Brad Bird Officially Quits Animation (...kind of)

This past Sunday, the Annie Awards, an annual ceremony for the animation community, was held in Los Angeles. And, as was feared and predicted among us Pixar-lovers, DreamWorks Animation took home almost all of the awards, leaving just one for Pixar (Best Short - Day & Night).

Bigger news than that, however, is that Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant, has officially quit the business of animation forever . . . well, sort of. Watch the hilarious video embedded above to see what I mean--it is his acceptance speech for the coveted Windsor McCay Lifetime Achievement Award. (Oh, and jump to 4:30 for the actual speech.)

Great stuff!

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Teddy Newton on 'Day & Night' picture book

Above you'll find a nice little slideshow narrated by Teddy Newton all about his new Day & Night picture book.

I'd like to thank Chronicle Books for the video, as well as my review copy of the book.

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Thoughts on the 'Day & Night' Picture Book

I had a great day today because I received my review copy of the Day & Night picture book. Based on the great Pixar short by Teddy Newton, this 40-page picture book is a delight. It follows the same plot as the ground-breaking short and has equally-awesome art. While it doesn't strike you quite like the animated short does, it is still a great book due to its style--it almost reads more like a comic than a children's book.

Although it is intended for children, it will feel right at home as a part of your geeky Pixar collection. It fits right into mine.

You can purchase it wherever children's books are sold, or from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

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The Making of 'Day & Night'

Watch that video. Now. It is the making of Day & Night. It shows great drawings and concept art, as well as some great interview footage from the crew of Pixar's upcoming short, Day & Night. The director discusses his inspirations for the short, as well as the 3D aspect of it. Also, it has a brand new clip from Day & Night! It's a great, brief video.

This short is looking better and better, and more and more unique. And, according to the video, John Lasseter agrees. I cannot wait to see it on June 18, before Toy Story 3.

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Clip from 'Day and Night'

/Film has posted an exclusive clip from the upcoming Pixar short Day and Night. The clip is only 15 seconds long, but it gives us a pretty good idea about what the style of the short will be.

Watch it here.

I cannot wait to see this short. The character animation looks very classical. Very 50s. Very Eric Goldberg-y, even. Based on the unique style and the character animation, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be my favorite Pixar short yet.

We'll find out on June 18...

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New Still from 'Day and Night'

PixarTalk has just posted an exclusive still from the upcoming Pixar short Day and Night. See it above. This style of putting 3D images within 2-Dimensional characters looks like it will make for a very unique and cool short film that I cannot wait to see.

PixarTalk has also posted a picture of Teddy Newton, the director of this short, taken by Pixar's "photographer extraordinaire" Debby Coleman.

See this short starting on June 18 before every showing of Toy Story 3.

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Two New 'TS3' Characters: Chatter Telephone and Chunk

Two new Toy Story 3 characters have been announced! Head over to The Pixar Blog for an exclusive 360° view of Chunk, and Cartoon Brew for one of Chatter Telephone.

Chunk's product description is as follows:

Chunk will rock your world! This gargantuan creature sports protective shoulder spikes, while his ferocious fists are ready to smash whatever enemy gets in his way. Chunk’s oversized limbs are fully poseable, making him ready for hours of imaginative fun. As an added bonus, the press of a hidden head spike will spin Chunk's facial expression from friendly to fierce! No batteries necessary.

No word on who will voice Chunk (or even if he'll have a voice), but Chatter Telephone will be voiced by Pixar artist and director of the upcoming short Day & Night, Teddy Newton.

Toy Story 3 comes out on June 18, and that day cannot come quickly enough.

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'Toy Story 3' at ShoWest

Yesterday, Toy Story 3 premiered at ShoWest (a convention for movie theater exhibitors) in fabulous Las Vegas. The film was 85% animated and partially scored, but the consensus among the audience members seems to be fairly unanimous: Pixar has an eleventh masterpiece on their hands. While they aren't allowed to reveal anything about the plot, the critics still have a lot to say:

• Cinema Blend "Toy Story 3 fits perfectly in line with the Pixar legacy, and almost definitely represents the 11th hit in a row for the remarkable studio ...I guarantee you will enjoy this film."

• Jim Hill Media "For starters, you should bring Kleenex. Lots & lots of Kleenex. Because I can guarantee you that you’re going to spend a good portion of the last 30 minutes of this film in tears...I sat in that hall today surrounded by hardened industry professionals. Exhibitors who care more about how much popcorn & soda they’re selling than the movies they’re currently showing at their multiplexes. And these jaded theater owners – as Toy Story 3 entered the home stretch – were openly weeping. Tears streaming down hundreds of faces..."

• ComingSoon.net "Like the best Pixar movies, it's consistently funny, exciting and moving, sometimes all three at the same time... Toy Story 3 is the type of movie that I could definitely see again right away..."

• Entertainment Weekly "This might be one you sneak off to see with your spouse after you’ve watched it once with the kids."

Well, that's quite the accolades for one showing of a film. And a film that's only 85% done. Toy Story 3 already has rave reviews, and the film can only get better from here.

Day & Night, the short coming before Toy Story 3 was also shown and has equally ecstatic reviews. From ScreenCrave: "It was amazing. Simple and smooth, yet poignant and sentimental. The use of colors and sometimes the lack of color, mixed with the fluid and continual movement of the characters was exceptional, even more so than some of their past shorts. . . They manage to cover everything that they achieve with their feature length films in a matter of well placed moments and looks without and unnecessary dialogue. Truly amazing."


Some other tidbits of Pixar news from ShoWest include the above theater display that I'd love to get my hands on, a deal with Dolby, and news about Toy Story 3's soundtrack.

This is all great news! I knew Toy Story 3 would be great, but the great reviews it's getting makes me want to see it even more.

93 days and counting...

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'Toy Story 3 Short: 'Day & Night'

After a year of speculation and rumor, Pixar has finally made the details of their upcoming short public. It is called Day & Night, and will, of course, precede every showing of Toy Story 3. Here is the official synopsis from ComingSoon.net:

When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other's unique qualities--and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world--the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.

Very interesting! A simple idea with tons of comic potential (the basic yet perfect Pixar formula). It is sure to be another beautiful, entertaining short. I especially like the style of animation apparent on the title card shown above (click for a high res version). It is reminiscent of the retro animation from the 1950s. The actual short will no doubt be CG, but I still like the style of the title card.

The short is being directed by artist and character designer Teddy Newton. This is his directorial debut at Pixar. And, the most exciting bit of all, the short will be scored by none other than Michael Giacchino! If you follow Disney, etc. then you'll know that he is my favorite composer (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Partly Cloudy, Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, etc.). I cannot wait to hear what he has done for Day & Night.

Obviously, this short is not the dinosaur short I had previously thought it to be. This makes me want to think that the dinosaur short is either the upcoming short for newt, or it may even be a feature of its own. Mike at The Pixar Blog points out that it could possibly be the unannounced 2013/2014 Pete Docter feature project, with Greg Dykstra as co-director.

More news is sure to surface in the coming months as Toy Story 3's release gets ever closer. Keep checking back for more news all about Toy Story 3, Disney, Pixar, Movies, and everything in-between.

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