I just saw the new Pixar movie Elemental, and it was one of the most painfully predictable experiences I've ever had in a theater. Ever since the film was announced, it looked like the most boring and predictable plot ever, where a girl made of fire and a boy made of water have to go a journey together and annoy one another but then develop a bond. Then there’s a misunderstanding before the third act and they get mad and separate. They later realize they love one another and rescue each other at the end. In addition, the writing and the script were weak, the character development had no surprises, the world-building make no sense, and their attempts at humor did not work. I maintain that Pixar hasn't made a Great movie since 2009, but people still give the company a pass for making some of their favorite movies from their childhood, and even I was hoping to give them the benefit of the doubt and have them surprise me again. However, after 90 minutes, I was right to be skeptical. The worst part is that Disney/Pixar was passing this story off as "original" with never-before-seen characters and settings, yet I knew every single plot point this movie was going to hit down to the minute. I understand why audiences are being smart and staying away from this, because Pixar has no new ideas left.

This got me thinking about recent movies I've seen that were either remakes, sequels, or adaptations of previously existing stories, but completely took me by surprise when I watched them. They never pretended they were "original" ideas, yet I didn't see any of their plots coming and left pleasantly suprised. For example, last year I watched Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, which is probably the 30th known adaptation of the classic book, but approaches the familiar story beats in new and unexpected ways. These include Gepetto's construction of the puppet like it's a Frankenstein movie, Count Volpe being an amalgamation of 3 antagonists from the book, Pleasure Island being a Fascist boot camp, and Pinocchio dying many times over and being taken to a spirit realm, each time learning to gain more humanity. There was also Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a sequel to an 11-year-old spin-off from a popular animated film series, that tackled some mature themes such as legacy and untapped fears, and featured creative fight scenes, funny jokes, surprising character depth, and a realistic depiction of a panic attack. And right now, we have Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, whose predecessor was already a game-changer with an animation style that was the canon event for Pixar's fade into irrelevancy. This sequel outdoes the first movie, taking a character whose story we've seen played out three times in the last two decades and dares to challenge that life path. It also combines so many different styles of animation into one story without becoming incoherent.

All three of these had unique and ground-breaking animated styles that still hold up to this day and blow Pixar's style out of the water, even making Elemental's animation look unfinished. They also contain quiet scenes where characters slow down and talk about their feelings, along with discussions about philosophy, which makes them inherently superior to typical mainstream animated movies with loud noises, out-of-place pop-culture references, and fart jokes. There are also no wonky-looking frames that can be posted to Twitter or Reddit with the caption "this is a real frame from a $220M movie" which makes us laugh at how bad it looks, then makes us mad at the state of the modern film industry and how bad VFX conditions have become. Nor are there any lines the writers thought sounded deep and profound, but are actually hammy and ridiculous when said out loud. These three films all use unique styles, tell new stories, and listen to long-time fans of animation by showing that it's not a genre, but a medium for kids and adults to enjoy. Elemental, on the other hand, is the antithesis of this. It tries to teach kids that racism is bad and even adds a gay background character here to teach them to be more tolerant, but does it in the most surface-level way in the attempts of scoring brownie points. Even the scenes where they show off their animation skills (like when the elements mix or Ember walks on crystals) distract from the plot. The other films made their animation, stories, lessons, and diversity feel substantial, which is why Elemental will always pale in comparison.

(This discussion doesn't even mention other sequels, remakes, and adaptations that are perennial film buff favorites, including Blade Runner 2049, Suspiria '18, Dune, and Dredd. All of these movies are way more mature, innovative, and surprising than anything Pixar has put out in years.)

I might not watch many films, but I know a good movie when I see one. It's no surprise that Elemental bombed, because there's nothing compelling about it, and I understand why kids these days are gravitating toward Illumination's Minions and Super Mario movies. I hate how Disney has treated Pixar as a brand for the last decade, especially since 2020, forcing them into making sequels that ruin their original movies and dumping anything else onto Disney+, but if they wanted to shut down Pixar now, I wouldn't blame them after this. Pixar deserves to be scrutinized for sticking too close to their "classic" formula, but they also don't deserve credit going forward for any risks they take, rather scrutinized for their failure to execute. I'm not looking forward to writing about how the upcoming Inside Out 2 and Toy Story 5 ruined their predecessors, but I know I'll be back here on Day 1 writing about Pixar's demise.