Way back when during the 2014 Oscar season, I remember reading about a particular Academy voter’s disdain for animated films. Said voter had never even seen any of the nominees, dismissing them as being “for children” and abstaining from the vote. At the time, I was shocked. After all, most movie critics I followed took animation very seriously as an art form. But this article was a wake up call, alerting me to the realities of the way many people perceive animation.
As someone who started paying serious attention to the artistry and skill involved in creating many animated movies, I find this attitude close-minded and, especially for an Academy voter, exceptionally irritating. Even ignoring the stunning visuals many of these films contain, quite a few contain explorations of interesting concepts, deep emotions, and serious themes. Pixar, in particular, is a company renowned for all three of these things. In fact, while reading the summaries of some of my favorite Pixar films, I realized that if you tweaked the wording a little bit, it was easy to make many of them sound like Serious Adult Movies. So, without further ado, here’s my list of five Pixar movies summarized so that they sound like Oscarbait.
1. A man moves to the city to achieve a lifelong dream only to be shut out of the industry due to his lower-class background. With a combination of trickery and raw talent, he manages to prove that he has what it takes to succeed, but is still shut out of the higher levels of the industry due to bigotry. Ratatouille, although I suppose bigotry is a strong word, because sentient rats who can cook are not really something the average person experiences or is prepared to deal with (although now I'm wondering about the societal implications of a world containing sentient rats).
2. A examination of gender roles centering around a woman with a severe terminal illness that leaves her disfigured and without much time to live who goes on a hiking trip with her daughter in an attempt to save their relationship, but their task is difficult due to their differing viewpoints on the role of women in society. Brave. The whole "turned into a bear" thing totally counts as a terminal illness, since Elinor's personality would be destroyed, effectively killing her. Also, as an aside, anyone who thinks this movie isn't as deep or compelling as some of the more highbrow Pixar movies can feel free to fight me.
3. A meditation on the future of humanity centered around an isolated survivor of the apocalypse encountering a large group of other survivors for the first time. Wall-E, possibly the most artistically interesting of Pixar's movies. By which I mean: it's super pretty.
4. After suddenly realizing the extent of the distance between himself and his son, a man battles severe anxiety with the help of his intellectually-disabled friend to save their relationship. Finding Nemo. I would like to personally find and thank whichever Pixar employee sat down and said, "You know what would be a great idea for a children's cartoon? Fish with an anxiety disorder. Bam!"
5. This haunting exploration of the decline of one American family follows a depressed man’s increasingly desperate attempts to relive his glory days. The Incredibles. And that's leaving out the whole implied-near-adultery subplot. If there's one thing Serious Highbrow Writers love, it's adultery.
Think of any more? Put 'em in the comments!
