One of the best parts of going to a Disney Park is experiencing the world-class food and treats that not only taste delicious, but also give you another way to connect to the stories you love. For fans of Toy Story, Coco, Turning Red, Luca, Cars or any of the other Pixar films, Pixar Fest 2024 will be a place where your heart will be just as full as your belly.

From a cupcake that looks like the Marigold Bridge from Coco where the dead return to the world of the living to visit their loved ones to Nemo and Dory cake pops to a Ratatouille Pizzetta and the return of the iconic Pixar Cake, there is SO much to try over the next few months at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

Disney invited me to Disneyland to preview Pixar Fest 2024 and you can check out my ultimate guide right here the breaks down the best food, merch, entertainment and more, but I just had to break out the food portion here because there is just so much to discuss.

To learn more about what guests can expect from Pixar Fest 2024 in terms of food, we had the chance to hear from Chef John State, Disney’s Culinary Director, about this year’s offerings and how they came to be.

“There is a recipe that we use to help get us to the goal line when we're developing these ideas and there are three main ingredients,” State shared. “The first one is collaboration and you’ll hear that a lot throughout Pixar Fest – the fact that it's better together. Then, you have to take the fun seriously. It was just cool to drill down to help bring those characters to life. And then you have to do your homework. You have to watch the films. I can't tell you how many people I talked to that went back and re-watched to learn something even more than they didn't already recognize the first time.”

All of these ingredients lend to dishes that feel so much more than food. They feel like they were pulled right out of the world of these beloved Pixar films and are ones you could actually try if you were pulled into Monsters, Inc., Up, or Inside Out. Speaking of Monsters, Inc., there’s one behind-the-scenes story that truly shows how much love and care is put into each creation, and this comes courtesy of Disney’s David Nguyen.

He shared with me that the Shake 2319, which is inspired by George Sanderson and the time he got a sock on himself and caused a wide-spread panic. When creating the dessert, they topped the vanilla, orange, guava, and pineapple shake with whipped cream, orange coconut shavings to represent his fur, an ice cream cone for his horn, and a chocolate sock. However, they soon realized that, if he had that sock on him, the CDA would come and shave off his fur (i.e. coconut shavings) and he’d be left with just his skin (i.e. whipped cream). So, to avoid another emergency situation, they chose to let George shine and keep things consistent! It’s all about the little things!

Ratatouille Pizzetta (Available May 10 – August 4 at Gusteau’s To-Go at Disney California Adventure Park’s Pixar Fest Marketplaces)

This was a DELIGHT. Not only was it an adorably-sized pizza with a beautiful array of Ratatouille (eggplant, squash, and zucchini) on the front, but it also comes with a wedge of French Camembert cheese that adds a great depth of creamy flavor that brings up what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill pizza. This dish really shows how a link back to a story and some small touches can elevate the food we experience.

Supper Club Chicken & Potato Waffles (Available May 10 – August 4 at The Spark inspired by ‘Soul’ at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

This play on chicken and waffles was a fun journey of flavors that is inspired by jazz. The popcorn chicken has a satisfying crisp to it and the potato waffle is accompanied by a peach cobbler sauce and cinnamon-herb crumble. It’s a dance of sweet and savory that may not have been my favorite dish, but it is one I’m glad I tried.

Fried Bologna Sandwich (Available April 26 – August 4 at Disneyland’s Carnation Café)

Sometimes it’s hard to beat the simple things in life, and this Up-inspired Fried Bologna Sandwich is the epitome of that notion. There’s nothing revolutionary going on here, but it, much like the Ratatouille did for Anton Ego, brought me right back to my childhood when my Dad would take us to get sandwiches like these which he loved so much. While I LOVE when Disney and Pixar go all out with their creativity, there’s nothing wrong with perfecting the basics by throwing some fried bologna, Monterey Jack cheese, mustard, and mayo on some wonderful white bread.

Huarache (Available April 26 – August 4 at Disney California Adventure’s Recuerdame at Paradise Garden Grille)

This plant-based meal inspired by Coco is a Huarache with soy chorizo beans and seasoned steak tips and it’s all topped with lettuce, cheese, avocado crema, and tomatillo salsa. I really enjoyed the flavors going on here and it had a little bit of a kick with the salsa, but it felt a bit mushy and some of the ingredients got lost in the process. I’d be hard-pressed to tell this wasn’t meat if I wasn’t told, but I wish the base was a bit more solid.

