With Incredibles 2, Pixar moves away from complicated emotions

Pixar Animation Studios has built its reputation on a lot of elements: computer animation that was miles ahead of the competition for more than 15 years, memorable humor and memorable characters, and stories that are accessible to children but sophisticated enough to keep adults engaged. But past a certain point in its history, Pixar became known above everything else for its willingness to explore emotional depths its contemporaries wouldn’t touch. Pixar films like Finding Nemo, Up, Toy Story 3, and Inside Out deal directly with death and other very personal, deeply felt losses, from letting go of childhood to letting go of the possibility of motherhood. The Pixar “brain trust” — a core group of insiders who push the studio’s chosen...

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