The Pixar/Marvel/Lucasfilm Bracket, Round 4

Well, friends, we’re down to the Elite Eight of the Pixar/Marvel/Lucasfilm bracket, with just a handful of films from each of these studios still remaining and only four making it through to the next round.

And now, as you know, it’s time for you to find out which titles I would choose if I was calling the shots.

Day 1

(1) Toy Story vs. (3) Ratatouille: This is the toughest battle of the Elite Eight for me. On one hand, we have two very different films here. The original Pixar feature began the basic premise of “Let’s explore the foibles of the human world with non-human characters”, whereas Ratatouille took things to a different level. The 2007 entry clearly has better animation, in large part because technology had progressed far beyond what Pixar’s animators could do in 1995.

It’s a coin flip, though. The original Toy Story is one of the most perfectly crafted screenplays in modern history; character histories and details are dispensed with efficiently, with casting doing as much to tell you who these toys are. The payoffs are marvelous, too. They are.

But…I come back to the Anton Ego scene at the end of Ratatouille. There’s nothing like that in Toy Story. It’s hard to find it in anything else Pixar has ever done. So I’m going with Remy.

Day 2

(5) Coco vs. (3) Finding Nemo: This one’s not hard for me. I like Coco a lot. I do! Wonderful animation! Good songs! An energetic lead performance! A shameless but effective emotional climax! But Finding Nemo is the easy winner here, because the script is so tight, the characterization so rich, and the animation so deep and colorful. Clownfish all the way.

Day 3

(1) Star Wars vs. (2) The Empire Strikes Back: If I had to guess, the 1980 sequel will be moving onto the Final Four, but not if I have anything to say about it. Yes, I really do prefer the original film to the excellent and thrilling follow-up. I don’t have to tell you why these movies are both so great, in building out distinctive science-fiction worlds and creating memorable characters and setpieces.

Why do I like the first one more? There’s more Alec Guinness, there’s more of Han Solo at his truly dubious, and there’s more of an effective balance of mystery, humor, and terror. Both great movies, but I’m sticking with the original.

Day 4

(1) Black Panther vs. (6) Thor: Ragnarok: Yeah, this is easy. Wakanda forever. No contest.