The Continuing Streamlining of Emotion in the No Fun League

One can get mighty cocky at the top.



The NFL is once again making it more and more difficult for fans to support them as they continue their ways of ticking us off. Penalties for the n-word? I am sure the Native Americans are thrilled that their racist slur remains attached to a Washington D.C. franchise. Potentially eliminating the extra point kick? Expanding playoffs? Team in London? More non-Sunday football on the way? And this is already in addition to all the ridiculous things you can’t do when tackling a quarterback or any offensive player for that matter. The 2000 Ravens would have died instantly in this current NFL.

The NFL has been trying to avoid their lawsuits and earn back some of their money by watering down the contact aspect of this contact sport and then attempting to make the NFL season beefier without touching the regular season. Roger Goddell and friends are altering and constantly making little changes to the beloved game at a very alarming rate, and we can only fear what might go down next.



Wait, no more goal post dunks?



Why?



What other celebrations are we going to ban while continuing to support the just-as-time-consuming Lambeau Leap? And I am not against the Leap, but what I am saying is that we need to allow these football players to breathe. Let them dance a little. Let them taunt a little. Let them show some sort of emotion. The career of an NFL player is far, far, far shorter than that of a hockey, baseball, or basketball player---let them cherish the few moments that they can reach the end zone.

Rumor has it the ban happened because of the delay of game when one of the players altered the positioning of the goal post after “dunking” it. What is the problem with just applying a penalty if he delays the game after the dunk? What is the problem with just letting them dunk and not hang around too long? Seriously, just let them dunk.

We already removed the excessive celebrations (even though soccer thrives incessantly on these and never really suffer on ratings), removed the props, removed the taunts, removed most of the dances, and pretty much eliminated nearly every aspect of emotion once those hard-earned six points are scored. But now we are hitting a new low with the elimination of the goal post dunk, a nice harmless celebration that doesn’t offend anybody. Next thing you know, we will start penalizing those that unnecessarily throw their bodies into the end zone too.

The NFL wants the players to become emotionless robots that churn out a football game without issue for us to watch and analyze and bicker over Fantasy stats, nothing more, nothing less. The NFL wants to remove the flavor from the players, reduce the personality to the bare minimum. Collect the money, move on, and churn out new players from the Draft after the old players can’t take the action anymore. Can you honestly name 5 players for the Kansas City Chiefs off the top of your head? Can you name even 3 players on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster? You can’t because the league doesn’t want anyone to stand out in the least bit.

The NFL wants to be a moneymaking monotone machine devoid of any emotion. If you don’t believe, check out all the rule changes in the last 5 years. They only want the quarterbacks to stand out. Even though it is hands-down the most successful of the sports franchises, they are slowly killing away at the quality of their product, and who knows what might happen if they continue this path.



Seriously guys, stop it, you are ruining football little by little.

Removing the Tanks from the NBA Battlefield

Alright, so the NBA is an obvious disaster. I honestly don’t care what they will say in terms of revenue and popularity but the truth is the product is fading, and fading ridiculously fast. If the NBA didn’t have the Mickey Mouse marketing of ESPN and instead was stuck with NBA TV and/or some other network it would have been obliterated by the competition. This is an ugly secret that it being withheld by all those that air NBA games.

At least half the NBA is not even trying this season so far. Whether they are flopping, tanking, or just relaxing until the playoffs begin, the entertainment value has severely diminished and is arguably the worst since…well….I don’t actually remember. The bottom three teams in the East are currently collectively on a 34-game losing streak. Not making this up. We see teams like the Miami Heat just calmly coast through the season and lose ridiculous games because they are fully aware that they can make the playoffs regardless.

There is no drama in the playoff seeding in the East. The Cavaliers are 26-42, but still in playoff range. The Phoenix Suns have a better record than the third seed in the East---and might miss the playoffs because of its existence in the West. The Lakers, Jazz, Celtics, Magic, Bucks, 76ers, Kings, and Hornets are in full tank mode. Ridiculous tank mode. Yet the prices have not dropped. Hockey is selling out more than basketball this season.




Not making this up.


