Disney Pixar: A Brief History
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Just what is it about Disney Pixar that is so appealing? It all started with that charming cowboy Woody and fearless spaceman called Buzz. How does Disney Pixar create a magical world inside a very ordinary one? We take a look in this brief history.
When a child looks at their toy all they want is to be enchanted, to feel like what they have is alive and with them.When Disney Pixar released its first feature film Toy Story it was obvious it was going to be one of the best animated stories to date and it did not disappoint.
With the phenomena about talking and walking toys, Disney Pixar knew they were onto something amazing, something that had not been done before, so, with the release of A Bug’s Life, they were guaranteed an audience who were intrigued by what their next venture had in store.
Notice what Toy Story and A Bug’s Life have in common? They are both set in our ordinary world, but from a very un-ordinary point of view. A Bug’s Life brings the insect world to life and it meant children grew up with an awareness that bugs are alive and connected to each other.
Everything that an audience would normally take for granted was brought into the limelight and brought with them their own stories. In their works Disney Pixar manages to create an intelligent film which appeals to children as well as adults, and it is this level of story telling which makes Disney Pixar unique.
The trend continued with a sequel to Toy Story and, as the world went into the 21st century, Disney Pixar followed with an exciting new universe. Using their high tech equipment, Disney Pixar brought life to monsters, giving them personalities, names and a very fluffy coat. Monsters Inc. opened a new world to children and adults, something that was extraordinary and yet still connected to our world through closet doors.
Then came the height of their glory; Finding Nemo became the highest grossing Disney Pixar film to that date. With loveable characters, a big star cast and an approximate budget of $94 million, Finding Nemo was easily the best film of the year. Its fantastic animation helped to boost Australia’s tourism with foreigners wanting to swim the east coast in order to find Nemo. It brought Australia closer to the world and taught valuable lessons about the big blue sea.
The achievements didn’t stop there however. Soon after came The Incredibles and suddenly there weren’t a lot of people left who couldn’t connect with Disney Pixar. Superhero movies were generally only seen in live action but, with the birth of The Incredibles, the genre was reborn and boundaries pushed.
Again, the world was recreated in a new and astonishing way, nothing was impossible and everything was reachable. With the protagonist being an out of shape middle aged man it was not just the children Disney Pixar were trying to connect with.
Thereafter, more films were released, reaching new heights in imagination and making a hefty profit for Disney Pixar, but no one imagined they could go even further with their emotional and intelligent scripts until WALL-E appeared in cinemas in 2008. It set a very different pace to their previous films, namely Ratatouille and Cars.
The film was quite silent but the message was loud. The world was not made to be magical or extraordinary this time, the world was nothing but dust and rubbish. Within that dismal world was a little robot, a little robot who brought hope. Wall-E is a beautiful story about friendship and love which took audiences by surprise and reignited our passion for Disney Pixar.
Again, Disney Pixar did not stop there. With their new-found courage of story telling, they struck gold again with their next original story. Only 11 months after the success of WALL-E, Disney Pixar released Up. Another emotional film, this time the story centered on an elderly man who loses his true love. Though it may differ from the world of today, it still mportrays the fact that many O.A.Ps are forced from their homes.
The film somehow managed to motivate audiences to fulfill their life dream, no matter their age. Disney Pixar kept hope alive and yet again reached another generation of movie lovers.
Disney Pixar has continued to connect with a vast audience through sharing the stories of extraordinary worlds, full of enchantment and delight. During this difficult financial time, it has been clear that Disney Pixar have unfortunately resorted to the sequel and prequel craze that has is favoured in today’s cinema, but the loyal audience to the classic Disney Pixar can only hope they find their way back to the original stories and family feel good cinema.
Brave is released 13th August 2012.
by Alison Devlin.
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