Why is Pixar so successful?

“Every animator is a toy nut” is a quote that narrows down quite perfectly what Pixar’s work code is, Pixar appreciates uniqueness and applauds talent. Pixar has always been a leading animation company, along the years it has created movies and short films that entertain both children and adults. But all Pixar’s success is due to the fact that they believe that getting people and their talent together rather than good ideas are the key for creating something exceptional. 

First of all, Pixar embraces and nurtures talent. Pixar is a company that firmly believes  that smart, energetic, and talented people are far of more importance for the creative process than good ideas. Pixar is a company that grows the idea of respect for one another in each of its staff members. This idea is reflected in the fact that everyone here must feel free to communicate with anyone.It manages to bring up the best of people in every circumstance. They all make use of their best qualities and abilities in every project, for this to be true Pixar has assured that each of its members feels safe when bringing  new ideas into the table.  

In the second place, Pixar establishes team work as the corner stone of their work structure. Creativity is rarely a process made by one, one person is merely a piece of the puzzle when it comes to the development of an idea. The “high concept” is the first step you take when coming up with a whole movie, the process involves several more people. Not mattering what their level is, people support one another.Their dynamic is quite impressive, new talents are able to look up at masters of the art, and work side by side with them. They bring the three musketeers saying back to life, all for one and one for all. They are all interested in handing in the best final work they can, so they all invest a lot of effort in helping one another and pushing themselves in order to get the best of each other.

Lastly, how Pixar managed to merge such different disciplines like art and technology  to get a unique final result is quite enlightening. Pixar is always at the state of the art technology. They are not selfish when it comes to disclosing information about their research, because they are interested in keeping the connection with the academic community alive. Pixar understands that this connection is key in order to keep the road of innovation alive, because it reinforces the idea that people are quite more important than ideas. Getting people form different disciplines to work together and appreciate each other’s contributions to the field is of great importance. Pixar nurtures these relationships, because it understands how valuable these mixtures are. 

Pixar is a group of talented smart people that gather around to speak up their minds and unleash the untamed imagination each of them possesses. Pixar’s trust in its members  talent and its work dynamic are responsible for its unique track record. Pixar’s great variety of disciplines provides the studio with a unique force of workers that  surrender fantastic and brilliant creations as a result of the unison they all work in. Pixar is a trend making overflowing with talent studio we all should look up to. 

Stop time

“Time waits for no man and it certainly will not wait for me” is a saying that we all take as a fact, but this fundamental truth is tore apart in Run Lola Run, because we can observe how they play with time in order for Lola to be in time at the end. At a certain point in life we all get to wonder what would have happened if we had gotten a minute earlier or a minute later, would everything stay the same? Or would everything change? This movie proves that one action depends on the one before; in this case our three runs depend on how Lola faces the dog when she is storming down the stairs.

Time waits for no one and after one action happens, all its consequences start developing and there is no way of stopping them. When Lola decides to grab the gun, the path things took changed and all of its events led Lola to her dead. Every act is part of a small chain or series of events. We can see Lola’s encounter with the dog as an unremarkable event, but it is the one responsible for how things turn out, even the smallest event of all is a link between actions and its consequences. We can either see life’s decisions as fate or chaos, in the movie we get to see how fate works because things always happen for a reason.

The decisions taken at a specific moment in time have great repercussions on how things turn out. In the second run we can observe how Lola bumps into a woman and the woman’s fate completely changes, in this case it turned out for the better she gets to win the lottery. In Run Lola Run the moment that changes everything is Lola’s confrontation with the dog in the stairs.  When one thing changes the answer is never the same. There was an ambulance and some guys carrying a piece of glass, not mattering what both of them had a specific task to fulfill, Lola encounters them in each one of the runs, but the outcome was never the same, due to Lola’s timing.

Drive is necessary in life in order to get things done. In Lola’s life motivation was love, her reason for doing everything was Manni, saving him was her reason in each of the runs. No mattering what she needed to do in order to help him, she would do it without hesitation. There is always a downside to every situation. In Lola’s case was the fact that her motorcycle got stolen, this unleashes a chain of unfortunate consequences.

