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Win or Lose (TV series)
2025 Pixar series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Win or Lose is an American animated television series produced by Pixar Animation Studios for the streaming service Disney+ and is the first original series from the studio.[1][2] It was created and written by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates, who also served as executive producers with David Lally, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lindsey Collins. The series revolves around a co-ed softball team at middle school named the Pickles in the week leading up to their big championship game, with each episode showing the perspective of each member in the same events, each reflected in a unique visual style.
The series' cast includes Will Forte, Ian Chen, Izaac Wang, Jo Firestone, Milan Ray, Josh Thomson, Erin Keif, Rosie Foss, Rosa Salazar, Chanel Stewart, Dorien Watson, Lil Rel Howery, Flula Borg, Kyliegh Curran, Jaylin Fletcher, Tom Law, Beck Nolan, Orion Tran, and Rhea Seehorn. Pixar was developing the long-form original series following the creation of Disney+. It was officially announced in December 2020, during Disney's Investor Day, with Hobson and Yates on board who conceived the idea. Win or Lose draws inspiration from the conversations between Hobson and Yates, who would have very different reactions to the exact same events upon working on Toy Story 4 (2019). The animation style appears to shift, distinguishing itself further in each episode, with Brendan Beesley, Brandon Kern, and Tom Zach as the heads of animation. Docter described the series as "a comedy about love, rivalry, and the challenges we all face in our struggles to win at life". Its musical score was composed by Ramin Djawadi.
Win or Lose premiered on Disney+ on February 19, 2025, and consisted of eight episodes released weekly in groups of two until March 12.[3] It received positive reviews from critics, although Disney's decision to remove scenes explicitly confirming a character as being transgender was criticized.[4] Over two months later, it began airing on the Disney Channel on June 7, 2025.[citation needed]
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Synopsis
Win or Lose follows a group of interconnected stories centered around a co-ed middle school softball team called the Pickles, over the course of the week leading up to their big championship game. Each episode focuses on a central character - either a member of the Pickles or one of their loved ones or acquaintances - whose life begins falling apart during the given week, causing their anxieties, insecurities, and coping mechanisms to internally manifest in vivid imaginations that they hide from others in their lives.[5]
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Voice cast and characters
Main
- Rosie Foss as Laurie, the Pickles' right fielder, Coach Dan's daughter, and Rochelle's best friend. Her anxiety manifests as an imaginary "friend" named Sweaty that constantly talks down to her.[6][7][8]
- Josh Thomson as Frank Brown, the umpire of the softball games and a teacher at the school that several Pickles players attend. His coping mechanism manifests as a suit of blue armor inspired by his love of fantasy novels.[6]
- Milan Ray as Rochelle Kiana Rodriguez, the Pickles' catcher and Laurie's best friend who also runs the softball field's concession stand. Her coping mechanism manifests as her imagining herself as an adult businesswoman, born from a need to make money to support her struggling family, while her anxieties manifest as gravity warping around her.[9]
- Rosa Salazar as Vanessa Rodriguez, Rochelle's single mother who works multiple jobs, including as an influencer. Her coping mechanism is a collection of anthropomorphic hearts representing her social media likes and followers.[9]
- Dorien Watson as Ira, Taylor's younger brother. His coping mechanism is imagining different fantastical scenarios through a cardboard tube to make up for his lack of friends.[10][8]
- Izaac Wang as Yuwen Wang, the Pickles' pitcher, Kai's best friend, and Taylor's eventual boyfriend. His insecurities manifest as a miniature paper diorama cut-out of himself, dubbed "Little Yuwen", who lives in his heart, while simultaneously projecting an arrogant and self-centered external personality.[6][11]
- Chanel Stewart as Kai, the Pickles' highly talented center fielder (later shortstop) and Yuwen's best friend. Her coping mechanism manifests in an ability to hover above the ground in pure joy, while her anxieties sink her into the ground, sometimes completely under the surface.[12] Although Kai was written as a trans character and voiced by a trans actress,[12] there is no verbal mention of the term in the show; nevertheless, implications of her transition and gender euphoria remain in episode 7.[13][14]
- Will Forte as Coach Dan, the coach of the Pickles and Laurie's father. His anxieties manifest in him inflating and deflating different parts of his body, while his coping mechanism takes the form of a glass dome encompassing the softball field.[15]
Supporting
- Ian Chen[6] as Junn, one of the Pickles.
