The Pixar Theory: Everything Makes Sense Now

Over winter break I came across a new and interesting theory that I feel is relevant to everyone and anyone who has ever seen any Pixar movie. It's called "Pixar Theory." The theory was first brought up on Cracked.com in a video called "Why Pixar Movies Are All Secretly About the Apocalypse." They touched upon only a couple of movies that Pixar created. Blogger Jon Negroni, from jonnegroni.com, created more of an elaborate theory and was able incorporated all of the movies. I have read over his theory multiple times and it really makes sense. It is truly amazing that Pixar and other people have created this theory. My question is, did Pixar relies that they were actually creating this theory and that all of there movies are related? Obivously the know now, but did they really put the pieces together? I am guessing they knew they were doing it at little bit because they have put characters from one movie into another movie. Pixar calls these Easter Eggs. These eggs allow Pixar to begin the connection and then the story lines does the rest. Here are just a few examples of easter eggs in some of pixar's movies.

 In the movie Monsters, Inc. Boo hands Sully the Pixar ball, a Jessie Doll from Toy Story 2, and Nemo from Finding Nemo.

In the movie Toy Story there is a postcard from Carl and Ellie, characters from the movie Up. In the movie up there is a image that says islands which also appears in Toy Story. 

In the movie Up, Lotso bear appears in a little girls room, along with the Pixar ball.

Theses are just a few examples of the connections that Pixar has created. I really recommend reading the theory because you will never see these Pixar movies the same.

Here is the url to Negroni's Pixar theory. 

http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/

Music or Movies

One of my teachers once asked me “If you could only choose one of these two things to have for the rest of your life which one would it be, music or movies? you can't choose movies with music in them” At first I said movies but not even a second later I changed my answer to music. Movies are stories told visually but I think music makes you feel those moments of stories in a deeper way. Without music I wouldn’t enjoy movies as much. Yes I do like some silent films but even most silent films have music in them. There is just no dialogue. Music soothes the soul. It emotionally guides us through life, movies, or whatever it may be.

The video below is a clip from the movie UP. It tells a lifelong love story simply with images, sounds, and music. There is no dialogue. If you watch it with music and then without music it has a completely different effect. Without the music the montage still tells the story. However, the music’s emotional guidance helps the audience understand and connect emotionally to the characters and the situations.

This next video is another clip from one of my favorites shows One Tree Hill. (It is a link because the video was not found when I inserted it) I picked this scene because I think the music plays an important role in achieving the atmosphere. If you kept the dialogue and took out the music it is still an intense and sad scene. But the music touches you on a completely different level.

One Tree Hill: School Shooting scene with song God Bless the Child

Imagine your favorite film of all time. Take all of the music out and ask yourself, would it still be your favorite film?

Watch the scariest horror film you’ve ever seen without the score or music. I guarantee you won’t be scared at all. Think of Jaws and Psycho without the score. Would they still have been as successful?

Music is an essential aspect of storytelling. It can create a persuasive atmosphere and strike many emotional chords. If movies or television never had music I would probably not be pursuing this major. Music tugs at all the heartstrings and hits every chord. For these reasons I would pick music. 

The Power of Silence

I was browsing the internet the other day looking for a good short-film to watch, and I stumbled upon this one, produced by a company in Thailand called TrueMoveH:

The description of the film is in Thai, and the only word that is in english is the simple word, "giving". However, the premise of the film is easily understood. It follows a young boy who steals medication for his dying mother. When he is caught, a local merchant pays for the meds and gives him a bowl of vegetable soup. Thirty years later, the soup merchant has an accident, and his young daughter is left inundated with medical bills that she simply can't pay. However, the doctor turns out to be the very boy who stole medicine thirty years prior, and waives the medical fees. 

To be brutally honest, this film presents a pretty commonplace and predictable story. I'm not trying to be reductive, it's just the way things work. Everything is based off of something. If this film holds any merit, which it does, it stems from its presentation and not from its storyline. A majority of the driving force of the video derives from the artistic choice not to include dialogue, save the background information at the beginning. 

Although I'm a fan of powerful dialogue, I've always been under the impression that being going without it adds a considerable amount of depth. Perhaps that's why I liked Drive so much. The Driver's silence help develop the story, not inhibit it. The same applies to the first few minutes of UP. I would argue that that may very well be one of the most beautiful eight minutes of film-making, and it is almost completely devoid of dialogue. 

For this short-film, the choice to not have dialogue makes it more inclusive. It forces the viewer to feel and not just watch and listen. It beautifully guides the viewer toward closer observation of the characters and their situation, and eventually toward empathy. The viewer knows that the doctor is probably the kid from the beginning, but the scene where the daughter reads the revised medical bill is still emotional all the same. When films are crafted so beautifully, their message hits you in the gut, and hopefully bears some practical application to everyday life. This one certainly does.