Critics Consensus, Pixar | featured news

Pixar’s “Cars 2” overcame surprisingly negative critical reviews to overperform at the weekend box office, selling an estimated $68 million at North American theaters. That No. 1 finish extends Pixar’s perfect box-office track record — all 12 of its feature films have opened in first place. How sales hold up, however, will be watched carefully. “Cars 2,” directed by John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar, represents an end to the studio’s perfect critical track record; only about 34 percent of reviews were positive, according to RottenTomatoes.com, by far the worst for any Pixar title.

The Wall Street Journal's headline says it all: " 'Cars 2' Is a Dollar-Driven Edsel." OMG! Pixar's amazing critical winning streak is over. And in a big way. Until now, Pixar had released 11 movies, none of which had ever dipped below 70 on the Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating scale, which aggregates reviews from around the country. In fact, except for the original "Cars," none of Pixar's 11 films had ever ended up with less than a 90 score at Rotten Tomatoes, with the "Toy Story" threesome all earning either a 99 or a 100.

This week at the movies brings the return of Pixar's most iconic heroes (Toy Story 3, with voice work by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen) as well as a supernatural bounty hunter (Jonah Hex, starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox). What do the critics have to say? Few (if any) studios can boast a critical and commercial streak that's been as astonishing as Pixar's. Now, with Toy Story 3, the company's creative minds have reprised the characters that have long been their trademark, and the critical response has run from positive to borderline ecstatic. Critics say the stylistically bold but...