Some 'Cars 2' news!

Here are some super-exciting updates related to Pixar's next feature, Cars 2!

First up is the poster heading this article--it was just released. I like the style. Nice n' simple. It ain't no Pooh one-sheet, but it does its job.

As soon as it seemed like we'd seen everything there was to see from Cars 2 until the film's actual release date, I stumble upon something as spectacular as the Japanese Trailer . . . Click here and watch "Japan Trailer 2" for tons of never-before-seen action and pure awesomeness!

A screenwriter is suing Disney, claiming that Cars was his idea. I'm sure that he is just a gold digger who had a similar idea . . . After all, could his tming be any more perfect with the release of Cars 2 just around the corner? Read all about it at The Pixar Blog here.


In June, the first part of a two part comic series, based on Cars 2, will be released by Marvel Comics. The cover is pictured above.

Cars 2, which I am becoming increasingly less skeptical about, will be released later this year on June 24.

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Some Pixar Links: a Grammy, a BAFTA, Some New Cars and Lotsa Toys

There's been a lot of Pixar news recently, and I decided I'd share it with you like the good, little Blogger I am. You'll find it all packaged, nice 'n' neat, below . . .


Toy Story 3, ever the favorite of everyone, has won two more awards: a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album and a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature. Good job, Pixar! Now all that's left is for the Academy to give you that award for Best Picture.


New Cars 2 characters have been announced, including some voiced by John Turturro and Eddie Izzard. Those are two very funny and wonderful actors, so I am very excited that they will be joining the cast of Pixar's next film. However, the fact that the cast keeps growing on the film is making me anxious . . . is Pixar really being this gimmicky with their film and marketing campaign? I haven't had a good feeling about Cars 2 from the get-go, but let's hope that I'm wrong.



Last but not least, we have Pixar at the American International Toy Fair! Watch the embedded video above for the scoop, including Michael Caine revealing a life-size Finn McMissile, and an on-stage discussion with voice actors Caine and Emily Mortimer. Also check out this link and this one and, for kicks, this one for more of the Cars 2 toy announcements from the fair . . . and you know there's lots of 'em! Disney loves merchandising, especially when it comes to Cars.

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JHM: TS3's Producer and her Journey to Success

Briefly: Recently published on Jim Hill Media is a very interesting article on how Darla K. Anderson, producer of A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Cars, and Toy Story 3, got her start in show business and landed the dream job of a lifetime.

It all started with her luckily running into a bigwig from Hollywood, some menial tasks at random production houses, and the eventual discovery of a little studio called Pixar. She was initially hired (after 18 months of holding out for Pixar to actually start hiring) as the head of the commercial division at the struggling studio while they also began production on Toy Story. After proving her worth in the commercial division, she was given the job of producing A Bug's Life, which, as she states in the article, "was the film that proved that Pixar wasn't a one hit wonder."

The article goes on to discuss her role with Toy Story 3, and more about her and Pixar Animation Studios in general. It is a very interesting read, especially for people trying to break out into the movie business (like yours truly). Read all about Darla's wonderful story of luck and persistence here.

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'Cars 2' News!! (Lasseter directing + new logo + concept art)

The title says it all, folks. There's plenty of new news regarding Pixar's next feature, Cars 2.

First of all, contrary to what was previously believed, John Lasseter will be the director of Cars 2. Up until now, we all thought that Brad Lewis (producer of Ratatouille) was set to direct. Instead, he'll be serving as co-director, still not a position to scoff at by any means. It is possible that Lewis was going to direct at one time, but the heavily-rumored development problems probably led to Lasseter taking on a bigger leadership role. Lasseter hasn't found time to direct a feature since the original Cars, most likely due to his busy schedule as the chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, and principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering. He is one lucky, busy man...

Up's associate producer, Denise Ream will be producing.

The next bit of news is the above embedded video. Released by the marketing folks at Disney, it has been christened a teaser trailer/logo reveal. No surprises here; it doesn't even showcase any new footage from the film. Although Luxo, Jr. firing a laser was super cool.

Super duper cool.

I still don't know what to make of Cars 2. The first Cars is definitely at the bottom of my Pixar list--don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful, great film. But I don't think that it is of the same caliber as Monsters, Inc. or Toy Story or any of the other Pixar films. I know that Lasseter will focus on story and he knows what he's doing, but I'll remain skeptical until the film's release next year...

Finally, check out some glorious concept art (like the image at the top of this post) here, courtesy of Empire.

Cars 2 will be released in 3D on June 24th of next year.

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Radiator Springs Racers Sneak Peek

Briefly: In 2012, a brand new land at Disney's California Adventure will open: Cars Land. Based on the classic Pixar film Cars, the land is a part of a massive renovation going on at the park that has been in the works for several years.

Above you can see a "sneak peek" at one of the vehicles for the Radiator Springs Racers, an Autopia-type attraction that is being billed as the E-ticket ride for the new land.

Those cars look like they are going to be very cool. This is getting exciting.

