Win Or Lose

Streaming on: Disney+ 
Episodes viewed: 4 of 8

Most Pixar projects come with a clear, unique selling point: What if toys were alive? What if superheroes had families? What if the emotions in our head were personified? For Pixar's latest small-screen effort — their first television show not based on a film property — the studio's intentions are less clear cut.

Win Or Lose is essentially Pixar's Rashomon: looking at the same baseball game from a different angle each episode. As the series progresses, viewers fit the puzzle-pieces together, exploring the backstory behind events that may not be clear at first. To differentiate each perspective further, Win Or Lose uses unique visual metaphors and animation styles to personalise every character, as if we're seeing the world through their eyes.

A sweet if inessential exploration of the problems faced by children and adults.

There's Laurie (Rosie Foss), the Coach's daughter, whose sweat morphs into a growing blob as her anxiety increases. Then there's Frank (Josh Thomson), whose umpire gear protects him from pain; and Rochelle (Milan Elizabeth Ray), who appears as an adult when forced to grow up too fast.

The result feels scattered at times, to the point where you might wonder who this is all for. Some elements feel too childish for adults, while others might lose the interest of kids expecting something easier to follow. That's not to say younger viewers shouldn't be challenged, and it's important to have a show that can be watched by all, but Win Or Lose is hit-and-miss because of this, even if the series does improve with each subsequent episode.

It’s a shame, too, that references to a trans character have been cut from the final edit, which could have set the show apart as something vital in today's climate. Given all that, plus the project's five-year gestation period, it would have been nice to declare Win Or Lose an outright win to continue Pixar's recent hot streak. Instead, what we're left with is a sweet if inessential exploration of the problems faced by children and adults alike.