Shame on Pixar!

[Elladorine]

Its all about the scooters.

Not the cereal?

[slave2moonlight]

I'm not sure why so many get the impression that Pixar is the company to work for.

I think it's just because their movies are the best animated stuff these days. People want to love everything about them.

My opinion of them dropped a bit ever since I saw the first Cars, and a lot more with Cars 2, which is more entertaining than I originally gave it credit for, but not on the level of what I expect from a PIXAR movie. Even more specifically, my opinion of Lasseter has gone down somewhat due to his advertisements for the "Toy Story Collection", which he boasts as perfect interpretations of the film characters (they definitely are flawed in accuracy, but definitely better than previous stuff), and also because of two other things (off the top of my head). One, I hear he hated the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command TV series. Seriously? That show was brilliantly funny and entertaining! And second, I have heard HE made the decision to stop the direct to video animated features. I'm sure everyone cheered about that, but I personally think it was lame that he didn't, instead, make better use of the direct to video market with smarter decisions about what to make and how to make it. Actually, it's still around, too, and I suppose he thinks he is doing just that, but it's just a lot of CGI, kiddie stuff aside from the Tink movies, which I AM glad still came out, and perhaps he did improve them greatly (so I've heard).

[Elladorine]

While I've always enjoyed their work immensely, there have been several times I've felt they were overrated. I've always figured they could be quite a difficult company to work for due to what appears to be a high-pressure environment (although I haven't heard any personal inside stories about Pixar like I have from some that have worked at Disney animation). I still carry a lot of admiration for John Lasseter and what he's done for Disney, but news like what's been posted in this thread is hardly surprising.

[pap64]

So sorry for bumping this old thread, but I just finished reading it and wanted to offer my two cents.

First off, I am NOT in any way, shape or form shaken up by this. One because my best friend talked to a customer that works at Pixar and he told him that it was "meh" mostly. And two, I've learned to not take everything ANY company they say at face value or too seriously, because, seriously, they will ALL paint themselves as great companies to work with.

Let me put it this way. What attracts potential employees better, this...

"COME WORK AT COMPANY X! OUR SALARIES ARE BELOW THE NORM, WE OVERWORK OUR EMPLOYEES FOR DAYS ON END AND EVEN IF WE PRODUCE THE BEST THING EVER, THE CHANCES OF BEING ACKNOWLEDGED ARE SMALL! YAY!"

Or this...

"COME WORK AT COMPANY X! THE BENEFITS WE OFFER ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! THE EXPERIENCE YOU WILL GAIN WILL BE PRICELESS IN THE FUTURE! NOT ONLY THAT, WE OFFER A VERY FRIENDLY AND HAPPY ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU CAN BE BEST FRIENDS WITH YOUR FELLOW DREAMERS! YAY!"

Why do you think the Army sells themselves as adventurers rather than the harsh reality of being a soldier? It's a very low thing to do, yes, but they need to do it. The way I handle it, though, is that I look at every opportunity in an objective manner. I don't let my fanboyism get in the way nor what others say. If I decide something I will have studied it all and thought pros and cons before saying yes. That's the problem with people in general, they jump in believing on an impossible, and when they come out they come out bitter and angry. Having a realistic view of things help immensely in the pursuit of personal achievements.

Going back to Pixar, this might seem weird to say, but I'm not surprised. I never saw Pixar as the "perfect" working environment. NO COMPANY is the perfect company. Sure you guys are now saying "Oh DreamWorks is now the better company to work with", yet I am sure they have their own share of drama, issues, problems and disappointments to deal with. Apple, Google, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, ALL these companies are guilty of fishy practices and drama, and yet that doesn't change the fact that they are still some of the most influential companies in their respective fields. And that's why because of two sides at the wheel: the artistic side and the corporate side.

The reason I can still look up to these companies is because the artistic integrity tends to surface and have a longer lasting impression, whereas it's the corporate side that sells it to it. Pixar is no different. Are they the perfect company or animation studio? Of course not, but neither are Disney and DreamWorks, and Disney in general has done some bad to awful stuff in the past and we still love and respect them. Why should Pixar be any different?

Not saying that we should forgive them for this fishy practice, but I think people are jumping a little too quickly into a conclusion that may or may not be real. I say if people want to work for Pixar/Disney/DreamWorks etc., they should give it a chance, knowing that not everything will be preachy keen, and that there will be drama to endure. Otherwise, you will end up being an internet comic artist drawing strips about how you are middle aged and never gave yourself the opportunity to pursue something in life.

