don't mix here, and it's due to the possibility of involuntary murder.
And this also makes the entire plot of the story seem insane. Why are all these different types of elements existing in one city? How are they existing in one city without accidentally destroying each other? Is it really prejudice when the hot girl of another race could sneeze and kill you? That seems like a well founded reason to keep separate not some racial segregation is bad thing.
Also, as all of the races in this story do have entirely different needs, it seems to be pushing a pro-separate but equal message, which we tried in the real world and determined ended up not being equal.
Diversity and inclusion doesn't work, that's why there's fences and borders 🏡
@jenniferhanses
Yeah as it is, this doesn't work because the cause of accidental deaths by opposing element is a valid reason to not mix. It'd make more sense if this world were more like Avatar The Last Air Bender/Legend of Korra in that you had living beings who manipulate natural elements.
And they don't have be humans either, as they could be elves, or they could've been fairies loosely based off of Tinkerbell. At least this way the prejudice could make more sense as fire fairies or elves could be seen as destructive because of their rash behavior and short temperment. The water fairies/elves could be seen as too passive as they just go with the flow of life. The air elves/fairies could be seen as too loose and care free as they are shown being too light hearted and playful, and Earth elves/fairies could be seen as too rigid and simple minded, or dumb if you prefer.
This way when two elemental elves/fairies fall in love the premise can be justified as you can have statistics that show that one's element coincides with their personalities, which could reinforce the prejudices as statics has been used to do in reality. And the lovers can defy those prejudices by learning from each other and showing that such being don't have to be limited by preconceived notions.
BTW, I came up with this off the top of my head in 23 minutes in typing this. The guy who made Elemental has no excuse unless it was an executive mandate to keep the premise simple for kids to understand. Which even if tweaked a bit more shouldn't be hard to do.
@@DemonicRemption I agree that your idea could work if that was the general sort of story they wanted to tell.
With the raw elements, you could also have fire facing a united front of the others, as it's really fire in the middle that is dangerous/vulnerable. Wood, air, and water could probably co-exist.
Potentially you get a complicated story there of wanting to find a way to co-exist with the fire race, but there's no easy answers. A story where they're not bad people, but sometimes things are complicated.
But I'm not sure that story would go over well either, as again, it's ultimately preaching separate but equal because the problem cannot be solved.
@@DemonicRemption
A continued part of this example is also finding love in differences.
The ambition and energy of fire. The fluidity and cooperativeness of water. The aloofness yet comforting air. The reliability of earth.
None of these elements are truly dangerous or 'evil'. Even fire has an important role to play.
But the elementals are, by their very nature, doomed to struggle. Fire will always clash with water, for that is how their universes rules demand those elements interact.
It could have been an interesting idea to make the elements more tribal in their lifestyles, because they know they don’t mesh for obvious reasons, and then “plot” happens where Fire and Water want to solve a problem and realize that the only way they can succeed is together. Then they have to figure out how to navigate that problematic realization “how to work together when they could easily destroy the other?” Can they succeed? Will they succeed? 🤷♀ It’s an interesting creative exercise.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who's made the connection between Laseter being ousted and the quality of films being produced since. I thought Luck, and their other short Blush, were both great animated content with none of 'the message' being forced into them
...what's "the message"?
Be realistic, Luck was also very mid. Im a huge pixar fan, but there are reasons even people who like it dont bring it up at all. It's unmemorable at best.
@@jarronwilliams7227 I don't disagree with you, it was just a simple story with no social justice nonsense forced into it. I found that that to be quite refreshing. Not saying it's a classic by any means, just a well made animated film.
@Gasterthemaster
It's a very complicated question. But to make it simple it's the reason why the live action Disney peter pan movie changed absolutely everything to push the message.
Boys and girls are The same you know they are Different.
Boys can't be heroes only girl boss.
Girls can't be feminine Motherly Or like classic traditional things. She must be just like one of the boys like a tom boy. But not like take some Boyish elements street up write them like A badly written male
Everybody must be a different race despite time Period And location.
And of course if you disagree with any of this or question it you are A biget terrorist.
