Credit: Tulane Public Relations on Wikimedia CommonsPixar’s Elemental (2023) has had a rough opening at the box office, now ranked as one of the animation company’s worst premieres ever. Now, everyone is weighing in on why the movie has failed. This includes TV personality and “financial expert” Jim Cramer.
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A graduate of Harvard University, Jim Cramer is known for his financial advice show Mad Money with Jim Cramer (2005-present) on CNBC. The high-energy television program revolves around Cramer giving his opinions on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and guiding viewers through Wall Street and Dow Jones.
The program has faced lots of criticism and scrutiny throughout the years, especially when he gave terrible advice on Bear Stearns stock. It had gotten so bad at one point that Jon Stewart basically reprimanded him on The Daily Show (1996-present), and he is still the subject of ridicule on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014-present). Some have even gone so far as to say that doing the opposite of what he says will make you more money.
Despite these controversies, Jim Cramer is still an anchor at CNBC and gives his input on various financial situations. This has recently included addressing why Pixar’s Elemental failed to meet expectations at the box office. For Cramer, the reason for this is simple: AI.
Jim Cramer: “You’re Not Dazzled Anymore. You’re Dazzled By AI.”
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At this point, multiple people from all sides of the aisle have given their opinions regarding why Elemental isn’t doing well. Some say it’s because people are just waiting for it to come to Disney+. Others are saying it’s because the movie is “woke.” According to Jim Cramer, the film doesn’t utilize artificial intelligence enough.
Appearing on Squawk on the Street (2005), Cramer said, “Jensen Huang showed me what [animation] could look like, with better shading, with better dimensions. These look like the original steamboat Mickey Mouse. I don’t think people are willing to accept that anymore.”
"It's just not exciting enough."@jimcramer on $DIS Pixar's worst debut "Elemental" with @carlquintanilla pic.twitter.com/uCrUjHBQML
— Squawk on the Street (@SquawkStreet) June 20, 2023
Cramer continued, “It’s just not exciting enough. Politics aside, it seems like a yawner. You’re not dazzled anymore. You’re dazzled by AI. I know people are saying there’s too much AI, but you can make it so your thing looks much more lifelike. There’s nothing to what we saw. It’s old. It’s not interesting. Maybe it’s dead.”
While there are many things to address within his statement, the two big standouts are Cramer declaring that animation is dead and that artificial intelligence is the way to save it. AI definitely has its uses, but creativity and creation are not where it’s best suited. Anyone who has stared at an AI-created image knows that there are strange inaccuracies and are a legal loophole since they base everything on previously existing content.
And if this year’s box office has proven anything, it’s that animation is still alive and thriving. The highest-grossing movie of 2023 so far is The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), and it’s animated. On top of that, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) is still in theaters and thriving. Amid these more high-octane films, there’s a chance Elemental got lost in the shuffle. But to declare that animation is completely dead is, frankly, absolutely mad.
Do you think Pixar should take advice from Jim Cramer? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!