New 'Up' Poster and 'UP'-dates to the Pixar Website

Briefly: As its release date draws ever closer, Up is getting a lot more buzz. First off, a new poster has surfaced. You can see it above.

It has a very 3D feel to it (as will the film), and has the first fully animated bodies of Dug and Kevin the dog and the bird. Very cool.

Also, Pixar has updated its website to include information about Up. The picture below is on the home page. The site also includes the teaser trailer and a very brief synopsis on the movie.


The film is set for release on May 29, and you can watch the trailer here.

Source: The Pixar Blog

Read More...

My Oscar Predictions

The Academy just released the nominations for the Oscars. There are some surprises, but nothing too crazy. Here are my predictions and who I think should win, and my reasons behind them:

BEST PICTURE:

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

I think that Benjamin Button and Slumdog are both worthy of winning Best Picture. But, due to the momentum its been gathering after the Golden Globes, I think that Slumdog will win Best Picture, although I wish that WALL-E would have gotten its nomination for Best Picture.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

• Richard Jenkins-The Visitor
  
• Frank Langella-Frost/Nixon
• Brad Pitt-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  
• Sean Penn-Milk
• Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler

I think that Brad Pitt should definitely win this award. He was a very good actor in Benjamin Button. But, unfortunately, Sean Penn will win for Milk. Don't get me wrong, he was great in Milk, but, for political reasons, he'll beat Brad Pitt who was a better actor, in my opinion.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

• Anne Hathaway-Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie-Changeling
• Melissa Leo-Frozen River
• Meryl Streep-Doubt
• Kate Winslet-The Reader

I think that Kate Winslet will win this award--and I am so glad that she was not nominated for Revolutionary Road which looks like the most boring and plotless piece of Oscar-fodder I have ever seen.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Josh Brolin-Milk
• Robert Downey Jr.-Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman-Doubt
• Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight
• Michael Shannon-Revolutionary Road

It's a tie for me between Robert Downey and Heath Ledger for best supporting actor. Downey was really, really funny and witty, and was frankly a good actor (also it would be ironic if he won, since in Tropic Thunder his character is supposed to be an award winner). Heath Ledger will definitely win. Since he is dead, and since he deserves it. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. was amazing and is just as deserving, but Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was so creepy, funny and perfect that he will definitely get this award.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams-Doubt
• Penelope Cruz-Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis-Doubt
• Taraji P. Henson-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei-The Wrestler

I think that Amy Adams will win for her role in Doubt. But I think that Eve from WALL-E should win, but she wasn't nominated.

DIRECTOR

• David Fincher-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard-Frost/Nixon
• Gus Van Sant-Milk
• Stephen Daldry-The Reader
• Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire

I think that David Fincher should and will win for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The film was just phenomenal, mostly due to the direction given by Fincher.

FOREIGN FILM

• The Baader Meinhof Complex-Germany
• The Class-France
• Departures-Japan
• Revanche-Austria
• Waltz With Bashir-Israel

Waltz With Bashir should and will win for the foreign film category.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Eric Roth and Robin Swicord-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• John Patrick Shanley-Doubt
• Peter Morgan-Frost/Nixon
• David Hare-The Reader
• Simon Beaufoy-Slumdog Millionaire

This one is a tie for me between Slumdog and Benjamin Button. I'd be happy if either movie won, since they were both great films with great stories. But since I have to predict the winner, I'll say Slumdog due, once again, to its momentum from the Golden Globes.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Courtney Hunt-Frozen River
• Mike Leigh-Happy-Go-Lucky
• Martin McDonagh-In Bruges
• Dustin Lance Black-Milk
• Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter-WALL-E

WALL-E!! It was the best movie of last year. It didn't get nominated for Best Picture, so it had better win this category. You cannot deny that WALL-E's story is one of romance, action, sci-fi, adventure, and a truly touching connection between two things that we didn't think could love. The tie-in with Hello, Dolly! is brilliant, the character of WALL-E is flawless, especially having the eyes be the only "emotional indicator". WALL-E hands-down had the best screenplay of last year. It should, and will, and had better win the best original screenplay.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• WALL-E

Look at my response to the previous category. Do I need to repeat myself? Nope. GO WALL-E!

ART DIRECTION

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Duchess
• Revolutionary Road

I want Benjamin Button to win this one as well; I can't stress enough how much I loved this movie. Its style. Its subtly. Its use of time periods and its character development. Alas, I think that they will give this one to The Dark Knight, which also had good art direction.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

Benjamin Button will win this award, for good reason. There were some points in the movie where I thought, "This cinematographer really knows what he is doing". The shots were just perfectly lined up. Button should and will win this one.

SOUND MIXING

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

WALL-E! It had the best sound mixing. It should win, but, unfortunately, Hollywood doesn't yet take animated movies seriously. Hence the lack of a Best Picture nom for WALL-E. So, sadly, The Dark Knight is gonna take this one for the fancy BatPod sounds.