- Jo Firestone as Sweaty, a sweaty monster that Laurie hallucinates.[6]
- Erin Keif[16] as:
- Lena, a local coffee barista and Frank's friend.[6]
- Kerin, a member of the PTA with short blond hair and glasses.
- Lil Rel Howery as James, Kai's father.[10][8]
- Melissa Villaseñor as Veronica, a snobby friend of Vanessa’s, the head of the PTA and the mother of Luciana.[10]
- Flula Borg as Francis, the school janitor.[10][8]
- Kyliegh Curran as Taylor, the Pickles’ shortstop, Ira's older sister and Yuwen's love interest.[10][8]
- Jaylin Fletcher[10] as "Chicken-Kev", a chicken-themed mascot and one of the Bleacher Creatures.
- Tom Law as Tom, the Pickles’ first baseman and Rochelle and Kai's slow-witted classmate.[10]
- Romi Rey Herrada as Luciana, the Pickles' third base player who hides her eyes behind her pink hair, and the daughter of Veronica.
- Reagan To as Hannah, the Pickles' second base player.
- Akira Evans as Terrence, the Pickles' husky short stop with the black rim glasses.
- Winston Vengapally as Borna, left fielder for the Pickles with conjunctivitis in his left eye.
- Beck Nolan as Brian Dyson, a shady teenager and one of the Bleacher Creatures.[10]
- Jenna Ann as Rinna, Brian's accomplice and one of the Bleacher Creatures.[citation needed]
- Orion Tran[10] as "Little Yuwen", an imaginary representation of Yuwen's heart.
- Rhea Seehorn as Carole, Laurie’s mother and Dan's ex-wife.[10]
- Emily Ricks as Paula, Laurie's sister.[citation needed]
- Vyvan Pham as Monica Park, Frank's ex-girlfriend.[7]
- Harlow Hodges as Zane, Rochelle's baby brother.[8]
- Santina Muha as Cheryl, who runs the concession stand with Rochelle.[citation needed]
- Scott Menville as Random Dave, a member of the PTA who wears a T-shirt with a microphone on it. It is revealed in "Home" that he does not have a kid on the team, and he only comes for the games as he enjoys the sport.
- Dylan Buccieri as Odo, a young blonde boy who drinks orange soda and acts as a narrator and an oracle. [citation needed]
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Episodes
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All episodes are written by Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates.
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Production
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Development
In December 2020, during Disney's Investor Day meeting, Pixar announced an original series titled Win or Lose for its parent company Disney's streaming service, Disney+. Carrie Hobson and Michael Yates were announced to be creating, writing, and directing from an idea they conceived, while David Lally was announced to be producing the project. Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter stated; "It's not so much about softball as it is a comedy about love, rivalry, and the challenges we all face in our struggles to win at life". The series would consist of episodes that each run approximately 20 minutes long.[5][18] When working on Toy Story 4 (2019), Hobson and Yates realized that they had different interpretations of how their creative meetings went, so they used these differing interpretations to develop the idea of an animated series revolving around one event but with each character having their own conflicts surrounding the event.[19] Hobson explained that Win or Lose has all the humor and heart of a Pixar feature film, but with a different type of storytelling. She also stated: "It's less of a Rashomon and more... You think you know a character, and then you pull back the curtain and reveal they have their own thing going on".[20] Hobson and Yates also executive-produced the series alongside Lally, Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lindsey Collins.[21][22]
Win or Lose is Pixar's first series not to be based upon an existing property, as most of Pixar's television projects are based upon an existing property and usually short-form.[5] Pixar began considering developing a TV series following the creation of Disney+.[22] Yates and Hobson said one of the reasons a TV show format was selected for the series was the idea of experimenting with the format and longer storytelling, particularly regarding character perspectives, as well as a love for television.[23] Another reason was how television would allow Pixar to do things a feature film format would not allow to.[23] Hobson and Yates noted they both had to learn how to work on an episodic format.[23] In July 2023, Lally confirmed on Twitter that post-production for the series was completed.[24]
Writing
According to Hobson and Yates, a major theme on the series is how things are not as they seem, and seeing things from different perspectives, particularly how people in one place can have different experiences.[23] Each episode centers on a different character; characters are first introduced in a different episode, after which their episode further explores the said character after the perception first given in their debut.[23] Hobson said the characters were inspired by her and Yates, as well as by people they have met through their lives and their own experiences.[23]
