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As far as the shift in storytelling that has been mentioned, the cited examples of WALL-E and Toy Story 3 show such a precedent exists already in many Pixar films. Consider that Up took a different and well-executed turn once they got to Paradise Falls and Charles Muntz. I also remember people complaining Cars shouldn’t haven’t shifted from the Piston Cup world to Radiator Springs (yet, they stayed in that world for Cars 2 and see how that worked) or vice versa with more Radiator Springs and less Piston Cup. Yet, I didn’t feel a similar dramatic shift in Brave. (I will concede that the triplets and maid bit was unsuccessful comic relief.)

Jay makes a valid comparison point about the late '80s/early '90s Disney heyday and subsequent drop off with Pocahontas, Hunchback and (I must add) Hercules mirroring Pixar but I don’t feel that Brave is comes close to the drop in quality that those three films did on the heels of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Also, I summarily disagree with Brave being equated in the same breath quality-wise to Cars 2.

Kim Hollis: I'm going to echo Daron here and perhaps be the lone person here to say that I think this was a pretty terrific little movie. Maybe it's because I'm the only female. I don't know. I felt like this was a traditional story told very well, and with absolutely gorgeous animation. I found the comic relief amusing and the heroine very likable. I believe that as time passes, this will be a movie that mothers watch with their daughters in a very happy way.

I don't wanna miss a thing.

Kim Hollis: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opened to $3.8 million, barely beating Moonrise Kingdom, which had roughly a quarter the number of playdates of the Steve Carell film. Why do you think it failed to connect with audiences?

David Mumpower: Premise. Premise. Premise. We speak from time to time about the intrinsic nature of cinema. People want to escape from their daily lives and be entertained for a couple of hours. SEE STEVE CARELL AND KEIRA KNIGHTLEY DIE!!! That's a hard sell for anyone. I happened to see the movie this weekend; it's wonderful and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life/Little Miss Sunshine mode. The surprise popularity of Crazy, Stupid, Love provided at least some hope for a sleeper hit. The exhibitors' selectivity with venue count for Seeking a Friend for the End of the World spoke volumes, though. These people are generally great at their jobs and they correctly deduced that if people watch this movie, it will be on home video where the viewer has the ability to fast forward through anything sad. As an aside, BOP's Reagen Sulewski once tipped me off about a Canadian film with a similar premise called Last Night. That's the darker take on the subject matter while Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is largely an exercise in positivity and closure.

Edwin Davies: I'm in complete agreement with David that the premise of the film was its biggest problem. No matter how good the film turned out, ultimately not a huge number of people would be willing to put good money down to see a film about the end of the world unless it involves people trying to save it. A film, even a comedy, even a really good comedy, about people coming to terms with the coming apocalypse and trying to eke a last bit of joy and closure from it is not everyone's idea of a good time. It's basically Melancholia with gags.

Having said all that, the film only cost $10 million to make, so it's not going to lose anyone too much money, and it's exactly the sort of film that is going to have a good afterlife on home media.

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