For Pixar’s first original series on Disney+, the Emeryville-based animated force behind such classics as the “Toy Story” franchise and “Inside Out” movies dusts off one of the most reliable metaphors for this American life — baseball, or in this case, softball.
With eight interconnected 20-minute-ish episodes, the characters ranging from a stressed-out middle-school player whose dad is the team’s coach to a commitment-phobic 32-year-old umpire/teacher, sometimes strike out, commit very human errors and drop the ball. But they come back, too. Each episode culminates with the start of the championship game, a day of reckoning for all involved.
Related Articles
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds accused of minimizing sexual harassment with ‘SNL50’ bit
Charles Barkley, frequent Bay Area hater, pledges $250,000 to SF social justice center
50 years of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ half fascinating, half underwhelming
Cheryl Hines, Kick and Kyra Kennedy celebrate RFK Jr’s confirmation, ‘a Trump victory’
What to watch: ‘You, Me & Her’ is a Valentine’s Day gem
How does it all turn out? You just have to stick it out through all eight innings. The animation is, of course, first-rate, and since this is Pixar, the characters are given far more depth and dimension than what you’d find in most non-animated films.
If it does feel familiar at times that might well be because the themes in “Win or Lose” are universal. The voice talent features an East Bay native (the extra-busy Will Forte) and many talented actors including Izaac Wang, Lil Rel Howery, Melissa Villaseñor and my favorite — Rosa Salazar, voicing the best episode as a social-media-loving mom Vanessa.
The music from composer Ramin Djawadi and original songs by CAMPFIRE, the L.A. music duo, and Djawadi are also a highlight. “Win or Lose” notches another Pixar win and proves yet again how the studio remains an animated champ.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
‘WIN OR LOSE’
3½ stars out of 4
Created, written and directed by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, released by Pixar Animation Studios
Cast: Will Forte, Ian Chen, Izaac Wang, Jo Firestone, Milan Ray, Josh Thomson, Erin Keif, Rosie Foss, Rosa Salazar, Chanel Stewart, Dorien Watson, Lil Rel Howery, Flula Borg, Kyliegh Curran, Jaylin Fletcher, Tom Law, Beck Nolan, Orion Tran, and Rhea Seehorn
When & where: 8 episodes releasing on Disney+, two episodes each available Feb. 19 and 26, March 5 and 12, each episode is approximately 20 minutes