Run Lola Run is a movie that totally depends on its managements of time. Decisions and its timing unleash a series of events that are responsible for the facts that make up fate. One event is responsible for the next one and so on. Run Lola Run illustrates down to perfection this anti-chaotic structure of consequences. We can perfectly observe how facing the dog changes Lola’s fate either for better or for worse (making her be early or late). 

Character Map : Helmuuuuut!

Helmut´s Mask

In the beginning of the scene we can see a disorientated man, lost in New York City. During the first minutes you can observe that Helmut is a taxi driver that might not even had a costumer yet, so he is desperate to earn some money. But as the Character Map says, this is just a mask the character uses, because by the end of the “chapter” Helmut explain that he need the money, but money is not the important thing. At first I glance Helmut as the man whose target is to earn money, but the real thing is that he wants to belong to New York City. He has no family, so he ponders that New York City is his new family, which is why he needs to fit on it.

But the greatest misconception we have about Helmut is that he was a happy foreign clown, because that is what he is so hard trying to project . Helmut seems to be running from something before America, he does not want to resemble a sad and aggressive person that feels completely lost and alone in this new country, in this new life. 

Helmut´s Fear

We only get to see a part of Helmut’s life, a not fundamental moment of his life. Helmut seems to be afraid of not fitting into New York City  and the feeling you get when you are lost. 
Another fear that seems to be a noise maker is the fact that he is afraid of being alone. We know this because he shows sorrow when Yoyo asks him about his family, and he answers no. When Yoyo picks up Angela we can observe a certain nostalgic feeling in Helmut, as if he was missing something great. 

Helmut´s Strongest Traits

He is a very confident person, he does not care what others think about his former profession. Helmut used to be a clown in eastern Germany and both Yoyo and Angela diminish him because of his job, but Helmut admits he used to be a clown with great pride, and shows how great he is at making people laugh. He said that he was free to leave his hometown in order to come and start a whole new life, those kind of decisions take courage and self-confidence. He seems to me humble, gentle, and kind. 

Helmut´s Most Admired Traits

He admires the explosiveness that Angela displays all through the scene. Helmut admires her beauty and her strength, both are admirable traits in anyone. He continuously praises Angela's beauty, even when she might not seem to beautiful to everyone's eye. His real appreciation for Angela's beauty is her personality. Angela is the kind of girl that feels free to do whatever she wants. Angela wants to demonstrate herself that she can put up a fight to anyone. This is what Helmut admires the most, the fighter inside Angela, a person that is able to put up a fight against the big scary city. 
He admires family and the feeling of belonging, and how family members protect each other. We can see him gazing at how Yoyo and Angela interact. 

Helmut´s Trouble Traits

He is an upbeat person in his pursue of fitting into a new style, a new world, New York City, but he is so naive and ignorant  that he does not realize the danger that surrounds him. At the end of the scene, Helmut is proud of himself that he puts his clown nose on and gets distracted, taking the wrong turns that would get him back to New York downtown.
He does not seem to be willing to leave the past behind, although he appears to be doing it by becoming a taxi driver and not a clown, his past is buried in a little trunk inside the car, a huge sign that he is not being able to forget who he was before. 

Helmut´s Dark Side

We do not really get to see much of his personality, but we can infer that his dark side has something to do with him being alone, we do not know why he is alone in this huge new town, he seems to be upset when Yoyo asks him about his family, by the tone of his voice and his gestures we can to the understanding hat nothing good will come out of this subject. 
When Yoyo picks Angela up, Helmut realizes that Yoyo protects Angela because they are somewhat related; this is what Helmut envies, family and companionship. 


