Recently, Pixar released Inside Out 2 which is the most recent of many, many franchise installments they have released over the past decade or so. That’s not to say that the studio has not made great original works recently since films like Coco and the original Inside Out were made during this period of sequel fixation for the studio. However, after more than a decade, there a feeling that the studio has lost a lot of the luster and relevance it had in the 2000s. At this point, I feel more wary to go see a Pixar sequel since not only have there been so many, but they tend to pale in comparison to the original. I have seen Inside Out 2 and liked it, but I still have reservations with the future direction of Pixar and their focus on sequels since most of them feel like they are missing something. In general, though, it has made me realize how this studio used to be a huge cultural force years ago and now feels distant.

Pixar was the studio I followed intensely and respected the most as a kid. Films like Wall-E and Up gave me more appreciation for the craft of animation while being more mature and thoughtful than most of what I watched then. Not only that, but Pixar felt like an important element of film culture at the time. A studio that made hit after hit mostly from original works with their own brand of storytelling is something hard to come by in Hollywood and the fact that Pixar thrived in this way was admirable. My admiration of the studio even helped me further learn about the industry itself since I would consistently research the history of the studio and the productions of the films they made. Pixar was very important not just because they provided great films for me to watch, but because they helped plant the seed of the film lover in me today. I don’t think I would have been as invested in film and its broader elements of analysis if I hadn’t grown up with the works Pixar released when I was younger.

At some point, however, it felt like the studio stopped innovating. In the 2000s, there was so much room for improvement in the area of computer technology that each of their films felt like a new showcase of what they could do. Now, in a period where ultra-realism has been achieved and some studios have shifted towards deliberate stylization that emulates other elements of art, Pixar feels behind the times with their design philosophies remaining mostly the same. Even so, the larger issue has been with the overall creative direction the studio has taken. Mainly, the studio has focused more on sequels. While this was likely done mutually under the stewardship of Disney since they spent billions to buy them and wanted their money’s worth, it also meant far fewer original films. The new generation of artists working at Pixar have not gotten the opportunities to hone their skills with new ideas since they mostly have been stuck on the leftovers of older works. Even when they got to make original ideas, films like Brave and The Good Dinosaur, which were mired by executive interference and production problems, indicated that something had shifted within the studio. With the purchase of Pixar, the leadership team of the studio had to put their time into revitalizing the main Disney animation studio. While this did wonders for bringing films like Zootopia and Frozen into the world, it seems like the divided attention came at the detriment of Pixar. It’s also important to note the fall of John Lasseter who allegedly perpetuated a sexist work culture and felt more like a spokesperson for Disney rather than a creative element at the studio he practically started.

Arguably the bigger issue for Pixar builds off of the last one and that is that the studio is no longer an isolated entity due to the Disney ownership. After they finished the movies that they planned out before the merger, it feels like the studio has been more under the direction of what Disney wants. Pixar feels less like a place for storytellers and more like a place to maintain the brand of ‘Pixar’. The fact they rethemed an entire area in Disney’s California Adventure into Pixar Pier by slapping different Pixar characters onto a generic boardwalk says a lot about how Disney views the studio as an interchangeable brand name. The fact that sequels have not only been intensely constant but keep coming up in conversations about the studio’s future since they always make a lot of money also shows that the studio has changed its priorities. Even recently, there have been conversations by the studio heads, creative head Pete Doctor in particular, that emphasized that sequels and more universally marketable ideas would be the path forward for the studio as opposed to personal stories. This change is even shown in how Disney handled the release of the last few Pixar films. Luca and Turning Red, two original films that were driven by the experiences of their directors and felt like good steps into different kinds of films for the studio to make, skipped theaters to Disney+. But Lightyear, a middling spin-off to the Toy Story franchise, got the theatrical red carpet. The contrast between how Disney handled the release of these films tell me that the core element of inventive ideas that defined the studio before feels less valued now. And this logic from Disney can end up backfiring since Lightyear ended up being one of the biggest bombs for the studio with many calling it underwhelming and uninspired. Meanwhile, Elemental, an original film in a similar vein to Luca and Turning Red that was dismissed by Disney for having a poor opening weekend, was able to make a profit long-term due to its legs at the box office. This tells me that not only are audiences still willing to see original films from Pixar, but that the other two recent original films would have also done well if given the chance at the box office since they got more positive reception than either Lightyear or Elemental. While original films are still in development at the studio, the conversations around franchises and sequels indicate a loss of confidence by the studio that once made a movie for kids that was mostly silent in its first half.  And frankly, many feel that they want the confident Pixar back and that the studio should take risks again.

The state Pixar is in right now is part of a larger issue in Hollywood where the desire for quick money and a repeatable formula for success has led many to dig into the bin and find whatever old movie they can make sequels or remakes for. The thing is, Pixar made a name of itself out of focusing on its own thing. Films like Ratatouille and Up were completely different from anything being made for kids at the time and were hugely successful because of the care and passion put into them. I still believe that the studio is full of artists and creatives with the same kind of ambitions and desires to do something different and new, but they are tied to a company that has prioritized brands and Ip over anything else at the moment. Many of the shorts made by animators and directors at the studio indicate a wide variety of diverse perspectives and experimentation. But for the films, they are told to make them more neutral in their approach because Disney values safe marketability over anything else. Compare some of the recent Pixar films to the Spider-Verse films and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish which are not only more interesting and innovative in their animation approach, but have deeper themes and ideas that are more like what classic Pixar would do. Like the best works from Pixar, they are films that feel like the creative teams had the legroom to take chances and create something impactful. That’s not to say other studios don’t have flawed outputs or problems with studio direction or interference. However, the contrast between the Pixar of the past and present is far more noticeable and are unable to consistently make groundbreaking films that catch everyone’s eyes like they used to all the time.

Even with all the concerns, I still believe that Pixar will make more great films in the future since the studio is too talented not to. And even at that, I am perfectly fine with sequels being made since they help keep the lights on as long as there is a balance between them and original films as well as if there is more care put into them. Inside Out 2 tells me that there is still the potential for Pixar to make engaging and intelligent sequels that feel like they are saying something meaningful rather than being rushed cash grabs. However, given that Toy Story 5 is happening and that conversations around sequels and spinoffs to more of their old work are the only concrete things we know right now regarding the studio’s future, there is still a concern that great original ideas and even innovative sequels feel like the exception and not the defining element of the studio right now.