Pixar tells audiences to ‘stop complaining’ over lack of original movies and it kind of has a point

Pixar was once a powerhouse when it came to crafting well-made animated movies. It was the Western Studio Ghibli in many ways, when you saw that Pixar logo, you just knew you were in for something special. 

Nowadays, the studio isn’t doing so well, while it still gives us some great original films, the Pixar name alone isn’t enough to draw in an audience, unless it’s a sequel to something like Inside Out or The Incredibles, it seems the general masses just aren’t interested anymore.

Of course, that does make sense, audiences tend to gravitate to things they know, that’s usually why Hollywood tends to favor sequels or remakes rather than risking original concepts which might not perform so well. But what seems to have Pixar stumped is the constant criticism from audiences over lack of original content while those same audiences seem to have completely ignored the studio’s latest title: Elio.

Pixar tells audiences to stop complaining

In a tongue in cheek TikTok posted to the official Pixar account, the studio called out audiences who demand original movies yet refuse to go out and see said original movies. With her face off camera at first the woman in the video can be heard saying, “Stop complaining that Disney doesn’t make original stories if you don’t show up to movie theaters and support them in the first place.”

The video follows a trend that sees people say something (often some sort of hot take) with their face off camera and then they quickly turn to face the camera and pretend to be confused over who said that. It seems Pixar was hoping to get in a little viral marketing to help boost the abysmal numbers Elio is experiencing at the box office currently.

They have a point

It seems all we ever hear about Hollywood is the fact that it’s out of ideas. It feels like we get a constant barrage of sequels, prequels, remakes, and reboots and it leaves you wondering where all the original ideas have gone. Elio is an original story, and according to the critics that did see it, it’s a pretty good one too yet the film is still bombing. 

Sure the film had a disastrous test-screening a couple of years ago which resulted in some changes, but it seems for the most part, the film is worth seeing now. But you know what they say: people vote with their wallets, and it seems the only message Disney can take from Elio’s box office performance is that audiences actually want less original ideas, despite all the voices that say otherwise.

Of course, the audience isn’t entirely to blame. One person commented on the TikTok blaming Pixar, “BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T EVEN ADVERTISE IT,” another wrote, “Not Pixar blaming us for their bad advertising.” In fact, it seems most of the comments were retaliating against Pixar and accusing the studio and Disney of failing to promote the new film properly.

However you look at it, it’s difficult to imagine Disney taking another risk like this in the near future. Pixar boss, Pete Docter, has made it clear he doesn’t subscribe to the House of Mouse’s business model but he may not have a choice after Elio’s historic failure.