So, how do we solve this problem? How do we improve the brand of basketball and potentially bring it back to the 90s? How do we stop the tanking from continuing? Well, it’s time to punish the tankers in a certain way that will prevent any franchise from attempting the same ridiculousness. It will get ugly, and it will involve the D-League and the four bottom teams.


It involves demotion.

It involves potentially losing the ability to play in the main NBA league.

Yes. It will get ugly.

For starters, every team has a shot. Every single team minus the bottom four teams has a shot at earning the #1 seed. Of course, teams ranked #17-#26 will have the much better chance, but even playoff teams have their opportunity at the #1 slot. This way missing out on the playoffs doesn’t provide much of an advantage at the lottery, leading to teams not dropping on their effort. Is it honestly bad news that the champion can land a #1 seed? The NBA has more casual fans than any other league, and secretly thrives better with super teams like the 80s Lakers/Celtics, 90s Bulls, 2000s Lakers, and the current Miami Heat. But at the same time it gives lower-ranked playoff teams (which yearly have a ridiculously tough uphill battle) a chance to get the necessary bump to take on the typical top seeds like the Heat, Spurs, and Thunder.

Now, about those bottom four teams. Regardless of conference (because it’s unfair that a Western Conference team loses the draft pick when it can still boast a better record than half the bottom dwellers of the East) the four worst teams in the NBA lose their chance at a pick unless they win in a March Madness-style tournament. Not only do they have to compete in a tournament to potentially gain a pick, but they need to survive to at least remain in the NBA.

That’s right, the D-League has a chance to play spoiler and upgrade one of their smaller teams into the NBA and allow their small town/city to see professional franchises for at least one season. My proposal is to run the D-League season in the same pace and same time as the regular NBA season, and then the top 8 teams in the D-League will compete in a tournament with the bottom 4 NBA teams. The 4 remaining teams left in the tournament will be in the NBA next season, and the winner of said tournament gets the #27 and #28 seed. The runner-up wins the #29 and the #30 seed.

This NBA Hunger Games Tournament would be done in an NFL one-and-done format with the 4 NBA teams getting a bye and taking on the remaining D-League teams that survive the Wild Card beginning. All 12 of these teams will play in a neutral arena, like a Madison Square Garden or Amway Center. These games will be broadcast on the off days of the actual NBA playoffs so basketball fans can have access to more basketball without increasing the playoff schedule.

This tournament would not only give hope to the smaller cities and smaller franchises, but it would threaten the elimination of the larger NBA franchises and would pretty much eliminate the concept of losing on purpose. There is more talent than ever out there amongst all the sports because of the widespread exposure around the world and increasing scouting in other nations. Look at how tight Major League Baseball has become. The NBA technically has a broader spectrum than all the other professional sports because of its nice stranglehold in the China/Europe/Africa markets---no excuses anymore. The 76ers have a good enough squad to not lose 22 in a row. The potential demotion to the D-League and the widening of the lottery chances should be more than enough leverage to convince all teams to aim for the playoffs and aim for a successful season.

The D-League itself should also grow so that way high school stars can skip the nonsense of the NCAA and enter a job that pays and allows you to play the sport you love without the stupid restrictions of college. The D-League would be perfect for the washouts, burnouts, and has-beens to gain second wind and potentially wreck some havoc and earn some revenge against the league that gave up on him. It would make for awesome, awesome storylines. Can you imagine the Bakersfield Jam potentially eliminating the Utah Jazz and entering the next NBA season? And with the shuffle, it would alter divisions and would create even more havoc. Nothing scares an owner more than losing money, and trust me tanking won't look so attractive when your upcoming schedule involves playing home games against teams from Maine, Omaha, Reno, and Idaho.

I personally can see an NBA that will run mildly like the soccer leagues in Europe: win, or at least be decent or get demoted, simple as that. Tanking needs to go, as soon as possible. There is enough talent for all NBA squads to at least gain some sort of relevance at one point in a three-year span. At least provide some ripples in the NBA community. But with tanking remaining to be legal, and ignored by the higher-ups, it will remain rampant, and will spoil the professionalism of the league altogether.

