Missteps, and the Potential for Rebounds

History has certainly shown that even the most successful studios and filmmakers can make missteps from time to time. Take George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy, for instance--at least, the way most people see it. Or even some of the Batman movies from the 90s (Batman and Robin, anybody?). And, lest we forget, Michael Bay's appauling and disappointing Transformers sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, from 2009.

The latest example from this past weekend, according to a 33% consensus on Rotten Tomatoes and many other negative reviews from critics, is Pixar's Cars 2. Indeed, when compared with the animation studio's amazing previous track record of critically- and commerically-winning hits, their latest effort proved weak by said standards. That didn't stop it, however, from making $68 million at the box office this past weekend (not to mention the greater profits it's made through merchandising).

Even so, I guess the negative critical response and other things proves that even a studio like Pixar is only human. (Who is perfect, anyway?) But look at it this way: Looking back at their string of successful films, it can be argued that no other studio--and not just those in animation--has achieved the kind of notoriety, acclaim, and resonance when it comes to telling a story, presenting unforgettable, timeless characters, and creating an impact all the world over. Despite any recent mistakes they may have made recently (Cars 2 was fun, regardless), the success they have achieved by far is, well, "incredible." I have faith that they'll learn from whatever mistakes they made and rebound with more surprising and anticipated features in the near future. Their next theatrical release, Brave (due out next summer), looks promising and original. Check out the trailer below.