Win or Lose, Pixar’s first original scripted series, is one of the most audacious original series that has aired on Disney+ since its debut in 2019.
One would think with this being the first original scripted series from Pixar it would have been promoted to the high heavens and would be one of the steamers’ most beloved new series. However, none of this happened. While it was promoted nationally, it was nowhere near the ever-present full court press for most Pixar releases (including the D+ mini-series Dream Productions). The series dropped in the turgid television tundra of February, and while it ended up the second most streamed show on Disney+ by series end, it feels as though no one’s talking about this series, and they really should.
Pixar’s Win or Lose focuses on various characters in relation to the middle school co-ed softball team, The Pickles. Each episode begins at the tail end of the team’s playoff win, and follows them during the week and in the championship game. The episodes focus on the thoughts, fears, anxieties, struggles and triumphs of each character – and in classic Pixar fashion, these stories are told in the most fantastical, emotional and highly relatable ways possible.
The Tarantino/Rashomon-ing of the timeline in the series is a brilliant storytelling device. The audience not only sees shared situations from different points of view, but we get to be a fly on the wall during moments some characters are unaware of. This device is best used when it comes to the episodes involving the Pickles’ catcher Rochelle and her single mom, Vanessa. In Rochelle’s episode, she is portrayed as the mature character, who decides to make a series of bad decisions in order to pay her team dues. Throughout this episode, Vanessa is portrayed as a hyperactive, irresponsible parent who is obsessed with becoming a content creator and not caring about finances. Yet, when we see Vanessa’s episodes, we see that she has multiple hustles to pay the bills (which she hides as “going out”), her hyperactivity is due to exhaustion, and her content creation is more of an emotional outlet than a vapid obsession.
The series’ use of multiple animated styles to literally illustrate the issues happening to a character in their individual episode is fascinating. We see 2D, 3D, 8-bit and even cardboard cut out stop motion animation used. The varying nature of each episode’s animation styles supports each character’s story and struggles. It makes them uniquely individual – putting an individual character spin on things such as single parenthood, anxiety, first love, self worth, father/daughter relationships, peer pressure and peer acceptance (amongst other issues).
One of the most stunning uses of animation is during the story of supposed hotshot pitcher Yuwen. We are taken inside Yuwen’s soul to see that beneath his braggadocious exterior is a small, insecure little cardboard version of Yuwen. This version of the pitcher, like the cardboard it’s made of, is fragile physically but also emotionally. It’s a brilliant use of animation as it illustrates (sorry) his emotional fragility in a way that’s used for comedic and tragic effect.
Now, this review would be remiss if it did not address the fact that Disney decided to remove a storyline about a transgender character from the series. Now, the character in question was not removed from the series. There are many allusions and implications that the character Kai is transgender. We do see their appearance shift, and characters talk about it in an oblique way, but the subject is never met head-on. It’s a shame it’s not, because the series handles so many serious, real life situations in a fantastical yet relatable manner. This series, had it fully committed to talking about Kai being transgender, could have really been such an inspiring moment to young people going through the same experiences as Kai. This is a strike (sorry again) against Win or Lose, for sure.
However, in the end, Pixar’s Win or Lose is easily still one of the most creative and emotionally impactful series that has premiered on Disney+ since 2019. It has all the hallmarks of what makes Pixar great, and while there are some similarities to Inside Out 2, it’s still a very fresh and unique series. With baseball season in full swing, and since the search for bingable content is always persistent, Win or Lose is an excellent series to watch.
