Not close minded at all. I still do get enjoyment from Pixar films I just don't have that excitement some do to watch them though. They're films where I have that mindset of "I'll get around to watching it" as opposed to seeing it in the theater.
When I said I don't care for animated movies as much as I used to, that in no way meant I only like dark and depressing films. I love comedies and other light hearted films. As I said to Darth, I still watch films like Pixars but I'm just not excited about them as I used to be.
Yeah I'm not into them as much as I used to be, I find that their past few stories have been pretentious, forced, to serious and emotionally manipulative.
Ratatouille - lecturing rat, not enough fun, he steals the old ladies cook book, WTF?
Wall-E - preachy environmentally, Wall-E wasn't in love with Eve he was in love with love.
UP - The wife dies at the beginning to manipulate you emotionally all the way to the end. Carl risks the characters lives by not giving up the bird, logically why was he afraid to tell the guy that he knew where the bird was before he found out he was psychotic? He knew going all the way back to his childhood that he was looking for the bird. What's wrong with catching a bird, he wanted it alive, why was he afraid to let the guy know he knew where the bird was. Seams like something got lost in their story committee meetings.
Toy Story 3 - Recycled villain from Toy Story 3, the ending was to serious for a children's movie, maturing it up. Manipulating the viewer by making them think they were going to kill off the characters. First, all the audience members would of beeen seriously traumatized if it happened, especially the children. Second they'd never get rid of their successful characters, they needed them for sequels and future toys. Seriously did anyone believe they were going to do it? I was rolling my eyes during the entire scene because I knew they'd never do it, great audience emotional manipulation right there.
Cars 2 - To many deaths and a torture scene for a movie aimed at pre schoolers who loved the first movie and played with the toys that are marketed to them.
Ever since they put Mark Andrews as head of the story department the films have that committee feel to them. Unlike when the genius Joe Ranft who was working there as the best story man in animation, who passed away prior to working on Ratatouille. He left Disney to go to Pixar. The stories have this feel now, ok we got this part of the story that works, ok now we have another group working on the other half, how do we piece those two together.
The stories don't feel organic anymore. They have that feeling when the Disney Studio executives Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher were calling all the creative shots on the 2D films towards the end. Critics have already accused Brave of having that two story tacked on together feel, the beginning doesn't go with the end, directed by Mark Andrew who replaced Brenda Chapman!
Another theory is they are trying to hard and it is starting to show now, the films story wise feel forced. They are obsessed with getting those Oscars. Push those stories hard to get those oscars, even if they have glitches, we must manipulate them emotionally as much as we can, pluck on their heart strings, make them cry!!! I don't think they are intentionally doing any of this nefariously, they are just losing site what really matters, good stories for the sake of good stories where they feel organic, not that we must work to get that Academy' Award! I mis early Pixar, good films, they felt organic and they made you feel good just for that reason.
