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SALT LAKE CITY — There was a time when movie fans could point to Pixar every time a critic would lament, “There’s nothing original coming out of Hollywood.”
Starting with the 1995 release of “Toy Story,” Pixar had a 15-year run of original, heart-driven tales that both critics and audiences admired. When it released “Toy Story 3” in 2010, it was easy to dismiss the idea that Pixar was finally cashing in because, hey, there was still a good story there.
But everything changed with “Cars 2.” While a few apologists chimed in, there wasn’t a great deal to defend about the movie that should have been sent straight to DVD.
Around the same time, rumors of “Toy Story 4,” “Finding Nemo 2,” “Monsters University,” a possible “Incredibles” follow-up and Disney’s continuation of the Cars universe — “Planes” — began circling.
And it was also around that same time when Pixar fans started chiming in with the critics: “There’s nothing original coming out of Hollywood.”
"Monsters University" will probably be fine. But what happened to the studio that didn’t settle for fine? What happened to the studio that said, “We tell one of the most tragic love stories with almost no dialogue in the first 15 minutes and then have a heart-broken man sail around the world in a house lifted by helium balloons?” How did that studio become the studio that asks, “What if they lose Nemo again?”
Well Pixar fans, there is hope. Here are three original projects Pixar is working on that may restore the creative team back to former glory:
'The Good Dinosaur'
According to Pixar, “The Good Dinosaur” asks, “What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?”
Bob Peterson is leading the charge on this project, and while this is his first shot as lead director, he does have a long history with the studio, including co-directing “Up,” and probably most notably, giving voice to Roz in “Monsters, Inc.”
John Lasseter, Pixar co-founder, was quoted saying the project is “kind of hard to describe. It’s a very special, very emotional story but it’s so quirky and nutty. That’s really the hallmark of Bob Peterson’s and Peter Sohn’s talent. Bob Peterson is truly one of the funniest people I’ve met and it’s coming through with this story. Pixar does dinosaurs, but like anything we touch … it’s unlike any other dinosaur picture you’ve seen ’cause it doesn’t fit in your typical (idea of) what you think dinosaurs are. It’s absolutely beautiful too."
'Inside Out'
“Inside Out” is the title being thrown around the cloud, but it should be noted that Pixar’s official site still has the movie listed as “The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind.”
The working title alone is already more interesting than the latest “Monsters University” trailer, and with Pete Docter, director of “Monsters, Inc.” and “Up,” sitting in the director’s chair, there are several reasons to be excited about the possibilities.
The official synopsis reads, “Pixar takes audiences on incredible journeys into extraordinary worlds: from the darkest depths of the ocean to the top of the tepui mountains in South America; from the fictional metropolis of Monstropolis to a futuristic fantasy of outer space.”
Comingsoon.net is claiming a few more details, saying the story will be “told from the perspective of the emotions inside the mind of a little girl."
The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dia de los Muertos
There’s very little being said about this project, but Pixar is calling this “a wholly original Pixar Animation Studios film that delves into the vibrant holiday of Día de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). Pixar also notes it will be directed by “Toy Story 3” director Lee Unkrich.
The Los Angeles Times interviewed Unkrich who has been traveling back and forth to Mexico researching the project, and he explained, "This is a very different view of death than the American one. It's not spooky. It's celebratory."
That’s not much to go off of at the moment, but at the very least, it’s fantastic to see Pixar tackling new ideas.
Travis Poppleton has been writing tech and film reviews for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010 and continues to contribute coverage for the Sundance Film Festival and other live events here in Utah. You can contact him at TSPoppleton@gmail.com.
