Good content is like a Pixar film. Pixar films fall into the “You Have to be a Jerk to Not Like These Movies” category. (see also: Wallace & Gromit.) Other studios think that Pixar’s success at the box office and among fans and critics has to do with the technology: hence, the slew of CG animated movies that have all but killed 2D, hand-drawn cartoons. But why does Pixar score big at the box office while movies like Everyone’s Hero, The Ant Bully, and Monster House debut to numbers ranging from so-so to horrible?
Pixar films succeed not because they seek out A-list actors to voice the characters, or because they rely on the technology to sell the movie for them. They succeed because they’re all extremely well written. The story is what sells the movie, and fans and critics alike have begun to associate the name Pixar with high-quality content. You can’t emulate that sort of positive branding overnight, not with a Madagascar or a Robots or a Shrek. (and yes, I threw Shrek in there. I hate that movie.)
Pixar’s content is incredible(s)
The only time you can overshadow content is by offering some groundbreaking feature that can serve as a substitute. Even then, however, it’s only a matter of time before someone else comes along and dethrones you with the same awesome feature paired with better content. Wing Commander and The Matrix both featured bullet time and came out about twenty days apart, but one of them paired the technology with better content. I’ll let you figure out which one…
Take a page out of Pixar’s book and realize that while the bells and whistles can certainly boost audience appeal, it’s the content that will keep them coming back.
Postscript: Looks like Tom Schmitz also likes to compare good content to quality entertainment.