@@gasterthemaster6490 Ppl like that don't actually care about the quality of the movies, they're just pissed they're not conservative enough for their tastes (i mean, that's the only way I can understand someone defending that piece of shit movie "Luck"), which is weird, because I don't even see anything particularly progressive in those pixar movies. I mean, except a couple gay people I don't see anything this kinda crowd would've been offended by only a few years ago before all that moral panic about "wokeness". I'm just saying, if Bug's Life had come out today, they'd be calling it "communist garbage"
Elemental would be an amazing mini movie!!! Remember those? Jerry's Game? That snowman in a snow globe? Bao?
I'd love seeing a 5 min skit where a fire girl and a water guy figure out how to have a date. But amateur studios have already done that.
My 2nd biggest problem with Pixar is the art style, look at Luca, Turning Red, and Soul, they look too much alike
I know right? Where’s the creativity and distinct styles? It all just looks like Wallace and Grommet. To me it’s lazy.
Bruh turning red and soul have completely different artstyles
@@janfiloute_the_noob4045 I said they look too much alike, not that they are the same
@@vexvega5225 i still find them really different. Ok, the chara design in Soul are pretty cartoonish, but not as much as turning red, where the faces are very round and very exagerated animation and expression. Plus Soul has a very photorealistic look(which makes a contrast with the soul World), while TR is very cartoonish during all the movie. Like, TR has even some light anime influences, with the color palette for example.
The goals are very differents in those movies.
Also, why when Pixar makes 2 or 3 movies with a similar artstyle, people love to complain, but when Ghibli adopts the same face syndrome with almost all of their movies, no one complains????
Sorry if i sound wrong, im not french.
Yeah this is why I avoided Turning Red. That and Luca look like an odd mix of Sony and Aardman.
A plant on the left, a desk on the right, and a cup of tea in your hand... all it takes to have a great UA-cam channel.
You also express your ideas and opinions very well and that's why you earned my subscription.
I appreciate it! I'm glad you're here
Recently found your channel with the Dreamworks Villains vid, and I've been binge watching since! Love how you convey your Christian and right-leaning perspective without rage-baiting, we need more positivity not negativity. It feels very validating to see someone else willing to point out hypocrisy on BOTH sides, all the while putting story first. Keep up the good work!
I appreciate the kind words, thank you so much!
I'm just so glad there are others that are as tired of constant negativity as I am.
@@gregowen2022 Thank YOU lol
The point about Pixar going downhill as soon as Lasseter was gone isn't really true. Lasseter was pretty much solely responsible for the train wreck that was Cars 2 (still Pixar's worst film, though Lightyear comes close) and taking a hatchet to Brave and the plans of the original director. That's the moment when a new Pixar film went from a sure-fire home run to very hit or miss. In the 2010s when Lasseter was still deeply involved, only Inside Out and Coco can match the quality found in Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, and the golden decade of the 2000s for Pixar. Sure other films like Monsters U are solid, but they're about on the level of Onward or Luca.
My point is that Pixar has been struggling in the writing department for well longer than the last 5 years, but we're only now seeing the box office ramifications.
I personally don't even find Inside Out and Coco to be one of Pixar's best. Not even Soul, which was close, but not quite. To me, the last Pixar film that matched the quality of the 2000s was Toy Story 3.
Monsters Inc? Are you serious? The entire plot of the film is gaining energy by terrifying children. It’s completely off the rails and rewards child abuse. Of course its presented in an innocent manner.
I personally disagree with you on Soul and Luca. I loved both of those movies. But everything else is spot on. I’m so bored with prejudice messages. Perhaps it would be a lot more interesting if they talked about WHY prejudice happens rather than condescendingly wag the finger at the audience and say “prejudice bad” over and over.
Exploring the roots and nuance of prejudice would make for an amazing story! Trouble is, Disney seems to hate nuance and moral greyness.
awesome metaphor creation: "subtle as a Harrier jet and bored harder than a diamond bit drill." Greg Owen's UA-cam channel; "Come for the fashion, stay for the literary flourishes!" 🤣🤣
When you mentioned Zootopia, I remembered why I also really like it a lot. Besides being charming, fun, and having a good thematic undercurrent without being overwhelming, and (Spoilers below)
a villain who didn't want to improve relations between prey and predator animals, but rather just wanted to engineer chaos and tension between the two so it would be easier to flip the script. Which, of course, helps nobody.
You bring up a great point that should be emphasized: As a 20 minute short, this thin of a story would've been awesome at that more appropriate length. Bring back shorts!