So the solution is simple: expand the chances to include nearly every team, throw in a win-or-be-demoted tournament for the bottom feeders, and expand the D-League to give a chance to basketball players that have found their path and don’t want the college hassle. We need to shake up the NBA to improve the product. Potential demotion would definitely help. Disagree with this idea all you want, but something is certain:



The NBA sucks and needs to change.

The Top 10 Films of 1994

Not sure if any of you noticed, but it’s the 20-year anniversary of one of the greatest years in the history of cinema. 1994 presented us with a plethora of wonderful films, launched the career of a comedic legend, and also delivered one of the tightest Best Picture races in the last half-century. It would alter the movie industry for a very long time as we saw moviegoers flood into the movie theaters and give 26 different movies $100 million worldwide.

This was not an easy task, but here is my personal list of what I believe were the 10 best movies released that year. It starts out easy, but definitely gets tough towards the end. Here are my choices:




#10: The Lion King

Of course we have to start out with the Disney film that represents the Disney Renaissance. Golden Globe Winner, 55 million VHS tapes sold, and hundreds of millions more in merchandise, The Lion King is hands-down one of the most successful Disney movies in the entire history of the company. That being said, its still not as good as previous efforts Aladdin and especially Beauty and the Beast. Nonetheless, it still hands fantastic music, the awesome Disney villain you love to hate, great cast of characters, and an epic presentation that had not been felt in an animated Disney movie since Sleeping Beauty.




#9: Quiz Show

Excellent acting ensemble carries this gripping drama about what lengths people will go in order to  achieve their shot of fame. A spellbinding true story about a game show that may or may not have been lying to the viewers, the script pulls no punches, the editing is tight enough to cover all bases without becoming a bore, and the movie touches upon the major differences between what you see and what is actually true. Highly underrated film that could have had a better chance winning Best Picture if the competition had not been so ridiculous.




#8: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

One of the most original cinematic characters of the 90s, Ace Ventura was a breath of fresh air and a definite departure from your average comedy. It was a unique character with a unique occupation covering a unique crime. The script was anything but predictable, but this was Jim Carrey's film from start to finish. Who else could you possibly imagine playing this role?



#7: Speed

I personally really love this movie so I am bummed its so low in any sort of list. The tension was ridiculous when it first came out as it was overwhelming odds against an everyday crimefighter as he struggles to maintain his sanity and the sanity of random individuals aboard a bus that was inches away from blowing up. Excellent concept, excellent writing, and great performances from everyone not named Keanu Reeves. If only that final act was tightened a little.............



#6: True Lies

Before James Cameron was on top of the box office world with the I-will-only-release-this-when-there-is-no-other-competition-in-theaters Titanic and Avatar, he had a fun 1994 gem involving Arnold Schwarzenegger at his comedic best, Tom Arnold at his most bearable, and a premise that mixes midlife crisis with 80s action thriller. The movie has it all: romance, action, drama, plenty of comedy, good fights, superb stuntwork, creative shootouts, and a great final sequence with a killer send-off message. You can't be disappointed in this movie, for it offers so so much.



#5: Dumb and Dumber

It is much, much, much, much harder to make an entire audience laugh consistently than make them cry consistently. It is much harder to deliver a timeless comedy than it is to deliver a timeless drama. And for that reason, Dumb and Dumber remains an underrated achievement of cinematic gold. From start to finish the jokes kept flying from all corners, and pretty much nearly all of them hit. Jim Carrey was at his comedic peak right here, and Jeff Daniels was a fantastic sidekick to all the shenanigans and craziness contained in the two hours of pure hilarity. Well-written, superbly directed, and with flawless comic timing, Dumb and Dumber is one of the 10 greatest comedies ever made.




#4: Legend of Drunken Master

This is potentially the greatest martial arts movie of all-time, one of the best action movies you'll ever see, and contains some of the most insane stunts you'll ever have the pleasure of witnessing. Jackie Chan is at his creative peak throws us on a wild and crazy marital arts ride that delivers awesome fight after awesome fight, and saves the best for last in a 15 minute finale that will stand the test of time and will eternally remain as the best fight scene of all-time. Honestly.




