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First reviews for MONSTERS UNIVERSITY rolling in.
- Thread starter SCULLIBUNDO
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Doctor Decimate
Member
and hope for their future projects continues to dissipate
Damn, so Pixar continues their streak of mediocrity that started with Cars. I was hoping Brave would be a return to form but it was painfully mediocre (and as a story about parent and child, inferior to HTTYD) and now this? Gah, it hurts.
That said, Disney's own animation studio has been getting better in recent years.
That said, Disney's own animation studio has been getting better in recent years.
Exterminieren
Banned
A streak of mediocrity that encompasses Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up and Toy Story 3?
That's some mediocrity.
Can Crusher
Banned
Pixar has lost its form. Brave, Cars 2, now this...
How the mighty have fallen. It's kind of hilarious that Disney Ainmation has now returned to making top tier original projects while Pixar is going through half baked sequelitis. Tangled > all Pixar since Ratatoullie and I'm looking forward to Frozen a lot more than any of Pixar's upcoming stuff.
The Librarian
Banned
Ha. That's a good one, Solo.
Yep, Tangled is pretty amazing.
The Librarian
Banned
Do you have any more material?
The Librarian
Banned
Hot damn, dude. You're hitting it out of the park!
TS3 and Up were too maudlin for my tastes. And Up completely falls apart as it goes.
captainnapalm
Member
It's not that they're making aggressively bad movies, but the standard they set earlier is just so high. I remember thinking after that Ratatouille, WALL-E and Up run that there really isn't anyone making consistently better movies than them, including live-action.
Can Crusher
Banned
I have no love for it. I think Toy Story 3 is by far the better movie.
I think Ratatouille surpasses The Incredibles as Brad Bird's best Pixar work. Love them both though.
The only thing that doesn't work entirely well is the geography of the movie, it doesn't ever really become obvious it takes place on top of the tepui, since the characters go through forests and various cliffs despite it supposed to be a flat land. And of course, those balloons would never float that house. But the movie is so good it doesn't matter, it's brilliant and lovable from beginning to end.
The only thing that doesn't work entirely well is the geography of the movie, it doesn't ever really become obvious it takes place on top of the tepui, since the characters go through forests and various cliffs despite it supposed to be a flat land. And of course, those balloons would never float that house. But the movie is so good it doesn't matter, it's brilliant and lovable from beginning to end.
Team Filler
Member
Wow, I thought I was the only one that liked Brave more than UP (apart from dat intro).
The Librarian
Banned
Speaking of movies being maudlin, didn't you like the
death scene in STiD? Khhhhhaaaaaaannnnnn
TS3 and Up are better written, and definitely have better payoff.
I'm definitely with you. Really not sure why Brave's reception was so tepid, to be honest. It had the best exploration of a parent-child relationship that Pixar has managed to achieve yet.
There still isn't really. Pixar has dipped from their string of home runs, which was bound to happen, but you can't say that they've been replaced. Marvel puts out very steady and consistent run of movies but nothing amazing.
With animation, I'd say there are more 'good' ones from more studios more regularly now, but fewer genuinely brilliant movies that could surprise as Pixar did at its peak.
As for Brave, perhaps guys here don't relate to mother daughter relationships quite as well.
Can Crusher
Banned
The whole "turn into a creature" trope was just too cliche.
I remember that they were going to start doing that, after Newt was cancelled I stopped hearing about it.
The rot must have started to set in 5-6 years ago since we've now gotten 3 mediocre-by-Pixar-standards films, three years in a row.
captainnapalm
Member
Agree, they haven't been replaced, though some other studios have made some very good movies in recent times. We probably shouldn't write them off just yet.
Pop On Arrival
Banned
Haha, oh well. That part in the trailer where the snail tries to hurry for class always cracks me up. I dunno why. I doubt any other part of the movie will make me laugh as much as that little nugget anyway. 
BlackGhost
Banned
I'm still excited to see this.
Aquamarine
Member
Pixar needs Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird back in the directing / screenwriting seat for every film.
And whoever is fucking with Pixar to make them more corporate, please get out, NOW.
And whoever is fucking with Pixar to make them more corporate, please get out, NOW.
Sapphire Dreams
Member
Pretty sure it'll be a masterpiece compared to Disney's planes.
They could probably get Stanton back after the failure of John Bomba. Bird though? That will be much harder. MI4 was a big hit and he's already working on his next live action movie.
I mean, that's the point of this movie, right? To play it safe and hit middle ground? Did anyone honestly expect more?
That's Pixar's cycle right now: Original Movie -> Safe Mediocre Movie -> Original Movie -> Safe Mediocre Movie (Toy Story 3 -> Cars 2 -> Brave -> Monster University -> The Good Dinosaur -> Finding Dory -> etc)
Fuck this shit, by the way. I work at a theatre and we have a standee and I can't count the amount of times people walk by and go "Oh wow Pixar sure is sinking into shit nowadays"
That's Pixar's cycle right now: Original Movie -> Safe Mediocre Movie -> Original Movie -> Safe Mediocre Movie (Toy Story 3 -> Cars 2 -> Brave -> Monster University -> The Good Dinosaur -> Finding Dory -> etc)
Fuck this shit, by the way. I work at a theatre and we have a standee and I can't count the amount of times people walk by and go "Oh wow Pixar sure is sinking into shit nowadays"
Exterminieren
Banned
They could easily shit one out in a matter of years, but they refuse to make it without the original director on board.
This is called artistic integrity. Yes, some of it has been sacrificed with the release of the recent sequels, but let's not pretend that Pixar has become a soulless husk overnight.
Isn't Stanton directing Finding Dory?
Ken Masters
Banned
No idea. But it wouldn't surprise me. Like I said, John Carter probably set his live action career back quite substancially, if not entirely. So a return to Pixar would make sense.
Keylime
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Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar film by a wide margin, but The Incredibles is #2.
In general, I'm continuing to be concerned about the quality of Pixar movies these days, but I need to see The Good Dinosaur to see if they still have it or not.
Brave was such an "off the mark" production by them that seemed to the signaling of a shift over there. Was just too safe and missed the heart of their other films to me.
Aquamarine
Member
He is? Well that's a relief.
Stanton co-wrote TS1 & TS2, was on the planning board for TS3, wrote the screenplay for Monsters, Inc., co-wrote and directed Finding Nemo, and wrote and directed Wall-E, so I have faith that he can still bring some of the magic back to Pixar.
Right now I'm praying that Pixar corporate won't mess with his vision for Finding Dory. I don't know how I'll be able to take it if that movie becomes another soulless waste-of-time.
yankeehater
Member
I cant wait to see this movie. The only Pixar movie I havent liked is Cars 2, but every thing else they have done is really good.
captainnapalm
Member
Ratatouille is my favourite as well. Just a beautiful, timeless modern classic.
It kind of annoyed me that Brad Bird left Pixar to make a Mission Impossible sequel. That to me is a huge step down. But I guess he wanted a new challenge.
The last movie up to their previous standards was Toy Story 3. You can be a Pixar fan and make an honest criticism of the studio.
Steve Jobs DoD: October 5, 2011
Cars 2 Release: June 24, 2011
Nope. Also that's a ridiculous thing to say anyways, hope you're joking.
That's awful.
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