‘Smoked Fire Wood’ BBQ-Spiced Impossible Chicken (Available May 10 – August 4 at Elemental Table at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

This was the highlight for me at our tasting event during the Pixar Fest preview and I would never have been able to tell this wasn’t actually chicken. The Impossible Chicken was formed into a perfectly crispy and delicious patty and they were topped with a tangy hot mustard sauce, some pickles with a spectacular crunch, and charred onions that really made it feel like it could have been created by a fire family like Ember’s from Elemental. The flavors were not only strong and bold, but they stood side-by-side and let their strengths glow. I went back for seconds and thirds of this dish because it was that good.

Mood Swing Mac & Cheese (Available May 10 – August 4 at Hanger Management inspired by ‘Inside Out’ at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

This Mood Swing Mac & Cheese definitely wins the Pixar Fest 2024 Creativity Award that I just made up as I’m typing this. While you can get these two types of mac & cheese separately, Mood Swing brings the Joyful Yellow Comforting Mac & Cheese with happy cheesy puffs and the Angry Red Hot Mac & Cheese with spicy cheese crunch together for a warring flavor battle in your mouth. It was such a fun thing to try some of the happy yellow mac & cheese with an airy cheese poof and just savor the creamy cheesy flavor and then try the very red mac & cheese with what looked like a hot Cheeto and get wonderfully attacked by an actually pretty spicy dish. I then tried them both together and the creaminess of Joy’s mac & cheese calmed down the rage of Anger’s mac & cheese and it was another enjoyable way to enjoy this dish. Highly recommended.

Gusteau Macaron (Available May 10 – August 4 at Gusteau’s To-Go inspired by ‘Ratatouille’ at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

This macaron filled with crème brûlée mousse and a caramel center literally made me gasp with how incredible it looked. The already delicious looking macaron has Gusteau’s To-Go logo on it and it just made me so, so happy. I was then overjoyed when I discovered it wasn’t all looks as it tasted just as great. You start with the crème brûlée around the edges and the caramel center is a nice surprise when you get to it that adds another level of flavor that builds to just a stellar dessert Remy would be proud of.

Red Panda Bao (Available May 10 – August 4 at 4*Town Fav*4*ites inspired by ‘Turning Red’ at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

When you look at this bao, you just know it’s from Turning Red. It’s a massive bao that has a chile-garlic sauce on top of it and a red color that just screams Mei. It is filled with pork and vegetables and has a nice balance between heat on the outside and a good hearty filling on the inside. I wish it had a bit more of a flavor punch, but the bao itself was soft and pillowy and it just looks so good.

Kol Nut Whoopie Cookie Pie (Available May 10 – August 4 at Elemental Table at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

These cake cookies baked with cocoa powder are filled with a cream cheese frosting that looks like bright lava and it’s topped with crushed cinnamon candies that add to the fiery look and taste. These were very thick and I found them to be very dense and filling. It had a good flavor and it looked great, but it was a bit heavy for me and I wish the cinnamon had a more pronounced flavor.

Sea Monster Friends Parfait inspired by ‘Luca’ (Available April 26 – August 4 at Disneyland’s Jolly Holiday Bakery Café)

The Sea Monster Friends Parfait is like the ocean and beach in a cup and it is just SO great looking. There is a base of graham cracker crumbs for the sand, mascarpone cheesecake for the white of the waves, and a berry blue gelatin and blue Chantilly for the ocean. For the proverbial cherry-on-top, guests will find a delicious chocolate disc with Luca and Alberto swimming atop it. It’s a very sweet treat, but if that doesn’t scare you away from diving into this one, I can’t recommend it enough as the cheesecake and crumbs pair so nicely with the texture of the gelatin and the cream on top.

Pixar Fest Cotton Candy (Available April 26 – August 4 at Outdoor Vending Carts at Disney California Adventure)

Guests walking around Disney California Adventure will get to try the exclusive Pixar Fest Cotton Candy, which surprisingly tastes like marshmallows. It is blue and yellow so I was hoping for another flavor to balance it out, but that was not the case and the flavor was a bit strong for me. I much prefer regular cotton candy, but it sure does look good!

Shake 2319 inspired by ‘Monsters, Inc.’ (Available April 26 – August 4 at Disney California Adventure’s Schmoozies!)

You can read all about the behind-the-scenes story of this tasty milkshake above, but here I’ll tell you that it is a vanilla, orange, guava, and pineapple treat that has shaved coconut, whipped cream, and an ice cream cone on top. It’s all arranged in such a way to look like George Sanderson from Monsters, Inc. and it is just such a fun treat that is also so refreshing with its coldness and tropical flavors. It’s one of those dishes that you almost feel bad eating because it looks so great but then you remember that you deserve to treat yourself.

