Everyone is bummed out over Pixar’s third straight-to-streaming film | Hacker News Reader

Everyone is bummed out over Pixar’s third straight-to-streaming film

hollywoodreporter.com

23 pointsandrewfromx55 comments

Disney Animation's Encanto performed weakly at the US box office but has been a huge hit for Disney+ since its release on the streaming platform December 24th. This performance more than some attempt to harm the Pixar brand, which makes absolutely no business sense, is likely behind the decision.

Encanto is really good. The music is wonderfully done, my son doesn’t get tired of me looping it for him on our music streaming service.

I’m sure we are going to like red panda also. My son is 5 and hasn’t been to a movie theater yet.

The tiny snippets below, taken from the article, are all you need to know without reading the full article.

> …was intended for theatrical release March 11. Disney said those plans were disrupted by another surge in COVID-19 cases and the rise of the Omicron variant. (Chapek has repeatedly said that flexibility is key during these complicated times.)

> Disappointment, not outrage, is a more apt description.

It's worth noting this is a film industry publication and the "everyone" they're talking about are the people who worked on the movie.

Having a credit on a theatrically released feature film is a big deal. If that gets demoted to a "straight-to-streaming" film it's not going to carry as much cachet, even if it is the same movie and it's just as good. Feature films are the top of the food chain and direct release to streaming feels like the old straight-to-video or made-for-TV movies. I imagine this matters a lot if you work in the industry.

> some are questioning whether Chapek and his team are diminishing the storied animation company.

> Many wonder whether Pixar animators are seeing red over the Jan. 7 announcement. According to several sources with close ties to Pixar, that’s not the case.

What a bad article. It seems to be mostly mostly the author's own opinion, with only a bit of gossip from a few unknown sources that actually contradict that opinion. "Many wonder" if this publication has any standards at all.

title is "everyone is bummed out" and literally in the article even the animators aren't "bummed out", but "disappointed"... especially cringe because given the full quote it is clear that the writer asked a leading question as to whether they were disappointed. like, fuck, man, why even bother having sources?

> Disappointment, not outrage, is a more apt description.

I think bummed out is closer to disappointment than outrage.

Bummed out means disappointed.

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/bumme...

The theatre experience is hot garbage, especially when kids are involved. I don't enjoy paying for a movie to be over charged, wait for ages and have other people compete against the audio of the movie.

I'd rather have the movie stop at my convience, be available when I want it, for as many viewings as I want, with access to whatever food I have at the time.

You're totally right about mass-market entertainment, but none of that is true for art, and unfortunately, people like you going to the movie theaters to watch Fast and Furious 46 is what subsidizes an industry of people who actually care, trying to make beautiful art for people that aren't trying to OD on visual Xanax in the comfort of their blankey.

I sincerely doubt any of the blockbuster money is spent making art (beyond perhaps paintings to outfit their offices)

Art gets made by artists, out of necessity, not because of a paycheck.

Am I the only one who's more interested in the movie itself, rather than which medium it'll be available in?

Admittedly, Toronto, red pandas and early aughts pop culture are all topics that fall very close to my heart, but even without that, I've enjoyed Pixar movies enormously.

I'm not bummed out. For my part, I am looking forward to the movie. Not having to wait longer for the streaming release is a bonus.

I'm not. It makes it easier to watch without paying

Why do adults in America care so much about kids’ movies anyway?

I’ve seen many Pixar movies. They’re objectively fine. I appreciate the technical achievements of wringing out the best from whatever Renderman version they were made with. The storylines are competent takes on the eternal theme of “family and friends are important”. Sometimes there’s a good silent short film within the predictable plot.

But are they movies I’d voluntarily watch again on my own? No. I’ve seen all the Toy Stories and can barely remember the characters. It’s so formulaic, nothing leaves an impression.

It’s odd that grown-ups are so affected by these entertainment products.

OP - Do you have kids? If not, probably delete your post.

I have two kids.

Sure, kids do enjoy them but Pixar movies aren't kids's movies, far from it. Have you seen Wall-E? That's a thinly veiled social critic and it's getting more relevant everyday. Toy Story has a darker side, considering Sid's troubled mental health. You only to take a _little_ distance from the stories being told to realize what they're really about. Without being "deep", they're layered movies. They can be re-watched many times with renewed enjoyment and they age well.

Plus, the constant technical excellence exhibited by every Pixar movie puts them in a league well above all the crap produced by Disney.

Do you enjoy any movies or "entertainment products"?

Yes. It’s clearly a cultural difference because I grew up in an environment where it would be strange for adults to get worked up about a children’s movie. In America, this line doesn’t really seem to exist (anymore?)

eh, sweeping generalizations lack substance, but all animation (even baby animation) is made by adults.

Pixar's films might not reach the highest of highs, but due in large part to the consistency of their films, they are by many metrics the best animation studio in the world.