AIN'T THAT RIGHT, MR. TOM PRESTON!

*Sorry, but all the talk reminded me of that one comic he did (the only one of his I ever liked, in all honesty)

[Elladorine]

AIN'T THAT RIGHT, MR. TOM PRESTON!

*Sorry, but all the talk reminded me of that one comic he did (the only one of his I ever liked, in all honesty)

I posted that here once. Don't think people liked it.

[pap64]

AIN'T THAT RIGHT, MR. TOM PRESTON!

*Sorry, but all the talk reminded me of that one comic he did (the only one of his I ever liked, in all honesty)

I posted that here once. Don't think people liked it.

It's the only one that truly showed what I think his real issues is: he is a bitter artist. I know a lot of people love the guy and he has a big fanbase, but he's not my type of artist. First off, every time I read one of his comics I feel like I am being talked down to, like he is trying to convince me about something he believes in.

But rather than trying to improve upon his skills, use his knowledge towards something better and just try to become a better person/artist, he spends his time making comics about how much he life sucks (regardless of how satirical and funny he may be in the eyes of some), and his art isn't that good either.

Plus a lot of the things he preaches about he tends to ignore, and instead hides behind fanboys/fangirls that do the defending for him. Pardon if I offend anyone that is a fan of his, but I'm not a big fan for the reasons I stated.

[Super Aurora]

I posted that here once. Don't think people liked it.

It's the only one that truly showed what I think his real issues is: he is a bitter artist. I know a lot of people love the guy and he has a big fanbase, but he's not my type of artist. First off, every time I read one of his comics I feel like I am being talked down to, like he is trying to convince me about something he believes in.

But rather than trying to improve upon his skills, use his knowledge towards something better and just try to become a better person/artist, he spends his time making comics about how much he life sucks (regardless of how satirical and funny he may be in the eyes of some), and his art isn't that good either.

Tom Preston....are you talking about this guy?:
http://tompreston.deviantart.com/gallery/

I never heard of this artist before. I'm surprise he's popular on DA. Then again a lot of artist, good and bad ones are popular on DA for unknown reason.

Plus a lot of the things he preaches about he tends to ignore, and instead hides behind fanboys/fangirls that do the defending for him.

That's DA in a nutshell. I hate those type of people. They are usually the type that can't handle or dislike any critique or criticism and think they're best shit ever. Real Artists know they can always do better and get better. and that they know or knowledge their mistakes. They know not to be afraid of mistakes. Those DA "artist" don't know or understand that at all. Look like Disney01 for example.

[milojthatch]

Its all about the scooters.

Not the cereal?

Ya, the cereal too.

But you know what? Fair wages and good benefits are more important then tons of cereal and giant paper airplanes...and the scooters too.

[pap64]

Yep, that's the one! The issue with this guy is that he claims to have several college degrees in animation, design, art etc. yet he manages to produce some really awkward, bland and boring characters. And whenever someone points out the obvious he mocks and ridicules them, and a million fanboys sing his praises.

You should check out his page on Encyclopedia Dramatic. A lot of it is exaggerated, sure, but it does show how bad he tends to be. Basically, he blames anime for the way he draws now, and tends to bash and ridicule anime and the art style in general because it "crippled" him for life, never mind the fact that he never sought out to try and improve beyond his art style. Hell several artists have a set art style, and yet manage to produce everything from surreal to realistic drawings, and this guy keeps blaming it all on his own ignorance.

Again, sorry if people like his work, but I am just pointing out stuff that I see.

[Super Aurora]

Yep, that's the one! The issue with this guy is that he claims to have several college degrees in animation, design, art etc. yet he manages to produce some really awkward, bland and boring characters. And whenever someone points out the obvious he mocks and ridicules them, and a million fanboys sing his praises.

You should check out his page on Encyclopedia Dramatic. A lot of it is exaggerated, sure, but it does show how bad he tends to be. Basically, he blames anime for the way he draws now, and tends to bash and ridicule anime and the art style in general because it "crippled" him for life, never mind the fact that he never sought out to try and improve beyond his art style. Hell several artists have a set art style, and yet manage to produce everything from surreal to realistic drawings, and this guy keeps blaming it all on his own ignorance.

Again, sorry if people like his work, but I am just pointing out stuff that I see.

