Win or Lose (TV series)

Last updated

Win or Lose
Win or Lose (TV series) logo.jpeg
Genre
Created by
  • Carrie Hobson
  • Michael Yates
Written by
  • Carrie Hobson
  • Michael Yates
Directed by
  • Carrie Hobson
  • Michael Yates
Voices of
Composer Ramin Djawadi
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerDavid Lally
Animators
  • Brendan Beesley
  • Brandon Kern
  • Tom Zach
Running time20 minutes
Production company Pixar Animation Studios
Original release
Network Disney+

Win or Lose is an upcoming American animated television series produced by Pixar Animation Studios for the streaming service Disney+. The studio's first original long-form animated series, it was created, written, and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who also served as executive producers with Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lindsey Collins, and produced by David Lally. The series revolves around a co-ed softball team at middle school named the Pickles in the week leading up to their big championship game, with each episode showing the perspective of each member in the same events, each reflected in a unique visual style.

Contents

The series stars Will Forte, Milan Ray, and Rosa Salazar. Pixar was developing the long-form original series following the creation of Disney+. It was officially announced in December 2020, during Disney's Investor Day, with Hobson and Yates on board who conceived the idea. Win or Lose draws inspiration from the conversations between Hobson and Yates, who would have very different reactions to the exact same events upon working on Toy Story 4 (2019). The animation style appears to shift, distinguishing itself further from usual fare in each episode, with Brendan Beesley, Brandon Kern, and Tom Zach as the heads of animation. Docter described the series as "a comedy about love, rivalry, and the challenges we all face in our struggles to win at life". Its musical score was composed by Ramin Djawadi.

Win or Lose is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2024 and will consist of eight episodes.

Synopsis

Win or Lose follows a co-ed middle school softball team called the Pickles in the week leading up to their big championship game. Each 20-minute episode takes the same events from one different member of the Pickles and their perspective as the game approaches, such as players, their parents, and the umpire, with two stories being showcased in particular. [1]

Voice cast and characters

Main

Other characters set to appear included Frank, the umpire who struggles due to his parents yelling at him for foul calls; and a selfish pitcher who cares about himself until his episode reveals that he is in love with a girl. [4]

Episodes

All episodes are directed and written by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates. [1]

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Vanessa: The Cool Mom" [3] 2024 (2024)

Production

Development

On December 10, 2020, during Disney's Investor Day meeting, Pixar announced an original series titled Win or Lose for its parent company Disney's streaming service, Disney+. Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates were announced to be creating, writing, and directing from an idea they conceived, while David Lally was announced to be producing the project. "It's not so much about softball as it is a comedy about love, rivalry, and the challenges we all face in our struggles to win at life," Pixar's Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter stated. The series will consist of 20-minute episodes. [1] [5] When working on Toy Story 4 (2019), Hobson and Yates realized that they had pretty different interpretations of how their creative meetings went, so they used these differing interpretations to develop the idea of an animated series revolving around one event but with each character having their own conflicts surrounding the event. [6] Hobson explained that Win or Lose has all the humor and heart of a Pixar feature film, but with a different type of storytelling. She also stated: "It's less of a Rashomon and more... You think you know a character, and then you pull back the curtain and reveal they have their own thing going on". [7] Hobson and Yates also executive-produced the series alongside Andrew Stanton and Lindsey Collins. [8] [9]

Win or Lose is Pixar's first long-form animated series, as well as the first not to be based upon an existing property, as most of Pixar's television projects are based upon an existing property and short-form. [1] Pixar began considering developing a TV series following the creation of Disney+. [9] Yates and Hobson said one of the reasons a TV show format was selected for the series was the idea of experimenting with the format and longer storytelling, particularly regarding character perspectives, as well as a love for television. [10] Another reason was how television would allow Pixar to do things a feature film format would not allow to. [10] Hobson and Yates noted they both had to learn how to work on an episodic format. [10] On July 17, 2023, Lally confirmed on Twitter that post-production for the series was completed. [11]

Writing

According to Hobson and Yates, a major theme on the series is how things are not as they seem, and seeing things from different perspectives, particularly how people in one place can suffer different experiences. [10] Each episode centers on a different character; characters are first introduced in a different episode, after which their episode further explores said character after the perception first given in their debut. [10] Hobson said the characters were inspired by her and Yates, as well as by people they have met through their lives and their own experiences. [10]

Casting

On September 9, 2022, during the D23 Expo, it was announced that Will Forte would voice the lead character Coach Dan, ahead of a first look image released on the same day. [2] Forte's voice performance as Coach was cited as an inspiration of Robin Williams as the Genie from Aladdin (1992). Yates said, "Will was constantly improving. It was an overflow of great stuff. The hardest part was having a five-minute scene with constant belly laughs and having to get it to three minutes!" [7] On June 16, 2023, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Milan Ray and Rosa Salazar joined the voice cast. [3]

