The Pixar/Marvel/Lucasfilm Bracket, Round 3

We’ve now narrowed down the choices in the Pixar/Marvel/Lucasfilm bracket to the Sweet Sixteen, so that means there will only be two matchups per day in this third round.

But you want to know what I’d pick, right? Well, good. Here we go.

Day 1

(1) Toy Story vs. (4) The Incredibles: Truth be told, the hardest matchups of this round of the bracket are the Pixar ones. On one hand, the eight remaining Pixar titles in the bracket are all pretty predictable. Like, of course these are the movies that made it. (Only Coco comes as a mild surprise, but it’s very mild at that.) That’s the good news: no strange contenders.

The problem, of course, is that now we all have to pick which ones are best, and that’s where this gets hard. I mean, who the hell made this bracket, anyway? (Never mind.) I will be voting for Toy Story in this matchup. I think it’s got the best overall script of any Pixar film, one of the great comic performances courtesy of Tom Hanks, excellent editing and pacing, and more. Its animation is not great! But that’s a sliver of its quality. I vote with Sheriff Woody.

(3) Ratatouille vs. (2) WALL-E: This one’s tough. On one hand, I’m willing to agree that the second half of WALL-E isn’t as strong as the first 40 minutes. On the other hand…I mean, those first 40 minutes, you guys. It’s a hard choice, but as much as I adore the first half of WALL-E, and as much as I really enjoy its second half, I’m voting with Ratatouille. My two favorite Pixar films are Toy Story and Ratatouille, with the caveat that roughly 10 of their films are instant classics.

Now, the impossible choice will come if they both make it to the Elite Eight.

Day 2

(1) Toy Story 2 vs. (5) Coco: I like Coco a lot. I do. It’s very sweet. It’s well-animated. I’m glad to see Pixar embrace music, and I think there’s a fascinating meta-argument going on between filmmakers in its presentation of Ernesto de la Cruz. But I’m voting with Sheriff Woody again. Sorry, Miguel and your one dimple.

(3) Finding Nemo vs. (2) Up: This is another toughie. I want to say this much about Up: while the “Married Life” sequence is indeed its high point, the overall movie is a lot better than some people give it credit for. The animation of Paradise Falls is exquisite, and Ed Asner’s performance as Carl is nuanced and full of depth. Carl’s arc is immensely satisfying and multi-dimensional.

But as you can tell, I’m voting for Finding Nemo. The script is almost as good as that of Toy Story, full of classical setups and payoffs all built in based on effective character development and motivation, and Albert Brooks as Marlin is doing the Lord’s work.

Day 3

(1) Star Wars vs. (4) Return of the Jedi: When we were dating, years ago, my wife told me that Return of the Jedi was not only her favorite of the original trilogy but clearly the best one, a presumed fact she figured everyone else agreed with. I do not. The original is my favorite of the trilogy. So, bye-bye, Ewoks.

(3) The Last Jedi vs. (2) The Empire Strikes Back: I rewatched The Last Jedi last week, partially to check in and see if it still holds as my favorite modern Star Wars movie. The one thing the Rian Johnson-directed film does, something even Empire doesn’t do, is take my breath away. That may seem silly, but I dunno: the bit with Holdo doing a kamikaze flight into a Star Destroyer made me gasp in theaters, and it makes me gasp now. No other Star Wars movie has that effect on me. I vote with Holdo.

Day 4

(1) Black Panther vs. (4) Guardians of the Galaxy: I was telling someone recently that, in part because of the horrific loss of Chadwick Boseman, I feel like Black Panther might be headed to the Top Two. Whether or not I’m right, I’m voting this film through to the Elite Eight. The first Guardians is fun, but so much of Black Panther works in ways that clearly transcend the trappings of the MCU.

(6) Thor: Ragnarok vs. (10) Captain America: The Winter Soldier: So, I wouldn’t have voted for either of these. Let’s be clear about that upfront. That said, I am voting for Ragnarok, in part because it has a genuine personality. I feel like the personality of The Winter Soldier is “See, we’ve watched Three Days of the Condor and now we cast Robert Redford, so it’s just like a 70s thriller!” No, it’s not. Ragnarok is not perfect — far from it — but it is easily more entertaining and fun.