I'm looking at his stuff right now. I can see what you're talking about. Although I'm not reading the comments and such so i'm not aware of any drama that goes one there. There is few drawings sketch I thought were decent but I see what you mean by gist of it. I do admit I find the humor funny in some of them.

[Elladorine]

Not a huge fan of Preston, but I've liked a few of his comics. If I recall correctly, he did indirectly diss Elwood in one of his comics, which makes him ok in my book. Then again, I might be confusing him with someone else? I don't know anymore, lol. But he does come off as an extremely bitter individual, and I guess that's why a lot of people relate to him.

Yeah, there's a lot of drama and white knights/fanboys at dA, but there are a lot of great artists lurking about and I have made a few good friends there. And I did piss a lot of white knights off there last year, so that's something.

[ajmrowland]

i'm done with bitter people.

[Elladorine]

Ouch. Just ouch. Did some reading about Preston on ED. I know those articles can be exaggerated but his own journals and comments speak for themselves.

[Super Aurora]

Ouch. Just ouch. Did some reading about Preston on ED. I know those articles can be exaggerated but his own journals and comments speak for themselves.

Yeah I read it too. Despite what he may think, he's really no different from any other so called "artist" on DA like Disney01.

[Semaj]

So sorry for bumping this old thread, but I just finished reading it and wanted to offer my two cents.

First off, I am NOT in any way, shape or form shaken up by this. One because my best friend talked to a customer that works at Pixar and he told him that it was "meh" mostly. And two, I've learned to not take everything ANY company they say at face value or too seriously, because, seriously, they will ALL paint themselves as great companies to work with.

Let me put it this way. What attracts potential employees better, this...

"COME WORK AT COMPANY X! OUR SALARIES ARE BELOW THE NORM, WE OVERWORK OUR EMPLOYEES FOR DAYS ON END AND EVEN IF WE PRODUCE THE BEST THING EVER, THE CHANCES OF BEING ACKNOWLEDGED ARE SMALL! YAY!"

Or this...

"COME WORK AT COMPANY X! THE BENEFITS WE OFFER ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! THE EXPERIENCE YOU WILL GAIN WILL BE PRICELESS IN THE FUTURE! NOT ONLY THAT, WE OFFER A VERY FRIENDLY AND HAPPY ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU CAN BE BEST FRIENDS WITH YOUR FELLOW DREAMERS! YAY!"

Why do you think the Army sells themselves as adventurers rather than the harsh reality of being a soldier? It's a very low thing to do, yes, but they need to do it. The way I handle it, though, is that I look at every opportunity in an objective manner. I don't let my fanboyism get in the way nor what others say. If I decide something I will have studied it all and thought pros and cons before saying yes. That's the problem with people in general, they jump in believing on an impossible, and when they come out they come out bitter and angry. Having a realistic view of things help immensely in the pursuit of personal achievements.

Going back to Pixar, this might seem weird to say, but I'm not surprised. I never saw Pixar as the "perfect" working environment. NO COMPANY is the perfect company. Sure you guys are now saying "Oh DreamWorks is now the better company to work with", yet I am sure they have their own share of drama, issues, problems and disappointments to deal with. Apple, Google, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, ALL these companies are guilty of fishy practices and drama, and yet that doesn't change the fact that they are still some of the most influential companies in their respective fields. And that's why because of two sides at the wheel: the artistic side and the corporate side.

The reason I can still look up to these companies is because the artistic integrity tends to surface and have a longer lasting impression, whereas it's the corporate side that sells it to it. Pixar is no different. Are they the perfect company or animation studio? Of course not, but neither are Disney and DreamWorks, and Disney in general has done some bad to awful stuff in the past and we still love and respect them. Why should Pixar be any different?

Not saying that we should forgive them for this fishy practice, but I think people are jumping a little too quickly into a conclusion that may or may not be real. I say if people want to work for Pixar/Disney/DreamWorks etc., they should give it a chance, knowing that not everything will be preachy keen, and that there will be drama to endure. Otherwise, you will end up being an internet comic artist drawing strips about how you are middle aged and never gave yourself the opportunity to pursue something in life.

AIN'T THAT RIGHT, MR. TOM PRESTON!

*Sorry, but all the talk reminded me of that one comic he did (the only one of his I ever liked, in all honesty)

I wish the rest of the online cartoon community had this much common sense.

I've been to a lot of places where there are some good people, but others where the general community have NO bearing on reality. EVERY cartoon must be the way it was done back in the "olden days".

