Although Pixar has brought timeless classics such as Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and Ratatouille to the big screen, the Disney-owned studio has recently found itself in a difficult phaseThis was most evident in the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear, which flopped at the box office two years ago.
The great breakthrough from the crisis: Inside Out 2. The sequel to the Pixar hit from 2015 has grossed over 1.6 billion US dollars worldwide to date. This makes Inside Out 2 not only the most successful Pixar film of all time. No animated film in the history of moving images has made more money.
After setbacks caused by the pandemic, the double strike in Hollywood and questions about the ideal release strategy for Pixar films (cinema vs. streaming), the studio has back to the top of Hollywood catapulted. A comprehensive background report from IGN now reveals another side of the story.
According to a report, the box office flop of Lightyear has caused a rethink at Pixar
IGN spoke to 10 former Pixar employees. In May, the studio laid off 14 percent of its workforce, which equates to 175 employees. According to the sources, Inside Out 2 was being developed in a intensive crunch phase completed and under no circumstances could it be another flop like Lightyear.
Lightyear grossed $218 million on a budget of $200 million, according to The Numbers. For a Pixar film to be considered a success, it must at least the 600 million mark happen, as a source told IGN. A Pixar film is only a real hit if it makes at least one billion US dollars.
There are several reasons for the Lightyear defeat. IGN cites the film’s confusing spin-off concept and the new voice of the main character, among others. According to Pixar sources, however, the main reason for the internal same-sex kiss was blamed for the flop, which was even cut from the film in the meantime.
IGN quotes one of its sources as saying:
As far as I know, it is still the case that the people in charge specifically mention Lightyear and say: ‘Oh, Lightyear was a financial failure, because it contained a same-sex kiss. But that is not the reason why the film failed.After the Lightyear flop: Pixar films like Inside Out 2 are supposed to tell universal stories
Now Pixar will focus on “universal stories” lie, the “are very homogeneous and with which everyone can identify”is another quote from the report. IGN writes that Pixar has been a avoid LGBTQ+ issues We can therefore see the effects of this directly in Inside Out 2.
In the sequel, protagonist Riley meets ice hockey player Val. It is obvious that Val makes a big impression on her. The finished film defines the relationship between the two as pure friendship without romantic feelingsalthough the initial situation and various interpretations of the film would allow this.
According to several sources, during the development process of Inside Out 2, there were continuous notes from the executive floor that Riley “less lesbian” The relationship with Val should as platonic as possible According to IGN, lighting conditions in certain scenes were even changed for this purpose.
Wait, what do lighting conditions have to do with it? In recent years, the concept of Bisexual Lighting This refers to the simultaneous use of pink, purple and blue, as we see, for example, in the third episode of the Marvel series Loki, when the main character reveals her bisexuality.
Former employees fear we may never see a queer Pixar protagonist
For Inside Out 2 such interpretations should not be made possible. “A lot of extra work has been done to make sure that no one [Riley und Val] as something other than heterosexual”says a source at IGN. Pixar management feels “uncomfortable” in dealing with queer elements.
According to IGN’s research, the new approach –
universal stories in Pixar films – could be the solution. One of the voices quoted in the article concludes: “Many of us have accepted the fact that we may never see a queer lead character in a Pixar film.”