You make some valid points, but the box office rundown was 4/5 silly-by which I mean that Onward was released just a week or so before COVID hit the U.S., while Luca, Soul *and* Turning Red went straight to Disney+ in the U.S. Their box office performances came from a smattering of overseas runs. Personally I think Turning Red should’ve gotten a full theatrical release, but it didn’t.
You’re correct about Lightyear, however. The concept was too cute by half, and while it’s true that in reality, a talking toy based on a movie character would likely use a different voice actor, in this case it just confused the hell out of audiences who were expecting to hear Tim Allen.
"Bored harder than a diamond tip drill."
I don't know, Greg. Gonna have to steal that one...
Hey, I steal from the content section shamelessly, you should steal back from me.
@@gregowen2022 You're a scholar and a gentleman, sir lol
The problems I have with Elemental is that it’s going for a clear, obvious message that’s going to bring everyone in the plot together one way or another and that’s it. It’s not going to go all in on this idea and maybe have concepts like elements fighting each other or one treating the other like garbage. Also it’s seriously eye-rolling/kind of messed up how in the trailers, Ember’s Dad is awful to the water guy, especially when it came to the Fire Dish scene (where he feeds the boy something that is actively causing him pain and he smiles about hurting him.) It just feels like the movie is skin deep (Elements Don’t Mix/Mixing is good) and that’s about it. Brings me to not being excited for it at all, and why I’d rather see Ruby Gillman at the end of the day.
I’ve felt the same way about movies in general for a while. Heavy handed storytelling with padded run times because 14 dollars a ticket for 40 minute runtimes would piss the audience off, but adding an extra 20 minutes or more of padding slogs the pacing down and makes the movie feel like a chore.
Pacing is one of the surest way to make or break any media.
That’s part of the reason Puss in Boots the Last Wish did so well it was actually good
No one can change my mind about Soul. That movie is great.
Disney's killed Pixar... Marvel... Star Wars... Indiana Jones... DuckTales... Darkwing Duck... Chip and Dale... Artemis Fowl...
What's next?
I didn't even think Chip and Dale was that bad of a movie.
@@whitworth5s248and the ducktales revival was pretty good.
Itself
Don't forget Blue Sky, which they bought along with Fox and then closed in 2021 claiming they couldn't keep the studio open "because Covid" and as someone who loves Blue Sky - especially IA1 - I'm still sad/mad about that.
I already saw books spoiling the entire movie. Why do companies love to lose money? I remember when merchandise spoiling the movie wouldn't be available until like a week or two sometimes even a month after the movie came out, so spoilers are everywhere, and people who wanted to see it already had and others don't care.
Spoilers for Elemental:
Elements can't mix. Fire girl can't touch Water guy because she'll hurt herself. Except they kiss at the end, so wtf? Also, they play a crying game! Pixar is trying so hard to make you feel emotional it doesn't feel natural. They might as well have a neon sign going ''This is part of the film where you cry.''
I will never get tired of all the funny ways you work in the "hit the like button" bit.
Personally I didn't mind Onward but I really liked Luca because it almost reminded me of Kiki's delivery. A kid going out into the world to really truly understand it himself by experiencing, and making friends by themselves. I always loved movies that base perspectives from kids as it reminds me of me and my friends when we were younger. It's a shame that pixar really isn't questioning what really tugs at the heart strings of people who grew up with beloved films like Up and Toy story. Now it's as if they treat their fanbase as a joke and keep it at a script which has been done many many many times. Encanto did better at explainibg family problems better than turnibg red did. Mainly cause Turning Red sorry not sorry, is a movie for girls than for boys. To truly understand the bond with turning red is to really live inside the mindset of a 12 year old teenage girl. What she wants what she thinks and how she thinks. Whereas Encanto? It was all the family members included into one movie and we didn't need many scenes of each to know who they were as characters. Pixar CAN do good movies for their specific or overall audiences, but they lack time to trulu perfect them.
When you said “Great Value Zootopia,” I was simultaneously thinking “bargain-bin Zootopia.” 😅
Personally, I'm a MASSIVE fan of Soul. Not necessarily for its higher themes of mortality, existentialism, and living a good life and leaving good legacy. But what made the movie special to me was how it captured the love of music and musical expression so accurately and lovingly. Those B-plot themes, if you would, resonated with me on a whole other level as a musician who pursues music purely out of my love for it, not for any monetary or professional gain.