Some of these fake "experts" who pretend to know all there is about making a cartoon might have better luck in Congress.

[Elladorine]

Yeah I read it too. Despite what he may think, he's really no different from any other so called "artist" on DA like Disney01.

Who is Disney01? I looked for that user name but the account is empty and seems abandoned. It seems like I heard something about them a long time ago maybe? Makes me think of an "artist" that started posting their crap on Conceptart.org and threw a hissy fit when people tried to critique their work and didn't just blindly praise them like they did at deviantArt (I don't remember the name though, I was thinking snapesnogger but she's way more talented). The results were hilarious as they completely lost it over arguing that their popularity at dA alone made them a good artist.

Not to skew this thread much further, but he's still got nothing on Elwood. She used her dA account and fake persona to swindle people out of thousands of dollars. She's apparently since made good on many of her commissions, but I got involved with the situation over a year ago because she conned one of my personal friends out of over three grand by fooling him into thinking she was in a long-distance relationship with him (he initially came to me for advice since he knew my relationship with Rey also started out long-distance and online). While she was already a very popular artist there, things skyrocketed for her when she started posting sexy, sometimes nude photos of herself, and sh*t hit the fan when it was revealed that the photos weren't really of her, but of a camwhore she'd hired.

It's strange and extremely complicated. She wasn't even from the US as she was always insisting, and while many people do understandably post under a pseudonym she insisted she was going by her real name (which was completely made up). She took money in via her "friend" on Paypal, which was her actually her (Paypal requires a real name). She pretended 4chan hacked her dA account (not true) in order to gain sympathy after the backlash over the photos, and eventually issued an apology in which she was still lying. The worst part was all the sob stories she used to post in her journal in order to get money from her fans and to postpone due commission work ("my computer's down," "I was in a bad car accident," etc.). At the same time, she used a different account at another site to brag about the money she was bringing in for spending on her growing sword collection, and also blew a good amount on anime resin figures. Some people literally waited years for the expensive commissions that they'd given her money for while she kept throwing out flimsy excuses (and taking in more money for further commissions she clearly didn't plan on doing). When all this came to a head she stated she wasn't able to offer refunds, only that she'd try to catch up on the work . . . much of which ended up being substandard since she had to do a rush job since there was so much to catch up on. She never lost her dA account, and is happily posting once again like nothing happened (although she posts real photos of herself instead of the camwhore ones). She got banned elsewhere though for failing to finish all the commission work she got paid for.

I had all sorts of her fans attack me for daring to speak out against her, but she'd have never made good with any of her promised commissions if I hadn't helped call out all her BS. It's just amazing how far the white knights will go to defend their favorite artists; conspiracy theories ran rampant as her fans tried to turn all the lying around onto me, since I helped shatter the fantasy image of her that they held so dearly. Many simply called me jealous, the easiest thing to throw at me. People even started posting fake screencaps of things I'd never typed out in order to make it look like I was being petty and making sh*t up.

The deal with Preston just reminded me of of all that, especially since he used to post under a female persona.

Oy . . . anyway, sorry to derail . . . now back to your regularly scheduled thread . . .

I wish the rest of the online cartoon community had this much common sense.

I've been to a lot of places where there are some good people, but others where the general community have NO bearing on reality. EVERY cartoon must be the way it was done back in the "olden days".

Some of these fake "experts" who pretend to know all there is about making a cartoon might have better luck in Congress.

Agreed. I both love and can't stand John K. Some of his work is awesome, but he has to get the hell over himself . . . there are all sorts of ways to make cartoons, not just with his skewed vesion of how things were done decades ago.

[Super Aurora]

Yeah I read it too. Despite what he may think, he's really no different from any other so called "artist" on DA like Disney01.

Who is Disney01? I looked for that user name but the account is empty and seems abandoned. It seems like I heard something about them a long time ago maybe?

Ah I made a mistake, her username is DisneyFan01
She the one who made this mary-sue character who has a hard-on for the John Silver of Treasure Planet.

Makes me think of an "artist" that started posting their crap on Conceptart.org and threw a hissy fit when people tried to critique their work and didn't just blindly praise them like they did at deviantArt (I don't remember the name though, I was thinking snapesnogger but she's way more talented). The results were hilarious as they completely lost it over arguing that their popularity at dA alone made them a good artist.

That WAS snapesnogger who did that. LOL.

