I'm generalizing, but i think part of the reason people see the Pixar movies is not so much for the quality of the animation or even the 'quality' or realism of the stories, but because ever since Toy Story the Pixar movies are known for meeting if not exceeding the audiences entertainment expectations, or in other words the audience knows that it's going to get a chance to really enjoy the two plus hours in the theatre. i think part of the allure is due to studios releasing movies that either aren't of a consistent level of quality to be enjoyed by audiences or are advertised poorly which throws off the viewer's expectation of the movie which effects the enjoyment of the movie, is that the Pixar movies are a pleasant surprise in that they've all been consistent in meeting the audiences demand and expectations for a movie that's enjoyable. so in other words, the biggest draw that the Pixar movies have is the preconceived reputation of the work. and if people perceive, whether fairly or not, that the level of quality or the ability to enjoy their movies has diminished than it effects the ability for the company to continue to make movies or make as much money as they can from the movie, which in the end is the focus of the company, to maintain the well being of the company's ability to generate money.

but, for a movie that doesn't have any well-known recognizable voices, to star a rat that lives in a foreign country (France no less. remember the issue of Freedom Fries?? makes you proud to be an American, huh? ;P) and have a director attached to it that has (with the exception of The Incredibles) to produce well-crafted but less-commercially viable material than some of his other contemporaries, to STILL make $200 million speaks to the in-house crew within Pixar to spot a good story and tell it in an way that people enjoy. Like someone else posted before, Shark Tale had Will Smith and some other household names, but i don't think it made $200M. i guess the Pixar movies get held up to a more scruitinizing light because they were the first studio to really make 3-d animation 'stadium-status' ;P

but and it's been said before, that studios are becoming less and less able to get people to the theatre to see a movie and therfore have to dress it up with 'hype' or a sense of being part of something greater than life to see the movie, which of course has nothing to do with the actual story being told or the movie on the screen, but i guess the studios have to pay for 'Grindhouse' somehow.

* shrugs *

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow