Pixar had its first huge hit that wasn't about toys with Monsters, Inc, a seemingly cut and dried movie about a monster world and a little girl who accidentally comes to visit. However, the movie proved to be much more than that. In addition to Monsters being incredibly beautiful (much praise was given to the way the hairs were animated on the character of Sulley), it had a wonderfully touching story. So far, Pixar's movies had received heaps of praise for not only appealing to all ages, but to satisfy all ages. There are too many movies today that talk down to kids and appeal to them through "cool" visuals and/or music, while completely alienating adults and teenagers due to the half-baked content. Monsters, Inc. was a hit with all ages. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I was in high school when it was released, and EVERYONE I knew who saw it adored it.
Next came Finding Nemo, which proved to be an even bigger hit. The movie broke box office records for animation in its opening weekend, and the gross income it made compared to all movies was none too shabby either. I still remember talking about this movie with two friends and comparing it to The Matrix Reloaded, which had been released around the same time (this was the first Pixar movie that I did not see in theaters; however, I have still never seen the entire Cars). At that point, only one of us had seen Finding Nemo, while all had seen Reloaded. Myself and the person who had seen this movie were disappointed with Reloaded, and he stated the numerous reasons why Finding Nemo was a better film. The drama, acting, and visuals were all superior in his opinion. And remember, we were teenaged men who had been awaiting a sequel to The Matrix for years. Speaking of not seeing this in theaters, I wish that I had. Each successive Pixar movie seems to outdo the last one's groundbreaking visuals, and I wish that I could have seen certain of Nemo's sequences on the big screen.
These two movies gave Pixar their fourth and fifth CONSECUTIVE hits. For most film studios, to have three consecutive hits is incredible. As of today (the day Wall-E was released), they've had eight, and it looks like they will soon have a ninth.
Up next: Brad Bird's contributions...
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