Pixar

Who doesn't like Pixar? I mean really? If someone says they do then there can only be one of two answers:

1. They're lying
2. They've never seen one of their films*

Pixar are a good example of a studio to analyse because not only do they make very popular and successful films they also have a definite style. I would argue that you can tell a Pixar movie even if you don't know that you are watching one. I'll explain:

Pixar films tend to have certain themes - childhood, innocence, growing up, friendships (think about which ones fit where, Toy Story 2 has them all and so is maybe THE typical Pixar movie)

They tend to have similar characters, especially the idea of the 'buddies'. This is an idea they seemed to have moved away from a bit but films like Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo are built around two characters who go an adventure together. One of these characters is usually more aware of what is going on than the other (Woody as opposed to Buzz, Marlin rather than Dory) and a lot of the humour comes from this friendship. This is representation and could easily be picked up on in a five minute clip (like in the exam).

They often sound similar, most of the music has been written by either Randy or Thomas Newman. This is a language feature of the films.

The design of their characters is also important. They are rarely realistic, especially the humans (if you've seen Wall-E, you'll know what I mean). This was seen at first as a weakness but is actually more to do with the style of animation they use. The characters often have large eyes (or eye in the case of Mike from Monsters Inc.), this helps them to appeal to children (they relate better to them) and gives them a more innocent look that appeals to older audiences.

The other thing to remember about Pixar characters is that they tend not to look like the actors providing the voices. Compare this to something like Shark Tale and Will Smith's character in that film. I would argue that this means that Pixar's films have a more timeless quality and that their characters are more memorable than most of Dreamworks' (apart from Shrek maybe - but that was based on a book donchaknow).

So, Pixar, and their 9 feature films are very successful. They've made more than $4 billion at the box office and show no sign of stopping (their next film Up is out this year). So what do you need to think about for the exam?

Pixar films deal with similar themes.
Pixar films have a certain style.
They appeal to both younger and older audiences (but in a different way to Dreamworks)

Go to www.pixar.com for more information (this page is really useful: http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html#)
Watch this and tell me you wouldn't like to work for 'em: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPZMIAhpqs

Not sure about the shirts though!
And vote for your favourite Pixar film before you leave the blog.

* (or they may have no heart)