Until its acquisition by Disney in May of 2006, Pixar’s primary mandate was originality. The lifeblood of the Emeryville-based animation studio, every new picture was a tapestry of bold ideas, original characters, rich emotional complexity, and boundary-pushing digital animation. After being swallowed up by the House of Mouse, the studio’s focus shifted towards franchising, leading to a rise in Pixar sequels and a watering down of their “original” features. The conflagration of originality that once defined there every feature seemed to gradually wane into but a dim glow.