Junkyard Jamboree Churro inspired by ‘Cars’ (Available April 26 – August 4 at Disney California Adventure’s Cozy Cone Motel 1 – Churros)

Sometimes something sounds like a great idea and looks so fun but just doesn’t quite come together. For me, this was the Junkyard Jamboree Churro. This churro, which is dusted in chocolate-espresso sugar, is topped with a drizzle of ‘chocolate engine oil sauce and topped with ‘candy parts’ like sour gummy rings and worms and M&Ms. It all sounds fun, and I bet kids will LOVE it if they can handle the mild coffee taste, but it just kind of tastes like a churro that had a bunch of random things dropped on it. All the flavors and textures didn’t work together so well for me as I didn’t love chewing through the churro and then having to take a ton more bites for the gummies.

With all that being said, Disneyland churros are still the best so it's not like a regret trying it or anything!

There were a few food items that we got to see on display but didn’t get to try, and I just have to point them out to you because they look so great.

Nemo and Baby Dory Cake Pop (Available July 5 – August 4 at various candy locations around Disneyland Resort, including Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff, Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen, and Trolley Treats)

These may be the cutest cake pops I have ever seen in my entire life and I’m not exaggerating. First up we will talk about the Nemo Cake Pop that is vanilla-flavored and point out how Nemo even has his lucky fin. Then, you throw in Baby Dory with her big eyes and markings we all know from the film and you have a true winning combination. I can’t get over these cake pops and I sent them to everyone I know and now I’m so happy you now know of them too.

The Marigold Bridge inspired by ‘Coco’ (Available April 26 – August 18)at Disneyland’s Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante)

Sometimes you come across a piece of food that takes your breath away and this Marigold Bridge cupcake that’s inspired by Coco was one of them. It is absolutely stunning and evokes the bridge from Coco where the dead cross back to the world of the living to visit their loved ones. It brought back all the feelings I had while watching Coco, and I could hear the music playing in the background as I was transported to that beautiful flower-filled walkway that keeps us connected to those that mean the most to us.

As for the cupcake itself, it is a tri-colored white sponge treat with cinnamon croquantine, cinnamon mouse, and cream cheese frosting all decorated with a chocolate bridge and orange chocolate shavings. A true work of art that I can’t wait to try.

Portorosso Pesto Pasta (Available May 10 – August 4 at Portorosso Pasta inspired by ‘Luca’ at Disney California Adventure’s Pixar Fest Marketplace)

The scene where Giulia’s dad serves Luca and Alberto some pesto pasta in Luca is one of the most memorable and hilarious scenes from the film and soon you’ll be able to try a variation of it at the Pixar Fest Marketplace. This pasta that is jumping from the big screen to Disney California Adventure is ribbon pasta tossed in basil pesto with potatoes and green beans and just screams authenticity. If you loved Luca like I did, this is one to put on your list.

Pixar Cake and Pixar Cake Pop (Pixar Fest Cake Available April 26 - August 4 at Disneyland's Plaza Inn/Pixar Ball Cake Pop Avaialble May 31 - July 4 at Candy Locations Around Disneyland)

These two deserts are two of the centerpieces of Pixar Fest as they feature the iconic Pixar Logo on them. I wasn't able to try the cake, but it is a returning favorite from 2018 with layers of yellow, blue, and red vanilla sponge cake alongside cream cheese fosting and a chocolate Pixar Ball decoration.

As for the Cake Pop, this treat is a vanilla cake pop dipped in yellow-colored white chocolate with blue sanding sugar and a red fondant star.

We'll be updating this article with new additions to Pixar Fest throughout the next few months, so be sure to check back often! Until then, you can check out the full Disney Eats Foodie Guide for Pixar Fest 2024!

Also, this guide is only one part of our Pixar Fest pre

Pixar Fest 2024 has officially begun at Disneyland Resort and brings with it a ton of ways to celebrate your favorite Pixar stories, from the first Toy Story all the way up to Elemental. This includes themed food, drinks, and merch, a new parade and revamped nighttime spectacular, first-time appearances by fan-favorite characters, and so much more.

Disney flew me out to preview all the fun Pixar Fest has in store for fans while it runs from April 26 - August 4, and I'm here to break down everything you need to know about the celebration and all the best food, merch, entertainment, and so much more.

Pixar Fest 2024: Celebrating Friendship and Beyond

Disneyland's first Pixar Fest took place in 2018 and it hasn't returned until this year. To learn why now was the perfect time for Pixar Fest's second run, Tasha Sounart, a creative director in Pixar's theme park group, shared with us a bit of the inspiration behind the coolest Pixar party in town.

