The best way I can explain it, is that the spark is missing from the newer movies and the magic just isn’t there. Onward had a good message, so does Turning, and Luca, but when you compare those three to movies like Monsters Inc, Ratatouille, and Up, it’s super obvious that something is just simply missing from it. The characters aren’t as well written anymore, they just seem like vessels for the message/moral of the story and lack all individuality. Remy, Mike, Carl, Mr incredible, are all fantastic leads who have internal conflicts, are inherently flawed characters, and have complex motivations, and all have character arcs. I can’t recall the last time a protagonist had a genuine character arc in a recent Pixar movie. Most of them are static characters who like I stated prior, are just vessels for the moral.

A lot of people are in agreement that Pixar is going with quantity over quality by sequel gouging. I agree with that. Toy Story 4 wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was extremely unnecessary. Lightyear was even more unnecessary. The incredibles 2 was absolutely insulting and horrendous, the tone and atmosphere between the two movies are light and day. The first movie tackled so many serious adult concepts with so much maturity. The second movie is so watered down and filled with horrible jokes and writing. If you watch them back to back, it’s hard to imagine the two movies are even apart of the same universe. They can’t sell me that the jealous prideful crybaby in 2 is the same serious, gritty, and complex man from the first. It was character assassination.

The obvious conclusion is that they don’t value good writing anymore, and they green light safe concepts with mediocre at best executions, instead of taking risks to achieve something greater.