My feelings toward present-day Pixar are almost identical to those toward virtually every other entity pressed down under Disney’s thumb—it was a once-loving relationship that has since soured to the point that nothing is left but irritation and indifference.
Full disclosure, the first original Pixar series did not appeal to me. Win or Lose is one of the more headache-inducing, nauseatingly irritating pieces of “entertainment” I’ve seen from a major studio in quite a while. The show is chock-full of what I like to describe as “TikTok short attention span storytelling”—rapid-fire editing with constant cuts, bright lights/flashy colors in almost every frame, and a plot that is constantly on the move with very little to room for the story to breathe.
To give the show some credit, this seems to be an intentional choice from Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates (series creators, writers, and directors) to appeal to a younger audience who might find these sensibilities appealing. There is a lot said about the shortening of attention spans, and rapid-fire storytelling in children’s programming which are often full of material that induce sensory-overload. Needless to say, Win or Lose is not programming suitable for adults.
Win or Lose is an incredibly uninspired and messy show that is simply not up to the standards of what a quality, family-friendly Pixar narrative should be. While kernels of interesting concepts and good scenes are sprinkled throughout the four episodes I watched, these brief moments are few and far between and don’t get the proper dedication needed to turn them into something compelling. This is largely due to the rather abridged storytelling structure compared to the usual long-form storytelling Pixar is used to in films.
Regardless of which episode I was watching of the anthology style series, the same three problems reappear and are part of modern Pixar’s brand; which revolve around character design, style of humor, and emotional storytelling.
Win or Lose’s animation is competent enough but constantly clashes with its subpar art direction and character design. Back in Pixar’s golden age, many of the characters had uniquely striking designs that were not only visually interesting to look at but were always in service of the tone and narrative of their respective films. Whether it was Woody from Toy Story, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, Dory from Finding Nemo, or Russell from Up, each character’s design found that sweet balance between realism and cartoonishness while being different from project to project.
Win or Lose, on the other hand, seems to have completely abandoned this principle in favor of every single character having the most rounded, simplified, and exaggeratedly cartoony designs. This streamlined approach ends up kneecapping Win or Lose because the result is a series that is just so visually monotone and flat. The corporately safe and samey art direction and character design even ruin the times when the show attempts to be even remotely creative with its animation.
Additionally, similar to Pixar’s previous films, Win or Lose is filled with so much infantile humor that, at a certain point, it becomes unbearable to sit through. So much of this film’s comedy can be reduced to characters yelling, moving in a silly way, or acting in an over-animated or annoyingly manic way. It would be one thing if these “comedic” moments were at least somewhat sparsely included at intermittent amounts, but each episode is a barrage of unfunny gags over and over again.
Obviously, this approach to humor is meant for a much younger demographic, and while I’m sure kids would get a kick out of these comedic moments of levity, the show doesn’t nail the “family-friendly” or “all ages” wavelength that Pixar normally nails.
However, by far, this show’s worst crime is its floundering inability to meaningfully and authentically convey the raw emotions it wants its audience to feel. Win or Lose follows one central story from different perspectives, where each episode features a different main character from a youth softball team.
This is an interesting narrative approach in concept, but the problem is that it divides its story into 20ish-minute episodes with exorbitantly fast pacing. This leaves very little room to flesh out or develop the characters properly in a way that audiences can be invested in. It’s why whenever an episode inevitably reaches some emotional climax in which the tone suddenly becomes sad, and the characters are either crying or depressed, the scenes feel forced and unearned.
These moments would be much more effective if the episodes were longer or had slower pacing, as both methods would allow more time to flesh out the characters and truly explore their conflicts. Unfortunately, as they are now, the episodes just speed through their plots to get to sad scenes where they can emotionally manipulate the audience to cry along with the characters. To see this trick used every single episode was exasperating.
Win or Lose has an intriguing concept, using the anthology narrative structure to engage with the idea that a singular experience can be felt from multiple perspectives. It is a commendable effort, however, there is a lot to be desired with the execution. There is the inkling that the series was born from an artistic place of passion, led by artists who had something to express and were committed to doing it their way.
Unfortunately, it has come to light that this series was so open to being compromised and corporately influenced that the creators edited a transgender character out of the series.
This decision is cowardly and cynical, but it paints a larger picture that Pixar is not in the business of telling stories or making art like it used to. It’s in the business of making content to maximize profits, and Win or Lose is simply another product of the Disney business model that produces soulless works.
Rating: 2/10