"We want the feelings and the emotions that you've connected with these characters from the films to be carried forward in the parks in many different ways. We thought this was a really great time to bring back Pixar Fest because it's been a while and we've come out with a lot of films since then. Luca, Turning Red, Soul, and others have a lot of fun stuff in them that hasn't really been seen in the parks before, so this is an opportunity to celebrate some of those new films."

Alongside the films Sounart mentioned, Pixar also released Onward, Elemental, and Lightyear, and Pixar Fest 2024 is a chance to experience those stories in a whole new way at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

We also have to mention that Pixar is gearing up to release Inside Out 2 on June 14, 2024, and Pixar Fest is laying the foundation for some potential fun to come from our favorite emotions. While there isn't much Inside Out 2 quite yet since the film hasn't been released yet, that doesn't mean their aren't some surprises in store for eagle-eyes guests.

"We've got a new film coming out in June called Inside Out 2 and we obviously wanted to bring back Riley and Sadness and some of our favorite characters from Inside Out 1. And yeah, there is actually a very small cameo of Inside Out 2 in the fireworks show at the end if you keep an eye out."

All in all, Sounart shared that Pixar Fest has the "theme of togetherness and friendship," and that has spread across all the festivities at Disneyland Resort.

"I always think of coming to the park with my family or friends," Sounart said. "And so for me that's what is so meaningful about Pixar Fest is that sense of togetherness and that sense of appreciating your friends and family and having fun together, and so that is what I'm most excited about."

Just Keep Eating, Just Keep Eating

Without a doubt, one of the biggest selling points for Disney Parks' special events is the limited-time themed food and drinks that you can't get anywhere else. Furthermore, a lot of these offerings aren't just delicious treats to enjoy, but they also tell a story and become an extension of the films we all love so much.

Pixar Fest is no exception and there's quite a few options that I got to try that I highly, highly recommend you make the time to try if you can get yourself to Disneyland. You can check out my full thoughts on the items I got to try and see in person in my Best Food at Pixar Fest 2024 Guide and in the slideshow below, but I wanted to share a few top level thoughts with you below for some of my favorites.

My two favorite items I had the chance to check out were actually two items I wasn't able to try, but you better believe I will be doing my best to get back to Disneyland before August 4 to find them! First up are the Nemo and Baby Dory cake pops. I mean, just look at the images above to understand why I fell in love with this immediately. They are SO cute and have such a great attention to detail, including Nemo's lucky fin and the big eyes of baby Dory.

The second is The Marigold Bridge, which is inspired by Coco and literally took my breath away. This cupcake, which is a tri-colored one with cinnamon mousse, cream cheese frosting, and a chocolate bridge with orange chocolate shavings, looks just like the bridge from Coco that let the dead journey back to the land of the living to be with their loved ones. Even though I didn't get to taste it, this is one of the most beautiful pieces of food I've ever seen. It's not often food can make you truly emotional, but that's what happened here and the power of these stories and the incredible artists at work.

From what I got to try, I think my favorite might just be the 'Smoked Fire Wood' BBQ-Spiced Impossible Chicken, which is inspired by Elemental. This delicious not-chicken patty was so crispy and was topped with a delicious hot mustard sauce, some pickles with a perfect bite, and charred onions. The flavors just came together so well and I would never have been able to tell this wasn't chicken, it was that good.

The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Sunday, April 29, include the Glorious GMMK 2, Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, Armored Core 6, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.

Glorious GMMK 2 Keyboard for $64.99

This keyboard from Glorious is one of the best deals you can find today. It's a 96% full-sized keyboard that features a numpad and function buttons. Each of the switches is hot-swappable, which isn't a feature you see too often on a keyboard at this price point. Additionally, the standard keycaps included with the GMMK 2 are double-shot and sit atop custom-made Fox linear switches.

Tekken 8 for $49.99

Tekken 8 is the latest major fighting game to be released for the current generation of consoles. Over 32 characters are already playable, far surpassing titles like Street Fighter 6 or Mortal Kombat 1. The online modes far surpass their predecessors, with good netcode and many different ways to play. In our 9/10 review, we stated Tekken 8 is " an amazing new entry in the long-running series."

Save 10% Off Apple 2024 MacBook Air

Armored Core 6 for $30

Amazon has the Xbox version of Armored Core 6 on sale for just $30. The latest title by FromSoftware is a return to the Armored Core series, with plenty of blitzing action to discover. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating it "lands direct hits where it counts." This price matches the previous low, so it's a great time to pick up the title if you haven't already.

Save 37% Off Quest 2 + Active Pack

The James Bond Collection Blu-ray Set for $51.19

This James Bond Blu-ray set is a deal you do not want to miss. Currently 55% off, The James Bond Collection features 24 total films, which prices out to just over $2 a film. This set includes Spectre, which was one of the more recent films released in 2015.