SOUND EDITING

• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E
• Wanted

See my reply to the last category. I think WALL-E should win, but The Dark Knight will.

ORIGINAL SCORE

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-Alexandre Desplat
• Defiance-James Newton Howard
• Milk-Danny Elfman
• Slumdog Millionaire-A.R. Rahman
• WALL-E-Thomas Newman

I think that Benjamin Button and WALL-E both had equally great scores. The score for Button captured the changes in time and the characters' emotions perfectly. WALL-E's score also portrayed the loneliness, longing for love, and space travel perfectly. But, since Hollywood doesn't think that animated movies are worthy of "real" awards, I think that Button will win.

ORIGINAL SONG

• Down to Earth from WALL-E-Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
• Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire-A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
• O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire-A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

I want WALL-E to win as many awards as it can, as you may have noticed. So, I think that WALL-E should win this one, but Slumdog will.

COSTUME

• Australia
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Duchess
• Milk
• Revolutionary Road

Benjamin Button should and will win this one. The costumes helped the audience to really transport themselves to that specific time period.

FILM EDITING

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

The Dark Knight will win this one. Although it is a tough call between that and Button.

MAKE-UP

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I would say that Button should win this one, but most of that was digital, so I think that Hellboy II should get it. Hellboy's make-up is awesome and realistic. Plus Guillermo Del Toro is really cool.

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• La Maison en Petits Cubes
• Lavatory — Lovestory
• Oktapodi
• Presto
• This Way Up

Definitely Presto. It was witty, relatable, fantastic and superbly animated. It was very creatively stylized and had a hilarious premise. Presto will, thankfully, win this one.

VISUAL EFFECTS

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man

This is a very tough one to call. I thought that the special effects in each of these movies was awesome. They are all deserving and all have the same chance at winning this one. I think that all of them should win it, but I think that Iron Man will win it. It has to win at least one award, right?

So, those are my predictions for the 81st Academy Awards. (You'll notice that I cut about 3 categories since I hadn't seen any of the films in them). As you can tell, I loved WALL-E, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Dark Knight. Button got the most nominations at 13! Yay! Although I am very dissappointed that WALL-E didn't get a Best Picture nomination, and that it won't win big since it isn't considered to be a "real movie" when it is better thanevery other movie out there this year. Oh well. I guess only the actual results will let us know...

Read More...

New 'Up' Clip Revealed at CES (UPDATE: Video Removed!)

Briefly: During a presentation put on by Sony at CES, they showed the capabilities and the new features of Blu-ray players, and Pixar got a moment to speak. Lasseter discussed Disney Digital 3D and the Blu-ray format. But, even more exciting than that, he showed us an extended clip from Pixar's upcoming feature Up. Here it is:




It is directed by Pete Docter and is set for release on May 29, 2009. See the trailer here.

Update: Oh no! The video has been removed! Probably due to legal issues... Oh well. Still feel free to follow the link above to watch the trailer.

Source: The Pixar Blog

Read More...

Winnie-the-Pooh Returns to the Hundred Acre Wood

It was over 80 years ago that A.A. Milne wrote The House at Pooh Corner, his second book based upon a lovable bear (which, in turn, was based on his son's stuffed bear). It was the two original books written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard that created the characters we know most commonly today as Disney's. But the only true spirit of Pooh and his friends are found in the original, wonderful books from the 1920s.


Now there will be another Pooh book. No not a cartoon-y Disney commissioned sequel, but one authorized by Milne and Shepard's estates; it is the first authorized sequel that will continue the original storyline created by Milne. It is tentatively titled Return to the Hundred Acre Wood and will be written by David Benedictus (who has converted the Pooh books to audio CD) and illustrated by Mark Burgess. According to the Telegraph, the man in charge of Milne's estate has said the following:

We have been hoping for a good many years that we might one day be able to offer the world a sequel which would do justice to the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

We believe that David Benedictus and [illustrator] Mark Burgess have captured the spirit and quality of those original books.

We hope that the many millions of Pooh enthusiasts and readers around the world will embrace and cherish these new stories as if they had just emerged from the pen of A. A. Milne himself.

I hope that this new book will do the original Pooh books justice, as they are very good stories. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney and their depictions of Winnie the Pooh, but with their recent CG attempt at Winnie the Pooh with Christopher Robin being replaced with a girl is, quite frankly, terrible. I love the original series The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but I don't think that anything will replace Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh stories.

The book is planned for release on October 5, 2009, setting it up for potentially lucrative Christmas sales.


Source: The Telegraph

Read More...