Source: Disney Parks Blog

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ABC Brings You A Christmas Special and Pixar Short Films

ABC always kicks it up a notch when the holidays come around. Well, the holidays have come around, and kick it up, they have. First, I'd like to talk about the new Christmas special that will be premiering on December 1. It is called Prep & Landing and is the story of an elite group of covert elves that prep the homes before Santa's arrival. It is the first special created by Walt Disney Animation Studios that will be shown on ABC. And, since it was created there, John Lasseter has had quite a bit to do with its production, so we should all expect great things from the half an hour long, computer-generated special. Watch some great behind the scenes videos at this link. They have some great interviews, clips from the special, and some really interesting animation secrets revealed. Look for Prep and Landing on ABC this 1st of December at 8:30/7:30c.


Also coming up on ABC is a two-hour special showcasing, for the first time ever on television, the Pixar Shorts! They will show every short from The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. to Boundin', the Cars Toons to Presto. Even though I have them all on DVD, I look forward to watching them all in a row; I hope there are introductions and perhaps some behind-the-scenes footage, as well. But, even if there isn't, it should be very nice to see all of my favorites again (my top three are For the Birds, Presto, and Boundin'). This special will air on December 2 as a part of ABC's 25 Days of Christmas. Check out the press release at AWN. Even though it isn't entirely Christmas-related, those two straight hours of Pixar shorts will be a wonderful watching experience... So nice to know there are jackalopes around.

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Day One of D23 and Other News

With the D23 Expo underway, as well as the Disney Studio always wheelin' and dealin', I've got a lot of news for you. Right here, right now:

• This first piece of news is Disney-related, but not D23-related. Guillermo Del Toro, one of my favorite writer/directors of such films as Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, has opened up an animation studio. This studio is known as "Disney's Double Dare You!". That's right: Disney's. One of Hollywood's best obscure/creepy filmmakers has opened an animation company within the walls of Disney Studios. The studio will be under the watch of Dick Cook and (hooray!) John Lasseter. Del Toro is very busy with his current slate of upcoming films, but will direct for DDDY (Disney's Double Dare You!) in the future. The current project at DDDY is Trollhunters, written (but not directed) by Guillermo who is also producing. So what should we expect from this new studio? Will the films be truly creepy, or just Coraline creepy? Will they appeal to kids, or to adults? I don't know...

• The Associated Press is reporting that 'Pirates 4' is officially official. It has a real title: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," and Johnny Depp is, of course, its star. The film will be released in 2011. I can't wait! Although I am not a huge fan of the 2nd and 3rd 'Pirate' films, I do love the character of Jack Sparrow.

• The D23 Expo is going on right now! To see what happened on day one, I'd recommend you check out the following links:

1. WDWNewsToday; Some stuff from the CarsLand room, and, mostly, the Disney Legends ceremony.
2. Disney and More: The really great-looking Imagineering Legends session.
3. Cinematical has an article about Tron at the D23 Expo, as well as a huge gallery of pictures from it.
4. The LA Times documents both days of the expo thus far, but mainly the stars that showed up, which include John Travolta, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton. (The OC Register has a similar article.)
5. Jim Hill discusses an upcoming D23 presentation which will showcase what The Muppets ( I sure do love those little guys) will be up to in the next couple of years.

There is even more Disney news out there. Upcoming Pixar is reporting that Cars 2 is going to be a "Hitchcockian Spy Thriller." Their source is Mr. Lasseter who is quoted to have said:

Mater, who we know from the series of cartoon shorts Mater’s Tall Tales (more on that in our blog in a minute) is prone to exaggeration, gets involved in a "Hitchcockian" case of mistaken identity, saves the life of a British secret agent called Finn McMissile (who looks a heck of a lot like an Aston Martin) and becomes embroiled in a huge spy thriller. Only no-one believes him.

And, finally, here is the newest trailer for the upcoming Disney film, The Princess and the Frog. This movie keeps looking better and better:



That's all the news for now, but stay posted since we still have more Expo news headin' your way.

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Free Pixar Comic!

Briefly: Everybody's favorite holiday is coming up. . . That's right! May 2nd is Free Comic Book Day! This is the 8th year of free comics books, and Disney, as usual, is contributing. But this year, instead of their usual Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse comic, they are sending out something from Emeryville.

Cars #1 from BOOM! Studios (pictured at the top of this post) will be one of many comics that will be available at any participating retailer for free on May 2. From the official Free Comic Book website, here's the comic's synopsis:

Take a peek under the hood of BOOM! Studios' line of Cars comics, based on the hit Disney/Pixar movie! This issue includes an exciting excerpt from Cars #1, revealing the plucky origin of Lightning McQueen! In addition, readers will be treated to never-before-seen sketches, character designs and script pages!

The Cars comic is listed as one of their 10 "Gold Comics" for this year, making Pixar, as usual, the best of the best.

I can't wait to get my free Pixar comic!

Oh, and, by the way, you can download a 5 page preview of the comic right now!

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'Toy Story' and 'Cars' Becoming LEGOS

Today, Disney made a deal with LEGO (Here is the press release). Coming out in 2010, a series of LEGO sets will be released, and they will be great.


The most exciting of the sets being released is a series of Toy Story LEGOs--they will depict scenes from the Toy Story movie franchise in anticipation of the release of Toy Story 3.