This feels like a movie I might go see largely because I know it's going to bomb and feel bad for it. Because real talk, you KNOW animating that fire and water had to be a nightmare.
Also, nice use of Shayne Smith. Respect.
Shayne is so hilarious!
I'm going to be unable to go see this one for a review. This is definitely a Disney plus watch for me
The problem with current Pixar movies is that they forgot to write actual stories for them. Instead, they have B plots masquerading as A plots.
Honestly the main problem I have with movies nowadays, especially animated ones, is that I don't feel anything when I watch them anymore.
I cry way more watching animated movies than live action ones, cause they used to have these emotional journeys and lessons that everyone could relate to. Now they are soulless, all about filling check-boxes and preaching agenda.
Thank you for inadvertently validating my taste in movies.
I always thought Onward was the more enjoyable Pixar feature of the latest bunch (including Luca, Soul, Turning Red, Lightyear, TS4 or even Incredibles 2).
Not because it’s flawless but because the story has such an satisfying ending. I got to experience the emotional catharsis Pixar is renowned for. (Think of such iconic moment as Mr. Incredible in the first movie “finding out” that his whole family died. Or the first 5 minutes of Up, Joy understanding the value of Sadness, Andy and Woody letting go of each other to allow each to fulfill their separate destinies, etcetc.)
I don’t get why Onward seems to be “lesser than” in comparison to other recent Pixar movies.
I bawled like someone had personally attacked me when I watched the ending of Onward. That hasn’t happened since Inside Out (Coco came close).
For me Elemental suffers from the same core problem of Zootopia. Carnivores aren't going to stop being carnivores no matter how much the movie wants all animals to get along. With Elemental, what kind of message are they trying to prove? World seems like it would be better off without fire, especially for earth. The air doesn't need fire and the water certainly doesn't. And a relationship between fire and water, in my racist opinion cannot work. It's just not right. The fire girl doesn't want to be held back by her race. Is she going to learn she'll never make things wet like water, that she's should embrace her fireness and stick to fire things. That's a bad racial metaphor. Is she going to change into something completely new and lose everything she was before? Or is she going to change her element, maybe become a new element where she can somehow maintain the properties of two or more elements and prove to everyone else that she can have it all?
Bro… for Luca idk. Being from Liguria (the region in Italy where Luca is set) I tell you that prejudice, I think, it’s really one of the best themes for a story set in a ‘50-‘60 ish Italy (at least from a cultural standpoint)
If Soul had been about Joe Gardner all the way through and not swung wide at the end, I would have loved it. The film's occasionally asides regarding his job as a teacher made me suspect that the film was going to tie his spark/love for jazz to his calling to teach. Instead, they went wide with a postmodern bent on savouring life, which I felt was at odds with what the film was trying to say. It was so close to being a 9 or a 10 out of 10 but that unfocused, confused, sentimental ending dropped it to a 7 for me.
I think the ending is actually what made it meaningful and for me IS the directed point of the film.
This film is about this man aiming for a dream his whole life and then realizing once he's experienced it culimnated... it failed to satisfy him, leaving him purposeless. Then via his experience with an unborn soul, he realizes that directed purpose was not what made life worth living for...it was just...the experience of the moments that bring us fulfillment without needing purpose or labels...Just existing and experience was made to be the reason life was worth it. And this man, narrowly looking at a point in the distance missed all the experiences of value he could have observed and cherish while walking there...the child showed him that.
The story intentional misguided you with the concept of "follow dreams and passion" but abandons the very notion of dreams mattering at all in the end...because that was...at its core...the point. Not everyone will have a dream...but you can live fully awake and find value in what you see.
That is why to me, Soul is the most powerful Pixar film period...but so few people got it...because most people are hoping for a "you fulfilled your dreams narrative" but this film is a deconstruction of that exactly. I loved it far more than inside out or Toy Story X...simply because of what it was saying. It's a shame it didn't get recieved at all on that level. But it's a little silly to think kids where gonna get something that deep anyway.
Woah! Now that's a unique perspective on this one👍. Good one greg
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I grew up with Pixar, Toy Story was one of the first movies I ever saw in theaters. When the movies came out, it was a family night out to the movies. Back then, if you had told me Pixar would be in step with straight to video style movies, I would have called you crazy. It's really sad how this studio has taken a turn.
