Marvel-DC-Image. The guys that do Spawn and Savage Dragon and Invincible and Walking Dead and the like. They've been the number 3 for ages.
LOL, no, not Valliant. They were a little big way back but they were never a real force.
I always remember the name wrong. At least I got the description right I think.
They have walking dead too!!!! I knew they had Spawn and Savage Dragon but I didn't that was from them also.
If Valiant ever made it into the third spot, it would have been around '90-'91 after the late '80s collapse of almost the entire children's comics industry but before Image started and before Dark Empire.
The shame of Valiant is the EIC Jim Shooter was top notch former Marvel head, and he brought in exactly the right talent, and it absolutely could and should have grown into a major force if it had just had the years it needed to do so.
They launched in 91 and by 92 already had a 7% market share or so, and they were the first publisher besides Marvel or DC to do that. Not quite as big a launch as Image had in the midst of the comics boom and market speculators few years later, but still insanely respectable. Then they kicked Shooter out at the end of 92, and jumped into licensed comics and carried away with super mega crossovers and foil covers and 0 issues, and new investors that had bad ideas, and well… the company was dead 2 years later.
If Shooter had been left alone to use his actual insight and EIC bonafides to guide the company for at least a few years, Magnus Robot Fighter, Solar Man of the Atom, and Harbringer might actually be well known names now, instead of some niche comics trivia.
jumped into licensed comics
Valiant actually started off with licensed comics though; not just the Nintendo Comics in '90 and '91 but even the characters that launched their own universe were licensed characters from Western Publishing like Turok, Solar, and Magnus. Plus I think Jim even lobbied for the job at Disney Comics after starting Valiant which probably didn't endear him to some of the other people at the latter company.
I guess the third place company right before Valiant was probably NOW Comics, who also did comics based on mostly licensed properties. Mostly in the sense that they actually legally had the right to publish most of those comics. Not all but most.
Complicating things since 2009.
Sure, but those they were actually doing something with and vying for the market. SUperheroes and sci fi and action style stuff.
When they did the WWF comics, (and Nintendo) that… just wasn't getting any overlap in audiences. They had a lot of comics talent going into a product that wasn't their specialty or what the audience wanted.
I gotta be honest though, most of my knowledge of that niche of era comes from the SF Debris recap of comics history. I picked up acouple of the valiant comics as a kid, I think the foil covers did their job or I got them super cheap in a combo pack or something... but I can't remember ever actually reading them.
So…yeah, this is the Pixar thread, isn't it?
Anyway, saw Toy Story 4 today and, sure enough, despite some reservations I have, it was still fantastic and a worthy entry in the Toy Story franchise. I think I'm going to need a few more watches to fully determine its ranking among the other films, but right now I'd probably say it's the weakest. But, as I said, still very very good.
! The good
-I did NOT see that ending coming and it was a very mature way to wrap up Woody's story (though I do have some issues with the context surround it, as explained below).
-Bo Peep was excellently characterized. A great upgrade from her essentially background character status in the first two movies, while not being too in-your-face with the strong independent woman angle.
-All the new characters were great, but my favorite probably has to be Giggle McDimples
-I know people were cringing at the Key and Peele characters, but holy crap if they didn't end up getting the biggest laugh in the film.
-Gabby finding her owner was the emotional highlight of the film for me and brought me to the verge of tears, which is usually about as emotional as I get for any movie.
! The not-so-good
-Probably my biggest complaint about the film is that it seems to undermine the connection Woody built with Bonnie in Toy Story 3. It seemed like he really would end up being a very important toy for her, but nope, guess she just loses interest in him after, what, a year? Like, maybe this would've worked better if it had been a few years after Bonnie inherited Woody?
-My second biggest complaint would be that all the previously established side characters (Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, etc.) barely get anything to do. Honestly, it feels like the writers barely even knew what to do with Buzz, just giving him that random "inner voice" subplot.
-Forky's subplot gets resolved really quickly and then he doesn't really do much after that.
-Not sure why they downplayed Woody and Bo's romance since it's clear from the first two films that they were an item.
! Random observations
-I never pieced together that Bo was Molly's toy. I mean, it makes sense, but Andy played with her too, so I dunno.
-It will never not be amusing to me that the toys in this universe seem to be constantly gaslighting the human population.
-So yeah, after how this movie ended, this pretty much HAS to be the end of the Toy Story…uh, story. I mean, I don't know what else they could do unless they want to make Toy Story sans Woody. But if they can make Toy Story 5 and keep it at this level of quality, I will be utterly amazed (of course, I did say the same about this film).
It's okay; it actually felt a bit too long and I wasn't a fan of some of the decisions they made regarding character relationships (in a way, it reminds me most of how I feel about Monsters University but is a better film). Plus the opening sequence basically showed that they could have skipped Toy Story 3 by using a montage to show the transition from Andy to Bonnie and nothing of value would have been lost.