#3: Pulp Fiction

Tarantino already made waves with Reservoir Dogs, but this was the work that launched him into the stratosphere, and forever changed the culture and aspect of independent film. Hands-down one of the most unique films released up to that point, Pulp Fiction was out of order aesthetically and stylistically. It was cool, hip, clever, and packed so much content within the 140 minutes that it requires multiple viewings to handle it all. It paced and felt like an underground comic book.

The script of Pulp Fiction remains one of the best you'll ever read, as it has all the rock n' roll mayhem you can muster, with dozens of memorable lines said amongst the multitude of memorable characters. Throw in perfect editing, excellent acting, and wonderful direction and you have yourself a bonafide indie masterpiece.




#2: Forrest Gump

Even though the success of the movie was clearly propelled through nostalgia (which definitely helped the usually older crew of Oscar voters give it the Best Picture nod) underneath the multiple layers of 50s, 60s, and 70s moments was a spellbinding love story about a man who can hardly figure out the world chasing the one and only gal of his life. What makes this movie work is that there is beauty between the characters, the events, and the moments that shape everyone involved.

What also makes this movie work is that it quite frankly lacks a single weakness or drawback. The two hours of this classic just fly by as the direction, music, acting, soundtrack, writing, editing, and cinematography all rank as among the best you'll ever see in the movies. Everything about Forrest Gump worked from beginning to end, and if you dislike this movie by any means we can't be friends. Even if its not the best movie of 1994, it wasn't a total disaster that it won Best Picture, because it remains one of the 25 best films I've ever seen.

















#1: The Shawshank Redemption


Here it is. The movie of 1994. And this is no debate. No question. No arguing, no counterpoint, nothing. Every once in a while, everything cinematically clicks. Every once in a while, all the wheels turn perfectly and you have a movie that will stand the test of time, will never age, and will forever alter your views on life and will change the way you look at movies. Shawshank Redemption is that movie. It is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made, and easily the greatest prison drama you'll ever see.

Shawshank Redemption is run purely on strong characters, and an extremely strong script that ties everyone and everything together. You always forget that the people you are rooting for, the people you are feeling sorry for are criminals that are serving time in prison for heinous acts. The movie nearly plays out like a documentary or a true story because of the realistic portrayals of the characters in Shawshank. None feel like caricatures, and the deeper the movie goes the more you become invested. Which makes it all the harder when not everyone survives.

Looking back at it now, it is blatantly obvious that Shawshank Redemption was directed by the man that jump-started Walking Dead and laid out the foundation for the groundbreaking television show. And I say this because just like in the television show, it is about the characters and then its about the conflict. It starts off with a banker serving a double life sentence for the murder of two people---but there's so much more than that. Frank Darabont directed this masterpiece beautifully, but the performances from the entire cast also deserves the utmost praise--with Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and James Whitmore deserving the most acclaim.

It is a film that runs slowly, but you won't mind. It is a film that contains very minimal action, but you won't care. And when the movie picks up after the shocking twist, it goes to a new level of quality that will send shivers down your spines. Most of your greatest films of all-time reaches its quality peak at the final act, when the climax is starting to creep in. Shawshank Redemption is 10/10 for 2/3rds of the movie, but enters 11 territory when you approach the last 45 minutes.


Shawshank Redemption isn't just a film, it is an experience. And one that everyone must engage in at least once. You will come out of the other side a different person.

The DIAC 2014 Academy Awards Preview

The Academy Awards are close, and it’s going to be another year of screaming, ranting, raging, and debating snubs, deserving winners, etc. The Best Picture Award has no true frontrunner, and neither does most of the other awards in the 2013 crop. There is only sure-fire guaranteed win: Let it Go winning Best Song. Because seriously, if the Academy doesn’t hand Frozen that Oscar than it would be the stupidest decision they’ve made since giving Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan. But there are a few other major things to note as we approach Oscar Night:

1) Leonardo DiCaprio NEEDS to win Best Actor


This is not even up for debate. I don’t care who else is on the ballot. I don’t care if Wolf of Wall Street is secretly overrated and not worthy of Best Picture. DiCaprio ran this show, and gave that film the performance of his life. His epic rants, his incredible inspiring speeches, his physical humor, and his settling into the despicable character could not have been accomplished by anybody besides 90s Jim Carrey—who notoriously sacrificed his entire body for a laugh. This is his year. This is his moment. This is his. Give it to him. Honestly.


