10 Harsh Realities of Rewatching Pixar Movies

While many are undeniably classics, there are also a number of unfortunate realities for those looking to rewatch Pixar films.

A new trailer for Pixar Elements suggests that the studio is once again crafting a film that will ask some fascinating questions, while also giving audiences a beautifully crafted animation. In fact, the studio is almost universally loved for some good reason.

Meanwhile, anyone who has taken the time to re-watch the various films in Pixar's catalog knows they are far from perfect. In fact, revisiting many of these works means acknowledging some of the harsh realities that accompany this particular animation studio and its astounding output.

There Aren’t Enough Important Female Characters

One of Pixar's most glaring problems was the lack of strong female characters. While there are a few exceptions—Brave and Inside Out have strong female leads—for the most part, Pixar is basically a boys' club.

This is especially true when one compares Pixar to Disney, which, whatever its presentation flaws, at least made an effort to include women of all backgrounds in its roster. Pixar's lack of this variety will only become more apparent the more movies people watch.

The Earlier Animation Has Aged Poorly

While many early Pixar films hold a special place in the hearts of fans, it has to be said that rewatching them shows how much animation has changed over the decades. For example, while the voice acting and humor in Toy Story stand the test of time, the animation really doesn't.

Much of this stems from the fact that CGI was in its early days. Unlike traditional 2D, which tends to transcend time periods—one can still enjoy Snow White, for example, even though it was made in the 1930s—but unlike CGI, it clearly marks a movie from a specific time period.

They Can Be Emotionally Devastating

As anyone who has seen a Pixar film knows, this particular studio has a very keen eye for how to craft an emotionally devastating scene, and there are many sad Pixar films. In fact, for example, the first few minutes of the movie Up brought tears to the eyes of most viewers.

Apparently, this is the main reason why people still love Pixar movies so much. However, those who may decide to rewatch these films do have to work with In fact, they can be emotionally drained to some extent, because for every bit of joy, there's also a fair amount of sadness.

Sometimes Their Stories Don’t Make Sense

Although, as a brand, Pixar tends to focus on stories to the exclusion of almost everything else, it has to be said that sometimes the central narratives of their films don't make much sense. In the case of Cars 2, there's so much going on story-wise that it doesn't always seem to fit together into a coherent whole.

In part, this seems to be the result of a studio that's pretty good at coming up with great concepts; after all, who wouldn't want to see talking cars? At the same time, it's clear that there isn't always a strong sense of how these interesting concepts are viewed through the various elements that help the story flow.

Sometimes The Sequels (And Prequels) Are Too Predictable

Unlike Disney, which is notorious for the poor quality of some of its sequels and prequels, Pixar was wiser in green-lighting them. On the other hand, however, they don't always seem to know what Related to their sequels, so they end up feeling a little bit predictable.

This is especially evident in films such as Finding Nemo, for example. While this is a very charming and enjoyable film, and has many great notes from the original, it is somewhat of a remake, and it has many of the same storylines as its predecessor.

There's Not Enough World-Building

When you watch one of Disney's best movies, there is a sense that you are entering a fully fleshed out world, one with its own rules. While that's true of Pixar's films at times, in many cases the world can feel a little thin, especially compared to the story's usually engrossing -- something that feels deep in Cars.

Again, this seems to be the result of a studio where story is more important than almost every other aspect of filmmaking. Sometimes, though, even the best story can go this far, and putting more emphasis on its world would help it really flourish.

There Are Far Too Many Chase Sequences

On one level, it makes sense that so many Pixar films have chase sequences. After all, animation is a form of filmmaking Perfect for capturing the fun of motion in motion.

Meanwhile, rewatching Pixar films reveals the extent to which they tend to rely too heavily on this particular convention. Whether it's "Toy Story" or "Robot Story," it seems like a requirement for these films, and, as exciting as the chases are, they might start to feel redundant.

The Plots Can Be Repetitive

There are many great Pixar movies, and it's almost always easy to figure out what makes them so interesting. In particular, when one sits down to watch a film from this studio, one usually knows what one is getting: a heart-pounding adventure story.

Unfortunately, their plots sometimes repeat themselves. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the sequels -- which tend to follow the general plot of previous films -- but it's true across the studio as well. The narrative backbone of most of their films tends to be very similar, and there's a lot in common between them, like the Toy Story series, where the toys are constantly trying to save each other.

There Are Too Many Climaxes

movie Usually structured to establish a central, decisive climax, ending the main conflict. Unfortunately, re-watching a Pixar film reveals just how much the studio tends to rely on a lot of climaxes before a movie is finally done.

There are several times in many Pixar films where the action seems to finally reach a resolution, only for another crisis to unfold - seeing Dory finally reunited with her parents, with only Marlin and Nemo needing to be rescued. While this hasn't been an issue, it does create a certain kind of weariness for the audience.

They Don’t Usually Have Great Villains

Disney is known for its great villains, but this wasn't always the case with Pixar films. While it's true that there are often people standing in the hero's way, they often lack the bite of their Disney counterparts.

For example, in Wall-E, the most famous villain is an artificial intelligence called AUTO for short. In this case, the villain's actions are simply a function of his programming, not out of malice. As such, it's not as interesting as the villains in many Disney films.