! My breakdown would be pretty close to Nobodyman's except for two major points.
! First was the ending since there's a scene early on that broadcasts what is going to happen. There's even a direct visual callback to it.
Second was that the status quo has been completely thrown out but not in a way that would end the franchise. If anything, this creates a path forward with a much smaller cast.
! Peep being Molly's is more or less a retcon since she was clearly part of Andy's room in the first film.
Saw Toy Story.
It was unnecessary, but fine. Maybe good even, but nowhere near the heights of TS3.
My Canadian wife loved the Canadian toy.
Stay for the credits.
previously established side characters (Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, etc.)
The voices for both Potato Head and Slinky have died, so that's probably a factor in their case. Potato Head was all archived voice clips. Slinky they had a replacement voice, but he had a pretty minimal role in TS3 as well.
Rex, well… I dunno aside from the fact they have a ton of characters at this point.
Awww, Don Rickles died? I totally missed that somehow. How sad, who else could be Mr. Potato Head? Although I suppose now if they only make shorts after this they don't need Mr. Potato Head in large amounts.
And how could the Canadians not love the Canadian toy? It's Keanu Reeves.
Yeah, he died about 2 years ago. But he loved being Potato Head so he actually requested they use clips of him in any sequels.
I adored the movie. Toy Story 2 is my favorite of the bunch, and I saw a lot of its themes in this movie.
! I appreciated that the ending was more chill and not centered around a huge action setpiece - nothing was going to beat the incinerator, 4 didn't even try. And it made up for it at the end.
! I also appreciated that Gabby Gabby took a different route from Stinky Pete and Lotso and didn't fall into an inescapable hole of cynicism. I'm not sure I would have disliked it if she had - it would have at least averted a "surprise villain" twist, but a movie lacking an endgame villain is always something a Pixar film could do more often.
! Otherwise, it was a typical Toy Story blast. I wasn't sold on the Key & Peele characters at first, but their fantasy about jumping the old lady absolutely hooked me - it was executed to perfection, I was so angry at first!
! Criticisms I had about the movie - Buzz's inner voice shtick got old by the middle of the story. I would appreciate a Toy Story 5 that had Buzz as the main character, with Woody either nonexistent or just in a minor role. Not sure if the cast of the other toys is complete enough to support this endeavor, but I'd definitely be interested. I would be a little more sold on Woody leaving if Bonnie had left him alone for a greater period of time - I didn't mind him leaving the gang, but I don't feel like there was enough to sufficiently establish that Bonnie could move on from him. And I get that you want to build up tension, but I honestly think the movie would have been fine if they weren't racing against Bonnie's family and creating so much stress among them - that, imo, was a distraction that the other three films, including the first one, managed to avoid.
! Aesthetic always gives a movie points in my book, and this one had the best of the series.
Overall, I would rank the films 2 > 3 > 4 > 1, but they all have their place in the top echelon of Pixar.
! Peep being Molly's is more or less a retcon since she was clearly part of Andy's room in the first film.
! Andy's room was also Molly's room in the first film, so how is it a retcon that Peep was Molly's toy when the explanation works just fine?
Is this FMA?
FMA was GOOD. This I dont know.
well considering nobody lost an arm and a leg or got their soul transferred into a suit of armor, i don't think so.
Those punk pixies got me a good laugh.
What's funny thought is I could totally see this if it was just live action with Tom Holland and Chris Pratt.
Looks classic Pixar to me so far.
Yep, that looks fun.
Kinda conflicted here; I like this first trailer more than I did Onward's original one but I don't understand why it suddenly turned into a Dreamworks film for about ten seconds there towards the end.
Complicating things since 2009.
It didnt feel Dreamworksy at all. Sure the joke was lame. But it looks like this movie actually has meat. Unlike Onward.
Soul seems like it'll be the stronger of the two 2020 movies, it feels a lot like Ratatouille and Inside Out. The concept of a sudden accident taking away dreams you were barely on the verge of pursuing is a pretty strong one and I hope Pixar goes all in on it.
That's not to say I'm down on Onward, since the most recent trailer had me hooked by the latter half. Just definitely has a more Brave/Monsters University-esque feel to it. But Pixar is definitely going to give me feels over Kin'emon dad.
Reviews for Onward are out, and it's about what I expected. Good, but not great.
85% Fresh, but a lot of the positive reviews are saying "Eh, it's not bad. But its not great either." Like the curve of the "either positive or negative" algorithm is pushing it to positive, but the actual personal reviews are 3/5, 7/10, and that its feelign a little stale and formulaic.
Guess we'll see.
So long as it has a third act, it'll be better than The Good Dinosaur.
As always with Pixar, it's partly because the bar is set so high.
Something about Soul is already making me feel like I'm going to be crying in the theater.
Doesn't help that my dad is a jazz musician that never got to do all the things he wanted to in life and is now in assisted living.
Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. - Frank Zappa
Something about Soul is already making me feel like I'm going to be crying in the theater.
Doesn't help that my dad is a jazz musician that never got to do all the things he wanted to in life and is now in assisted living.
Exactly why I won't be seeing Onward. I would be crying the entire time.
Just saw Onward. Yeah, it's pretty much what you'd expect. It's a B-grade Pixar movie, like Bug's Life or Monster's Inc. Not their best work and doesn't really have any big surprises, but you'll still have a good time.
That said…
! I wasn't really sure how much this movie would resonate with since I never knew my father, so I can't identify that much with the whole "dad" thing (though family is family, I suppose). But I do have a (half) brother that I grew up with, and towards the end when the movie revealed its message about appreciating the family you do have…yeah, I teared up. Honestly, I kinda wish I could've seen this movie with my brother since I just wanted to give him a big hug afterwards. Oh well, I'll do it next time I see him.
Like the Avatar? / Like the Miis?
Dragalia Lost ID: 97617932505
That's even more avant-garde than Inside Out.
It seems something I will like a lot if only for the visuals.
Exactly. All the afterlife "administrators" are fascinating.
Onward is probably a fun film, but this seems like the 'real' next Pixar film. Meaning something that we haven't seen before and that'll blow our minds.
Saw Onward last night and it's okay. If it were from anybody outside of Pixar, I'd probably be more impressed by it but it's a seven or eight out of ten film from a studio that used to consistently give us nines or tens.
Yeah but they haven't been that studio for a literal decade now. TOy Story 3 was the end of their super solid streak, with only the original Cars marring the record. Since then they've had Cars 2, Brave, Monsters U, Finding Dory, Good Dinosaur, Cars 3…. Inside Out is the only film they've had that's pretty universally agreed to be on the old level, and your personal mileage will vary on Coco and Incredibles 2.
At what point do we stop comparing every new Pixar film to Up, Wall-E, Incredibles, Ratatouille, Toy Story? It's fair when they're direct sequels but... something at the company changed. Was it just Disney buying them and spreading out the talent? Or did they just have a ridiculous solid streak that was always going to be impossible to keep up??
You know, I feel like watching A Bugs Life again
Can't imagine why
I know a lot of people loved Ratatouille, and I thought it was perfectly fine, but it was far from my favorite Pixar movie. Saw it once, liked it well enough and all, but I've never had a strong desire to do a re-watch, unlike many other Pixar films that I've re-watched numerous times.
Coco is my absolute favorite Pixar movie. My husband's too.
Ratatouille is great but I'm still bugged about that forced kiss scene. Thought we were done doing that shit in movies by the 2007.
Coco is absolutely right near the top of my list, too; top 5 for sure.
Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar film by a wide margin, nothing else is even close. Incredibles would be in second place, probably.
Up and Wall-E both have fantastic openings but the second half does nothing for me.
I've never felt attachment to Toy Story. They're good, I enjoy the movies while they're running, but never feel a need to revisit them.
My favourite would be Wall-e
Finding Nemo is my favorite (fishtank forever!) but I think their best is Wall*E.
List time?
1. Up
2. Coco
3. Ratatouille
4. Incredibles
5. Toy Story
Onward is the worst, beating out Brave by making a really cool premise unbelievably bland. I haven't seen Cars 2 or 3, by the way, so they for sure could be worse.
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I'm not a big animated movie guy per se, but I happened to watch Wall-e this week. This is easily my favorite animated movie ever. It's gorgeous, adorable and I love hard science fiction. Choosing a star trek-like setting for an animated kid's movie is a brilliant idea. Even for a kids movie, it raises interesting questions and is actually intellectually stimulating. That's what's so great about science fiction. There's no evil mustache-twirling bad guy (as much as I love those), just an auto pilot. There's no malice to be found anywhere in the movie. The world just is as it is and it's up to everyone to make it better.
The only thing I didn't like, which is a pet peeve of mine, that every single movie apparently needs to have love story shoehorned in. Even worse here since it's an actual robot. Though thankfully the two are completely adorable together. Honestly I think it's way more beautiful and pure if characters just become very close because they grow to like each other, rather than a cliche emotion basically forcing them to be together.
I'm pretty sure no animated movie is ever going to top this one for me.
Complicating things since 2009.
Oh wow, I watched Onward like 2 weeks ago and had literally forgotten it even existed or that I had watched it.
Yeah, it's not great.
Good Dinosaur is pretty forgettable.
Brave is memorable for being a huge dissapointment. That first trailer, man, I had hopes. I didn't think Pixar was going to put out Princess Mononoke or Shadow of the Collosus, but I thought they were trying something in that ballpark.
Then they changed the director and it turned into Brother Bear 3.
I mean, maybe the plot was always going to be "The mom turns into a bear" but it really, REALLY doesn't feel like the first half was setting that up specifically.