Not to skew this thread much further, but he's still got nothing on Elwood. She used her dA account and fake persona to swindle people out of thousands of dollars. She's apparently since made good on many of her commissions, but I got involved with the situation over a year ago because she conned one of my personal friends out of over three grand by fooling him into thinking she was in a long-distance relationship with him (he initially came to me for advice since he knew my relationship with Rey also started out long-distance and online). While she was already a very popular artist there, things skyrocketed for her when she started posting sexy, sometimes nude photos of herself, and sh*t hit the fan when it was revealed that the photos weren't really of her, but of a camwhore she'd hired.

It's strange and extremely complicated. She wasn't even from the US as she was always insisting, and while many people do understandably post under a pseudonym she insisted she was going by her real name (which was completely made up). She took money in via her "friend" on Paypal, which was her actually her (Paypal requires a real name). She pretended 4chan hacked her dA account (not true) in order to gain sympathy after the backlash over the photos, and eventually issued an apology in which she was still lying. The worst part was all the sob stories she used to post in her journal in order to get money from her fans and to postpone due commission work ("my computer's down," "I was in a bad car accident," etc.). At the same time, she used a different account at another site to brag about the money she was bringing in for spending on her growing sword collection, and also blew a good amount on anime resin figures. Some people literally waited years for the expensive commissions that they'd given her money for while she kept throwing out flimsy excuses (and taking in more money for further commissions she clearly didn't plan on doing). When all this came to a head she stated she wasn't able to offer refunds, only that she'd try to catch up on the work . . . much of which ended up being substandard since she had to do a rush job since there was so much to catch up on. She never lost her dA account, and is happily posting once again like nothing happened (although she posts real photos of herself instead of the camwhore ones). She got banned elsewhere though for failing to finish all the commission work she got paid for.

I had all sorts of her fans attack me for daring to speak out against her, but she'd have never made good with any of her promised commissions if I hadn't helped call out all her BS. It's just amazing how far the white knights will go to defend their favorite artists; conspiracy theories ran rampant as her fans tried to turn all the lying around onto me, since I helped shatter the fantasy image of her that they held so dearly. Many simply called me jealous, the easiest thing to throw at me. People even started posting fake screencaps of things I'd never typed out in order to make it look like I was being petty and making sh*t up.

The deal with Preston just reminded me of of all that, especially since he used to post under a female persona.

Oy . . . anyway, sorry to derail . . . now back to your regularly scheduled thread . . .

HOLY SHIT.

I wish the rest of the online cartoon community had this much common sense.

I've been to a lot of places where there are some good people, but others where the general community have NO bearing on reality. EVERY cartoon must be the way it was done back in the "olden days".

Some of these fake "experts" who pretend to know all there is about making a cartoon might have better luck in Congress.

Agreed. I both love and can't stand John K. Some of his work is awesome, but he has to get the hell over himself . . . there are all sorts of ways to make cartoons, not just with his skewed version of how things were done decades ago.

I think what it is, is that when artist aren't making money or a good living especially after period of "fame" they did have, they start to become bitter and egoistical as a reminisce of their past accomplishments and can only live and stay by them. They can't really "move-on" per se.

John K hasn't created anything famous worthy like Ren & Stimpy in long while and now relies on flash animation for internet that not many while hear about.

While George Lucas does have money and fame still, he also couldn't let go of his famous movie accomplishment and has to rely on cashing it and couldn't "let go". This is why he keep making all these changes constantly to Original Trilogy even though he claim "it's for his vision". And he get annoyed, upset when people ask or demand to have the original cut in the dvd/blu ray.

[Elladorine]

Ah I made a mistake, her username is DisneyFan01
She the one who made this mary-sue character who has a hard-on for the John Silver of Treasure Planet.

Looks like she got herself banned.

That WAS snapesnogger who did that. LOL.

Well, I was thinking of someone else that basically did the same thing, but drew artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog that looked like it was done by a 10-year-old. No clue how they got so popular at dA. I'd have to look it up again to find the thread at conceptart.

HOLY SHIT.

Yeah, tell me about it. Apparently she used to frequent 4chan by posting teasing videos of her camwhore undressing and such, of course pretending that it was her. People got wise to her there though, since she used to use several different women's videos and photos to pretend to be before settling on Camerella. She even did photo trades with other women that were supposed to be private (they came forward to me about it), not realizing that Elwood was going to take them and post them at various sites as herself. They were too embarrassed to come forward in public.