Save 25% Off Apple Watch Series 9

Assassin's Creed Mirage for $20

Woot currently has Assassin's Creed Mirage available for only $19.99. Ubisoft looked to take the series back to its roots for this release with a classic setting and refreshed gameplay mechanics. You can expect an action title with plenty of stealth abilities to sneak around its map. If you're an Assassin's Creed fan who has felt burnt out with recent entries, Mirage is a refreshing change of pace. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating the game is "a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series."

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $30

Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) for $249.99

Star Wars: Heritage Pack for $39.99

10th Generation iPad for $349

Amazon has the 10th Gen iPad for $349 right now, which is the lowest we've seen the device since it was launched. Powered by the A14 Bionic, this iPad packs a 10.9-inch display, 64GB of storage, Touch ID, and a long battery life. If you're interested in purchasing an iPad but don't want to jump to the iPad Air or iPad Pro, this is an excellent option.

Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. To read the last entry, check out It Is Impossible To Fight Through All of These Men, But Shōgun’s Mariko Managed It Anyway.

This column contains detailed spoilers of Dead Boy Detectives, a spinoff of The Sandman.

The Sandman casts a large shadow, which makes creating a spinoff in the same universe one heck of a tall order. Where the story of Morpheus and his Endless siblings is larger than life, many of the individual stories that take place in the graphic novels are more contained. Things like tone, aesthetic, character motivations, and more should all be their own thing.

If you’ve followed the Dead Boy Detectives saga, you know that the show was first meant to be over at (HBO) Max as a spinoff of Doom Patrol. However, after recasting the two leads and setting up a writing and production team, the series was eventually sold to Netflix. Now, if you follow my column regularly, you know that I believe that Dead Boy Detectives always needed to be at Netflix and connecting to The Sandman universe (as it does in the comics, though Doom Patrol crossovers have happened in previous runs). But, doing so meant that showrunners Steve Yockey and Beth Schwartz had some pretty Endless shoes to fill in the eyes of a lot of fans. So, how did they do it?

By not trying to fill those shoes at all.

While the crossover aspect is still apparent with Kirby Howell Baptiste’s Death in the pilot episode and her presence looming large over Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) throughout the season, and though Donna Preston’s Despair makes an appearance in hell, Schwartz and Yockey were free to play in their own sandbox and really make Dead Boy Detectives their own. And, If you’re wondering if they wanted to see the inclusion of more of The Endless, the answer is no!

“Death and Despair is who we asked for,” Yockey answers after I ask whether or not they had requested more characters and been declined. “It would be fun to drag all of those Sandman characters over, and certainly it would be noisy and get a lot of attention, but that really isn't what Beth [Schwartz] and I are super interested in.”

Obviously, when the show was first created, Yockey and Schwartz didn’t know that they’d have access to these characters at all. Warner Bros. Discovery may have a hand in producing The Sandman, Doom Patrol, and Dead Boy Detectives, but what happens on Netflix and what happens on Max are completely different ball games.

“We designed the show so that it could exist within the Sandman universe without stepping on too many toes,” Yockey notes. “And then when we found out we were going to be on Netflix, we were like, ‘Oh.’ Then Netflix was like, ‘Hey, we love what you're doing, but wouldn't it be cool to have some crossovers in Easter eggs?’ And we were like, ‘What a great idea.’ And so we asked for those two characters for very specific reasons in the storytelling for our boys.”

Of course, with Despair chilling out in hell, I had to ask about head honcho, Lucifer, and Gwendoline Christie’s larger-than-life absence. But, in keeping the spirit of Being Its Own Thing™, Yockey and Schwartz ultimately made the right decision to showcase how huge hell is rather than slip in an additional cameo.

“We wanted to do our own version of hell,” Schwartz explains. “And we obviously mentioned Lucifer, but like Steve said, we're exploring the world of Dead Boys and how Dead Boys exist alongside Sandman. And further we go forward if we are lucky to have future seasons, we'll be able to open up that world a little more.”

Obviously it would have been great fun to see Lucifer before we head into the next season of The Sandman, but ultimately young Edwin never would have escaped hell again had that been the case. If Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus struggles to best Lucifer, it’s unlikely that a mere ghost with fewer than 100 years under his belt is going to manage to get out of their grasp.

With The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives existing in tandem, there’s one final critical story reason that required the latter to be 100% its own thing outside of the occasional cameo: the Seasons of Mist story hasn’t happened in The Sandman just yet. And, with The Sandman remaining relatively faithful to the graphic novels, that limits just how much Charles and Edwin can play with Sandman characters — at least for now. It also happens to be the reason for the slight tweak in their backstory.