Casting
At the September 2022 D23 Expo, it was announced that Will Forte would voice the lead character Coach Dan, ahead of a first look image released on the same day.[15] Forte's voice performance as Coach was inspired by Robin Williams as the Genie from Disney's Aladdin (1992). Yates said, "Will was constantly improvising. It was an overflow of great stuff. The hardest part was having a five-minute scene with constant belly laughs and having to get it to three minutes!"[20] In June 2023, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Milan Ray and Rosa Salazar joined the voice cast.[9] At the August 2024 D23 fan event, Ian Chen, Izaac Wang, Jo Firestone, Josh Thomson, Erin Keif, and Rosie Foss were announced as part of the voice cast.[6] In January 2025, Dorien Watson, Lil Rel Howery, Flula Borg, Kyliegh Curran, Jaylin Fletcher, Tom Law, Beck Nolan, Orion Tran, and Rhea Seehorn were revealed as part of the voice cast.[10]
Controversies
In December 2024, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) announced that a storyline regarding a transgender character, Kai, in the series had been cut. THR noted "A source close to Win or Lose said the studio made the decision to alter course several months ago." A Disney spokesperson stated, "When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline." While Kai remains in the series, lines of dialogue that referenced gender identity were cut.[25] Chanel Stewart, the openly transgender actress who voices the character in question, criticized the decision, saying she was told that while she would still be a part of the show, the character she was playing would now be straight and cisgender.[12] In addition, since the character of Laurie identified as Christian, some speculated that her character was conceived this way - and in turn, Kai's character altered to cisgender - in order to conform with conservative political ideologies.[26][27][28] The episode that focuses on Kai, "I Got It", was not screened in advance to critics, but includes implications that the character is transgender, such as dressing masculine and having masculine hairstyle at the start of her episode, growing out her hair and adopting a more feminine look over the course of a timeskip montage, hiding photos of her younger self that look more masculine, and her catcher's mitt having an old name that was ripped out, eventually being replaced by "Kai" in new stitching. Following the premiere of the episode, Pixar was additionally criticized for hiding pro-trans comments condemning the removal of Kai's transgender story line on posts promoting the series on social media.[29]
Following the show's release, news outlets commented on the similarities between the text logos of the show's Pickles team and the Portland Pickles, leading to some accusations of copyright infringement.[30] The team later sued Disney for trademark infringement in May 2025.[citation needed]
Animation
Mark C. Harris (directing animator of Cars 3) and Gini Cruz Santos (supervising animator of Coco) served as the animation supervisors on the series, while Kevin Andrus and Stefan Schumacher served as directing animators on the series, with Lucas Fraga Pacheco also serving as directing animator for five episodes.[31] Animation was provided by the artist crew that worked on feature films.[32] Win or Lose used more animators than a feature film.[23] The series made heavy use of visual metaphors, with some characters featuring multiple metaphors.[23] In each episode, the animation style appears to shift, further distinguishing itself. For example, Yuwen's story appears to mimic a cardboard diorama, and the actual softball footage mimics that of a traditional sports anime.[19] This was made in order to visualize each character's perspective.[22] The production team worked closely with the animators in order to define how each character would move in a way that showcases their characterization.[22] The series also made use of 2D animation, which the producers said was determined regarding what the story mandated.[22]
Music
In June 2023, Ramin Djawadi was revealed to be composing for the series. He began recording the score two months later.[9][33] Original songs for the series were written and produced by the duo Campfire (Shane Eli and Jonny Pakfar) based on themes by Djawadi. The duo also provided additional music for the series' score.[34] A 52 track soundtrack album with the original score and original songs was released on February 21, 2025.[35]
All tracks are written by Ramin Djawadi, except where noted.