[pap64]

I think the problem with these internet artists (and internet celebrities on the whole) is that it leads them to believe that they have a fame that doesn't really exist. Sure you got followers, fans that will defend you and tons of money out of it, but in the end it means nothing. Which is why people like Tom Preston and all of That Guy With The Glasses get severely criticized: these people want to believe that internet fame will aid them in their real world career. It might help them, sure, but it won't change their lives forever. That's why they tend to hide behind white knights, ignore criticism and such, because when you have so many people kissing your butt 24/7, you forget about the reality of the situation at hand.

Not to mention that internet fame is quite intoxicating. When you find an audience, you feel like you are on top of the world. Hell, I am not an internet celebrity by any means, but lord knows I get a little bit of pride when someone messages me about a review I wrote or a podcast appearance I made. The key is understand that while it is good that people appreciate your stuff it doesn't mean that your life is set, that everything you produce is solid gold and that you will always be loved. Fame can go as quickly as it came, and what are you going to do afterwards.

My beef with Tom Preston is that he likes to pretend that he is an intellectual trying to deliver "a message". Yet there is a lot of bias to his work, and a lot of it is venomous and vile, and rather than stripping himself of it he uses it to further fuel his career, hoping that people will be influenced. Hell... Tom Preston are John K are very similar in that regard. They are both fairly successful and have a career followed by many, but they tend to be overly venomous about their work, often blaming the industry on their failures rather than trying to learn from it and use to further advance their work.

The problem with John K is that he seems to have an extremely romanticized view of how classic cartoons were produced. I am no cartoon expert in any way, shape or form, but I am sure there was just as crap back then as there is now. Are we quick to forget HOW Disney lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit? What about when the Government pretty much forced cartoon studios to create WWII propaganda for cheap or nothing at all?

It's like I said earlier, EVERY company has issue and drama to deal with, EVERY company has done fishy stuff in the past, EVERY company has made news over something. Not saying that it should be fully accepted, but that we should stop have this idealistic view on everything and have focus on the reality on the situation. There is a reason why John Lasseter is where he is today, and it isn't because he drew a cute cartoon about talking toys...

[Elladorine]

Super Aurora, here's the thread I was talking about with the Sonic art ("I have over 100,000 pageviews on deviantart im one of the top artists!!") You already know about the Snapesnogger one that's seen here.

Found the ED article on DisneyFan01 by the way, actually wasn't familiar with her like I thought. So bizarre. Found her dA page too, was a little difficult since her currently active account has a hyphen in it (the other one got banned).

As for Elwood, I forgot she also claimed to have been raped by her ex-boyfriend (a professional artist that, understandably, no longer speaks about her with anyone). When asked how that was possible since they only knew each other online, she said something like, "Well, he e-raped me!" Uh . . . the things people do for sympathy and attention. And in case you didn't know, she's a furry artist . . . and I know just how you feel about them.

Pap, well, I think another issue with internet celebrity-hood is the very nature of the internet itself, and how it allows people to presumably show only the parts of themselves that they want others to see. It's why some of my friends and family members were so worried when I started dating Rey. It's how people like Preston get away with posting bizarre fetish art under a persona of the opposite gender, or how Elwood gathered throngs of male fans that actually thought they had a chance with her (my friend wasn't the only guy she pretended to be in a relationship so she could just use their money and gifts). I guess it didn't hurt that she posted phony information along with the phony pics. And when it comes to the opposite end, I think the fans fill in the gaps of those they look up to, and is part of the reason why they'll so blindly defend them. They simply buy into the fantasy of it all, maybe even moreso than the ones they're following.

As you've said, internet fame is indeed intoxicating; a little corner of the internet can feel like the entire world if that's all you choose to visit. And if you've got a ton of followers kissing your butt and making excuses to any criticizers, well . . . why bother facing reality? I've known people to create and post under multiple personalities just to put on a show, mess with people, and get the inside scoop about themselves through their sock-puppetry (internet celebrities included). It's like they have absolutely nothing better to do. It gets pretty scary. People love the certain amount of anonymity and carry the idea that they don't think they'll be held personally accountable for anything they do under a user name.

* * *

Once again, sorry for the derailment like this over a Pixar thread, looking back I think it would be good to split the "internet celebrity" posts off to their own thread, but with the forum glitches I don't know if that's even possible. If someone would like to start another thread specifically for it feel free, otherwise I'll be done with the conversation for now.

* * *

EDIT: Semaj has done so here. Thanks!