Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: Pete Docter
Written By: Pete Docter
Starring: Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler
- Preamble -
If there is one thing that is interesting about 2014 in animation, it is that this will be the first year that Pixar hasn't released a film since coming to prominence. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but speaking as the studio has had an impressively concrete track record, they can do whatever they want. In fact, they have with films like Brave and Monsters University in recent years challenging their storytelling capabilities and bringing in ambitious new approaches to familiar territories. They haven't always been successful, but at least their efforts are more consistent than many of their counterparts.
However, the question then is what their next move is going to be. That idea comes in the hands of one of Pixar's best directors. For those who don't know, Pete Docter is the director behind two of the studio's best films: Monsters Inc. and Up. His love of mixing supernatural aspects with metaphorical contexts have paid off and made his work some of the most accessible and interesting. In fact, there's little to stop him from making another hit with Inside Out.
Very little is known about Inside Out other than that it is about the human brain. On paper, it sounds almost exactly like Osmosis Jones. This isn't a bad thing, as Pixar has been able to spin their own angle onto things. Even then, the 2015 release date is way off and not likely to matter right now. How exactly do you promote the film and raise excitement from a studio whose excitement is built in already? In essence, that is what a teaser trailer is supposed to do. This is our first introduction to the Inside Out universe, so let's see what striking qualities are given to make us care.
- Dissection -
The trailer is 101 seconds long. It takes 55 seconds before anything resembling actual footage is shown. Sure, the nature of a teaser is to tease, but considering that there are films like Gone Girl which showed footage without giving away too much, it would only seem fair that Pixar would do the same. The issue is that it seems too reliant on the fan base that they have already had for over half a century. Yes, Disney is a company who wants to make money. Yes, part of their charm is to release content that reminds people of things that they love. That is the point of Disneyland. It is the point of a lot of things that they do. In fact, Maleficent is the latest in a long line of brand depositing films to do this. You could call it smutty, but it made money.
What is worse about a trailer like Inside Out: the pandering or the lack of thought put into it? It isn't like Pixar is a Studio Ghibli-esque company where American audiences aren't that familiar with their work. Most of the films referenced in the first 55 seconds were box office hits and are touchstones of the culture. Then there's applying them to four different emotional types, as if there is some stronger world building. This is far from true. While there have been videos suggesting that this is all one linear timeline, it doesn't feel right to say that they all have emotional connection. Every film out there has an emotional undertone that could be swapped into this trailer. It is so disposable.
Then there's the actual footage. Maybe it seems wimpy to release a 30 second teaser, which would have amplified the actual quality. It introduces us to the concepts of how emotions are made as well as various characters within this one girl's brain that look rather interesting. I didn't need to think that they had affiliation to Toy Story or WALL-E (robots don't have emotions, so its involvement makes no sense). From the brief moments, I feel like there's something interesting to be reaped from Inside Out, but not the first 55 seconds. I don't need to connect the universe. It is like Pixar saying "If you liked these great films, then check out this one that we don't have much confidence in." As Docter fan, I trust that this isn't the case, but still... put some effort into it.
On a side note that is more a complaint towards most animated films, what is with the risky song choices? Last year saw Planes use Rob Zombie's "More Human Than Human" in a trailer and Despicable Me 2 used Eminem's "Without Me." Both have questionable lyrics for children that were cleverly worked around, though hard to ignore. Then there's Inside Out's trippy use of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion." I get it conceptually, but the song features another batch of questionable lyrics that worked in context of the high school/stoner classic Dazed and Confused, but not here. Let's just say that "Can't catch me cause the rabbit gone died" is a pregnancy slang that has no involvement near a kids film, especially in juxtaposition to a young girl miserably sitting at dinner with her family. Uh...
There's plenty to like, but I still cannot help but feel like the art of this teaser is too corporate to be interesting. I wanted so much more. By more, I meant less. Work on tightening and don't brand deposit before there's any need to. Simply saying "From Pixar comes Inside Out" will do the trick.
- One Sentence Sell -
Pixar is back with another film that looks to be just like the other films and they're sure hoping that this will get you excited without providing any discernible details.
- Trove or Trash -
TRASH
I know that I have been rather down on Trailing Off lately, but I want these films to sell me with amazing trailers. They simply disappoint and don't get me excited. I do want to see Inside Out because I like Pete Docter and think that he can deliver something interesting. However, I don't feel comfortable supporting something that exists on the notion that because I liked something else, I will like this. Give us some credit for confidence, Pixar. We've trusted you through the 00's to deliver something far more interesting, even in your teasers. Go back to making them an art form and get back to me when you do.
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