By Elizabeth Miller ’15, Entertainment Section Editor

When someone mentions “Pixar” to me, I immediately think

of the incredible animated movies the company has produced over the last few decades: Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, UP, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, to name a few. Pixar has set a high standard for its movies in the past, but recently Pixar has failed to meet that standard, disappointing audiences around the globe. Is the top animated movie company on its way down?

Pixar’s latest films, Cars 2 and Brave, have not been up to par. Although the animation was spectacular, the story lines of both movies were flimsy and unfocused. The first Cars movie was had a touching story filled with humor, while at the same time, promoted a part of American history. Cars 2? Not so much. Most people never even bothered to see it. In his New York Times review of the movie, A. O. Scott called it a movie “notably lacking in soul or sublimity.”

Brave was expected to be a step up from Cars 2, so its trailers sparked a lot of enthusiasm. However, some continued to worry that it would be another disastrous film. The Morning After, a popular show on Hulu, even did a dub of the Brave trailer in which the characters spent the entire time discussing their fear of becoming another Cars 2.

But thankfully, Brave was not a Cars 2 repeat. In my opinion, it was a decent movie: it had fixating graphics, a fitting soundtrack, and the usual feel-good, meaningful message that all Pixar films embed within their story lines. However, it lacked that feeling of magic you feel when watching, A Bug’s Life, Ratatouille or Toy Story, all of which are unforgettable movies. Brave was pleasant, but easily forgettable.

Will Pixar be able to overcome its current awesome-movie-depression to remain the best animated film company? It will have another chance to prove itself

in Monsters University, a prequel to the famous Monsters Inc. movie, which comes out in June 2013.

Photo Courtesy of pixar.com