Pixar’s Tough Run Continues As New Disney+ Project Gets The Boot

Pixar has had a tough go at it lately. Recent flops from the studio have turned fans off. “Turning Red,” “Luca,” and “Soul” have all pointed to more significant disappointments in projects such as “Elemental” and “Lightyear.” Many have attributed the ill-fated performances of recent Pixar films to the studios’ “go woke” agenda. Still, I’d propose that fans are conditioned to expect releases of Pixar products exclusively to Disney+. Simply put, no one wants to go to the movies to see a film when they can wait a few weeks and check it out on Disney’s streaming service. 

“Win or Lose,” Pixar’s first animated series, is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ later this year. The series will follow a co-ed team of softball players leading up to their big championship game. According to Pixar, the series will manage perspectives from different characters such as parents, coaches, players, and umpires. It seemed interesting enough. 

Credit: Pixar/ Disney

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“Win or Lose” follows the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, in the week leading up to their championship game. Each episode takes place that same week, highlighting the perspective of a different main character—players, their parents, the umpire—each reflected in a unique visual style.”

According to multiple sources, “Win or Lose” will most likely look different than what we are used to seeing from Pixar. Some of this is due to budget cuts, although Pixar has planned to take a different artistic approach to the film since in inception. The studio has been tight-lipped regarding details surrounding “Win or Lose.” There isn’t a lot of information that gives any concrete insight into what the series may be! We do know that Pixar was planning a follow-up to the series for Disney+.

Credit: Pixar/ Disney/ Canva

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Sadly, Pixar has quietly given the planned follow-up series the boot officially and is no longer planning on releasing the unnamed project on Disney+. There is hope that Pixar may be learning from its past mistakes of releasing material directly to Disney+ as TheWrap suggests that the follow-up to “Win or Lose” may be reworked for theatrical release instead. The timing of this speculation is interesting as Disney+ has begun pulling titles such as The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Willow, Diary of a Future President, and so on. It would seem that outside of Marvel and Star Wars, Disney and Pixar are taking a different approach to delivering content. Or maybe there’s restructuring for Disney+ and what content is available to whom.

Credit: Pixar/ Disney/ Canva

Although we’re excited to see Pixar’s latest series, “Win or Lose,” it’s always sad to hear about canceled projects. As consumers, we all want to, well, consume. Disney and Pixar must constantly evaluate their best practices for delivering high-quality content to movie-goers and Disney+ subscribers. As both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar have both been seen a downtick in viewership since the dreaded “C word,” it makes perfect sense that they’d pull the rug out from under a new project if projections suggest delivering it through a different approach would be more fiscally responsible. I don’t care about theatres or Disney+; if the “Win or Lose” series is good and deserves a spinoff, we just want high-quality products! Give us Toy Story again!