If Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. don't have any say in what Disney and Jobs'
former company PIXAR produce, explain why it's like 1984 again?
| by Joe Leo, Columnist |
continued... from: previous page
That does leave us with the other message from this film. If Apple is to be accused of being anything but green and a savior of the planet, this movie--if they indeed had some creative license in its conception, Steve Jobs influence or not--certainly makes up for that with its other big message, depicting what the world will turn into if we don't take care of it today.
Just to step away from all the Mac-centric thoughts for a second, let's go back to the idea of Pixar Animation Studios wanting solely to sell their "Pixar boxes" to make life easier for people. Such as the animators working for movie studios like Disney.
Comparing the latest Disney/PIXAR creation with their first-ever creation of "Toy Story" back in 1995, you can see just how far the technology has come along. The Tom Hanks and Tim Allen voiced film was pretty cartoony, and as close to animation as one can get. "Wall-E" is, at its onset in the film, as close to real life as one can get (until the movie progresses to infinite...).
To play devil's advocate, Disney probably thought the whole idea was stupid. (Like those that thought the iPod would flop). How can you consider computer animation--and remember, this was the 1980s at the time--animation? Of course, times have changed, and CGI can look as "fake" and cartoony (is that even a word?), or as real and true-to-life as you want it to be.
But there's that theme again of using technology to improve people's lives. To make a process better, in this case, instead of using pencil to paper, or ink to animation cel, let's use a computer and software to make our ideas really come to life. Literally come to life on the big screen, in ways that were never ever thought possible before!
As luck would have it, that's where the "lesson"--and irony--comes in for the Pixar folks. (Also making some of this and Friday's piece come full circle). Never mind the money/business aspect of it, but Pixar executives had an epiphany when they realized that selling the computers wasn't the big deal, but creating the movies that used them, that would.
Did you get the idea there? I hope you did. Don't focus on the technology, but bring in the human aspect--the creative team, the writers, the artists, etc.--who will use that technology as a tool to make a great product come to life.
Such as an animated film like "Wall-E" (and everything else from the Pixar crew over the years).
What's also odd about the message of making technology not be the focus of life is that you'd think Apple would also hate that idea, since it's central to their operations. My comment Friday about what if Apple made other things like cars, clock radios, vacuum cleaners. (If they did, I'd want one like that little robot that keeps cleaning up all the dirt on the space station!).
Yes, we'd all agree that life would be simple, and much easier. Especially done the Apple way of, we won't put it out until it's perfect and working for you. Not you working yourself over it just to make it work right or work at all. But isn't that again what Apple is all about? Technology, yes, but created by people using their brains thinking differently to make a great product.
Kind of makes you wonder what the next great product from Apple, Inc. will be then, since our friend Peter Debruge said that EVE was the animated equivalent of the next product that might be unveiled by Steve Jobs. (Maybe he's onto something there with his analysis!).
But that spoils all the fun because we Mac fans like to be surprised at every Macworld or special black tie and dress suit, uh, I mean, black mock turtleneck and blue jeans event!
A vacuum cleaner would be cool though! And unless Apple has been working for the government in secret and designing robots that shoot up things (hmm... maybe that's why they bought that company P.A. Semi, that chip-maker that had a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense?), I highly doubt that anything from "Wall-E" will show up from Apple, any time soon.
Unbelievable, isn't it? An animated film called "Wall-E" from Disney/PIXAR--which has one direct reference to the Mac (a startup chime), a second indirect reference with the design of one of its robots (white iMac G4-ish EVE), and a third only Mac fans will catch (a voice)--and this big discussion took place over who influenced what, and why it's all so very, influential.
Oh, I did forget one minor detail. Wall-E has a beat up old iPod in his collection of trinkets and junk. Maybe this is the "iPod halo effect" and a subliminal message to go out and buy a Mac? (The startup chime reverberating in your head, the white round / curvy shiny plastic shape of the EVE robot floats into your mind... it's a Mac influencing influenza!).
As we said on Friday-- Apple (or is it Steve Jobs?), you sly fox, wiley coyote you!