This article was originally published on Common Edge.
For anyone who has weathered the pandemic while simultaneously raising a toddler: I feel your pain. In my house, toys are no longer organized by function or size; they’re relegated to piles, tossed in corners, buried beneath other things. And yet, despite pangs of homesickness for our beloved Brooklyn, we have found solace in our newfound suburbanization: backyard, vegetable garden, washer/dryer … even a second kid on the way! As we settled into our new routines in the land of sprawl, the pandemic struck and, like countless parents, we subscribed to Disney+. And although I was familiar with Pixar, watching the studio’s movies in this unprecedented context felt like experiencing them anew.
Although Pixar films do exist within a common cinematic universe, their connective tissue is loose. Interestingly, two elements that do manage to tether the films together are the corporations Dinoco (oil/gas company) and Buy n Large (global conglomerate in the vein of Amazon), which appear in several movies. It’s no coincidence that these corporate entities are of dubious character. They also help frame what amounts to a rather grim prophecy. As it turns out, Pixar is preoccupied with the urban condition, and we’re all just poisoning and consuming ourselves to the brink of extinction.
