BrooksBarnes
John Lasseter dug into his shrimp parmigiana, thought for a moment or two and tried to describe the pressure of directing a big-budget sequel like Cars 2.
It?s a bit, he said, like being a trapeze artist with a death wish. ?Not only is there no net,? he said. ?You?re doing it over spikes with poisoned ends.?
Lasseter, 54, a founder of Pixar Animation and its chief creative officer, was not talking about film critics, per se. But it was hard not to read his comment that way, given the acid response many had to Cars 2, which was released in June and was Lasseter?s fifth turn in the director?s chair for a feature-length film. Several of the most influential critics cheered the movie, but far more were negative, even gleefully so. They had been waiting a long time for this opportunity, after all. Lemon! Junk! Clunker!
Pixar and Lasseter, accustomed to rapturous notices, absorbed the thrashing in silence, comforted that audiences did not seem to agree: Cars 2 took in $551 million at the global box office, 20% more than its predecessor did in 2006. (The film is still playing overseas.) Ticket buyers also gave the film an A?in exit polls, on par with other Pixar titles.
But with the Cars 2 DVD on the way, Lasseter broke his silence. Cars 2 is also a front-runner for the next animation Academy Award, and a campaign is about to begin.
One negatively reviewed film, especially one that goes on to become a megahit, isn?t enough to scratch the Pixar brand. But the commentary did dent morale at the studio, which until then had enjoyed an unbroken and perhaps unprecedented run of critical acclaim. Reviewing the film for The Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern wrote, ?This frenzied sequel seldom gets beyond mediocrity,? perhaps suggesting that the creative spark that had guided Pixar so successfully through 11 straight hits?including three Toy Story films?was beginning to dim. Part of the reason the criticism stung involves the spot the studio finds itself in these days. Call it maturity pains.
Pixar, which quietly celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, remains one of the most admired motion picture operations in Hollywood history, but there are fears?perhaps overblown?that its focus will stray. Read those Cars 2 reviews carefully, and it appears evident that the vitriol is less about the fast-paced film and more about resentment that Pixar has broadened its focus to sequels.
Pixar works overtime at trying to avoid calcification, Lasseter said; the studio is based in Emeryville, in Northern California, across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, and prides itself on its anti-Hollywood ways.
It?s still too early to say whether Pixar will be affected by the loss of Steve Jobs, a Pixar founder and its first chief executive; Jobs was an important sounding board for Lasseter, and his perspective informed Lasseter?s approach.
And what about Lasseter himself? His time is now roughly split between Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank; he also works with Disney?s theme park designers and its toy group. At the August installment of D23, a biennial convention for fans of all things Disney, Lasseter was in such demand that he had to be rushed from booth to booth by three bodyguards and a publicist.
The original Cars was not greeted with exceptional warmth by top film critics?the Nascar culture could be one reason?but the sequel generated Pixar?s first truly negative response.
Did the negative reviews hurt Lasseter?
?I typically don?t read the reviews,? he said, not exactly answering the question. ?I make movies for that little boy who loves the characters so much that he wants to pack his clothes in a Lightning McQueen suitcase.?
He added: ?I reached deep into myself and saw what this film was about, and I think it?s clear that audiences have responded. It?s is a very, very special film to me.?