Helmut clashes with the mocking personality of Yoyo. When Yoyo mocks Helmut´s name, we can see him as upset. But then the dark side of Helmut emerge when he mocks now about Yoyo's name. Helmut used to be a clown, or maybe he is a clown ho now drives a cab; anyway Helmut knows the difference between making someone laugh and mocking at someone. This is the side of Yoyo's personality he disliked; but Helmut wants to fit in the New York City so he will not  criticize Yoyo's behavior. 

Character Map :D

Mask: always happy

Fears: alone, heights, bathrooms

Strong traits: optimist, patient, helpful, generous

Troublesome traits: distracted, curious, unwise, bad notion of time 

Admired: creativity, talent, disposition, willingness 

Dark side: snob, prepotent 

How my favorite character was depicted in the movie?

How my favorite character was depicted in the movie?

Mercutio "A gentlemen…who loves to hear himself talk" as he once was described by Romeo is Romeo’s best friend. A character who is neither a Capulet or a Montague plays a rather important role in the plot. Mercutio is one of the main characters in Shakespeare’s play and one of its most memorable characters, remaining true to his essence in a different scenario. Mercutio is one of the most unique characters ever created by Shakespeare with his stage-stealer personality and untamable mind and spirit, the uniqueness of this characters was uniquely and joke-like portrayed in the movie.

First of all, Mercutio is a character full of wit and eloquence, characteristics that are both, portrayed and exaggerated in the movie . During the movie we can see him as the funny and full-of-words character he was supposed to be. Mercutio fills with great detail and imagination his speech exclaiming every single word together with hand and facial gestures. He always uses different words to exemplify what he means.  Mercutio is a character who often jokes and teases everyone else, his wardrobe in the movie enhances this trait. Mercutio’s brains when punning Tybalt are the are the reason why he gets himself killed. Mercutio uses his words and intelligence in order to persuade character’s during the story. When we first get to hear him, Mercutio is delivering a speech to Romeo dressed as a drag queen, he uses his appearance and words to convince  Romeo to go to the Capulets party and mock his oblivion about life and love.

Secondly, Mercutio is a crucial character for the plot’s development and the setting’s building up. He is portrayed in the movie as a little preoccupied and without foes guy who chooses Romeo as his best friend and helps him meet his fate. Mercutio is the one who convinces Romeo to go to they party where he meets Juliet, where he depicts down to perfection the time and place the story is settled in by wearing women’s clothes. Mercutio’s dead is the climax of this story. Mercutio is responsible for the climax in the story. He is assassinated by Tybalt, when he confronts him in his witty style about Romeo and his relationship to Juliet. This scene in the movie, is not merely as potent and dramatic as it should be, it does not receive the importance it should have, it is only boosted by the weather change, but immortality was certainly not there. Mercutio continues having importance even after his dead. His dead is the fact that gets Romeo banished from Verona, because Romeo in his thirst for revenge kills Tybalt.

Lastly, Mercutio pierces through the lovesickness  and romantic view of life that exists all during the story. In the movie, just as in the play, he mocks on Romeo’s flairs and supposed life-lasting love. He talks about sex and love, he is a light-hearted and dynamic character who contrasts with Romeo’s oblivion and heavy existence. He represents the relief of all the heaviness and gloominess the characters build up during the story, by using his looks and speech as an instrument to serve his purpose rather than a mere expression of himself.  Mercutio proves himself not to be part of the conflict by blaming both houses on his death, this trait is portrayed in the movie with the color of his skin and his dressing code. He is the only characters who blames a specific person on his dead and not fate.

Mercutio is a strong, light-hearted character full of wit and humor. He is an essential character that helps define the plot in this play. Mercutio is the character who provides an excellent contrast with every single person in the play and their way if thinking, this is why he sets himself apart as a neutral character representing the light side of life and how not everything should be taken so seriously. His portrayal in the movie is an exaggerated and better one. You are able to understand his true self and meaning to the story, because of the qualities that were shown and increased in the movie. The place matches his personality he is a portrait of the time the story is settled in and the situation they are involved in. With a quick mind and humor and a wild and unique personality Mercutio is one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters.

