“Win or Lose”: Where Pixar Meets Softball
Pixar’s newest show “Win or Lose” (Pixar)
“In the game of life, it’s all about how you look at it.” This thoughtful quote is one of the many messages Pixar’s new show Win or Lose will bring to the screen when it releases this week! Pixar has long been admired for its ability to emotionally connect with audiences through its charming animations and entertaining storylines in movies such as Inside Out, Up, Coco, etc., and we expect their first-ever original series to be no different. What makes this new project special to us here at Sportsish is that they’ve chosen a sporty setting as the backdrop for their latest creation - a middle school co-ed softball team, to be exact.
Win or Lose tells the story of this team, named the Pickles, as they head into the week of their championship game. While the Pickles and their big game is the show's central focus, the audience gets to watch the action unfold from the distinct perspective of several characters. Each of the eight episodes focuses on a different character - a player, their parent, or even the umpire - and their unique point of view, allowing the audience to step into the character's shoes. Even though the main character switches from episode to episode, the humor, emotion, and relatability are pleasant constants.
(Pixar)
The show was intentionally designed this way by writers/directors/creators Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who worked together as story artists on Toy Story 4. While working on that, the pair frequently shared their thoughts on the movie and real life, discovering they often had very different reactions or interpretations of the same event. When coming together to create Win or Lose, they constructed a show format exploring how our experiences change how we perceive and experience the same situations.
When it comes to choosing a softball game and team as the principal storyline, Carrie offered her insight through the following quote:
“I played softball growing up…Inspired by that experience, we felt fast-pitch softball was the perfect backdrop for the show. There are so many facets to playing sports that I love - it can bring out the best and worst of a person, the calmest person can lose their temper. And when it comes to winning and losing - the consequences are nothing, and yet, they’re everything. We really felt like it was the best arena for the themes we loved”
(Pixar)
In addition to the concept of how sports bring us to the extremes, other sporty themes that you can find throughout the show are chasing the feeling of a win, feeling like everyone else makes it look easy, earning redemption, and most of all, how to bounce back from defeat. In true Pixar fashion, the cartoony style of the show presents the opportunity for deeper themes to seep through the action. Ultimately, the show aims to leave viewers with the message that whatever obstacles, struggles, and setbacks you may face, how you can handle life’s difficult moments is what defines your character beyond any sports win or loss.
Head to Disney+ on February 19th to catch the first two episodes of Win or Lose, with two more episodes releasing each Wednesday!
You can watch the trailer here.