Pixar vs Dreamworks
One can't deny that in recent years Pixar has found the quality of their movies slipping, whilst Dreamworks are slowly but surely gaining a foothold on what it means to create a family friendly animation that also caters to an adult audience.
Pixar are the kings of animation - right? Well, let's take a closer look.
Yes, at first glance the question itself appears to be lunacy. How can a studio which created the Toy Story trilogy possibly be doubted for its quality? Monsters. Inc, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo - these are all animated classics which hold ridiculously high esteem amongst critics. Pixar are the unbeatable artists behind some of the greatest movies of all time.
Yes, at first glance the question itself appears to be lunacy. How can a studio which created the Toy Story trilogy possibly be doubted for its quality? Monsters. Inc, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo - these are all animated classics which hold ridiculously high esteem amongst critics. Pixar are the unbeatable artists behind some of the greatest movies of all time.
Dreamworks on the other hand is the studio behind...er...well, Shrek. Then Shrek 2. Then...er, I think Shark Tale? Oh, and Antz as well! Which of course was not a blatant rip off of A Bug's Life.
The films are simply smirking shadows of their rival's efforts, taking Pixar's ideas and making them just that little bit worse by throwing in mismatched actors and horrendously boring stories.
Or at least...it used to be that way.
In 2006, Pixar released Cars, a film which wobbled very unsteadily upon the pedestal that Pixar had built for itself. It is still a very successful film (I for one loved it), however to the critics it just never sat right with the studio's earlier offerings. Possibly because a world run by talking motor engines unsettled the minds of our resident conspiracy theorists, or perhaps because the movie ditched the original themes that had made Pixar so great - the formula of small communities of objects given a voice and personalities of their own within our real world. Toys coming to life while their owners were asleep. Monsters making a living by creeping out of closets and scaring kids. Fish trying to find their families.
Things were never quite the same again.
2007's Pixar present, Ratatouille, was slightly more familiar territory and yet there was something lacking. The film was overly long, the jokes weren't relevant and none of the characters were particularly memorable. Wall-E was almost a return to form for the studio...for about half an hour. During the first 30 minutes of the film, we experience an automated cleaning robot with a personality living as the last creature on Earth. It's a beautifully told silent movie - until it degrades into a patronising lesson about recycling and staying away from McDonald's.
It's much harder to argue against the pleasures of 2009's Up. The enduring love story of Carl and Ellie is told in such a way that grown men were brought to tears within 5 minutes, however a talking dog and a comedy bird are slightly recycled comic ideas.
Meanwhile, at Dreamworks...
The usual tattered ideas of talking animals (Will Smith as a fish) were being placed in a box labelled "for a rainy day", whilst the studio came up with something really special indeed: How To Train Your Dragon.
If the studio's earlier offerings such as the original Monsters vs Aliens and brilliantly recieved Kung Fu Panda were perking up interest, How To Train Your Dragon showed the world that Dreamworks are more than talking ogres and ninja bears - the stunning visuals and the stay-with-you-heart was all finally part of the package. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature which it, quite understandably, lost to Toy Story 3.
Since then, Dreamworks have presented us with Kung Fu Panda 2, the hilarious Megamind starring Will Ferrel and the absolutely fantastic Puss In Boots, a spin-off to Shrek which was better than Shrek.
During this time, Pixar churned out the admittedly timeless Toy Story 3 and unfortunately ruined their streak of witty and charming movies with Cars 2 the following year, proving that eventually Pixar, like all companies, prioritise profit over quality.
This year's Brave was slightly better, but still lacked in any of the originality or wit of Pixar's classics. It was a decent film, but it could easily have passed for a Dreamworks production, and even then it would still be a little disappointing.
Pixar are set to continue their unoriginal streak, as sequels to both Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo are in production, and Dreamworks will also "get franchisin'" as they produce How To Train Your Dragon 2 and potentially Kung Fu Panda 3.
So to summarise, it's all something of an opinionated see-saw. Where before, Pixar were soaring high with their feet dangling through the air, they now find themselves falling back towards the ground amongst the mere mortals. Meanwhile Dreamworks are slowly but surely using Pixar's decline in quality to their advantage, releasing movies that touch the heart whilst tickling the funny bone.
Something which Pixar used to excel at...
It's clear that Pixar are still in the lead for now based on their long history, but if their steady decline continues to coincide with Dreamworks' equally steady improvement in quality, this is certainly subject to change.
Meanwhile, at Dreamworks...
The usual tattered ideas of talking animals (Will Smith as a fish) were being placed in a box labelled "for a rainy day", whilst the studio came up with something really special indeed: How To Train Your Dragon.
If the studio's earlier offerings such as the original Monsters vs Aliens and brilliantly recieved Kung Fu Panda were perking up interest, How To Train Your Dragon showed the world that Dreamworks are more than talking ogres and ninja bears - the stunning visuals and the stay-with-you-heart was all finally part of the package. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature which it, quite understandably, lost to Toy Story 3.
Since then, Dreamworks have presented us with Kung Fu Panda 2, the hilarious Megamind starring Will Ferrel and the absolutely fantastic Puss In Boots, a spin-off to Shrek which was better than Shrek.
During this time, Pixar churned out the admittedly timeless Toy Story 3 and unfortunately ruined their streak of witty and charming movies with Cars 2 the following year, proving that eventually Pixar, like all companies, prioritise profit over quality.
This year's Brave was slightly better, but still lacked in any of the originality or wit of Pixar's classics. It was a decent film, but it could easily have passed for a Dreamworks production, and even then it would still be a little disappointing.Pixar are set to continue their unoriginal streak, as sequels to both Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo are in production, and Dreamworks will also "get franchisin'" as they produce How To Train Your Dragon 2 and potentially Kung Fu Panda 3.
So to summarise, it's all something of an opinionated see-saw. Where before, Pixar were soaring high with their feet dangling through the air, they now find themselves falling back towards the ground amongst the mere mortals. Meanwhile Dreamworks are slowly but surely using Pixar's decline in quality to their advantage, releasing movies that touch the heart whilst tickling the funny bone.
Something which Pixar used to excel at...
It's clear that Pixar are still in the lead for now based on their long history, but if their steady decline continues to coincide with Dreamworks' equally steady improvement in quality, this is certainly subject to change.
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