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Release
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Win or Lose was initially announced to premiere on Disney+ in December 2023.[5][36][24] However, on November 15, 2023, it was announced that the series was delayed to 2024.[37] The series was then slated to premiere on December 6, 2024,[38][6] before being delayed again to February 19, 2025, swapping release dates with fellow Pixar series Dream Productions.[3] The series consisted of eight episodes, which were released on a two episodes a week basis until March 12, 2025.[9][3] On March 7, 2025, the first episode "Coach's Kid" was uploaded to Pixar's YouTube channel.[39][40]
Marketing
On November 12, 2021, during Pixar's special for 2021's Disney+ Day, the first look at the concept art was revealed, offering a sneak peek at some of the characters featured in the series.[41] It received mostly positive response from Pixar fans.[42] On September 9, 2022, during the 2022 D23 Expo, Hobson and Yates presented a first look at the series.[19] On June 16, 2023, footage of an episode initially titled "Vanessa: The Cool Mom" (retitled "Pickle") was shown at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.[43][9] A teaser trailer was released on August 9, 2024,[38][6] while the official trailer was released on January 16, 2025.[10]
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Reception
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Viewership
TVision, which utilizes its TVision Power Score to evaluate CTV programming performance by factoring in viewership and engagement across over 1,000 apps and incorporating four key metrics—viewer attention time, total program time available for the season, program reach, and app reach—calculated that Win or Lose was the sixth most-streamed series from February 17—23.[44] It later moved to eleventh place from February 24 to March 2.[45] Disney+, which calculates its "Top 10" list by considering daily views for episodes and movies alongside the growing popularity of newly released titles, reported that Win or Lose was the second most-popular title in the U.S. on March 11.[46] Luminate, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs in the U.S., reported that Win or Lose ranked third among U.S. children's programming in streaming from January 3 to April 25, 2025, with 923 million minutes of watch time across Disney+ and YouTube.[47] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that Win or Lose garnered 6.2 million viewers in the U.S. over its first 35 days, making it one of the most popular shows of the 2024–2025 season.[48]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 87% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10, based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "By giving each member of its ragtag team of lovable kids their time to shine, Win or Lose bats close to a perfect game."[49] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[50]
Polly Conway of Common Sense Media gave Win or Lose a rating of four out of five stars, praising the show's diverse and relatable characters, highlighting positive role models like Laurie, who is determined to impress her father, and Frank, who navigates personal struggles with self-worth and romance. Conway found the content to be generally mild, with occasional body humor, bullying, and light sports violence. She noted that while there is some romantic content and light language, the series promotes positive messages about overcoming challenges and being kind.[51] Jesse Hassenger from IGN rated the series 8 out of 10 and praised its emotional depth and its ability to balance humor and whimsy while exploring themes like anxiety and self-worth, using inventive animation metaphors. He found that the show's episodic format, focusing on different characters' perspectives, was both engaging and innovative. He stated that, despite the show's occasional feeling of fragmentation due to its short episodes, Win or Lose succeeds in offering a relatable and heartfelt experience for both kids and adults. He also noted that the series' handling of emotional challenges, particularly in its portrayal of characters processing difficult situations, was both clever and sensitive, though he expressed disappointment over the removal of a storyline involving a transgender character.[52]
Elijah Gonzalez of Paste rated the show 8.3 out of 10 and complimented its ability to balance humor with serious themes, including Laurie's struggles with parental expectations and Frank's emotional journey after a breakup. He noted that Pixar's usual high-quality animation translates well into TV, with inventive visual metaphors that represent characters' inner turmoil in imaginative ways. While he enjoyed the emotional depth and humor of the show, he pointed out that the episodes lack resolution, making them feel like short films without closure. He also expressed disappointment over the removal of a trans character storyline. Despite these issues, he found Win or Lose to be a pleasant surprise, offering a fresh take on the sports genre by focusing more on the personal lives of the characters than the sport itself.[53] Andrew Parker of TheGATE.ca said that Win or Lose is an ambitious and emotionally rich project that will appeal to both kids and adults. He praised the show for its playful execution and depth, comparing it to Rashomon and The Afterparty in its exploration of the same events from multiple perspectives. He found the series to balance humor and heartfelt moments, with a slightly darker tone than expected. He stated that each episode offers a unique viewpoint, focusing on different characters' experiences, and noted the show's emotional tone. While he acknowledged some moments felt softened for a broader audience, he praised the visuals and storytelling, describing Win or Lose an engaging and easily watchable series that showcases Pixar's strength in long-form storytelling.[54]
Accolades
Win or Lose is nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming at the 41st TCA Awards.[55]
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Notes
References
External links
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