While there is no doubt that Pixar is one of the most consistently successful animated film studios of all time, with Toy Story 3 grossing $167.6 million in its opening week (the highest film of the year thus far), one cannot attribute such success solely to the commercial appeal of the new animation technology. All eleven of Pixar’s films have thoughtfully crafted storylines, which are only highlighted by the astonishingly vivid, and often realistic-looking computer generated animation. The key to forming these touching, all-members-of-the-family-friendly stories is the studio’s ability to create characters and scenarios which are relatable to a wide range of viewers, something that often falls flat in other animated films.

Their most recent film, Toy Story 3, is a perfect example. Using the same familiar characters from the two prior Toy Story films, TS3 focuses on more mature issues than the formers, such as letting go and accepting the inevitable, with the toys’ owner, Andy, all grown up and moving to college. But this is exactly what Pixar is known for—focusing on real-life issues that create empathy in the viewers, as well as a sense of hope.

With Andy being the son of a single mother, TS3 is a perfect example of Pixar incorporating family issues into their films, an element in which both children and adults can often relate. Other examples include last year’s Oscar-nominated Up, which centers on an elderly widower (the death of his wife brings tears to the viewer’s eyes within the first twenty minutes of the movie) who, in an attempt to take one final trip, ties a bunch of balloons to his house and flies away. He accidentally ends up stuck with Russell, an adorably chubby Wilderness Explorer dealing with an absent father. In Finding Nemo, Marlin, a clown fish, loses his wife and children, with the exception of one, Nemo, when they are killed by a barracuda. While these characters are animated fish, this does not obscure the viewer’s natural inclination to empathize with the characters in their struggle.
On a more mature note, in The Incredibles, Mrs. Parr (superhero Elastigirl’s alias) suspects that her husband, Mr. Parr (Mr. Incredible), is having an affair when he starts sneaking away to do superhero work, despite having quit the business years before. While some of these themes may whiz over a child’s head, adult viewers are bound to find plotlines like this to add some depth to what might otherwise be just another children’s film.

Pixar films also do a great job of usually having multiple protagonists, allowing for both children and adult viewers to identify with at least one character throughout the film. While the “adult-relatable” characters aren’t always adults (they can be toys, monsters, fish, or cars, etc…), Pixar definitely does not create family films solely for the children. This can also be seen in Pixar films’ humor, which often includes puns or allusions that only an older audience might understand. For example, in Monsters, Inc. one character named Bile goes by the name Phlem, a play on words that a child might not catch. In Finding Nemo, a group of sharks attempting to maintain a vegetarian fish-free diet attend Alcoholics Anonymous-style meetings to curb their cravings, another reference that would most likely surpass a young viewer but give a chuckle or two to an adult.

While Pixar films do include action, suspense and some manifestation of evil in their films, the villains are usually creatures that, in reality, are not that frightening to children. In TS3 the villain is Lotso, a pink Lots-O-Hugs bear. While he may be cruel in the film, the fact that he is a teddy bear makes him non-threatening for children. In A Bug’s Life the evil villain is Hopper, a grasshopper, who is large compared to the ants he is ruling over, but not anything too scary to a child. Even in Up, Alpha, the Doberman Pinscher-leader of a pact of talking dogs owned by the movie’s villain (an old man), has a high-pitched voice (resembling what a voice might sounds like after inhaling helium), making him less intimidating despite being somewhat frightening looking.

Perhaps what might be the most appealing aspect of Pixar films is the fact that the main characters in their films often start off feeling isolated and out of place. This is a feeling that almost all people experience at some point, especially in childhood, and therefore the audience is able to relate to characters as “outsiders.” In Ratatouille the protagonists is a French rat with a passion for cooking, who helps an awkward, spazzy garbage boy form a cooking career. In Finding Nemo, Nemo stands out because he has one deformed mini-fin, caused by the accident with the barracuda. However, what makes these movies endearing is the fact that the lonely and out-of-place characters end up being commended for their uniqueness, as opposed to changing themselves to find their place in the majorities.

Of course, while having recognizable celebrities voicing characters who visually or personality-wise resemble them (Albert Brooks as the neurotic, anxiety-ridden Marlin in Finding Nemo) definitely adds appeal for adult viewers, what really makes Pixar such a genius filmmaking studio is their ability to create touching stories that both children and adults and everybody in between can find amusing and relatable. They’ve taken the Disney formula that has created heart-warming movies for decades and added dimensions, both visually and story-wise, resulting in consistent success at the box office.