The Wrap notes that last weekend’s number 1 of Toy Story 3 marks the eleventh straight number one opening for the animation studio that could.  

Beginning with the original Toy Story in 1995 and including such classics as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall-E and Up the company has had an unequaled string of success powered mostly by non-sequels.

The question is why?  What have the powers that be over there figured out and mastered that the rest of the industry could learn from?

Well, of course, there’s the fact that the movies are technically well made.  But, in truth, most movies that enter wide release are technically proficient.

The fact that the movies are aimed at all ages has something to do with it in that a wider net will bring in more fish.  But that’s not the whole story. 

There are a lot (particularly animated) films that purport to be for all ages by offering cuddly characters for the kids and snarky (sometimes sexually-tinged) dialogue that supposedly goes over their heads while also supposedly appealing to the grown ups. Pixar films, from my experience, offer minimal double entendre (to their credit, in my book).

But they’re more than merely clean — because, when that is the only or primary goal of a family film, the result is a boring family film.  They have truly creative and original storylines and captivating characters — but even that doesn’t fully explain their success.

Of course, marketing is important — and the movies are very well marketed.  That’s a feat made easier by the fact that the public has come to await new Pixar movies in a way that they don’t the next big film from, say, Universal or even Disney (its parent company).

I think what sets Pixar films apart is that they can be counted on to offer stories of genuine heart that remind us all of life’s most basic lessons — about the importance of love, loyalty and appreciation of what we have.  I believe audiences yearn for such stories — and for an escape from a world that can be all too edgy.

Pixar movies work like modern CGI parables.  It might actually be interesting to see their take on The Good Samaritan.