2) The Disney Backlash


Tom Hanks was not up for Best Actor. The ONLY reason why Tom Hanks was not up for Best Actor (despite an amazing performance in Captain Phillips) is because I believe that Disney’s ridiculous box office success of 2013 secretly annoyed the voters. Tom Hanks was also---Walt Disney. No nod there either. As a matter of fact, Saving Private Banks didn’t get nods on Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and not even Best Supporting Actor (Colin Ferrell did quite well).

Frozen, the most talked-about movie of 2013 and one of the highest-acclaimed movies didn’t get Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, and Best Picture. This film is not just a hit, it will be the most-remembered movie from 2013, the most-discussed movie from 2013 in the future, and will be classified as Disney’s coming out party for feminism, and its return to the Disney Renaissance expectations. It will not the one that makes the most money, but it will cross a billion dollars, will guarantee heavier DVD sales over the higher-grossing pictures, and will remain a staple in pop culture for an extremely lengthy period of time.

P.S. No Disney movie is up for Best Picture, even though 4 of the 10 highest-grossing films come from the House of Mouse.


3) The Oscars have no idea what to do with Captain Phillips

Alright, Best Picture nomination. But…no Best Director nomination, no Best Actor nomination. No Best Cinematography either. Let’s be honest, how can a film with plenty of technical Oscar nods but none of the big ones besides Supporting Actor possibly win the entire thing? Its nothing but false hope. Might as well have thrown in Lone Ranger or Frozen in the Best Picture category. Paul Greengrass should have gotten his nomination AT LEAST.


4) Before Midnight is snubbed


No Best Picture. No Best Director. No Best Cinematography. No Best Editing. No Best Actress. This is the best film of 2013, and it has a strong, strong chance of going home totally empty. A trilogy 15 years in the making and an average rating of 98% in Rotten Tomatoes, 87 in Metacritic, and 8.1/10 in IMDB deserves far far better than this.


Without further interruption, I am presenting my picks as well as the films I am rooting for in the upcoming Academy Awards tomorrow. As well as a notable snub nomination if applicable.



Best Picture:
Prediction: 12 Years a Slave
Desire: Gravity
Snub: Before Midnight and Frozen


Best Actor:
Prediction: Leonardo DiCaprio
Desire: Leonardo DiCaprio
Snub: Tom Hanks. Twice.

Best Actress:
Prediction: Cate Blanchett
Desire: Amy Adams
Snub: Julie Delpy

Best Director:
Prediction: Alfonso Curason
Desire: Alfonso Curason
Snub: Spike Jonze. Again

Best Supporting Actor:
Prediction: Michael Fassbender
Desire: Barkhad Abdi
Snub: Colin Farrell

Best Supporting Actress:
Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence
Desire: Jennifer Lawrence
Snub: Scarlett Johanasson (Seriously)

Best Original Writing:
Prediction: American Hustle
Desire: Her
Snub: This is The End

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Prediction: 12 Years a Slave
Desire: Before Midnight
Snub: n/a

Best Animated Feature:
Prediction: Frozen
Desire: Frozen
Snub: n/a

Best Original Score:
Prediction: Philomena
Desire: Her
Snub: Frozen

Best Original Song:
Prediction: Let it Go
Desire: Let it Go
Snub: n/a

Best Sound Editing:
Prediction: Gravity
Desire: Gravity
Snub: Lone Ranger

Best Sound Mixing:
Prediction: Gravity
Desire: Gravity
Snub: Lone Ranger

Best Production Design:
Prediction: 12 Years a Slave
Desire: Her
Snub: Iron Man 3

Best Cinematography
Prediction: Gravity
Desire: Gravity
Snub: Before Midnight

Best Makeup
Prediction: The Lone Ranger
Desire: Bad Grandpa
Snub: n/a

Best Costume
Prediction: American Hustle
Desire: 12 Years a Slave
Snub: The Lone Ranger

Best Film Editing:
Prediction: Gravity
Desire: Gravity
Snub: n/a

Best Visual Effects:
Prediction: Gravity
Desire: Gravity
Snub: n/a

Other Award Predictions:

Best Foreign Language Feature: The Hunt

Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom

Best Short Documentary: Facing Fear

Best Live Action Short: Helium

Best Animated Short Film: Get a Horse!