Animation

Mark C. Harris and Gini Cruz Santos both serve as the animation supervisors on the series, while Kevin Andrus, Lucas Fraga Pacheco, and Stefan Schumacher all serve as directing animators on the series. [12] Animation is provided by the artist crew that worked on feature films. [13] Win or Lose used more animators than a feature film. [10] The series makes heavy use of visual metaphors, with some characters featuring multiple metaphors. [10] In each episode, the animation style appears to shift, further distinguishing itself from Pixar's usual fare. For example, Rochelle's story appears to mimic a cardboard diorama, and the actual softball footage mimics that of a traditional sports anime. [6] This was made in order to visualize each character's perspective. [9] The production team worked closely with the animators in order to define how each character would move in a way that showcases their characterization. [9] The series also made use of 2D animation, which the producers said was determined regarding what the story mandated. [9]

Music

On June 16, 2023, Ramin Djawadi was revealed to be composing for the series. [3] He began recording the score on August 14, 2023. [14]

Release

Win or Lose was initially announced to premiere on Disney+ in December 2023. [1] [15] [11] [16] However, on November 15, 2023, it was announced that the series was delayed to 2024. [17] The series will consist of eight episodes. [3]

Marketing

On November 12, 2021, during Pixar's special for 2021's Disney+ Day, the first look at the concept art was revealed, offering a sneak peek at some of the characters featured in the series. [18] It received mostly positive response from Pixar fans. [19] On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo, Hobson and Yates presented a first look at the series. [6] On June 16, 2023, Win or Lose presented never-before-seen materials at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, [20] which showcased the footage of the episode "Vanessa: The Cool Mom". [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Toy Story</i> 1995 Pixar film

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the franchise of the same name, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, from a screenplay written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow and a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft. The film features music by Randy Newman, and was executive-produced by Steve Jobs and Edwin Catmull. The film features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and Erik von Detten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Animated Feature</span> Film category of the Oscars

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for the best animated film. An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first awarded in 2002 for films released in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixar</span> American computer animation studio

Pixar Animation Studios is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Since 2006, Pixar has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, a segment of the Walt Disney Company.

<i>Monsters, Inc.</i> 2001 American computer-animated film

Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Mary Gibbs, and Jennifer Tilly, the film was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman, and produced by Darla K. Anderson, from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Daniel Gerson. The film centers on two monsters, the hairy James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (Goodman) and his one-eyed partner and best friend Mike Wazowski (Crystal), who are employed at the titular energy-producing factory Monsters, Inc., which generates power by scaring human children. However, the monster world believes that the children are toxic, and when a little human girl, Boo (Gibbs), sneaks into the factory, she must be returned home before it is too late.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Docter</span> American filmmaker (born 1968)

Peter Hans Docter is an American filmmaker and animator. He was credited as the director for the Pixar animated feature films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020), and has served as company's chief creative officer (CCO) since 2018. From his nine Academy Award nominations, he is a record-three time recipient of Best Animated Feature for Up, Inside Out and Soul. Docter has also won six Annie Awards from nine nominations, a BAFTA Children's Film Award and a Hochi Film Award. He describes himself as a "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Stanton</span> American filmmaker (born 1965)

Andrew Ayers Stanton is an American filmmaker and voice actor based at Pixar, which he joined in 1990. His film work includes co-writing and co-directing Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998), directing Finding Nemo (2003) and its sequel Finding Dory (2016), WALL-E (2008), and the live-action film, Disney's John Carter (2012), and co-writing all four Toy Story films (1995–2019) and Monsters, Inc. (2001).

<i>Up</i> (2009 film) Pixar film

Up is a 2009 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Bob Peterson, and produced by Jonas Rivera. Docter and Peterson also wrote the film's screenplay and story, with Tom McCarthy co-writing the latter. The film stars the voices of Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, and Bob Peterson. The film centers on Carl Fredricksen (Asner), an elderly widower who travels to South America with wilderness explorer Russell (Nagai) in order to fulfill a promise that he made to his late wife Ellie. Along the way, they meet a talking dog named Dug (Peterson) and encounter a giant bird named Kevin, who is being hunted by the explorer Charles Muntz (Plummer), whom Carl had idolized in childhood.

<i>Cars Toons</i> American animated short series

Cars Toons is an American animated short series based on the Cars franchise. It features Lightning McQueen, Mater, and their friends in comedic antics and adventures canonical to the films. Larry the Cable Guy reprises his role as Mater while Keith Ferguson replaces Owen Wilson as the voice of Lightning McQueen until "The Radiator Springs 500 ½", when Wilson reprises his role.

<i>Toy Story</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise created by Pixar

Toy Story is an American media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company. It centers on toys that, unknown to humans, are secretly living, sentient creatures. It began in 1995 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, which focuses on a diverse group of toys featuring a classic cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear.

<i>Inside Out</i> (2015 film) Pixar film

Inside Out is a 2015 American animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Produced by Jonas Rivera, it was directed by Pete Docter from a screenplay he co-wrote with Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley. The film stars the voices of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan. Inside Out follows the inner workings of the mind of Riley, a young girl who adapts to her family's relocation as five personified emotions administer her thoughts and actions.

Reason and Emotion is a propaganda short film by Walt Disney Productions, released on August 28, 1943, by RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in the same year. The short is eight minutes long.

