Baseball. The great American pastime. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the struggle with anxiety, romance, financial woes, and directionless parents. These are all things one would expect with a show that begins amid a softball game’s final innings. All sarcasm aside, any preconceived notions one might bring into the first episode of Pixar’s latest small-screen effort, “Win or Lose,” of nothing more than what appears as another inoffensive outing into the world of youth sports should immediately take occupancy in the backseat.
Baseball, while undeniably the show’s bedrock, is quick to focus on what’s kicking around the heads, lives and off-field stories of its teammates, parents, and even umpire, with each episode centering around one such individual. It’s a unique approach, even if it fails to reach the lofty heights of what made Pixar once unstoppable.
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Every episode, it would seem, is another opportunity for the studio to hit those tearjerkingly emotional beats signatures of many a Pixar classic, though right from the jump, episode one, “Coach’s Kid,” builds off the ideas set forth by its own blockbuster “Inside Out” franchise it seems to have plagiarized, whether intentional or otherwise. Here, we’re introduced to right fielder Laurie (Rosie Foss), wanting nothing more than to improve as a player and, thus, impress her coach, Dan (Will Forte), and her father. 
As he gives praise to his team following their win, pivoting to a brief montage showcasing the number of times he repeatedly told his daughter, “You’ll get ’em next time, “her anxiety manifests in the form of an anthropomorphic, spongy, dark blue blob (voiced by Jo Firestone), one that grows in size every time the poor girl internalizes the forces around her she sees as roadblocks in the path to on-field success. 
She’s willing to do the work, best seen as she endures punishing workouts while her trusty blob spouts pseudo-motivational babble. Still, before long, this imaginary personification of her stress consumes her entirely, just in time for the night of the big game and a perfect opportunity for Dan to give her the positive encouragement she needs.
Will episode two, “Blue,” focus on Coach Dan, perhaps? Surprisingly, it’s now time to meet Mr.  Brown (Josh Thomson), holding his own as umpire as a protective layer of blue armor shields him from the insults escaping the mouths of the crowd, disappointed by the game’s outcome; fortunately, his apartment provides all the respite he needs, with a stack of fantasy romance novels and a noticeably empty chair sitting across the table as he enjoys his dinner for one. 
Brown, it would seem, recently ended a serious relationship with Ms. Park, a fellow teacher at the school at which he also commands his own classroom with all the attention to detail of any dedicated baseball ump, but was this breakup truly the right move? Could taking the plunge into a dating app be the next step he needs, or does he still have time to win her back?
By now, the flow of “Win or Lose” should be abundantly clear, with each episode leading into the next by taking a relatively minor character introduced previously, usually in the predecessor, and giving them the spotlight during the next jaunt. Episode three, “Raspberry, “turns the attention towards starting catcher Rochelle (Milan Ray), last seen during a parent-teacher conference between Mr.  Brown and Rochelle’s mother, Vanessa (Rosa Salazar), following an incident in which the girl was caught passing a note loaded with test answers. 
A reason will soon materialize, but in the meantime, as we soon see in flashback, Rochelle has been working shifts at her ball field’s concession stand in an effort to earn the money needed for covering expenses to guarantee her involvement with the team next season; however, her dreams of glory seem dashed when ol’ Coach Dan announces a steep raise in dues, to be paid as soon as that weekend. Fortunately, an unforeseen windfall arrives when her fellow students, taking advantage of Rochelle’s stellar GPA and willingness to help those possessing anything but, hire her to complete their laundry list of homework, projects, reports, and so forth. 
It’s here that Rochelle’s imaginary persona, a heavy-handed adult version of herself, and the incident that landed her in hot water with Mr. Brown can be seen from the perspective of the beleaguered girl, desperate for money, and with both a mother seemingly more interested in live-streaming her life to her online following than her daughter’s woes alongside a classmate willing to pay handsomely for test answers, Rochelle’s world seems to be only moments removed from collapsing entirely…could selling a brand new pair of expensive baseball cleats, gifted from Vanessa, to a trio of poorly-intentioned classmates be a last-ditch effort to secure her spot on the field? Is Vanessa’s story next? 
Predictably, this is precisely what’s on deck, and to see Vanessa’s own struggles as it becomes clear how much she does, in fact, care for both her daughter and troubled toddler Zane when many of the moments Rochelle believed her mother was more invested in her phone were actually phone calls being made to her employer as she begged for a job she lost, or stepping out at night to help make ends meet by ridesharing. 
Respecting her daughter’s privacy takes center stage for a portion of Vanessa’s episode, something with which every parent can undoubtedly relate no matter the situation or latest form of tech, though the latter does receive a nice juxtaposition as Rochelle can be seen making use of a pay phone when her own phone goes missing… there’s a reason for this as well, leading to a sequence straight out of “Uncle Buck” and evidence that the bond between this particular mother and daughter might be on the verge of repair.
Is Pixar back? Following the runaway success of last summer’s “Inside Out 2, “some have unequivocally stated this is, in fact, the case, and with each episode of “Win or Lose” essentially a pocket version of Pixar’s greatest hits, it seems like a home run, no? Unfortunately, those beats come scattershot, with Mr. Brown’s the only one hitting the mark, combined with animation owing far more to the rounded edges of “Turning Red” than the sleek, artistic beauty of “Wall-E.”
Recurring elements, such a bizarre child to whom Rochelle showed kindness in giving him a beverage from the concession stand teeter between the favor being returned when she needs it most and moments of spouting off-putting quotes to whoever might be in the vicinity not only favors the latter but serves as an indicator of Pixar’s once-great stabs at humor that now feel both rare and chuckle-worthy at best; the jokes that permeated many a “Toy Story” can hardly be found littered around the figurative baseball diamond that is the lives of the characters. Ultimately, it feels sad, with episodes ending more often than not on a dour note than an upbeat sensation signature of many films within its library or even its own litany of long-form content. Heck, “Dream Productions” even felt more fun than this.
Some characters elicit more interest than others, which could very well remain the only reason to see what’s in store, and it’s not uncommon for a background character or two to add a bit of weight to their own story several episodes later; Tom (Tom Law), for example, is the one who initially hires Rochelle to assist with his homework, but something may be happening behind the scenes to prompt his motivation in seeking help during what ends up revealed as a difficult time. 
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This continues to exist as Pixar’s greatest strength. Beyond the days of groundbreaking animation, sparking audience emotion, even in the most minimal of ways, couldn’t be any more effortless, even if it all feels less impactful than it once did. Though another season seems unlikely to turn up in Disney’s bullpen, there’s enough, even if just barely, to take us into that realm of curiosity as we wonder how the future might look for those inhabiting the world of “Win or Lose,” those we’ve seen and those outside the ballpark, each with their own stories yet to be told. [B]
“Win Or Lose” is streaming now on Disney+.