Win or Lose: Episodes 1-4 (Disney+)

Even today I still marvel at how the Pixar manages to transform such abstract concepts as emotions into something "tangible" for a child and not-so-child's mind to understand and reach a certain level of self-awareness. We've seen it on a small scale in every studio work since the first Toy Story film, and then in a big way when 'Inside Out' came along and showed us that even emotions have..... well, emotions. But the award-winning animation team continues to explore the nooks and crannies of the human condition and today's society in new and unexpected places, and now they present Win or Lose, a series exploring the different points of view of eight individuals in the same time span and one catalyst event: a softball game.

I was talking about Inside Out before, because Win or Lose again makes use of "tangible" visual elements to make sense of more complex human emotions, such as anxiety, ostracism or vanity. These are elements that are perceived by some of the protagonists in each chapter of the story and the viewer, and in this way, instantly empathises with them. And they are also very well presented because, as well as having enough space in each chapter to develop their exposition (well packed into 20 minutes each), you can see how the threads of the narrative weave together in the background to form the big story behind it all.

Just don't think that because it's from the Disney label it's going to be merciful, because there are situations that can be heart-breaking if you're caught off guard. Win or Lose presents itself as a fun, almost family-friendly series, but I wasn't quite able to see it that way. Each character has at least three layers of depth to their situation. And deep inside each one is something really disturbing that, at least in this first batch of episodes, doesn't have the ending you'd expect from the Disney factory. Serious inferiority complexes, insecurity, parent-child problems, broken hearts, taking on adult responsibilities in childhood, peer pressure, exposure to social media... I don't want to dwell too much on all this, because I think it's the pure core of the series, but I do think you should be forewarned. Adults will come out worse off here than children, although always with a positive reading.

Fortunately, it is also a series that can generate debate if you share it with the little ones in the house. While some may enjoy more the fine-tuned and topical humour of its situations, the older ones can take advantage of it to make us understand each other a little better. It may seem that this character doesn't care for her daughter as much as the child expects, but it's not until two episodes later that we understand that this mother is working day and night to support her family and that she is at the end of her rope.

Dedicating a chapter to each character while setting up the overarching narrative requires certain scripted flourishes that I'll give Caririe Hobson and Michael Yates credit for. Far superior to the films we are used to from Pixar. If this is something that can pave the way for more complex productions, I'm all for it.

After this first half-season of Win or Lose, I admit that I have marked my calendar for the release dates of the remaining episodes. While the artistic, visual and sound aspects of the production are excellent (with music by Ramin Djawadi, by the way), the real merit of Win or Lose lies in its script and the construction of its characters. Absolutely recommended for all audiences.