Disney Pixar "On Life Support," Faces Uncertain Future - Inside the Magic

Disney Pixar Animated Studios has produced countless award-winning films, grossing nearly $15 billion in the process. Yet, the studio is currently in the midst of a major crisis.

Pixar Animation Studios was founded in 1986 by Edwin Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith, and Steve Jobs. The studio made a significant breakthrough in the world of animation when it released the first-ever computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, in 1995. This groundbreaking film showcased Pixar’s pioneering use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to bring toys to life and introduced audiences to memorable characters like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their friends.

Following the success of Toy Story (1995), Pixar continued to create a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films that have become an integral part of popular culture. Movies like A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), Finding Dory (2016), Incredibles 2 (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019), have all left a lasting impact on audiences of all ages.

Though Disney was helping with the distribution of the Pixar films since its beginning, the company officially purchased the studio in 2006. Pixar has remained a world-renowned animated film studio, even inspiring several attractions at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, including Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure, and Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

However, the studio seems to be facing a bit of an identity crisis as of late.

During the pandemic, Pixar saw three-straight films– Onward (2020), Soul (2020), and Turning Red (2021)– all released straight to Disney+, rather than theaters. After nearly three years without a theatrical release, Pixar called on the likes of a familiar superhero to draw huge box office numbers. Unfortunately for the studio, it was a flop.

Lightyear (2022), which starred Chris Evans as the voice of the “real-life Buzz Lightyear,” wasn’t well-received by fans. The movie faced controversies galore and earned an abysmal $226.4 million at the box office, compared to its $200 million budget. As a matter of fact, Lightyear reportedly lost Disney a whopping $106 million. In its latest round of layoffs, Disney let go of several Pixar employees, including the Director of the failed film, Angus MacLane.

Heading into 2023, Pixar hoped to right the wrongs that had been following it for the last three years with its summer release of Elemental. The film also has been considered a flop, bringing in just below $194 million with a budget of $200 million. While marketing and other expenses aren’t included in the estimated budget, this likely means that Elemental will end up costing Disney close to another $100 million in losses.

Many fans have shared the feeling that Pixar has “lost its voice.” In a recent Screenrant article, the publication tabbed Pixar as “on life support” following its latest failures.

“…before the 2020s, not every Pixar movie was a smash hit among critics and audiences alike. Films like Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur didn’t meet the studio’s high standards. But despite these “failures,” the movies still performed okay for Pixar, and the creatives would always bounce back with triumphs like Inside Out, Finding Dory, and Coco. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the past few features.”

Disney Pixar is facing a reality that, unfortunately, it has not seen in more than two decades. Rival studios are drastically improving. Universal’s Illumination has been on fire as of late, seeing back-to-back box office hits. Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) brought in a massive $934.9 million last summer with a much smaller budget than Lightyear, and then Illumination followed that up with The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), which set numerous records and brought in an astounding $1.348 billion.

Pixar recently canceled a Disney+ spinoff series, titled Win or Lose, and the studio is now going back to its more familiar IPs, with plans for a Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2 in the works. It’s unclear if going back to the sequels– which is in direct contrast to what Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company needed to do with Marvel– will be successful, but the studio is attempting to go back to doing “what worked” in the past. For now, however, we’ll have to wait and see what this means for Pixar Animated Studios and The Walt Disney Company as a whole.

What do you think the future holds for Disney Pixar? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!