Forgetfulness is often the consequence of boredom or old age. To subject oneself to much of the same tedium with the expectation of novelty is utterly baffling. To erroneously extrapolate this experience to the general population, doubly so.

Everyone in this thread is saying they’re happy it’s going to streaming and not theaters. Well, cool, but it was going to be streaming at some point but now we have less options. Some of us like going to the theaters.

There's often still a market for an interest when it goes from mainstream to niche. And maybe theaters will get a resurgence like vinyl in 30 years.

Meanwhile, I've seen one movie in the theater in the last 20 years and didn't find it enhanced the experience, so I'm glad for quicker streaming releases.

This is me.

I love going to theme theaters. Dinner and a show is a big and amazing thing with regular assigned seats and 21+, so no screaming kids.

I continue to watch movies in these :)

When Omicron goes away, I’ll be returning

This movie is literally for kids though. Screaming kids is part and parcel for cartoons like these.

That’s pretty gate-keepy. Even still, it’s Pixar, I’m sure there will be plenty of adult tones in it.

What are they going to do?

Release it to theaters for the sake of doing it?

I don’t even go to the theater ever… I don’t think of the content I watch as diminished.

It doesn’t seem like anyone in the article thinks it is either.

Sing 2 mid-week, daytime is well worth it. It is worth ist because not many people actually show up, but for those who do, it is a great experience right now. No crowds, no drama, plenty of space, and a great movie. Personally I love the direct to streaming option, but having it in the actual theatre for at least a while is also great.

I'm not. I love getting to watch new movies from my couch.

If anything, I'm disappointed that the forthcoming, nearly 3 hours long(!) Batman movie will premiere in theaters. I'm not going to sit through a 3 hour movie in a theater.

It's been a recent revelation of mine that any amount of film length over 2 hours needs a really good reason to exist.

The more length over that you see, the less likely the narrative winds up being any good.

I had the realization when, while in high school, I got talked into seeing Dances with Wolves. Way too much Kevin Costner and itt just was not fun to sit there that long.

I thought of Dances with Wolves as a Film where I enjoyed its length. But then again, watched it at home over the course of three evenings...

Don’t get me wrong, I love director’s cuts for certain movies. But I don’t want every movie to be a director’s cut.

> I'm not going to sit through a 3 hour movie in a theater

Man yells at clouds vibes here

Comment written by cirrus3

Checks out ;)

We’re in the midst of a once in a century pandemic. The best movie theater in Seattle has been closed since the beginning of 2020 and may never reopen. I have way better food, and far cheaper drinks at home. I don’t have to pay ridiculous amounts of money to park. I don’t have to wear a KN-95 mask to feel safe. I can pet my dog while I watch the movie. I can rewatch scenes when I feel like missed something delightfully subtle, like I just did earlier tonight with Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. I can pause the movie to go use the bathroom whenever I want to.

Sure, there are plenty of movies that benefit from a fantastic theater experience. But I’m not going to get that right now, especially in the city I live in. Maybe I’m just an old man yelling at clouds, or maybe it just isn’t ever worth going to a theater to watch Hangover, Part 3 or whatever.

Go watch The Batman in a theater if you want to. I’m not telling you how to live your life.

TVs and home sound systems rival movie theater experience + covid, I see no reason to leave home for a movie anymore abd I'm not alone I think.

>TVs and home sound systems rival movie theater experience

Yeah I can see cinemas are only for the peasants now who can't afford a proper home entertainment system

Not sure if you are being sarcastic but big screen TVs are affordable, no need to sell a kidney to get a decent OLED TV. Also if you regularly watch movies I can argue its cheaper to buy the equipment than pay the ticket prices, especially if you have a family.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I look forward to the day when my grandchildren ask me if there really used to be buildings that showed movies to the public.

This one is coming straight to Disney+? That’s great news!

I have two very young kids so I wouldn't be allowed in theaters. Thank you streaming!

Two thousand people die every day of COVID now in the US. Straight to streaming is much safer. People can deal.

I don't think a lot of 80 year olds are going to see Pixar movies at the cinema.

But they might be in close contact with someone who did go to the cinema and contracted the virus.

The big jump is now at age 50.[1]

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1191568/reported-deaths-...

Similar to UK numbers. Now that I know there's possibly an every improving chance that I'm not going to killed from this Pandemic, now maybe we can look closer at long Covid, which isn't reflected in those numbers.

Note: 2nd jab nearly 3 months ago in a country running seriously behind. Probably get boosted soon if the health centers are giving us the thumbs up for it.

ETA: So, I'm still avoiding people. ;)

"Long COVID" isn't really understood yet. There's some evidence for it being caused by tiny blood clots. That's still a maybe. As understanding improves, so will treatment. There are things that can be done about tiny blood clots.

with != of

Movies would suck less if they stopped hiring anyone that has ever self diagnosed themself with a mental illness.

Furthermore people who actually have ADHD Would probably appreciate it even more.

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