Game of Narratives: Pixar vs. Disney

This week we say the interwebs set aflame with hotly contested debates. This wasn’t about gun control, the Muller investigation, or even if Rose had room on that door for Jack. It was Disney vs. Pixar. The greatest child animation debate currently available.

Maybe.

Actually, probably not.

Anywho, us boys at Game of Narratives thought it’d be fun to fill out our own brackets, flawed they may be, and pick the perfect bracket.

Well, I thought it would be fun. Turns out my partner-in-crime doesn’t really flow with the whole kids movie thang.

You wanna take it from here Levi?

Levi

I don’t watch animated movies. It’s nothing personal. The only “animated” things I watch are Archer and South Park. I guess I prefer live action movies. Dark, gritty, funny, surreal ones. Not “kids” movies. There’s a reason they have their own category at the Academy Awards. They can’t compete with real films. Maybe a few can hang. But no more than ten total. Very few can transcend the strictures of their appeal to kids and family and make it to the world of “art.” Also, I don’t have kids, yet. So there’s that.

Here are the only ones who even make it within the realm:

• Up
  
• Monsters Inc.
• Mulan
• Beauty and the Beast
• Moana
• Toy Story
• Coco
  
• Aladdin
• Coraline

Also, what about The Emperor’s New Groove? That movie is way better than Hercules. And where do we put Coraline? Now that’s my kinda of animated movie. I know, it’s not Disney or Pixar.

Or what about Wes Anderson’s animated movies? Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs? I can get behind those.

I’m not trying to be pretentious. I just can’t imagine a universe where I would sit down to watch or rent one of the above movies in the bracket in my own free time without my wife and/or nieces or nephews compelling me to do so. Maybe Coco. I still haven’t seen Coco.

Sam

Before I get to Levi’s bracket, I wanna tackle a thing or two. (Or maybe a thousand things)

YOU DON’T WATCH ANIMATED MOVIES

Be still my beating heart. Animated movies are a wonderful way to connect with the world, especially as a kid.

I totally get the personal preference thing, however let’s be real. The Academy Awards doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing. I mean, Shape of Water, a movie I loved, won over both 3 Billboards and Get Out.

Get Out is the movie of this decade. It’s one that people will talk about 25 years from now. “Oh, you haven’t seen Get Out. It’s classic, and it was so revolutionary for its time.” Course, I’m imagining a future where Trump and his administration don’t start a war with North Korea, or another “enemy” in order to usurp the 2020 elections, then hold power for another twenty years.

I mean, Dark Knight didn’t get nominated in 2008, when it was clearly better than Michael Clayton, and Atonement. Animated movies not hanging with “real” movies is clearly because there is a stigma around voting for animated movies, just like there is with superhero movies.

Also, the Academy can’t even sniff a good animated movie, even when it’s nominated. In 2017 Zootopia, an excellent animated feature detailing police and minority relationships, won over Kubo and the Two Strings, which was by far the best film.

Basically the Academy shouldn’t inform what’s good just because it’s the Academy. Animation movies can hang, they just aren’t given the chance. (Though I may eat my words if Isle of Dogs is allowed to go up for Best Picture this year).

However, I got to admit Levi, you have great taste in what animation you are drawn to. South Park, until recently, has been the smartest adult cartoon out there. Now, it’s Rick and Morty, which if you like South Park and Archer, I highly recommend. And as per our previous best TV show ever article [link here], I love Archer. Smart, funny, violent, high-brow at times, etc., it’s the best animation out there.

Yo, I don’t have kids either, but I see these movies ALL THE TIME. Course, my wife and I want to write a series of children's books (shameless plug for future agent meetings, contact me!), so maybe it’s because I’m drawn to children stories.

ON TO THE BRACKET.

I actually don’t hate your selection of things at the end. Up gave us a touching story about growing up and dealing with grief. Mulan gave us a female warrior who saves herself and her nation for what felt like the first time in pop-culture. Both admirable choices.

Quick hits on your bracket

• Lion King over Tarzan
  • Absolutely! If anyone has Tarzan over Lion King, you need to rethink your life. Lion King is home to the best Disney moment ever (slightly pushing out Kronk’s self-singing secret agent theme music) when Timone dresses in drag and does the hula.
• Princess and the Frog over Lilo and Stitch
  • Uhm. No. Ohana means family, not losing to an okay storyline with not much romantic chemistry.
• Moana over Frozen
  • Yup. Frozen, overdone.
• Aladdin over Hercules
  • I had Hercules, but either is fine. I went with Hercules cause I like the carpet and Robin Williams, but I love everything about Hercules and his friends. Also, James Woods is on fire as Hades.
• Little Mermaid over Pocohontos
  • We good. I don’t really care. Under the Sea of Colors in the Wind baby.
• Mulan over Zootopia
  • Tough one for me, but yeah, I agree. Mulan has Eddie Murphy, so yeah.
• Beauty and the Beast over Nightmare Before Christmas
  • GAH. I had to think about this for like 45 minutes. But ultimately the awful third act of NBC sunk it, and Be Our Guest won.
• Up over Brave
  • Up’s beginning still makes me cry just by thinking about it.
• Toy Story over Toy Story 2
  • The I am your father moment in 2 is what tipped 2 over 1 for me.
• Coco over Ca--I don’t care
  • Cars or Cars 2, whatever, nothing should be beating Coco in the first round. That movie was moving.
• The Good Dinosaur over Toy Story 3.
  • Never seen Dino, so I went with Toys about to be burned to a crisp.
• Ratatouille over Bugs Life
  • Yup! Who could resist rats touching ALL THE FOOD.
• Inside out over Finding Nemo
  • No. Over Finding Dorey, sure, but “this is your conscience” moment should have pushed Finding Nemo over the edge

•  Monsters Inc over Cars
  • This is the only answer.
• Wall-E over the Incredibles
  • Not even close. Wall-E beats everthing for me.
  • Levi: I agree actually.

All-in-all you know your narrative strengths Levi. Well done. Yet I’m still flabbergasted that “the only ones who even make it within the realm” category doesn’t include Wall-E.

Wall-E is a movie with hardly any dialogue, with almost no exposition, and is a movie that makes you fall in love with a robot and believe that robot has actual emotions. Plus it uses an old movie with a scene with Michael Crawford before he becomes the Phantom. That movie is perfect to me. That’s why.

It would have been a much tougher call had Emperor’s New Groove been included. It would have won all of Disney, and been a toss up between it and Wall-E.

Animated movies rock. Everyone go and watch one this weekend. Then tweet @meowmeowpowpow about which one is your fav. We’ll have a little fun on the twit of the er.