Pixar culture coming to Disney

Posted by Dominic von Riedemann May 31, 2006

Source:Coming Soon)

Quick, name a hit Disney animated movie made in the last 10 years. Drawing a blank? Disney CEO Robert Iger feels the same way. Now name a Pixar movie that *hasn't* been a hit since 1995. Same answer, hmm? Now Disney has chewed some crow and essentially given Pixar (and John Lasseter) control of their once-glorious animation division. And Lasseter seems to be importing Pixar's attitude into Disney's studios, which can only be a good thing for animation fans. For proof, check out Lasseter's comments about choosing projects:

"At Pixar, the movies are director driven. What I mean by that is that the stories that the directors choose, they write and they come from their own heart. We're the only studio that's like that. All the other studios are executive-driven. The movies are picked by executives in development and directors are assigned to them. In the case of me, I pick stuff I like, you know?"

Contrast that with Disney's justification for the 1996 live-action remake of 101 Dalmations: "We thought it would be a wonderful merchandising opportunity." Translation: they wanted to sell s**t. And don't get me started on 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor or 102 Dalmatians or 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure or . . . Will anyone watch the original 1961 classic without wincing at the 12 rotten sequels? I can't.

Disney's movies have been executive-driven for years now, with the result that consumers eventually caught on. Even recent "classics" like The Lion King and Aladdin suffered from a similar malaise. Yeah, they sold lots of merch, but does anyone really compare them to genuine classics like Fantasia or Cinderella, movies that genuinely advanced the art form? Even without the dismal direct-to-video sequels that tarnished whatever luster those films had, they lacked a certain freshness and (dare I say it?) originality that Pixar's output possesses in spades.

Does Pixar's takeover mean an automatic return to Disney Animation's glory days? Not necessarily. No one's infallible and Pixar's glass slipper will break eventually. But I always have more respect for a labour of love that tanks than some 90-minute commercial tie-in that deserves its slide into oblivion. Fantasia bombed initially, but it's still a classic that has an honoured place on many an animated fan's shelf. I can safely speak for many animation fans when I wish John Lasseter luck in the House that Mickey Mouse built.