Disney vs. Pixar: Which do you prefer?

As the title says. Both Disney and Pixar have made a ton of money over the years with their brilliant animated films and stories. However, just because they're cooperating as a business team, doesn't mean they produce the exact same product. So you will use this thread to state your opinion on which company you prefer and why. For me, these two giants have brought us some of the most beautiful, touching, hilarious and sad tales. Whether they were adapted from old stories or just an original story all together, there's no disputing the happiness these films brought to my childhood and even now. If I had to pick who leads the world in overall quality from their past to their present works, it would have to be Disney.

Ever since 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney made mostly GOOD films. There's a few of them that have been stinkers sure, but that didn't come until the 2000s for me. Few of them however are considered some of the greatest films of all time. Masterpieces in every regard from the animation, to the voice work and the story anyone can relate to, regardless of age. The greatest example to me would be this little film:



No animated film deserves more respect and praise than 1940's Pinocchio. The only animated film I've ever give a perfect 10 or 5 stars. It was a multilayer of fantasy, realism, symbolism and imagination. While not a huge hit upon it's release during the war, critics and fans looked back on the film years later and realize how great it was and still is. Films like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book followed and continued to make Disney shine. Though there was a down period in the 80s, films like Fox and the Hound and The Great Mouse Detective were very well done, borderline underrated. This continued until a certain mermaid who dreamed of life on the land showed up and from that moment on, Disney would enter a new era:



Disney's Renaissance period needs so introduction, for it brought Disney out of it's slump and delivered the high quality classics from the 30s, 40s and 50s in modern times. Whenever I watch these hand drawn films again, I'm mesmerized by the artwork. In the same way I miss legitimate film making of any movie before the 2000s, I miss legitimate animation from the old days. They thankfully brought it back for a short time with 2009's Princess and the Frog. I loved Princess and the Frog, but felt it didn't get the acclaim it deserved thanks to a new audience who would never go to a "Princess" movie. If we called it "Froggin", then we'd be swimming in money bags, eh Disney? The Little Mermaid reached out to EVERYONE at the time of it's release. I guess people were smarter than marketing schemes back then. No wait, they didn't care. If this "girly" titled movie is GOOD, who cares what it's called.


Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.
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Enter Pixar, who made a smashing debut with Toy Story. Now I LOVED Toy Story and it's sequel in 2000. Both gave us a more modern touch on the way storytelling in presented, but paints it with more down to earth colors. Pixar has a talent of taking the simplest life lesson and making art out of it. They even take amazing 3D visuals to make the simplest thing look epic. From a person's perspective within the movie, a couple of toys trying to catch up to a moving truck looks small. From the toys perspective (as movies show), the world is bigger, larger in scope, making the adventures of Woody and Buzz more epic in scale. The same goes with Finding Nemo, taking the simplest, most routine lifestyle in the world (one of a fish) and transformed it into a heartwarming story of a father looking for his only son. The ocean presented to us in the film is shown to us as we imagine it in our heads, vast and seemingly endless like space. Disney was so inspired by the 3D visuals given to Pixar titles like Finding Nemo, Up or even Brave, that they started applying them to their animated line up. Most notably one of my favorites ever - Tangled.



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In the end, I stick by Disney for one main reason. As much as I love Pixar's line up of visual excellence and touching story elements that we as people can relate to (Pixar's team really understands the human heart), I feel their films are the best, most artistic, very clever after school specials I've ever seen. Because of the after-school special/public service announcement feel of their movies, I can only watch them maybe once or twice a year. On the other hand, Disney films have more rewatch value because many of their films have a more subtle message that doesn't feel forced. Pixar is greatness personified, but their themes and lessons are very overreaching. Disney takes a more simple approach yes, but in the midst of beautiful hand drawn animation, touching/romantic stories and musical numbers that EVERYONE remembers (Hakuna Matata anyone?)...everything syncs nicely. I feel like I'm being whisked away to another world of escapism with Disney's film. Pixar's stories hit a little too close to home (I've been through Jessie's "When She Loved Me" backstory more times than I care to count). Disney films bring me more joy with the more fantasy aspect to their epics.

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In the end, I respect both. Share your opinions below!

I prefer Disney than pixar because of sentimental reasons.

I grew up with Disney and I absolutely love all the movies from their Renaissance period. Pixar on the other hand...they're nice and all and have pretty visuals, but they're not as memorable for Disney movies for me.

I also prefer Disney for sentimental reasons. I grew up with Disney and spent hours to no end watching and re-watching their stuff! Younger audiences will relate more to Pixar and enjoy Disney's works but not at the same level.
The Renaissance period of disney wins all the awards for me! Recent stuff excluded. My parents were so sick of Disney movies... The majority of my VHS tapes all had wear signs and weird stuff appearing during their viewing.

Yay, we're half way there with you two. It's great that you favor Disney, but you two seem to like it for nostalgic reasons ;_;. I tend to not play the nostalgia card, especially in this case. Disney is clearly better, imo. I just call it like I see it. Whether old or new, what's better is better.

I just sense that "we feel Pixar is TECHNICALLY better, we just don't want to admit it..." feel.

Am I wrong?

You got it right! ^,^' If I had to compare, I could only truly compare both now, free of nostalgia feelings. Pixar is clearly better than Disney nowadays.
However, in old Disney while there are some movies that I liked and can appreciate the art, like in some underrated titles you've mentioned, those didn't seal the deal for me at all. Yes, they were entertaining but that's pretty much it. Like I can appreciate the monalisa but i wouldn't buy it even for peanuts. Most renaissance Disney movies however made me dream and addicted to it!
I guess that it depends on the movie and its trailer really. Sometimes I get excited and sometimes I don't. Disney has the bar set so high that I get disappointed a lot nowadays (tangled being an exception).