Bronwen K. Bradshaw, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Image From, (Small But Interesting ‘Finding Nemo’ Details That Fans Noticed) 

Recently, I decided to rewatch Pixar’s classic, Finding Nemo. The film was one of my favorites growing up, a staple in the household. I could quote Dory’s whale monologue to a tee and know the ending from seeing the film countless times. However, upon watching the movie, I found myself brought to tears. I loved the film as a kid but discovered a deeper connection with the film and its plot now as an adult. After watching Finding Nemo, I watched Monsters, Inc. with the same result. But what goes into conveying these stories and resonating with an audience to the point of tears?  

Like myself, others discuss their innate emotional reaction when watching a Pixar movie. Pixar is known for its emotional and beautiful storytelling. Pixar’s Up is famous for having one of cinema’s most emotional first 15 minutes of screen time. In an interview for The Ringer, Up’s director of photography, Jean-Claude Kalache, described the film’s production and how it “slowly shaped itself into a very theatrical approach to lighting the movie where nothing mattered at the edge of the frame. It was all about the characters. It was about the expressions, the emotion, the performance.” By doing this, the film’s creators showcase the emotional bond of Ellie and Carl through life, marriage, and the loss of a loved one.  

In Pixar’s documentary series, Inside Pixar, the studio and staff detail what goes into making a Pixar film and how they work to create a great story for audiences, children and adults alike. Layout Artist for the studio, Jahkeeli Garnett, describes the different uses of camera shots and angles to help relay the story with emotional impact. Garnett says, “At a particular point in the story, you want to emphasize a certain emotion, and the way to do that is by the way you stage your actors and where the camera’s placed. So, if it’s a really emotional moment between two people, we can move the camera closer to their face to really feel them speaking to us in the movie theater.”  

Pixar films work well because they can approach complex topics in life, such as death, loss, and loneliness, in a way that is easy for children to consume, as well as palpable messages of friendship, kindness, and love. Pixar creates these beautiful characters and tackles the hard instances of reality in a way that allows its audience to connect. In Pixar’s film Coco, the film discusses the topic of death healthily. In an article for NBC News, Yngrid Fuentes and Noticias Telemundo discuss how the film “has invited children and adults to approach it not with sadness or fear but as a tribute to life itself: If children ask what happens when someone dies, the message is that we remember them, because memory is life.” 

Not only is Pixar great at writing characters and stories that make audiences emotional, but the film’s music also brings out emotional reactions. In a Youtube video titled “How Pixar Uses Music to Make You Cry,” the channel’s creator, Sideways, describes the use of music to rope in an audience through Monsters Inc. Sideways describes the scene in which Monster, Sully, comforts and puts the character, Boo, to bed. The music in the background is light and peaceful. The next time we hear the song is when Boo gets scared by Sully’s roar when using the scare simulator and tries to reassure her that he did not mean to scare her. The song is heard again towards the end of the film, in which Sully says goodbye to Boo. Sideways states that the song’s “simple little theme celebrates and reminds the audience of Sully and Boo’s relationship, just as it’s coming to an end.”  

Pixar’s ability to invoke emotions through thoughtful storytelling is why it is amazing at creating films that connect to a variety of different age groups. These films help us process reality and let us cry because they show us it’s okay to feel. Don’t forget to grab tissues before logging on to Disney+.