A big thing about my dislike of recent Pixar movies is the art style. Everything with the exceptions of their sequels look like Wallace and Grommet art style. Round teeth, ears nose etc. Pixar used to be unique and in most cases used a different style every film that made it stand out now look at what they’re putting out. To me it’s just lazy, not to mention the politics and not so subtle messaging. We want to be entertained not preached to.
I am trying to make time for anime to find out why that's so popular and I think it overlaps with what you're talking about. Anime is crisp, detailed, and obviously talented people labored over it. American animation is getting rounder and flatter and more boring every year
@@gregowen2022 Definitely, gone are the days of Batman: The Animated Series, Samurai Jack and Star Wars The Clone Wars.
But they only used this style for 2 or 3 movies ...
@@gregowen2022 Well anime pretty much usually looks the same as well. Big beautiful eyes, cutesy faces, small noses, etc..
'Procrastination has paid off and I will learn exactly the wrong lessons from this' is my battle cry... When I get around to it
My favorite Pixar movie. A Bugs Life is the measuring stick I use for Pixar movies. It is basically a eat the rich (in hoppers case literally) wrapped in a kid friendly magnificent seven. We don't need billionaires billionaires need us and that scares them.
The jokes were relevant. Not forced and none of the movie seemed extra. Every scene advanced flicks journey
We cared about flik because who hasn't had an idea hoping it would impress a girl? It grabs us by the berries and doesn't let go for the whole movie.
LIghtyear feels like a pixar short (the montage of him trying over and over and everyone else getting old) with the middle and end of a different movie fused onto it.
I'm a huge Cars 2 fan. Yes, I am. I think it's great. I'm both glad and upset that this is now higher standard than most of their modern movies. Cars, the Incredibles and Finding Nemo are my favourite series of Pixar because they all had deep worldbuilding, solid and simplistic morals, and were given time to grow and expand through their sequels.
Nice to hear of someone else who was totally underwhelmed by Soul. Kept expecting some sort of Pixar magic to kick in but nothing ever did.
Weirdly I’m usually in tune to overt things in Disney movies. But I didn’t think Luca was that. I LOVED that movie. I thought it encapsulated a lot of little boys think about as kids, wanting freedom, that new bike that will change your life. Etc etc. not only that, but Lucas friend deciding he needed a dad/adult male influence and staying to learn how to fish with masamo at the end, was peak.
I loved the idea to start with and him deciding to stay. That middle, though. Whew, it went on too long
I think the main problem with that movie was the subplots. Pixar/good Disney would manage to have engaging subplots along with a good main story. The subplots of Luca were pretty marginal and too focused on the main plot. So the main plot and characters and several little parts were really good if not great, but it wasn't enough hence a lagging middle like Greg said.
Really wish they'd go back to more universal themes that anyone can relate to as opposed to BEYOND played out "Prejudice is bad"
I agree it's trite and I'm not interested in the movie, but since when is "Prejudice is Bad" not a universal theme?
Prejudice and mommy issues have been the theme😂
@@Sprogster Since it was crammed into literally everything and hammered into into us for the past decade.
Someone else in the comments mentioned that it would be great if they explored prejudice instead of just shouting PREJUDICE BAD. It's been a relevant message since... Forever. But they think they are being virtuous just by saying it's bad.
Hey guys! Stealing is wrong! Please clap
"Elements don't mix, prejudice!" Yeah, water literally destroys fire, fire destroys trees and etc etc. Holy crap, the basic premise is kind of implying that racism is justified.
Right? The longer you think about the implications of the world and plot, the more it unravels
Also, the generational issue and racial prejudice themes just don’t hit for a lot of people. So many people have great relations with their family and don’t experience prejudice (or don’t pay attention to it)
Onward was a film with a really strong ending, but a very weak beginning. A few tweaks to the start to really solidify some key factors to the story would have helped that film immensely.
Haven't seen the others, but just from stuff I heard it seems like Soul had a real obvious story set up (something like "mr holland's opus") but failed to stick that landing.
I think your predictions are most likely going to be correct, but I still want to see it for the animation alone. It looks so GOOD.
Of the movies talked about, i pretty much agree. But Soul was great. It actually hit my feels. Not the strongest ever, by no means a masterpiece, but i thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought Terry was hilarious, and it all seemed connected. Again, not a masterpiece, but still enjoyable and great for a family movie.
