If there is a theme that is repeated in the productions pixar from practically his formation, that is the one of the fears of childhood, the conflicts of adolescence, the difficulty of growing and maturing, understand what the family is and assume concepts such as death. The study created by John Lasseter has explored it in a relaxed and, in some cases, more severe way. He has done it both in some of his most valued feature films and in his short films, and from the most varied perspectives. We review here seven long films and another four in short formatall available on Disney +.
One of Pixar’s most ingenious films, a treatise on how to show childhood nightmares in a witty and fun way without downplaying the matter. In a country inhabited by monsters, they feed on the cries of children. In the factory Monsters Incorporated work frightened professionals dedicated to collecting said screams. Everything changes when a girl enters the scene, Boowhich puts in check the emotions of the monsters.
If ‘Toy story’ was wonderful and ‘Toy story 2’ came to surpass it, the third installment added to the adventures, always fun, always melancholy, of the toys led by Woody and Buzz Lightyear, a beautiful reflection on the end of a decisive time in the life of every young person: Andy sets out to enter college and leaves behind boxes full of the toys that have defined his childhood. In his own way, the film is one of the best cinematographic portraits that have been made of the end of childhood and innocence. Oscar for best animated film and song (by Randy Newman).
A wooden boat sails out to sea on a night with a starry sky. In it are a boy, his gray-bearded grandfather, and his stocky father. But they don’t go fishing. Suddenly, the moon emerges in all its fullness before the young man’s amazed eyes, and with its light it turns the ocean into a bath of silver. Thanks to a very long ladder, the three climb to the surface of the moon, full of small bright stars. A beautiful and minimalist metaphor about the passage from childhood to maturity. Made by Enrico Casarosa –story board artist in the Pixar domains and later director of ‘Luca’– as a complement to ‘Brave’.
‘Inside out’ (2015)
five emotions, embodied in cartoons of different physiognomies and colors, coexist in the mind of Riley, an 11-year-old girl who has enjoyed the psychological well-being of the predominant emotion, Joy, which supplies her brain with the five essential thoughts to maintain that happiness . Riley’s brain is visualized as the headquarters in which Joy coexists with the other four emotions, Fury, Disgust, Fear and Sadness. The balance is broken and the hosts of Pixar, in one of his most ambitious proposals, magnify his usual plastic qualities from the interpretation of those mental spheres.
‘Riley’s first date?’ (2015)
One of the skills of the Pixar factory is to take advantage of the protagonists of its feature films through adventures in short format. The girl from ‘Inside out’ is found in this short five-minute story before one of the peak situations for any teenager: their first date. Her parents are surprised. “There is a boy in my house & rdquor;repeats the father, looking at the guy with curly hair and a cap with whom his daughter is going out.
The film explores the Mexican culture through music and the obsession of a 12-year-old boy who wants to become a singer and guitarist, emulating his idol. Coco is the name of her great-grandmother, and behind her there is a whole family transcript that we are deciphering. The boy enters a musical contest held during the Day of the Dead. Made by Lee Unkrich and Adrián Molina based on an idea by the former – director of the house’s star titles, such as ‘Toy Story 2’ and ‘Finding Nemo’–, the film wanders through the theme of death from a child’s perspective.
The protagonist of ‘Soul, the first Pixar production that went directly to streaming due to the pandemic, is no longer a child or a teenager, but the ideas of youth still flutter in his mind, what he wanted to be and finally has not been. He works as a music teacher in a school, but his passion is performing music, playing piano and jazz. After an accident, the action moves from New York realism to a cosmic realm where the most obsessive souls wander in search of answers rather than peace. Directed by Pete Docter –the magician from ‘Monsters SA’ and ‘Up’– and the newcomer Kemp Powers, and with a soundtrack by none other than the duo Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.
Erica Milsson directs and writes this eight-minute short that revolves around another type of adolescent identity problems, since its protagonist suffers from autism. Together with her campmate, they decide to go for a canoe ride, a short trip of absolute knowledge that helps the director to reflect on communication problems in general, beyond autism or any other disease, and discrimination due to whatever causes. Milsson has earned her share at Pixar: she is the director of a documentary about all the women who have participated in ‘Red’ called ‘Embrace your inner panda. This is how ‘Red’ was made.
Another approach to youthful whims and longings, and also at the end of innocence, in the key of a fantastic story. The action takes place in a relaxed Italian coastal town in the 50s, where one of the two protagonists lives. The other is also young, but belongs to the deep sea. The story focuses on the discovery of a new world when he reaches the surface and realizes that, if it is dry, it retains a human appearance, while if it gets wet it becomes a monstrous creature again.
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One of the promotional phrases of the film is: “Getting older can be beastly & rdquor ;. No sooner said than done. The 13-year-old protagonist, a victim of both the chaos of her age and the pressure of her mother, transforms into a giant red panda every time she gets too excited. It’s like the reverse of the control of emotions in ‘Inside Out’, becoming a metaphor between maternal obedience and the desires of puberty, from relationships with friends, the first menstruation. The girl is of Chinese origin and lives Canadian. Also the director and screenwriter of ‘Red’, Domee Shi, is Chinese-Canadian, so it is likely that she will talk about her own experiences. In 2018, with the short ‘Bao’, she became Pixar’s first female director.
With graphics that are somewhat different from the usual house style, ‘Veintitantos’ is part of the production line of the ‘Spark Shorts’, a short film program to attract new talent in animation: they must make them in less than six months and with a very tight budget. Its director, Aphton Corbin, exposes personal experiences in the history of a girl who, about to turn 21, reflects on her insecurities and the fear of growing up.