--Spencer
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Like, what the ... ?
So I decided to look at all 24 Pixar movies and find the ones that are the most "out there". Here goes...
#10 The Good Dinosaur This is actually a pretty white bread movie, with one really trippy scene. Probably the trippiest single scene in any Pixar movie. And it's trippy enough to put the film on the list. |  |
#9 Soul What a sweet flick. Introspective and deep and so inspiring. But it also features a man's soul trapped in a cat. And Tina Fey as a black man. And it posits that the pre-mortal life is run by talking line drawings. |  |
#8 Up One of my favorite movies on this list. Not the trippiest, but it does have a cadre of talking dogs, a giant momma bird named Kevin, and two geriatric men as the main characters. Oh, and the main plot point is that a house gets carried away by helium balloons. Okay, maybe it's more out there than I thought. |  |
#7 Coco This film makes me cry. Every. Darn. Time. But in spite of some very real emotional pull, the world of Coco is inhabited by talking skeletons who regularly lose body parts. And giant psychedelically colored beasts. |  |
#6 Wall-E Robots who fall in love. Skyscrapers made of garbage. Humans that have turned into blobs of lifeless goo. Okay that last one is pretty spot on. But the rest is kinda out there. |  |
#5 Ratatouille Are we even going to talk about the fact that Remy controls Linguini's brain ... by pulling his hair? |  |
#4 Monsters, Inc. Wait. So monsters are real? And they need children's screams (and laughter) to power their world? And Jennifer Tilly plays a tolerable character? Yeah, that's a tripped up fantasy. |  |
#3 Toy Story Close your eyes and picture that scene where Sid's toys come alive, Woody's head spins around, and he says, "So play nice!" Now picture that happening in real life. 'Nuff said. |  |
#2 Onward This movie is just as imaginative as it is strange. But in addition to the magic, the manticore's destruction, and a giant cheese puffs, this movie gives a major amount of screen time to a living pair of legs. Like, the legs are a main character! But the trippiest part? We connect emotionally with those legs! Thanks, Pixar. |  |
#1 Inside Out Where do we begin? Our brains are actually a hivemind. References to the bears in San Francisco. The existence of Bing Bong, who squeals like a dolphin and cries candy. The abstract thought shortcut scene with non-objective fragmentation, etc. Pizza with pineapple! So so so out there. |  |
Squirrel
The first short is just full of dog antics. Gotta wake Carl up, gotta get in his lap, gotta get in the way. He tries so hard to do the one thing Carl asked him to do… though he wrecks the flowerbed, gets stuck in the tree, and scares away the bird. Even when they end up in mischief, they’re good dogs and we’re lucky to have them. Like Dug says, “pretending to obey is hard.” I hear you, Dug. I hear you. But we can always do better tomorrow.
This short could have been called “fatherhood in ten minutes”. The whole time Dug is playing defense with the visiting pups. Guard my stuff, get attacked, run away. Same way with my very active little girl: no climbing on the dishwasher, don’t pull my hair, etc. But you can never be too annoyed or stressed for too long. She flashes me that smile and she has me wrapped around her finger again. In the end, she needs guidance and love.
Smell
It’s all about finding joy in the simple things. Dug loves smelling the flowers, the dirt, everything. And in doing so, he was able to save a house from burning down (despite Carl thinking he was just up to mischief). Just goes to show that even when dogs seem to get into mischief, they’re good dogs.
I always feel bad for dog owners during the fireworks season--which encompasses all of July in Utah. I know the scene in the living room and his crazy dream was meant to be comedic and everything, but I just felt so bad for Dug. I just wanted to give him a big hug (which I’ve done before). I’m glad he got the noise cancelling headphones in the end.
Science
Dug might be the most wholesome creature, but even he could use a lesson or two in empathy and communication. Russell’s science experiment gave Dug the opportunity to learn from the neighborhood animals. Despite his naivety, Dug learned compassion for the squirrel and the bird. The world needs more of that: compassion. We could all do with being a bit more like dogs.
Adventure is out there!
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| Slakoth as Flash |
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| Delcatty as Duchess |
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| Kecleon as Pascal |
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| Chimchar (or Aipom) as Abu |
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| Abomasnow as Marshmallow |
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| Stoutland as Colonel |
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| Simisage as King Louie |
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| Purrloin as Yzma |
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| Unfezant as Kevin |
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| Butterfree (or Beautifly) as Heimlich |
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| Raticate (or Watchog) as Ratigan |
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| Arbok as Jafar |
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| Growlithe as Dug |
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| Rapidash as Maximus |
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| Gengar as Cheshire |
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| Shiny Dragonite as Elliot |