Apple buying Pixar and re-hiring Lasseter would be EPIC!! He was screwed hard with that firing. He's a story-crafter like few others, and I'll be watching his new stuff... not so much with anything Pixar is doing in the near future. No excitement from me about Pixar's upcoming movies.
Disney/Pixar defiantly misses John Lasseter.
"Unwieldiness" is the perfect word for everything Pixar made after Cars.
Coco?
@@gasterthemaster6490 I think you misspelled Wall-E
@@brainthebrian3690 oh yeah, that one's fantastic.
But it doesn't feel like Pixar to me, so I always forget it exists in the Pixar catalogue.
@@gasterthemaster6490 you’re right. Coco was excellent.
As an Indian fan of Pixar, I have liked all the Pixar films including Brave, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Cars 3, Coco, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Onward, Soul, Luca, Lightyear. Turning Red not that much. Not sure how Elementals is going to be but I am really thankful to Pixar for making Sanjay's Super Team. I hope Elementals turns out to be good. ❤
I feel like they fired john for a very good reason and his talent doesn’t make his problems ok
7:38 right there shows your film analysis is up there with some of the greats!
Dude!!! I love that comedians stand up. I watched it a couple times on Drybar.
And also great choice with Chai tea. It's just Soo refreshing.
Can't go wrong with Chai ever. Shayne is hilarious! I've rewatched it, too, it's so good
It made me laugh how quickly they got over their prejudice at the end of Luca, they were just ready to literally kill the fish people, they get over it after a quick two minute speech. Dumb. And the parents get over their fear just as quickly and just send their fish son to boarding school with no money? How does that work? DUMB
that's because Luca was supposed to be a gay allegory, but they could not lean into it so just made it a general prejudice story.And prejudice for a group of people that can hide it works very differently and if you try to paint over one allegory with another, it doesnt quite make sense.
Hey Greg! While I disagree with you on your statements about Luca and Soul, I still find your perpective invaluable in media criticism. Too often I find only extreems when vidoes about media are made today, and while I think those perspectives are necessary, they can be super annoying at times. You are a breath of fresh air! You look at the facts as they are and back your statements with evidence and good reasoning. But your also not over the top, which is something that is sorely needed. Your like a light version of the Criticle Drinker lol. (Side Note: I would love to see you make an appearance on EFAP, they are my favorite podcast at the momment and I think you would give well with the hosts). Keep doing what your doing Greg! (Also also: I love your running gags! The UA-cam one especially makes ne chuckle)
I really appreciate that, and I would love to be on efap sometime. And I especially love that we can disagree about the movies and still have good discussion. That's way more fun than the angry people
Dang, how come you’ve never popped into my recommended until now?! Your points are spot on, you’re clear and consistent with your points, and you have great vision for what could be! You’ve gained my subscription and I look forward to what you have in the future!
Thanks, I'm glad you're here! Here's to more fun discussions
While I personally loved both Soul and Luca, I personally think that the length-issue is a bit about how Pixar started with making shorts before making feature length movies. And even with their best movies, it's usually somethings about the pacing that could be better or that the movie has a really strong beginning and/or end, but then the middle drags and this video made it clear to me that the issue may just be that Pixar is best at short films (so it's like someone being the best at writing short stories, having to write long novels). Because Pixar's shorts have seldom disappointed, with short films they usually have a great beginning, middle and end. So if they took a break from feature length movies, focused completely on shorts for a few years and seriously analyzed what made the shorts work, maybe that could help them emulate that in feature length movies, so that they could create movies where every part works. Disney will never let that happen, but I think that would benefit Pixar greatly.
i accualy remember the good dinosaur
basically dino loses his father and finds a child and they get lost so they have to get back home
The Ringer, now that brings back some memories.
Lightyear: they hate Buzz and want him to suffer and fail again and again… that’s what it looks like.
R.I.P Pixar
1995-2017 In My Opinion
It's so odd that Pixar's now being pushed to the wayside. Pixar! Never in a million damn years would I think that. But between Puss in Boots, Across the Spiderverse, and the soon-to-come TMNT movie that looks bloody amazing, it seems like other studios are finally branching out and pushing the medium of animation. And Pixar is being left behind.
Is this the same Pixar that made Toy Story and up?
Why are some other channels bagging the upcoming TMNT Mutant Mayhem movie? Is it because they object to a black April O'Neil or do they disapprove of Seth Rogen's involvement?