Freytag's Pyramid Analysis

External Conflict: Society’s pressure, american dream vs. reality, people portraying something they are not.

Internal Conflict: each character in the story faces a clash between who they are and who they want to be. 

Exposition: Lester’s initial speech. In this speech he describes how he lived in total misery, how pathetic his life was. He anticipates his death. 

Inciting Incident: Lester meets Angela. He realizes he needs to change his life around. 

Rising Action: Lester becomes infatuated with Angela, Carolyn has an affair with the real state manager, and Lester gets to know about it. Jane and Rick start dating, Rick has a lot of drug related issues with his dad.

Suspense builds up all through the story, we observe all the complications increasing, we get to know all the characters, their life story, their background, their conflicts. 

Climax: All the conflicts come to its greatest pick when Frank kisses Lester. Rick and Jane are planning to run away. Carolyn's mind begins breaking down.  

Falling Action: Angela offers herself to Lester. Carolyn is planning to kill her husband. Lester is thirsty for the moment he has prepared himself all during the movie. 

Turning Point: Lester and Angela are about to have sex, when Angela confesses Lester she is a virgin. Lester now gets to see her as the kid she really is. 

Last moment of suspense: Lester is about to get killed, but you do not yet know by whom. 

Resolution: Lester is dead. He gets to understand what life is actually about, he sees his childhood, his family, and for that one moment he is truly happy and satisfied. Everything falls down into place. The characters receive a wake up call, their life is not as miserable as they thought it was. 

How the conflicts are solved? 

All the characters stop trying to look and be something they are not. By  accepting who they are, the american dream becomes what it really is, a scam. 

Who was James Dean?

James Dean is one of the greatest examples of tragic Hollywood legends. He was an American actor who died at the young age of 24 in a car crash, only two hours later after receiving a speeding ticket. He became an icon after starring only six movies. The three most renowned are Giant, East of Eden, and Rebel Without a Cause, two of which were released after his sudden death. He was the first actor to become an Academy Award nominee after his death, he was nominated for his role in East of Eden. James Dean with his wit, intelligence, and dramatic thirst for life, became an inspiration to a whole generation of filmmakers, and actors. 

“American Beauty” is a fantastic movie

Twelve years ago American Beauty was premiered in theaters all over the United States. It is a movie that talks about desire, self-disgust, experience against youth, and routines against extraordinary events with delightful wit and intelligence. Full of controversy and truth American Beauty is on its way of becoming an American classic. 

In the first place, American Beauty is an artful uncommon comedy filled with controversial ideas about happiness. American Beauty is all about happiness and how its pursuit leads us to unknown places. We can observe how Lester is dragged into a sexual fantasy with his daughter’s best friend, but it is this same fantasy that makes him reach out for more and learn to love himself, and by doing this he actually learned to love life all over again. This film enhances the idea that happiness can be seen as the only thing worth living for. For example at the end of the movie when Lester is murdered we cannot observe that fact as a complete tragedy, because we know he was able to understand and meet true happiness just moments before he was killed. It is perpetual unhappiness that damages ourselves the most. This is one of the greatest problems in our society nowadays, people get so used to being unhappy, that their struggle for happiness is nothing more than a mere attempt to cover the holes that let their misery out, like with Carolyn Lester, who pretends to be this perfect wife with a perfect husband, but in the knowledge that her whole life is a complete fake. American Beauty depicts how in our pursuit of happiness, many misleading roads can be taken. 

In the second place, American Beauty displays the eternal struggle for power. American Beauty portrays down to perfection the struggle of men against women. Carolyn Burnham and Lester are in an eternal fight to see who will become the head of the house. This movie talks about parents and sons, this generational gap that can either build lifelong relationships or destroy them. Like with Frank and Ricky this gap manages to destroy both of them, Frank continuously stalks his son searching through his stuff and Ricky breaks his father’s trust by selling drugs. American Beauty shows the struggle within oneself and our identity. Frank fights his homosexuality back by killing Lester, because he is not capable to accept the fact that his true self has been exposed. It is a powerful movie filled with overflowing emotions. 

