I'm obsessed with the unspoken rule that every major Disney or Pixar animated film after 2000 has to have action sequences in it.
Or maybe within the studio it's a literal spoken rule, I don't know.
It's not usually a "fight scene." It could be a chase scene, or running away from some sort of physical peril. But no matter what you're pretty much guaranteed a sequence where the characters are frantically running, leaping, sliding, screaming, tripping, climbing, driving, swimming, or flying in some sort of high-stakes scenario. Or they're one footstep away from falling off a cliff or letting go of a ledge.
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing: I think it's fun and appropriate to take advantage of the animated medium to have your characters be nimble and video gamey and escape from all this crazy stuff that would be harder to believe in a live action film.
Sadly I'm sure the reason it's put in is "so the viewer doesn't get bored."
Some of the more contrived instances of action sequences I can think of are in Ralph Breaks the Internet, Encanto, Inside Out, Inside Out 2, and Elemental. It almost feels like they were put in there because someone at the studio insisted all their movies SHOULD have moments of peril in it at some point even if it's not necessary.
Again, it being contrived doesn't mean that it's horrible, just that it takes me out of the moment a bit. Did Encanto really need a desert climbing sequence? Does Inside Out 2 really need a pseudo-hurricane?
Sometimes I wonder if plot points are written specifically to allow a more exciting scene. Like, the plot of Luca hinges on there being a triathalon. And the plot of Elemental, which is a low-stakes romantic comedy, involves the city dam breaking.
One of the films I can think of that mostly sidestepped this temptation was Soul.
On the flip side I think some of the films have a perfect premise for this type of platformy peril. I think one of the best things about Toy Story as an idea is that this type of action sequence is basically built-in, for the same reason it's built-in for any movie about characters who are small. Everything around them is bigger, so they have to jump, climb, and slide just to traverse the space. Plus, they're put in peril by larger things around them like dogs, doors, cars, etc.
And since the toys are made of plastic and plush, you can really have them get smacked around or have them lose limbs without it being an issue.
Movies about the animal world like Finding Nemo also have easy, built-in reason to have peril.
Anyway, just a random thing I think every time I watch one of these. Basically just a rambling shower thought. I would love to see them attempt a straightforward drama or romance without having to resort to this kind of thing. I'd just be curious to see what it'd be like.
I feel like there's a way to do it without it being boring...?