“To Alan and Neil and Beth and I, the shows are happening in tandem,” explains Yockey. “Because they're happening at the same time and they haven't gotten to the Seasons of Mist storyline in the Sandman yet, we can't do anything that would allude to that. So that's why the slight tweak to the boys' backstories with Edwin escaping hell instead of being released from hell.”

Story justifications matter a great deal but, for me, it was always important that Dead Boy Detectives had its own vibes both as an ardent Sandman fan and as a critic. Aging up the boys and playing in a contemporary world means that they can play around in ways a 1:1 adaptation never could. Plus, playing more in the human world and learning the possibilities that exist outside of the Endless’ realm gives us an exciting look at the expansion of The Sandman universe on TV.

This story contains spoilers for Challengers. If you haven't had a chance to watch yet, check out our spoiler free review.

Love triangles are a trope as old as time, but Challengers' central entanglement offers a new spin on the cliche. We still get two boys trying to one-up each other for the attention of a girl, but she's not looking for the best one to fulfill a white-picket fence fantasy. Zendaya's Tashi Duncan wants greatness. She demands it of herself and from those who wish to be in her company. It shouldn't come as a surprise that a Luca Guadagnino film is more about Patrick (Josh O'Connor) and Art's (Mike Faist) relationship with each other than it is about their relationship with Tashi, but the dynamic works because Tashi doesn't love either of them. She loves tennis. And it is that love that drives all three of them to the emotional connection they seek.

The movie bounces between timelines, following the trio through college and into their professional careers, examining their shifting power dynamics as Patrick and Art face off in the adult timeline for their shot at competing in the U.S. Open. It's so refreshing to see a female character, especially at the center of a romantic movie, whose primary drive isn't finding a husband and starting a family. Tashi is never coy about what drives her. Art and Patrick are just too distracted by their own dreams and desires for her to listen to what she's saying.

She spells it out for them after the duo sequesters her on a beach after her junior tournament win celebration early on in the film. "You don't know what tennis is," she informs the boys, "It's a relationship." She goes on to explain how her match earlier was like being in love and that she and her opponent "went somewhere beautiful together." The high of a perfect volley is what Tashi is chasing, while Art and Patrick spend the movie attempting to replace that rush for her.

Patrick thinks he's the early winner when he defeats Art in their own junior championship final the day after the beach party and gets Tashi's number but, the thing is, Tashi's attraction to Art at that point in the film has nothing to do with how he feels about her. She instantly admonishes him when she realizes he's trying to manipulate her—"What makes you think I want someone to be in love with me?"—but Art has been putting in the work to be a better tennis player while Patrick cruises at the bottom of the rankings on the pro circuit. That's why Tashi entertains Art's antics. When Patrick asks to stop talking about tennis, Tashi loses interest and their relationship instantly implodes. A few hours later, she tears her knee and Art is there to dry her tears and pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

With her personal aspirations destroyed, Tashi pivots to coaching. She can't be far from the game. Patrick temporarily fades into the background and Art steps up to be the engine for Tashi's new dream. He realizes that positioning himself as the better boyfriend isn't the move, so he swears he'll be the better tennis player. This is the moment where Art seems to understand Tashi the most, but it is also his downfall.

Art's tactic does work for a while. He and Tashi get married and have a kid. They have a foundation and lots of money. He became a very good pro tennis player, almost great, even, but he grows tired and ultimately wants to quit before his promise to Tashi to reach her dream is fulfilled. When Tashi realizes he's giving up, her affection wanes.

Challengers isn't a movie for people with a weak stomach for infidelity. If this movie were about either Patrick or Art finding love with Tashi, then maybe it would matter more how she bounces between the two. But there's a reason that you see the moment she agrees to coach Art but you never see footage of their wedding. Art resents that Tashi doesn't find their marital life enough, but Tashi never wants to be the prize. Her mission throughout the entire film is to get either of these men to want greatness for themselves.

She breaks up with Patrick in the first half of the movie because he doesn't want to talk about tennis and she sees him as an unserious person. She cheats on Art when he announces he wants to quit the game before winning the open, but even the infidelity is about getting Patrick to lose the match against Art so Tashi doesn't have to see her dream deferred yet again. She isn't interested in either of them when they don't respect her love, and her love is being great at the game.

Many people may accuse Tashi of being unlikable because she's not reciprocating the affection of these men but, in truth, she's playing them the same way they are playing her. While she may not be in love with them, she does still care for them. She makes sacrifices for them, especially Art; she encourages them; she inspires them. They are just not able to give her what she truly craves in return, and that frustration grows into resentment for everyone involved.