Overall I predict a show in which multiple movies will win multiple awards, as opposed to one running away with it. But 12 Years a Slave should be the winner for sure, it has the credentials, it has the effort from the marketing crew, and has won plenty of awards leading up to it. It wont win the technical awards that Gravity will win, but name the very last time a science fiction movie won Best Picture.




Go ahead, I’ll wait…


If The Matrix, Wall-E, Terminator 2, Aliens, Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Back to the Future didn’t win, what on earth makes you think Gravity has a chance? Out of all the Best Picture nominees, Gravity is the best of the crop, and most deserving of the ultimate award. But........12 Years a Slave, congratulations.


See you on Oscar Sunday.

The Quiet Downard Spiral of Pixar Animation

Pixar is going downhill.




The animation studio that we thought could do absolutely no wrong is suddenly seeing the competitors matching them punch for punch. The Lego Movie, Frozen, The Adventures of Tintin, Wreck-It Ralph, Rango are all animated movies released in the past four years that have equaled or surpassed the Pixar movies of this current decade. After four straight years of winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar, they have had only one film even nominated in the category in the past three years.

We are seeing a sudden added emphasis on sequels/prequels as opposed to attempting original ideas. In the 2010s we saw Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Monster’s University, with Finding Dory coming up and potentially a Toy Story 4 down the road. The creativity levels has diminished a bit and we are seeing more and more production delays than ever as the studio seems to be struggling in figuring out how to deliver a great movie.



The best way to describe what has happened is this: Pixar lost its bravery.



Remember the epic 2007-2010 run that gave us multiple Best Picture Nominees as well as multiple Best Animated Feature winners? Those movies were all unique in their own sort of way and created some beautiful moments on screen.

2007 gave us Ratatouille, an animated movie with a heavy amount of indie flair. It was the male Cinderella story as we see an unexpected source become the best chef in France. This movie was extremely tough to market and appeal to kids originally but through word-of-mouth it eventually become a phenomenal hit. Ratatouille up to that point was arguably the most unique computer-animated movie ever released.

2008 gave us Wall-E, the first animated movie since Beauty and the Beast to truly have a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture overall because of the overwhelming support. And it was its exclusion from the main prize and the critical aftermath that led to the Academy increasing the amount of Best Picture nominees to at least 8. It was a love story that was a mix of Charlie Chaplain and 2001: A Space Odyssey—one of the most unique love stories in the history of cinema.

2009 gave us Up, which featured one of the most popular and heartfelt deaths in an animated movie since Bambi. And they delivered it immediately 5 minutes into the movie, and without a single word. It is risky to pull off such a sad movie for the kids, but the parents were just as much in love with Up and it led to a box office bonanza, and a Best Picture nomination, the first since Beauty and the Beast back in 1991.

And of course, we have the most successful animated movie of all-time with Toy Story 3. Fourth highest-attended movie of all-time, highest-grossing animated film in history, and currently over 1 billion made in the box office. It is also the highest-grossing animated film in the history of the U.K. cinema as well as a few other nations. This movie became a great representation of the last 15 years of Pixar animation: stellar animation, incredible voice work, beautiful writing, and a great blend of drama and comedy. This could have easily been Pixar’s swan song with the final shot of Toy Story 3 being all the characters we had grown up with looking up at the clouds. Toy Story 3 was the best film of 2010 and should have won Best Picture for its success, acclaim, and impact on moviegoers everywhere.

Look at that run: Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3—four movies that could easily fit in any film fan’s list of best animated movies ever made. But somewhere along the lines the staff at Pixar got lost in all the success and perhaps got a little lazy. The next film would be Cars 2, and it totally distanced itself from everything that had made Pixar a household name.

