Monday, August 22, 2016

Five Pixar Moments That Made the Room a Little Dusty

Sometime during the holiday season of 1995 my wife and I took our 6-year-old daughter and almost 4-year-old son  to see Toy Story, a movie released by Disney from a new studio called Pixar. They loved it and you know what? I did too. I could not remember having ever seen so much pure imagination on screen. Films like this are why I love going to the movies and why I loved taking my kids to them. This started a journey that I would share with my kids as they grew and continues now with my grandchildren.

To date Pixar has produced 17 feature films. Nearly all have been first rate. Several have reached classic status. The studio's track record for excellence is almost unprecedented. Even it's rare misses are at the very least visually engaging and entertaining. What makes these movies great is not just the amazing animation the filmmakers produce but also their power for storytelling and creating unforgettable characters. In addition they combine the silly humor that kids love with themes that adults identify with; themes like love, jealousy, marriage, parenthood, insecurity, ambition, and loss. All without stooping to cheap cultural references or double entendres in order to keep the grown ups engaged. The result is that audiences connect with these movies on an emotional level.

This creates a problem though. When you take your kids to the movies you hope you will be entertained but you're not necessarily prepared to be moved by Woody and Buzz's friendship or Dory's quest to find her family. While the kids blissfully eat their popcorn you suddenly have to reach for the napkins not because you got butter on your fingers but because your "allergies" have started acting up causing your eyes to water and giving you a bad case of the sniffles. Your 10-year-old son seeing his grown up dad bawling like a little girl over a cartoon is, well...humbling.

Below I present five clips from Pixar films that provoke this phenomenon. Warning: these will contain spoilers and you may want to keep a hankie close by.

When She Loved Me: Toy Story 2



If you don't find this heartbreaking, I have to question whether or not you actually possess a heart. What makes this great is how it provides a backstory narrative and adds depth to a character who up to this point was just loud and kind of annoying. If you don't care about Jessie now, well shame on you.

The Toys Hold Hands: Toy Story 3



A family member of mine (a grown up mind you) responded so strongly to this scene that when the claw finally  reached down and rescued the toys she literally stood up and cheered in the theater. Seriously though, when Buzz holds his hand out to Woody, that says more about friendship than a doctoral thesis.

Andy Says Goodbye to Woody: Toy Story 3


The quality of this clip is not the best but it is the only one I could find that shows the entire scene. This movie came out right after our son had graduated from high school and was getting ready to leave for college so this hit home. Growing up is hard and watching your kids grow up is harder.

Riley Comes Home: Inside Out


I love this scene! Everything from the interaction between Riley and her parents to the cutaways with Joy and Sadness is perfectly executed. Once again what is taking place on screen hits very close to home for me. Having moved my own adolescent daughter 2000 miles from her home, I can tell you without a doubt, they nailed this.

Carl and Ellie: Up

 

I saved the best (or maybe the worst) for last. I watched this in a packed theater and we were collectively completely unprepared for what was about to happen. By the end of the montage, the room echoed with the sound of sniffles. Some of those belonged to me. Everything you need to know about who Carl is and why he does what he does is beautifully explained without a word of dialogue.

Please let me know if you have other moments that stood out to you. Would love to hear about them.