Each of these relationships comes with conditions. Patrick and Art both love Tashi as long as she makes them shine or feel better about themselves; Tashi loves them as long as they are putting in the effort to be the best after she loses the thing she loves most when she injures her knee. Both Art and Patrick volunteer to be the new vessel for her dream at different parts of the movie, and when they fail to be that for her, she doesn't just see them as disrespectful, she sees them as impotent. In the end, they are all using each other for their own gains. What's so special about Challengers is that no one, even Tashi, gets punished for it. In fact, they are all rewarded in the closing moments of the film.

We are so used to movies that prioritize functional relationships as the end goal. The destination in Challengers is a perfect tennis volley, but it's a metaphor for pushing yourself beyond your limits. When you commit to something wholeheartedly, you can become something greater than yourself. This is a trio of messy, flawed characters but even they can find magic when they drop their pretenses and put their bare souls on the line. It's actually inspiring to think any of us messy, flawed, beings can achieve real connection when we ditch fear and resentment and just hit the damn ball.

The climax of the film takes place at the final for the challengers tournament, culminating in Patrick and Art in competition for a spot in the U.S. Open. By the time they reach match point, Art knows that Patrick and Tashi slept together the night before and Patrick knows that Tashi isn't going to leave Art for him. And none of it matters. It’s here that Guadagnino shows his visionary style as a director.

This final sequence is tense and hypnotic as Art and Patrick swat the ball back and forth. It's a symphony of grunts, sneaker squeaks on asphalt, and the hollow pang of a rubber tennis ball making contact with a racquet. It's sweaty but also sexy as Art and Patrick finally reach the level of tennis that Tashi waxed poetic about on the beach years prior. They understand each other completely, and so does everyone watching. It's like they're in love, or like they don't exist. They go somewhere really beautiful together. Art comes to the net and jumps for the final hit, slams the ball, and collapses into Patrick's arms.

They embrace in the euphoria of the moment. We don't even see who wins the match, because at this point in the story, that’s not what’s important. This is the first time that Art and Patrick understand what Tashi has been chasing since they've known her. The resentment and passive aggression of the past ten years melted in the volley and the former best friends were able to connect in a way they never had before. They never would have reached that moment with another opponent, and they never would have allowed themselves to go there if it wasn't for Tashi pushing both of them. They were finally able to fulfill their promise to her, and everyone wins.

Challengers is now playing in theaters.

The weekend is here, and there are loads of exciting deals you do not want to miss! This Saturday, new deals on some amazing video games, technology, and devices have appeared, and we've rounded up our picks. The best deals for Saturday, April 27, include Tekken 8, 2024 MacBook Air, One Piece Odyssey, Apple Watch Series 9, and more.

Tekken 8 for $49.99

Tekken 8 is the latest major fighting game to be released for the current generation of consoles. Over 32 characters are already playable, far surpassing titles like Street Fighter 6 or Mortal Kombat 1. The online modes far surpass their predecessors, with good netcode and many different ways to play. In our 9/10 review, we stated Tekken 8 is " an amazing new entry in the long-running series."

Save 10% Off Apple 2024 MacBook Air

One Piece Odyssey for $19.99

Save 25% Off Apple Watch Series 9

Assassin's Creed Mirage for $20

Woot currently has Assassin's Creed Mirage available for only $19.99. Ubisoft looked to take the series back to its roots for this release with a classic setting and refreshed gameplay mechanics. You can expect an action title with plenty of stealth abilities to sneak around its map. If you're an Assassin's Creed fan who has felt burnt out with recent entries, Mirage is a refreshing change of pace. We gave the game an 8/10 in our review, stating the game is "a successful first step in returning to the stealthy style that launched this series."

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for $30

Apple HomePod (2nd Generation) for $249.99

There’s a scene in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where Admiral James T. Kirk is visited by his estranged son, David Marcus, following the death of Kirk’s best friend and first officer, Spock. In their exchange, Kirk admits, “I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing.”

Unlike his most famous character, 93-year-old actor William Shatner knows he can’t cheat death. Indeed, he faces his mortality head-on in the compelling new documentary You Can Call Me Bill, available now on VOD.

IGN recently had the opportunity to discuss the film with Shatner, who proved as candid and philosophical musing about his mortality with us as he is in You Can Call Me Bill. (This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

IGN: I found the documentary very moving because I've never seen a star, even in anything autobiographical, be as emotionally open, honest, and raw as you were in this. You're talking about your life, your death. At what point did you feel like, "I want to talk about this and I want to do it on camera"?

