Oct 18, 2023

Pixar's Pete Docter, "Elemental's" early box office struggles are Disney+'s fault, evolving audience habits

Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter recently shared his thoughts on "Elemental's" early box office struggles, audience viewing habits, large movie budgets, and a return to the kinds of stories that made Pixar a powerhouse in the first place.

"Elemental," which opened in June, was one of the biggest flops in the studio's history. Without placing full blame on Disney, Pixar's parent company and distributor, Doctor says that Disney+'s early, streaming-centric release plans did long-term damage to the theatrical prospects of the company's releases.

In a recent New York Times article, he argued that Disney was too eager to send films directly to streaming in hopes of increasing subscriber numbers.

"There was an overall change in viewing habits as a result of the pandemic, but it was also specific to Disney+," Doctor said. We've been telling people, "Hey, all of this is going to be available on Disney+!" We've been telling people, "Hey, all of this is going to be available on Disney+!""

and "We've been telling people, 'Hey, all of this is going to be available on Disney+!

Elemental's budget is reported to be $200 million, Pixar president Jim Morris detailed in August. Asked about Pixar's huge expense, the doctor replied, "I hope we can continue to have a budget that allows our artists to do the best work of their lives."

This is a rather non-compromising view, but in light of Morris' comments, it seems likely that the studio will look for ways to cut costs in the future.

"It's a constant question," Morris said in response to a question about whether the studio would cut production costs. He also said that prior to "Elemental," "we've been lowering our filmmaking costs." Disney CEO Bob Iger said on Disney's earnings call that the company is "...... the cost per title" for all future releases. Since he stated that the company is focused on "cutting costs," it seems imperative for Morris to cut Pixar's costs.

"Elemental" is arguably one of the most personal films in Pixar's catalog. The film was directed by Peter Sohn and inspired by his immigrant upbringing. Ember, the protagonist of Elemental, is the child of a Korean immigrant whose father owned a grocery store in the Bronx with a harsh accent, just like Thorne.

The NYT article argues that while proud of the success of "Elemental," the Doctor hopes Pixar will tell a more universal story. He wants to make more films based on "ideas we all had as children," such as toys ("Toy Story"), monsters ("Monsters, Inc."), and superheroes ("The Incredibles").

"We always felt that 'Elemental' was a film that spoke to a lot of people. But we've taken another look at the project we're working on." What kind of film do we want to make? ...... We really want to revisit what it was that spoke to our audience in the first place."