Pixar now has to be judged not only by the quality of their films, but also by the quality compared to their best films. Onward is a good film—but to some critics, it might fall short or even flat if they’re expecting an entire movie’s worth of the married life scene from Up. The expectations surrounding Pixar films have begun to engulf all of their endeavors, which I think is funny, because not every Pixar film has been a hit. Not including any sequels (which, while mostly fine, I think we can agree will never be judged the same way an original film is), I can think of a fair few Pixar films that either lacked the spark I’d personally come to expect, or flat out didn’t appeal to me at all. Brave, Inside Out, A Bug’s Life (which is just Seven Samurai), their next film Soul looks like a repurposed Inside Out, and a few others really aren’t the strongest. (Like all of the Cars movies.) But the “Pixar” brand has some critics expecting to be absolutely floored by their films, and when they aren’t? They give it poor reviews.
Pixar does that sometimes. I went to see incredibles 2 only a few months after losing my mom. Before the movie, they played the short film about the the lady with the dumpling kid. Was not ready. There was me, on a date, watching a cartoon, eyes turning into water faucets. Ended up ok though... That girl married me.
It's not just you, I felt much the same. I suspect it was at least a little bit intentional.
