Disney Reloaded: Pixar’s Influence on the Evolution of Disney Animation Feature Films (1994–2018)

Disney animation studios created and subsequently shaped the animation genre for the last two-thirds of the 20th century, but the appearance of Pixar in the industry and their unstoppable success changed the rules of the game. (1) Apart from a new and revolutionary technology, Pixar introduced a new type of storytelling in animation based on characters and stories that we believe ended up tremendously influencing Disney’s storytelling starting in 2006, when the big animation studio purchased its most threatening competitor. Our study also tries to shed some light on whether the changes happened only at the level of storytelling or also crystallized into better box office and rating data. (2) We aim to clarify this belief and turn it into a reality through the content analysis of Disney animation features before and after the purchase of Pixar. (3) Our results show that Pixar’s influence on Disney is remarkable, both in the movies’ narrative and in their reception by the audience and the critics. (4) This confirms not only the change in the story-telling strategies of the company, enhancing psychological construction of the protagonists of Disney animation features, but also the subsequent impact on its audiences.