@@jimmyboydonald6578 or it just looks like a flop.
I would put in a word in defense of "Luca". If you look at the ending, the *heroes* expect that the townspeople will be prejudiced, and the *villain* expects the townspeople to be prejudiced, but given half a shake...? They're not. At all. There isn't even a "whoa, you're different from us?!" moment. Not expecting, or COUNTING on people being prejudiced? Disney marketing could learn something from that. As far as "Elemental" goes? Huge swaths of "meh". It's "fifth option on a long plane ride" viewing, not even close to "opening night stand in line" fare.
Luca's ending really surprised me at the time, novelty. But can you explain what you mean by "fifth option on a long plane ride" and "opening night stand in line"? I kinda don't understand your words.
@@user-hy1nr4ib4e Meaning, If I was on a long flight on a plane (For example, a cross-country or inter-continental flight), and there were a large number of movies I could watch for free on that plane's console, I could probably find four movies I would watch on any decent-sized list before I would watch "Elemental". Conversely, if I was very interested in a movie, I might stand in a long line (queue) to buy a ticket for a chance to see that movie as soon as I could. "Elemental" is not that kind of movie to me. It is the kind of movie that I would watch for free when there was nothing else to do for entertainment but watch movies, and only after better options had already been watched. Is that clear?
one thing that you didn't mention is that I feel PIXAR is now already a D+ brand. Any money it makes in sales is a bonus. It does most of its money by getting people to keep their D+ subscriptions. In regards to this movie it would have been cool if it was a noir style detective film.
Still upset at the missed opportunity to call “Onward” “The Brotherhood of The Traveling Pants”
Onward was so boring I remember when we watched with my wife in a few minute we both walked around douing chores while the kids was on a rampage somewhere else...
We found both Luca and Soul great :) and my wife loved Turning Red and I didnt thought Lightyear was that bad... Sorry but for us from this bunch maye Onward was the worst... Thats the only we bought and never watched it properly while we watchd Luca a lot and Soul at least twice (it kinda surprised me) Probably Turning red and Lightyear remain we watchd it and that was enough but we watched them.
Maybe we shoudl give onward another chance but even think about it make me bore... while both me and my wife big geeks so most of its joke targeting our taste... in theory.
To be honest agree everything else. There is no way these product wil lbe such a hit you can build up a merchandise line or theme parks. None. Maybe Light Year had some potential but everyhing is so resemble to the real-life you can't really market it.
I very much agree with you, but I still have hope and faith that Pixar can turn it around
1995 Pixar: What if toys have feelings?
2006 Pixar: What if cars have feelings?
2007 Pixar: What if rats have feelings?
2015 Pixar: What if feelings have feelings?
2020 Pixar: What if black people have feelings?
2022: What if Asians had feelings?
The only feelings they have are ha te towards the melanin deficient.
2016 what if MEXICANS had feelings?
I might have given Lightyear a chance, but as soon as I saw that Tim Allen wasn't voicing Buzz, and being replaced with the second biggest SJW in the Marvel Universe Chris Evans, then I knew that it was more than likely going to suck. Well what do you know, I was 1000% correct. I don't know for sure if they didn't hire Tim Allen because of which political direction he leans towards, but if I was a betting man, I'd be cashing out my 401K and heading to the bookie. We all know which direction Mr. Evans leans, or maybe I should say bends, that would be more accurate.
Hahaha, "bends" is the most accurate. Tim Allen might not have his career anymore, but he's got his dignity
Apple buying Pixar would be hilarious, considering Jobs funded it and was a majority shareholder until it was sold to Disney.
I used to be a huge Pixar fan. All of my most nostalgic movie-going experiences throughout my childhood were through their films. Finding Nemo, the Incredibles, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Up, etc. But starting with Brave, their films just kept feeling progressively more generic. The last 2 films the studio has released that I've enjoyed were Coco and Luca. So many of their recent movies touch on the exact same themes (albeit in a predictable, lamer way), feel too similar aesthetically to one another, and overall just don't feel nearly as creative as they used to be. Elemental is the ultimate example of this to me. When the teaser first dropped, I thought it was a sequel to Inside Out at first, and the whole thing feels very reminiscent of the Cloudy short from way back. When they announced that Toy Story 5 would be their next big project, I completely checked out. It's a damn shame too, because for awhile, they were doing a lot to change how animation was being viewed by the movie industry
It water is sentient, then are the lakes, rivers and waterfall we see sentient? What element is providing the fuel for Fire? It everything solid make out of Earth? If so did they have to kill Earth elementals to get it? Is a cloud an air or water elemental? Is it mixed race?
