A recent Bloomberg report cast doubt on Pixar maintaining its status as a place that could birth a true blockbuster original. The report notes that Pixar is going to focus more on sequels, spin-offs, and even reboots of successful franchises such as “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo.” When it comes to originals, they will “focus less on autobiographical tales” such as “Luca” or “Turning Red” (both of which were met with widespread acclaim). The studio will “instead develop concepts with clear mass appeal.”
Granted, this report came out before the blockbuster success of “Inside Out 2.” Who knows how or if that will change the current thinking at Disney and Pixar. But what doesn’t change is the cold, simple fact that this movie does not become a blockbuster success unless the first “Inside Out” gets made in 2015. Pete Docter’s film, on paper, does not scream “hit.” And yet, a movie about the internal emotions of a young girl went on to make $858 million worldwide on its way to an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. That original hit set the stage for an even bigger sequel that is now saving theaters from a particularly brutal summer season.
Simply put, if Pixar truly does become more risk-averse and franchise-dependent, the next “Inside Out” is unlikely to make its way out into the world. If we lose out on that, then we don’t get “Inside Out 2.” To get franchises, new ones must be created. Pixar, dating back to the groundbreaking success of “Toy Story” in 1995, has been arguably the best in the business at creating new franchises — period. That shouldn’t end just because Disney had a couple of rough years.
Not to be lost in the conversation about “Inside Out 2” is the success of “Elemental” last year. Even though the Pixar original opened with a seemingly disastrous $29.6 million domestically, it went on to have one of the most improbable runs at the box office in history, finishing with $496.4 million worldwide. That’s proof that original projects still perform well for the studio.