Lastly, American Beauty is definitely one of those movies whose impact is easily felt, but incredibly difficult to describe. It explores and criticizes a lot of issues in contemporary culture making it possible for us to identify ourselves with at least one of its characters, due to the circumstances they are encircled in. You can be either in love with the wrong person, or fighting a war against yourself. American Beauty describes that moment in which you discover life is actually worth living exquisitely, “...and that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in.” This film invites the audience to start looking far and beyond, it asks you to stop being a mere observer in your own life. It is due to the fact that it is so brutally right about everything that when it is over you are left with a distressing feeling that you have to start doing something, anything to feel alive. 

American Beauty is a movie that talks about happiness, power, freedom, love or the lack of it in a superbly manner. This movie is an indescribable experience, it is one of those movies that interacts with its audience, causing a great impact in it, because it our search of self and happiness that keeps us tangled most of the day most days. Due to its sensitivity, intelligence, wit, and sensibility; American Beauty is on its way to becoming an irreverential classic. 

A lot of noise, more kisses

She felt like a school girl on sunday, scared, tired, lonely, willing to do anything to win her smile back. She felt life had been drained from her body, she feared that nothing would ever compare, nothing would ever be the same she thought. She was dragged into one of those moments in life in which not the brightest of the ideas was taking place, she was chasing a van in the middle of the night...not very clever of her if I may say, but somehow she managed to stop it, she climbed in, and  went away to finally have dinner with friends.

They arrived to a place, that felt so mysterious and familiar at the same time for her. They went upstairs, cheered everyone, and sat down for a nice, calmed meal with truly enjoyable people, she laughed continuously at the stories one of the guys was telling. He was just so funny and intelligent, but she did not even think of him, because her mind was always on someone else, the boy she was chasing down the street before. What a douchbag he was, but she did not see it. Now they were leaving. 

They went on a trip. She thought she would die, because they were assigned to different communities, so they were not going to see each other for a whole week. Each of them parted to their corresponding communities along with their teammates, she was not happy at all, but she was already there, so she might as well take the hang of it and enjoy it, because maybe everything just may turn out fine. All during that week she played, sang , learn, and ran all over the place, it was the greatest week ever. The most wonderful thing happened when she noticed that she had not needed the boy previously mentioned to feel alive, and so it happened that she took courage and determined she was to leave at sight, she was willingly leaving him in the past, but as in every story there is a surprise , the one in this story is that he dumped her first. The way back home was truly funny, there he was in the arms of another girl, and there she was singing and laughing like if he had never existed. 

Oh boy, but he had existed, and bad habits stick even though you do not want them to, her legs began to tremble again and her confidence was slowly fading away, what if she had made a mistake in letting him go. Not the brightest of all the ideas of course, but it woke up a thought, she needed a friend, someone she could trust, someone with whom she could be herself. Now it is the time for you to remember the boy telling stories, he comes in handy. She had remembered how wonderful he seemed, what a great friend he was to all of the ones present in that dinner. 

She asked him out, he said yes, but he never showed up. So she thought he was not interested, but later on that week the guy showed up, proving her wrong, he took her to dinner and they went on for hours,  after that first date everything just fall into place, he began taking her to all of these great places, like galleries, restaurants, movie theaters, or at least she thought they were. They were playful together, they listened to each other. Then one day he sits down beside her and tells her she does not need anything else, that  he was there to make it all okay, she believed in all the words he said and took a leap of faith, he was the most perfect and greatest thing that had ever been hers. He became her reason for waking up, but in a way she had never felt before, she became anxious of every morning and thirty for life. She had found herself through him, now she was free, capable of anything of everything. All that she thought could now come true, the world was now what she always expected it to be, and the very best of all, she had someone she could call home. 

So now, the run behind that van might seem very stupid, nevertheless it led her home, somehow. Sometimes things work in mysterious ways, so I think somehow it all adds up, maybe things do actually happen for a reason.