John Lasseter - Blog Posts

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❤️ I think Cars 2 was real start of the 2010s Disney Twist Villain craze…

Previous Twist Villains existed before the 2010s, but I think the reason why it became more frustrating for Pixar and Disney movies in that time was because of one person: John Lasseter. Lasseter had been executive producer on all the Pixar and Disney films with the twist villain: Cars 2, Wreck It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Coco, and Incredibles 2.

While Lasseter was the executive producer on previous Disney and Pixar films with a twist villain (Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc. Incredibles, Meet the Robinsons, and Toy Story 3) he also had a lot more oversight as well. He wasn’t the most powerful man in animation at the time.

I think Lasseter really liked the twist villain and production-timeline wise, he probably suggested twist villains while making Cars 2.

With that being said… I think Miles Axlerod is the smartest in the sense that he never brags about his crimes to his victims. He only reveals himself as the villain when there’s a bomb inches from him and seconds away from blowing him up. Axlerod was smart enough to be cautious, not going to his meetings in-person, using a disguise voice and I think changed his color(?)…

As for the amount of money he probably spent setting up the World Grand Prix as a sham… Well if the 2020s have taught us anything is that being a billionaire doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a genius.

I’m not saying Miles Axlerod my favorite, but I kind like him in the historical sense of animation production and writing, what he’s meant to represent in the movie itself, and for shallow reason of silly/scary fanfics about him. Like in the same way people use Prince Hans (no super powers or soft/sad boy-ism, but manipulation, charm, wealth, and privilege).

💚 I liked crashing into Mia and Tia on the Cars video game because it kind of gave me a glimpse of their personalities. Surprisingly they are different. Mia is more aggressive with her yelling and whining and has more lines than Tia (in the video game). Mia also has a slightly deeper voice than Tia. Tia is more likely to compliment herself (self confidence queen) and whine.

I don’t get why people assume they’re teenagers. Not only is that gross for Lightning… but Mater too since they’re in his tall tales as girls to impress.

Sarge is the underrated hero. Despite calling Fillmore a tree hugger, he clearly distrusts Axlerod’s history of being an oil tycoon enough to switch Allinol with Fillmore’s fuel at the last minute. He may call not trust Fillmore’s organic fuel, but he cares about McQueen’s safety than his bias. There’s also this line Mater said in Cars 3 that while Luigi and Guido were Lightning, they put Sarge and Fillmore in charge of the tire shop. Fillmore gave all the tires away and Sarge was hunting them back down because… you don’t just do that with someone else’s merchandise.

But at the same time, casually brings a cannon to a party when Fillmore asked:

#99 Toy Story - Not Just a Child's Play-thing

It's been just over a month since I had a dinner party at my place for the viewing of the 99th movie on the AFI list. At the rate I'm going, I'll be done with the challenge in...2014...crap...I need to step up my game. But at the risk of sounding despairing, let's just jump right into the run-down on this great American film.

The Good - The Bad - The Reason - The Food

                       The Good:

It's "Toy Story". It's a movie I loved when I was young and have learned to appreciate even more as I've grown up. This is, thanks to the careful crafting of John Lasseter, no accident. It was Pixar's goal when they set out to make a movie that would entertain the kids, but keep the parents happy too.  While this is now the norm, it was really one of the first "kids" movies to cater to both the adults as well as the kids.

It's seriously hilarious. When Buzz gets captured by Sid's little sister and gets all Stockholm-syndromy Mrs. Nesbitt?

              Truly horrifying child-villain Sid was voiced by late-90s teen heartthrob Erik von Detten.

So good.

It's a great story that has universal appeal. I think it's safe to say we all wished out toys would come to life and play along with us. Every single one of my Barbies had a unique name (the villain in the saga was played by a crop-haired fiend named Alanis), and I wished so hard every day that those dolls really came to life. Pixar tapped right into our wildest dreams and made them even cooler than we could have imagined. Best.

The Bad:

I think the bad in this case is more of a reflection on how good CG animation and Pixar has become over the years. The CG in "Toy Story" can at times look current and flawless, but sometimes the early stages of the process show through. There are a couple layers of blockiness they hadn't yet shaved off, and it can look strange. Again, this really reflects more on how far they have come in CG animation.

It's also short. Running at just 77 minutes, the pace moves along at quick a clip and can feel very hurried and a little chaotic. Compare this to "WALL-E" where we spend the first big chunk of the movie with two non-speaking robots, and it's a noticeable difference.

The Reason:

When "Toy Story" came out in 1995, it was the first ever completely CG-animated feature-length film. Now, almost twenty years later, CG-animation has become the absolute norm and it's because of the precedent set by Pixar. And, like I mentioned before, it was one of the very first family films that put jokes and bits in specifically for the parents/adults/older audience members. Just like in "Ben-Hur", I think "Toy Story's" position is based on how many precedents it has set. 

                                          Woody and Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Mayor of Hollywood Tom  Hanks and Michigan-native, Chevy-driving, Campbell’s soup-lover Tim Allen.

There are so many quotable lines that pop-up frequently in our generation. All of Woody's token pull-string phrases get dropped whenever anyone so much as says the word "boot". I dare you to say "Somebody's poisoned THE WATER HOLE!!!" to someone and wait for the inevitable "There's a snake in my boot!" or "Rrrreeeaaach for the skyyyyy"

On an end note, to really get a great idea of the kind of work and time and love went into "Toy Story", I recommend checking out the documentary "The Pixar Story." It's sweet and funny as well as an interesting look at all aspects of their very unique creative process.

The Food!

The obvious choice for the food would have been Pizza Planet pizza, but I didn't feel like slapping together a little 'za. I wanted to make something that would evoke childhood, a simpler time. I wanted the kind of food I would have scarfed down in between the hours of playing with Beanie Babies, Barbies, and Breyer horses (what was my thing about "B" toys?).

                                          This is Tour Guide Barbie from "Toy Story 2". Mattel was hesitant to use Barbie in the first film, unsure of how it would fare in theaters. When it became a huge success, they went in for the 2nd and 3rd.

I went with a six-cheese macaroni and cheese and hot dog casserole. I made a basic white-sauce then added one cup of cheddar, 1/2 cup of smoked cheddar, 1/2 of 4-cheese Italian blend (thanks Kraft!). The bottom of the casserole dish also had some of the Italian blend sprinkled. Mixed in with the cavatappi noodles were Nathan's all-beef hot dogs. Topped off with seasoned breadcrumbs, bacon bits, and parmesan cheese, I popped the dish into the oven until the crust was golden brown and all cheese bubbly.

It.was.so.good. We ate up every last bite.

We took a brief intermission during the movie to eat dessert. I made blonde-brownies following the recipe on the back of Nestle chocolate chips. Then cut them into bars and made ice-cream sandwiches! Delicious and rich and a little difficult to eat.

But it wouldn't feel like childhood if you didn't end up wearing most of your dessert, right?