The Death of Pixar?

It was announced earlier this week that Disney purchased Pixar animation studios. Mrs. Pickles and I were initially very sad about this event. Why? Pixar has created some of the best Hollywood movies (not just the best animation) during the last 6 years. They tell moving, moral stories that are entertaining and engaging; films that attract both children and adults. I think their films can also have a positive influence on the culture--especially within Hollywood. When was the last time I could say any of those things about Disney? Treasure Planet was a good movie (though it surprisingly flopped), but I don't think it's as good as nearly all of Pixar's films. We own every Pixar film made, and we've loved each of them.

Pixar knows to put substance before style. My brother-in-law made an insightful comment about the difference between movies released by Pixar vs. those from other animation studios. When you look at the marketing for Dreamworks' films you see the names of the notable actors and then you see the characters they play. With Pixar, you first see the characters, and then you see the name of the actors. Dreamworks leads you to the theatre with the names of notable actors--like nearly every other film. Pixar leads you to the theatre with their characters and great stories.

I do have some hope for the deal. From the article:

"I think this is great for Disney, not only to have Pixar be part of the
company, but to have Pixar influence the company," Disney Chief Executive Robert
A. Iger told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday after the deal was
announced. "It's also possible we'll look at Pixar and see not only how well
it's run but how well it lives and seek to overlay that influence on some of our
other businesses."

and

Key to spreading Pixar's influence will be Pixar President Ed Catmull, who will
serve as president of the new combined Pixar and Disney animation studios, and
Pixar Executive Vice President John Lasseter, who becomes chief creative officer of the animation studios and principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs and builds the company's theme parks. (italics mine)

There does seem to be some humility and recognition for Pixar's greatness, so I do have some hope that its influence will reign. It will take about 3-5 years to know for sure. Here's hoping and praying.

(PS For the picture starved, my dear wife is getting some of our Christmas pictures together for our blog, now that her delinquent husband finally uploaded them to the PC. There are mucho pictures, so it'll be worth it.)