‘Win or Lose’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
Landing on Disney+ with its first two episodes, ‘Win or Lose’ represents the first Pixar small screen effort that isn’t tied to one of its movies, unlike ‘Dug Days’ or ‘Dream Productions.’
And while both of those had their charms, ‘Win or Lose’ scores its own victory by going off in some odd tangents while also channeling what it feels like to be a middle-schooler faced with the pressure of life and sports.
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Does ‘Win or Lose’ score?
We can’t talk about ‘Win or Lose’ without addressing the elephant in the room –– there has been big controversy about the show for it effectively wiping a trans character’s storyline from the show. Kai, voiced by Chanel Stewart, is still present (and still receives her own spotlight episode), but all references to gender identity have been removed.
It’s a disappointing, shocking development, especially at a time when the entire LGBTQ community feels targeted. And it certainly doesn’t put the series in the best light.
Yet taken as a whole this remains an entertaining, energetic production that has plenty to offer.
Script and Direction
Carrie Hobson wrote, directed and executive produced the series alongside Michael Yates, and the feeling here is very much of the more exuberant animation you’d find at the likes of Adult Swim or Nickelodeon than the more laidback Pixar style of old.
Video games (and the cross-media likes of Scott Pilgrim) are a big influence here, but that isn’t to take away from the heart and emotion that infuses each episode.
The early episodes might initially seem to end abruptly, but that’s because of the combined nature of the show –– we’ll end up seeing scenes from different perspective, and it all balances out well (at least in the five episodes of eight provided to press) in terms of how the story is told.
‘Win or Lose’s characters are also compelling –– for all the vibrant, quirky animation, it never loses sight that you need to care for the people on screen, even when they aren’t living up to their full potential.
Concepts such as one of their players having an imaginary burden in the form of a living globule of sweat help to make the new show stand out from previous efforts. It certainly won’t be to all tastes, but aside from the egregious removal of one character’s true nature, it shows some bravery.
As a visual experience, the show also pushes the envelope in terms of Pixar animation, and the world around them is brought to beautifully, uniquely stylish life. The Anytown American setting is chock full of nuance and the shots are superbly crafted.
Performances
Though Will Forte is the biggest name among the cast, his character dips in and out of the episodes and he’ll get his spotlight in the finale. But his chemistry with some of the players, particularly daughter Laurie (Rosie Foss) is sweet-natured and believable.
Laurie herself anchors the first episode and is an angsty delight who tries her best but can’t seem to replicate the skill levels of her fellow players. It’s in her episode that we meet the aforementioned sweat glob, “Sweaty” and Jo Firestone’s performance as the anthropomorphic, illusory creature is honestly one of the highlights of the series. Her subtle voice acting makes the strange concept absolutely work.
Other focuses include Frank (Josh Thomson), a middle-school teacher and the umpire for the local softball league whose love life is a disaster and who really just wants to be happy. Thomson is great in the role, and his contributions to other episodes also work.
There is also good work to be found from Milan Elizabeth Ray as Rochelle and Rosa Salazar as her mother, Vanessa. One is the best player on her team, while her mom is a driven single mother of two who crams in different jobs and her dream to be a social media influencer on the side, all while caring for her kids. Theirs is a sweet, grounded dynamic even as Vanessa sometimes comes off (on purpose) as a video game character trying to reach a new level of success.
Final Thoughts
‘Win or Lose’ has a lot going for it, including a unique style and great vocal work from the cast. For those who have been pushing Pixar to do something truly original again, this is probably the safest place for it to appear, since the box office pressure is off.
And the interconnected, deep-dive nature of the storytelling really only works on the small screen. Aside from the dumb decisions of nervous higher-ups, this is the creative team fielding a winner.
MplwkSP5GHQUTb12tEQNl3What’s the plot of ‘Win or Lose’?
The series follows the intertwined stories of eight different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game. The series reveals what it actually feels like to be in the shoes of each character — the insecure kids, their helicopter parents, even a lovesick umpire — with funny, emotional and uniquely animated perspectives.
Who stars in ‘Win or Lose’?
- Will Forte as Coach Dan
- Izaac Wang as Yuwen
- Jo Firestone as Sweaty
- Winston Vengapally as Boma
- Milan Ray as Rochelle
- Josh Thomson as Frank
- Erin Keif as Lena
- Rosie Foss as Laurie
- Rosa Salazar as Vanessa
- Chanel Stewart as Kai
- Dorien Watson as Ira
- Lil Rel Howery as James
- Flula Borg as a janitor
- Kyliegh Curran as Taylor
- Vyvan Pham as Monica
- Harlow Hodges as Zane
List of Pixar Movies:
- ‘Toy Story‘ (1995)
- ‘A Bug’s Life‘ (1998)
- ‘Toy Story 2‘ (1999)
- ‘Monsters, Inc.‘ (2001)
- ‘Finding Nemo‘ (2003)
- ‘The Incredibles‘ (2004)
- ‘Cars‘ (2006)
- ‘Ratatouille‘ (2007)
- ‘WALL·E‘ (2008)
- ‘Up‘ (2009)
- ‘Toy Story 3‘ (2010)
- ‘Cars 2‘ (2011)
- ‘Brave‘ (2012)
- ‘Monsters University‘ (2013)
- ‘The Good Dinosaur‘ (2015)
- ‘Inside Out‘ (2015)
- ‘Finding Dory‘ (2016)
- ‘Cars 3‘ (2017)
- ‘Coco‘ (2017)
- ‘Incredibles 2‘ (2018)
- ‘Toy Story 4‘ (2019)
- ‘Onward‘ (2020)
- ‘Soul‘ (2020)
- ‘Luca‘ (2021)
- ‘Lightyear‘ (2022)
- ‘Turning Red‘ (2022)
- ‘Elemental‘ (2023)
- ‘Inside Out 2‘ (2024)
