Yesterday the Guardian, a left-leaning British newspaper, ran a column accusing Pixar of the unforgivable crime of hypocrisy.
When it comes to Toy Story and WALL-E, the Guardian has a point. After all, any movie that preaches the evils of consumerism and, at the same time, expects its audience to snap up Buzz Lightyear and EVE dolls, has a serious case of split personality.
The problem is, the article lumped all Pixar films together. But there are notable exceptions: the movies of Brad Bird. He wrote and directed such classics of free expression as The Incredibles and Ratatouille. These movies celebrate individualism and, dare I say it, free markets.
I would argue, morever, that Bird’s creations are the most successful, philosophically speaking, of Pixar’s movies. The Guardian critic is right: movies like WALL-E ultimately make no logical sense. They sell merchandise (WALL-E condoms, anyone?) while decrying the very notion of merchandise.
Bird’s movies are different. They celebrate free thought. They celebrate free enterprise. They celebrate free soft pretzels.
Ultimately, however, Bird’s movies zero in on the innate human drive to improve oneself. And they don’t see it as something to be ashamed of. Instead, that’s what his characters are about.