WALL-E Dominates Rotten Tomatoes' Golden Tomato Awards

Briefly: Rotten Tomatoes has recently released their 10th Annual Golden Tomatoes Awards winners. WALL-E won the best Animated Feature, and, the most prestigious award given out, the Best Wide Release movie (meaning that it was the best movie in the list of those awarded). It beat The Dark Knight which got 2nd place, Iron Man in 3rd place, Bolt in 8th place, and Tropic Thunder in 9th place.

Now all that's left for WALL-E, besides being the best animated feature at the Golden Globes, and earning $528,615,841 at the worldwide box office, among other awards, is the Academy Awards!

Go WALL-E!!

Read More...

Disney Revisits the Nature Genre

After Walt had established his studio and had already created several animated features, he decided to create some live-action nature videos. His studio continued production on Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland while, in the meantime, it began production of these nature films. It was the late 1940s and the wilderness movies included True-Life Adventures and, in 1948, On Seal Island.

Well, the Disney company has decided to revisit the nature genre with Disneynature. As defined by Disneynature.com, the new division of the studio is a "new label dedicated to working with leading filmmakers to produce one cutting-edge theatrical release each year celebrating the wonders of the world in which we live in."


The website (Disneynature.com) has some stunning videos and pictures that make me pretty excited for the upcoming Disneynature movie called earth (you can also find the trailer on the website). It will bring the moviegoers on a "truly global journey" told through the stories of three different mothers struggling to raise their children. The mothers and children are Arctic Polar Bears, Humpback Whales and Elephants. The movie will be released on April 22, 2009, but I am not sure where or how it will be released.

Read More...

Exciting New Things at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure

I just visited Disneyland for New Year's Eve. Despite the park being the most crowded I've ever seen it, the park has also experienced some recent additions (besides the Christmas decorations around the park and in several rides).

One of the new excting additions can be found in Disney's California Advenure. There is a new, small room next to the vinery called Blue Sky Imagineering. It is a room with dioramas, signs, information, and videos all about what the imagineers plan to do with DCA in the near future. Here are some pictures (They were all taken on the iPhone's low quality camera in less than desirable lighting, so I apologize for the picture quality):

The entrance to Blue Sky Imagineering

An introduction to the room that you see upon walking in the entrance.

A picture of Walt up on the wall, acknowledging that he is the great man that started everything.

An example of what DCA's "Main Street" will be like. (I can't wait!)

DCA's soon-to-come-true map.

Artists' Renditions of the new DCA.

Basically just what the room looks like.

A model of the red cars that will run up and down Buena Vista Street in Disney's California Adventure.

A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.

A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.

A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.

A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.

A model of the soon-to-be-renovated Paradise Pier with new shops and boardwalk games.

A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.

A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.

A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.

A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.

A diorama of California Screamin' which will be renovated to fit the theme of California in the 1920s.

Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon and riders will be conducted by Mickey Mouse as they get caught up in a storm.

Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon and riders will be conducted by Mickey Mouse as they get caught up in a storm.

Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon.

A close-up the previous image where an iPhone is cleverly hidden.

Artists' renderings of the upcoming dark ride attraction based on The Little Mermaid.

Artists' renderings of an upcoming attraction. It will be a renovation of the swings which currently reside in an orange. The swings will be themed as The Band Concert, the Silly Symphonies cartoon.

Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.

Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.

Artists' renderings of DCA's try at a Fantasmic. I personally dislike Fantasmic, but hopefully this light and fountain spectacle will be more impressive.

Some of the developmental materials for my favorite ride in California Adventure--Toy Story Midway Mania.

Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.

Some more artists' renderings and a mention of a 12-acre Cars land which will be coming in 2012.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.

Some more artists' renderings of the renovated park in general and how it will look like California as it was in the 1920s.

Some artistic renderings of what the new and improved boardwalk games will look like.

Some artistic renderings of what the new and improved boardwalk games will look like.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

A neat desk-type set-up with interesting curios and a cartoon-like map of the new DCA.

A close-up on one of the drawings found on the desk.

They have a little quiz you can take about the history of Disney in the 1920s, and this is one of the various screens you see during the course of play, but I found something very interesting and very exciting. Look at the logo near the top that is "engraved" in the metal. It is the WED logo for Walt Disney's first Imagineering division! (It stood for Walter Elias Disney) The name changed during Eisner's reign to Walt Disney Imagineering, but it appears that Lasseter may be bringing it back! One can only hope...

And there is even more news from Disneyland park in California! In Disneyland, a new addition is Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough. Here are some pictures I took while walking through the new attraction (these pictures were taken on an iPhone, so they are only 2.0 megapixels with less than desirable light). You walk up to an entrance on the side of the iconic castle, Then you walk through the story of Sleeping Beauty. It is told through a "storybook", lighting effects, models with forced perspective, and some of the Imagineers other fantastic techniques. Here are most of the items found in the walkthrough:

















And there is Sleeping Beauty's Walkthrough! It is now open in Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in California.

Well there's all of the new things happening at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.

Read More...