<i>Monsters at Work</i> American animated television series

Monsters at Work is an American animated television series developed by Bobs Gannaway that premiered on Disney+ on July 7, 2021, as part of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. franchise.

<i>Soul</i> (2020 film) Pixar film

Soul is a 2020 American animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers, both of whom co-wrote it with Mike Jones, and produced by Dana Murray. It stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. It follows Joe Gardner (Foxx), a middle school teacher and aspiring pianist who falls into a coma following an accident and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body in time for his big break as a jazz musician.

<i>Forky Asks a Question</i> Series of animated short films by Pixar

Forky Asks a Question is an American animated television series of short films produced by Pixar Animation Studios based on the Toy Story franchise, and is set after the events of Toy Story 4. It is the third Pixar short series, following the Cars Toons and Toy Story Toons. The series focuses on the character of Forky as he asks his friends different questions about life.

<i>Zootopia+</i> American TV series or program

Zootopia+ is an animated miniseries based on Zootopia by Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the series was released on Disney+ on November 9, 2022.

<i>Dug Days</i> American series of animated short films

Dug Days is an American animated series of shorts created, written, and directed by Bob Peterson and produced by Pixar Animation Studios initially for Disney+. The series is set immediately after the 2009 film Up, following its main characters, dog Dug, voiced by Peterson, and his owner, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, voiced by Ed Asner in one of his last performances before his death.

<i>Inside Out 2</i> Upcoming Pixar film

Inside Out 2 is an upcoming American animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The sequel to Inside Out (2015), it is being directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen, from a screenplay written by Meg LeFauve. The film stars Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, and Kyle MacLachlan reprising their roles from the first film with Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kensington Tallman joining the cast.

<i>Inside Out</i> (franchise) Pixar media franchise

Inside Out is an American media franchise created by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen. It takes place inside the mind of a girl named Riley, where multiple personified emotions administer her thoughts and actions. The franchise is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by its parent company Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It began with the 2015 film of the same name, and will be followed by Inside Out 2 (2024). The franchise also includes a short film, several video games, and two theme park attractions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pixar's First Original Series Win or Lose Coming to Disney+ Fall 2023". Pixar Post. December 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  2. 1 2 @Pixar (September 10, 2022). "Up to bat at #D23Expo: a FIRST LOOK at Pixar's all-new Original series Win or Lose, with Will Forte as Coach Dan. From filmmakers Michael Yates, Carrie Hobson, and David Lally, Win or Lose comes to @DisneyPlus in 2023!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Betti, Tony (June 16, 2023). "Annecy 2023 Recap: Pixar Presents Full Episode of Original Series Win or Lose Before Elemental Premiere". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Leach, Alycia (December 19, 2022). "First Footage from Pixar's Historic Disney+ Show Released Online".
  5. ↑ "Three New Pixar Series Coming to Disney+, Including the Very Adorable Up Spin-Off Dug Days". /Film. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Win Or Lose Footage Description: Pixar Makes Its First Animated Streaming Series [D23]". /Film. September 9, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Total Film Christmas 2022 Issue 332
  8. ↑ Magazine, Animation (March 1, 2023). "Rising Stars of Animation 2023". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Gaur, Ryan (July 6, 2023). "Conversation with Team Behind New Pixar Series 'Win or Lose' | Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates, David Lally". Skwigly Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lang, Jamie (July 7, 2023). "'Win Or Lose' Creators On Making Pixar's First Long-Form Series (Video Interview)". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  11. 1 2 David Lally [@davidmlally] (July 26, 2023). "That's a wrap for post production! Skywalker Sound turned it UP for us!! WIN OR LOSE is 100% done! Now the long wait for December… :)" (Tweet). Retrieved August 29, 2023– via Twitter.
  12. ↑ Gaur, Ryan (July 6, 2023). "Conversation with Team Behind New Pixar Series 'Win or Lose' | Carrie Hobson, Michael Yates, David Lally". Skwigly Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ @davidmlally (December 20, 2022). "The "Win or Lose" crew is made up of all the same artists that work on our Feature Films! Trying to make smart choices along with hard work! :)" (Tweet). Retrieved December 20, 2022– via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Ramin Djawadi Scoring Pixar's Win or Lose". August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ @disneyplus (November 12, 2021). "⚾ Step up to the plate and check out this first look art from @Pixar's Win or Lose, an all-new animated series coming to #DisneyPlus in Fall 2023! #DisneyPlusDay" (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2021– via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Palmer, Roger (May 16, 2023). "Pixar's Win or Lose Disney+ Release Window Revealed". What's On Disney Plus. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Drew (November 15, 2023). "Pixar's First Long-Form Original Streaming Series 'Win or Lose' Bumped to 2024". The Wrap. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Pixar's Win Or Lose Images Tease Pixar's Unique New Animated Series". /Film. November 12, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Pixar Fans Are Loving Their First Look At The New Disney+ Series Win Or Lose". Looper. November 12, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (April 27, 2023). "Annecy Unveils Feature Film Competition, First-Looks & Screening Events". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.