Coming down the Pixar Pike

Last summer, Pixar exposed its humanity by dropping Cars 2 into the lap of America.

Those movie makers had smashed home run after home run by anchoring their feet on two solid foundations: the mystique of original characters and a depth of story that wrenched the human heart.  Cars 2 failed on both counts.  While their other sequels, Toy Story 2 and 3, returned familiar characters, the new characters captivated us, and the stories continued to plumb the human soul. Cars 2, on the other hand, smacked of commercialism and political correctness.

Back to the drawing board of originality ran the Pixar artists. From that easel springs Brave due out this summer. After viewing the trailer (below), I'm not hopeful. Take a gander yourself. I offer some encouragements and concerns afterwards.



Here we go.

PLUSES

1. PIXAR. Even with the dud that Cars 2 turned out to be, it was still better fare than 97% of the refuse that Hollywood is cranking out. Artists. Master storytellers. Bring it.

2. ART. Yes, they are cartoons. Yes, they are movies. Yes, they are geared to younger audiences. But they are incredible works of art. They drill a bullseye everytime they match a vocal talent with a character. The worlds the characters inhabit breathe.  Attention to detail beyond what you will ever notice. And it's not just noise. It enhances and never detracts. Brave seems to continue in that vein.

3. SCOTTISH ACCENTS. You can make just about anything better with a Scottish accent. While these are only words, "I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain," you can't read them without hearing the lamenting pleas of Montgomery Scott's brogue.

Yeah, I'm sorry. That's it from the trailer. On to the ...

MINUSES


1. LOW-GRADE HUMOR. A nipple-pinch and a hoisted kilt to reveal a Scottish full moon. You expect such from South Park or The Simpsons, but its not the humor we've come to know and love from Pixar.


2. CHARACTER STEALING. Didn't it seem to you like they ripped off the characters and styles of How to Train Your Dragon or perhaps Tangled?


3. MEN ARE STUPID. Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible). A great character. A man. Unashamed. His heroics. His struggles. Bob Parr is an uncommon Hollywood character. Most male characters idolize adolescence and follow their hormones. They're idiots. Dolts. Pixar has done a decent job portraying men as heroic and noble. Perhaps King Fergus might be such a man. The clip offered little hope.


4. HELEN REDDY REDUX. Is this going to be yet another "I am woman--hear me roar" flick? Men are stupid and the women are heroes. Alas. Can we not have strong men and women without turning women into warriors and men into transvestites?


Well, I thought a story about bugs would be stupid and about an old man and a Boy Scout as exciting as chess. I was WRONG.


Here's hoping I'm wrong again. Bring it! We're going.