William Shatner: Well, over the years you can imagine people came up and say, "We'd like to do a documentary about you." And I would turn them down, "No, it's not time." When Legion M, with their unique way of financing, people are going to get their money back before I get paid sort of thing. And it's now going to be released and we're in a peculiar time in films. Releasing a film that doesn't have all this hullabaloo. So I've been asked over the years to do a documentary about me and I've turned them down.

So here comes Legion M with all their smart guys and then the credentials of the director [Alexandre O. Philippe, who also directed The People vs. George Lucas]. And then my thought [was], "Jesus, I'm an old man. I don't know when that happened. And I better if I'm going to say anything to my children rather than, 'My child, dear old dad is...' I could do it in a documentary and leave what your father, your grandfather was like, to some degree. Here I am, child, in all my blacks and whites, and take me for what I am." I am talking to my family. I keep hearing the word legacy and I keep saying legacy doesn't exist. They tear down the statues, the boats sink, the name comes off the building.

But what I can leave my kids is this documentary and the knowledge that your legacy is based on the good things you do in your life. The people you help, the good deeds, being a Boy Scout even once will make a difference. And if you can sort of keep that in mind, it's what you leave behind. The other things, the money, the fame disappear immediately. If it's not in a day, in a week, if not in a week, in a year. And if not in a year, in the blink of an eye when things rot and decay anyway. So that's what I was thinking. This is a legacy to my kids.

IGN: Talking about mortality can make people uncomfortable. Would you have felt as comfortable exploring that on camera or on the record back when you were a leading man?

William Shatner: I didn't know it, I didn't consciously know it, but looking back sometimes you make intuitive choices based on “oh, that's why I did that” looking back. And I think the reason held somewhere in my brain that I didn't do a documentary before and did this documentary. And without consciously [being] like, “I'm going to be absolutely honest.” It's just that I've discovered over the years that by being yourself and calm, calmness inside and being yourself, you can't do any – if you trust yourself, you can't do anything wrong because that's you.

The question I keep asking myself [is], "How do you know when you're going to die?" How do you know that the cough you just had isn't a harbinger of a heart attack, or it's just a cough? And you get to a certain age, you think, "Wait a minute, am I dying?" You don't know when you're dying, until what? A friend of mine said – the daughter was sitting beside this friend of mine, her mother, sitting on the bed, her mother's dying. And so they're there, the daughter's keeping company. And suddenly the mother says, "Veronica, I'm dying." Like with incredulity at the grotesqueness of dying. "I'm dying." And then thereafter she died. How do you know when you're dying?

IGN: You also talk a lot in the film about nature. What do you think [Star Trek creator] Gene Roddenberry – known for this show that's all about hope in the future – would make of the deeply precarious state of our planet?

William Shatner: I'm sure he would feel exactly what you've just described. He was a tough guy. He'd been through many careers, pilot, policeman, something else, then a writer. And then he had to learn to write. And then somehow this idea of Star Trek came about. He was also a guy who had his own demons. So he was fighting his own personal battle in life and having this Star Trek concept, this voyage to the universe. He would, like all of us, would be angry, hurt, disappointed, so many negative emotions about how... Christ's sake, in our American government today there are people that say there's no such thing as global warming. It's idiotic. All the coral are bleached because of the hot water, the air, the plastics, which we thought would save us are all infecting us. It's terrible.

And yet, I had a program on the air called I Don't Understand, I did an interview show. And one of the guys I interviewed was an award-winner … and I said to him, "I don't understand why all the scientists in the world are [not] getting together for a Manhattan Project to find out the cure for getting rid of all these poisons." And he said, "We are." And subsequent to that conversation of a couple of years ago, I've read and heard and spoken about all kinds of incredible possibilities of cleaning the air, cleaning the water, and cleaning the ground, all kinds of weird inventions and things that scientists have come up with that are just a few years away from being useful.

So I would now do discovery on that and talk to people like yourself about, "My God, do you realize they're this close to taking the carbon out of the carbon dioxide and burying it?" There's pilot programs that are doing that. The water, the cleaning the ocean, suddenly everybody's being galvanized. Not everybody, but a lot of people are being galvanized into action to protect the world. It seems that this growing perception of the danger that we're in is becoming apparent, and it's a race between finding the answer to some of these problems and killing ourselves.

What comes to mind is in my will and now publicly, I've said, "I want to be a tree. When I'm dead, I want a tree planted over my ashes and let the earth feast on whatever I can add," as against some tombstone. And then I wrote a song for this album that's out now called I Want to Be A Tree. Ben Folds plays the piano accompaniment. So that's all apropos of the intertwining of nature. The more I read, the more I talk about it, see how intertwined everything is. So this tree and my body will be intertwined.

You Can Call Me Bill is now available on VOD.