I love Pixar. With all my heart. With this statement, I don’t mean that I love the movies, which, don’t get me wrong, I do. Toy Story is the greatest trilogy ever created (yes, even better than Lord of the Rings and I will fight you on that) and no movie makes me laugh and cry like Up! does.
What I mean from that sentence is that I love Pixar the company. I love the people who work there and I love their philosophy, and this documentary is the reason why.
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Directed by Leslie Iwerks, daughter of the legendary Disney animator Ub Iwerks, this documentary explores the creation and inner workings of Pixar, Inc. It does this mainly by means of interviews with the creators itself, and is supplemented by a tasteful and unobtrusive disembodied narrator.
In this documentary you get to hear from John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, Brad Bird, and other computer animation giants whom, previous to this film, I knew very little of. Now I’m practically a fan girl, particularly of Lasseter. This documentary makes him seem like the second coming of Walt, but not in a cheesy way. They really give you a sense of the passion these people have for film, and makes you realize why this production company has produced so many wonderful movies.
The only critique I have for this documentary is that it is a little bit of a glorified view. But that’s fine, I’m happy to celebrate the accomplishments of a company rather than gossip about their seedy underbelly. And it doesn’t shy away from topics like their contribution to the end of 2D animation or their fallout and reunion with Disney. But most importantly, this film is entertaining.
I have forced many of my friends and family to watch this film, and as soon as I say “documentary” they’re heading out the door. But once the duct tape and eye drops are firmly in place, they find themselves admitting that it really is an interesting and engaging film. I recommend this film not just to Disney-philes, but anyone who appreciates film in any way. Because these people really know how to do it right.
So give it a watch and let me know what you think!
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