This, of course, is not the official Toy Story LEGO set as it won't be released for another year, but this is just a makeshift LEGO creation, you can find an article on it here.

Another LEGO release in June of 2010 will be a series of Cars DUPLO sets. This is also being released in anticipation of Cars 2. The DUPLO sets are generally made for younger kids and they usually use larger LEGO pieces, but are still fun, especially if they depict Cars characters!

A Prince of Persia: Sands of Time LEGO set will also be released by Disney and LEGO.

I can't wait! I love LEGOS and Pixar. These Cars and Toy Story LEGO sets are sure to be truly great additions to the LEGO collection of products. I can hardly wait!

Source: Upcoming Pixar

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Doc Hudson and Slinky the Dog are Getting New Voices

Pixar is in some trouble. The actors who voiced Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and Slinky the Dog (Jim Varney) are both deceased. Pixar is in the planning stages of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2, so the obvious question arises, "What to do about the lack of voice actors for your characters?"

MTV got the answers from John Lasseter.

He starts off by commenting that Paul Newman was unable to record any dialogue before his death. He has this to say about Mr. Newman:

It's been really sad because I had a great friendship with Paul, and he was so impressive to work with in 'Cars' — [he] really made that character. So I have fond, fond memories of him. Not only did he make a great character, but he became a great friend of mine too, so I'm gonna really miss him.

John Lasseter says that they still don't know what they will do about Doc Hudson's voice in their upcoming feature, Cars 2. He comments that they aren't even sure if the mentoring automobile will make an appearance in the 2011 release.

Toy Story 3 has a similar problem. Jim Varney, the voice of Slinky the Dog passed away in 2000. Pixar still doesn't know how they'll deal with this dilemma either, but Lasseter comments that "we found actually an old friend of [Varney's] who sounds an awful lot like him — another actor that's going to be doing that voice."

Jim Varney (left) voicing Slinky the Dog for 'Toy Story'

So, there ya have it, another possibility may be a replacement, or they could write him out too, which would be an awful shame; I like Slinky the Dog.

It is very sad that two talented actors passed away so suddenly, but I am curious to see how Pixar will deal with this predicament. But, whatever the case, I am sure that Pixar will continue to make quality movies for everybody's enjoyment; they always have and they always will.

Source: The Pixar Blog

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Paul Newman Passes at 83

Hollywood legend Paul Newman passed away Friday night after a long battle with lung cancer. His family was with him in his Connecticut farmhouse when the tragedy occurred. "His death was as private and discreet as the way he had lived his life, a humble artist who never thought of himself as 'big,' surrounded by his beloved family and the close circle of friends," the family said earlier today.


Newman will live on through his movies and philanthropic contributions. Some his films include The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sun-Dance Kid, The Hustler, The Color of Money and Cars, among many other Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated performances.


He wasn't greedy with his fame or fortune, but contributed back to the community, and even made his own line of food products, which have contributed over $250 million to over a thousand charities across the planet.


"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity," Newman's daughters remarked. "Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here,'" said his loving family who, along with all of us, will miss him very much.

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Disney and Pixar Updates Galore

Back in April, a lot of exciting things were announced for the Disney Company, and for Pixar Animation Studios. Cars 2, Toy Story 3, Newt, The Bear and the Bow, The Princess and the Frog... All of these and more were announced not 6 months ago. Today, however, some more information was released to elaborate on the releases of these hopefully great movies.

First of all, Cars 2 got a lot of updates. It was pulled back a whole year from its expected release date! Now it is slated for summer 2011, instead of summer 2012. As of right now, Pixar has 3 movies scheduled for 2011! Newt and Cars 2 for the summer, and a holiday release for The Bear and the Bow. That was already a record for Pixar to have 2 films released in one year, and no one was expecting a third! This may seem impossible, but John Lasseter talked about Cars 2 and its early release date: "

Our animators are currently working around the clock, and that the plot will feature Mater getting his passport as he and Lightning McQueen travel around the world.

How exciting! Not only are some plot lines revealed, but we get to see it an entire year earlier! Another Cars-related tidbit announced today, is that Cars Toons, cartoons featuring your favorite characters from Cars, which will be available to view online, on the Disneyh Channel, and possibly before feature films.


In addition to the exciting Cars 2 news announced, some more was said about Disney's 2-Dimensional feature film, The Princess and the Frog. First, Oprah Winfrey is going to voice the mother of the main princess character. Also, Randy Newman has already written 6 new songs for the movie.

Update: Also announced by Disney, was that Johnny Depp will be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow for Pirates of the Caribbean 4, he will also be appearing in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and will be playing the Mad Hatter, which will be awesome. And, even yet another thing that Depp is doing, is playing Tonto in the Lone Ranger movie.

Sources, MTV Movies, Reuters ,IMDb.com

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Darth Mater: 'Cars' Meets 'Star Wars'

This awesome combination of Mater and Darth Vader is going to be auctioned off on October 25, 2008 at '08 Dream Halloween. It is signed by John Lasseter and George Lucas. Here is the video from Comic-Con 2008, as well as the source link which contains more photos and information:

Source: Take Five a Day

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