The Pixar movies have always had a special place in the heart of conservatives and libertarians because they show a commitment to human excellence without apology. While the films are directed at children, they are anything but childish.  Each of the Pixar films deserves celebration in its own right, but here are a few of my favorites.

In Ratatouille, in the obscure French countryside, an aspiring chef, Remy, follows the televised culinary advice of his idol, Auguste Gusteau. Remy dreams of following him, but there’s just one problem: he’s a rat and rats don’t belong in the kitchen. Fate offers Remy an opportunity Separated from his family during a farmer’s raid, Remy falls into the sewage, traveling thousands of miles, until, at last he finds himself underneath Gusteau’s very Parisian restaurant!

 The choice of locale is deliberate, of course. Paris, long the home of big government and bien-pensant, is also the home of gourmands, haute cuisine, and critique, so Remy’s passion might yet find outlet. Alas, in France, the hopes of the entrepreneur are subordinated to the plans of others. The word for the French economic system, “dirigiste,” means to direct and the French love nothing more than to direct their citizenry, and that, of course, includes who is and who is not among the crème de la crème par excellence. While his keen sense of smell saves the family from rat poisoned garbage, Remy knows it still stinks to be a rat who loves food amongst those who couldn’t care less. He is his family’s bête noire. Quelle horreur! (more…)

“They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity.”

- Bob Parr/ Mr. Incredible

Children across America are getting awards.  All the time.  These accolades are not for academic excellence or superior athletic achievements.  They are receiving certificates and applause for handing in their homework on time, paying attention in class, and walking in line without kicking another kid.  They are celebrating the stuff that we expect them to do, not the exceptional feats that overwhelm us emotionally and make us update our Facebook status.  Perhaps the writer of The Incredibles was as disturbed by this trend as I was and delivered an adventure for those who recognize true greatness.

I used to love going to the movies–but that has changed.  Frankly, not since The Lord of the Rings trilogy have I felt the ride was worth the price of admission.  Regardless of how I felt about the decline of the art form, I had to curtail my movie going, anyway.  My husband and I have an autistic son with sensory issues that prevent him from being able to enjoy the experience.  So we started a tradition in our house called “Movie Night.”  We pull out the sofa bed, make popcorn, get in our pajamas and pick a movie to watch together.  We have made some terrible mistakes.  Where the Wild Things Are barely resembled the book I loved as a child and certainly was not a family film.  It is a depressing story with no resolution or hope.  I don’t want my family films to be depressing.  I want to be motivated, transported, and moved.   (more…)

DreamWorks Animation has created a niche all their own; great looking, high-concept computer animated films with about as much thematic depth as an installment of “Josey and the Pussycats.” It’s as if Pixar created DreamWorks Animation just to make themselves look good.  

“Monsters vs. Aliens” has an awfully great title going for it – who doesn’t want to see that? – but is merely adequate in the execution. Considering the potential of the idea and that there are five credited screenwriters, you would expect a memorable sequence or two and a few clever characters, but lacking in every story element is an inspired imagination.

Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is about to get married when she’s hit by meteor. The good news is that she’s not hurt, the bad news is that she grows to be about fifty stories tall and is promptly captured by the military and imprisoned in Area 51, where all “monsters” are locked away to keep the public from panicking. The warden is the oh-so cleverly named General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland), and he explains to Susan, code name Ginormica, that she will never see the light of day again.

Yes, another film aimed at your kids that paints the military as oppressive, robotic and reactionary. (more…)

Yesterday the Guardian, a left-leaning British newspaper, ran a column accusing Pixar of the unforgivable crime of hypocrisy.

When it comes to Toy Story and WALL-E, the Guardian has a point. After all, any movie that preaches the evils of consumerism and, at the same time, expects its audience to snap up Buzz Lightyear and EVE dolls, has a serious case of split personality.

The problem is, the article lumped all Pixar films together. But there are notable exceptions: the movies of Brad Bird. He wrote and directed such classics of free expression as The Incredibles and Ratatouille. These movies celebrate individualism and, dare I say it, free markets. (more…)