Cars 2 was just a plain big mess, with an uninspiring plot, an environment that was more confusing than clever, forgettable characters, and just an overall dissatisfying aura of nonsense. It wasn’t even as detailed as previous works. The sequel never had to happen either, as the original Cars ended nicely. Then the sequel ruined the theme of the original about taking life slow and remembering what is truly important in your world. Cars 2 featured a pointless race that occurred just because another vehicle was talking smack.

Brave was a decent movie, but very jumbled and also was a step back from the usual Pixar fare. They took a very good character and butchered her by having her come off as more of a brat and self-centered even though the intentions were anything but. Brave felt like two different movies pieced together at the last minute. It had the right idea about an active princess that wasn’t going to let a man bring her down, but you didn’t get to see her actually…do much. The talent was there clearly, but we never saw her use her archery to get out of any scenario.

Monster’s University was the third continuation of a previous Pixar movie in four years, and now serious moviegoers were beginning to take notice. Yes it made its money, but it will not have the lasting impact as the original Monster’s Inc. because it was purely lazy. The animation didn’t really take a step forward, the storytelling went in predictable directions, the humor was lacking, and it was just full of cute characters and cute scene to keep the tykes entertained. $700 million never sounds like a disappointment, but to gain no Oscar nominations and no Golden Globe nominations and only winning editorial and storyboarding at the Annie Awards has got to tell you something.



But the downhill slope of Pixar isn’t just the doing of Pixar, it’s that the competitors are stepping up and delivering much better work. Dreamworks, despite its major lazy streaks, can still crank out a very good animated movie once in a while. How to Train Your Dragon came out around the same time as Toy Story 3, and it could have easily swept the major Best Animated Feature awards and potentially even got a Best Picture nomination if it had not been for Toy Story 3’s existence. The Croods was another slightly daring movie about cavemen that was released in March and survived a slow start thanks to strong word-of-mouth to gain an Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature.



Nickelodeon also stepped up to the plate and in a much bigger way than people give them credit for. Rango was an extremely daring, slightly controversial animated movie that featured all the smoking, violence, and innuendo that you would expect from an adult Western. This became Nick’s coming out party as the studio set out to prove that they aren’t just aiming for the little kids anymore. Then they follow it up with the equally adult The Adventures of Tintin, which features some of the best animated sequences you’ll ever see. The American crowd may not have embraced it, but it deserves your attention.



Even the original Walt Disney Animation Studio has stepped up, and has even outshone Pixar this previous year with Frozen being the most talked about movie this entire year, and not just in animation. Frozen has struck a nerve, and the breakout song Let It Go is arguably the most popular song in the United States in the past nine months. It was probably inches from even a Best Picture nomination, although we can blame the lack of Disney marketing for that snuff. But before Frozen, we saw strong female characters in Wreck-it Ralph, Princess and the Frog, and in Tangled. Before Frozen we saw a great delightful nod to old-school Disney with Winnie the Pooh. Walt Disney Animation can officially be declared back to quality after its ho-hum run from 2001-2008.



Last but not least, we have Laika, a small animation studio in the Northwest. They gave us Coraline and Paranorman, two animated movies with an extreme amount of detail, indie flair, and an inability to trot down the normal path of animated films. The Boxtrolls is their next movie, and it’s looking to be another critical success. Final note, Warner Brothers Animation has just completed an extremely successful comeback with The Lego Movie receiving outstanding reviews and acclaim.

Pixar during its earlier days and during its peak quality days had very little competition to have to defeat. Now, we have Universal Animation, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Laika, Nickelodeon, and even the studio working next door to them providing wholesome, successful, and quality-filled works that are starting to rise up to Pixar quality. Pixar, your success was no secret; all it took was for the other studios to stop being lazy and start providing more effort. And moviegoers are beginning to also notice this, as other animation studios are getting the same box office numbers as Pixar. The market share of Pixar in the box office is dwindling quite a bit---and they can't just simply make an animated movie and depend on its brand name to deliver the money and fame. Not anymore. 




Step up your game Pixar. Everyone else is catching up.