The Buckingham

Four weeks ago, ‘Cars 2’ opened to the worst reviews in Pixar’s history. According to Rotten Tomatoes, which rates films based on their percentage of positive or ‘fresh’ reviews from critics, ‘Cars 2’ earned a 35%, which is considered quite low. Before the release of ‘Cars 2’, Pixar had a flawless track record, with their lowest rated film earning a 74%, which coincidentally was the first ‘Cars’. Most Pixar films have earned ratings above 90%, including 100% for ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Toy Story 2’. Pixar has had a reputation for releasing original films that are marketed toward children but resonate with adult audiences as well. The average worldwide gross of their films is $602 million, the highest of any studio in the movie industry.

While ‘Cars 2’ has grossed $165.3 million so far in the United States and will likely turn a profit with its worldwide grosses, it is fading fast and is lagging behind its predecessor, despite higher ticket prices and the pricy 3D format. Some might attribute the lower gross to a case of lower interest due to ‘Cars 2’ being a sequel, but that is clearly not the case as last year’s ‘Toy Story 3’ far out grossed both of its predecessors. The answer is the poor quality of ‘Cars 2’.

It is not so much the release of ‘Cars 2’ that makes Pixar’s future uncertain as Disney’s acquisition of the multi-billion dollar studio back in 2006. In the last fifteen years, Disney has been notorious for releasing straight-to-DVD sequels to their biggest hits, such as ‘The Lion King’, ‘Mulan’, and ‘Aladdin’. While this might be seen as premature, it appears as though Disney seems to be using that strategy with Pixar as well, except that they have decided to move these sequels from DVD to the big screen.

One poor sequel from Pixar is not necessarily cause to hit the panic button. I was extremely apprehensive before the release of ‘Toy Story 3’ until the overwhelmingly positive reviews began pouring in. What is alarming is t

hat since Pixar was purchased by Disney for $7.4 billion, sequels to other beloved films have been announced, including a prequel to ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and a possible sequel to ‘The Incredibles’. More recently, Tom Hanks implied the possibility of another ‘Toy Story’, which would be disappointing as ‘Toy Story 3’ ended the trilogy in a perfect way and should definitely not be tampered with.

Pixar remains one of the most successful film studios in movie history. Eleven of their twelve films have received endless amounts of praise, and all of their films have been financially successful. Next summer, the studio will be releasing ‘Brave’, an original fairy tale about a female archer. As an avid lover of Pixar’s films, I hope that I am wrong in inferring that the studio may be headed on a downward spiral. However, given Disney’s track record, it does not seem out of the question that the studio will begin releasing sequels that only appeal to young children, instead of their past films that have been praised by audiences of all ages.