They are going to have the same problem as Cars 2. If there is a car pope, is there a car jesus? If the planes are sentient and they showed a shot of new york sans WTC buildings, does that mean the planes turned on everyone and kamikazied the towers?
Elemental is going to make zero sense if you give it more than 2 seconds of thought. I personally can't wait for the videos breaking it all down
That thumbnail, though🤣
The wild, untamed elements, the upheaval of the grand forces of nature!....in a city. I feel something was missing in the conceptualization stage of this movie.
I feel like elemental is clearly going for the aesthetic look
Huh, you know I was never able to put it to words what I don’t like about recent Pixar movies but you’re right. Apart from them just being meh, it really does feel like they go on longer than their premises need. Never noticed how true that is.
Like elemental could’ve easily just been a short that comes before another movie.
Feeling like most movie plots and dialogue are being made with Ai is becoming a very common thing last few years. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it for a while, until they openly started letting everyone else use the A.i. bots for writing etc.
it suddenly clicked. “Oh yeah lot of media now feels hollow like a student used A.i. to cheat on the essay.”
I'm generalizing, but to me, the biggest issue is:
Old pixar movies were films about adults aimed at children.The new pixar movies are about children aimed at adults.
monsters inc, incredibles, ratatouille, all the main characters are adults with adult problems. even though the film is marketed to children, anyone can enjoy them.
its not as clear cut, but onward, luca, and especially turning red are about child characters with child problems, and the solutions to those problems end up being comparitively childish.
even lightyear, which is supposed to be about adults, feels exceedingly juvenille compared to any pixar movie from the old era.
(i didn't see soul.)
You mention some of the more recent Pixar movies - which I had all forgotten about. This is the state of Pixar: They have become irrelevant and forgettable.
It's such a sad state for them. I would bet most people have forgotten at least one or two of the five.
Like everything Disney acquires. It always seems to go from a license to print money to irrelevance in a matter of just a few years.
John Lasseter WAS PIXAR. The day he walked out the building for the last time was the same day Pixar lost its identity. Modern day Pixar is like the Chicago Bulls after Phil Jackson left.
I've heard many rumors surrounding him leaving, but unless it was actual assault or coming onto subordinates, I'm sure they are regretting getting rid of him
@@gregowen2022 He was ousted over a hug, which he was known for
Even Pixar’s “original” films nowadays are just copy and paste stories from other movies with a few elements changed: (1) movie opens with main character narrating how the world of the movie works; (2) main character feels pressured to uphold the family tradition; (3) main character forms an unlikely companionship with a person who could not be any more different, physically and ideologically; (4) over the course of a contrived series of obstacles, the two characters discover that they are not so different after all; (5) the two characters have a quarrel just before the final act; (6) cue emotional moment where main character has an epiphany; (7) main character stands up to their family and exclaims, “I’m not _you_ , Dad!” ; (8) parent is suddenly able to let go of years-long prejudices and lets main character follow their own path; (9) one last heart-wrenching exchange between the unlikely duo of characters, then roll credits
Pixar movies aren’t for kids these days, they’re not four quadrant either, they’re not general enough rather hyper specific on young adult even adult themes … but look like kids movies… so I don’t know who they’re making them for, and I think that’s the probably the biggest problem for Pixar. it’s a studio that dont understand who their making movies for. If you asked them the question directly, I don’t think they could answer you.
I would recommend it because it has a whole new look at it, and even the new Up Short at the intro is fascinating. I believe it's better than lightyear and soul and even turning red. BUT right even with the inside-out film. wind travels by air, trees on boat, and water within under the tank of the boat. but no fire transportation. Fire is the odd one out migrating into the world of elementals.
This is an exiting time for the industry. Not good pre say, but things are shaking up and I curious to see what the new normal will be
My thing is I wanna like elemental sooo bad cuz the characters are adorable and the movie looks really good but the story does seem to be the usual metaphor for predudice and I’m kinda over that at this point, I want something new
I see and appreciate your vintage Lord of the Rings set in the background.
Thanks! I love those things, but I'm terrified to read those particular copies anymore. They have been loved and it shows, lol