Animation Roundtable features Lasseter, 'Pooh' director, and a discussion on MoCap

Briefly: Watch the Hollywood Reporter's roundtable discussion with the Animation contenders this awards season. Those in the discussion include Stephen J. Anderson (Winnie the Pooh), Jamie Beard (Tintin), John Lasseter (Cars 2), Chris Miller (Puss in Boots), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2), Carlos Saldanha (Rio) and Gore Verbinski (Rango).

Make sure to watch all three parts of the discussion, which covers a range of topics, including the controversial "motion capture vs. animation" debate.

Enjoy.

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Lasseter doesn't disconfirm 'Toy Story 4'

Since Cars 2 is set to be released this Friday in Britain, Lasseter did a brief talk on BBC Breakfast. The beginning of the conversation is nothing out of the ordinary, as he discusses the filmmaking process at Pixar that most of us are familiar with.

However, his interviewers bring up Tom Hanks' discussion of a Toy Story 4 and try to pry John for answers. He dances around the question and quickly changes the subject, never actually denying that a Toy Story 4 is in the works.

What does this mean?! Will we get yet another installment of Woody and Buzz' adventures with Bonnie's toys? Or is it all just a big conspiracy? . . . Seeing as an IMDb page for Toy Story 4, listing its release as 2015, recently popped up, it's looking more and more like we might see another Toy Story.

I'm still against another Toy Story. Sure, I trust Pixar and know that I would probably love the film they came up with, even if it was another Toy Story. But, to me, Toy Story seems to be all about companionship and "being there" for people you care about. That's why the ending of Toy Story 3 was so tear-jerking, and also a perfect place to leave the toys--they just said goodbye to Andy. They had to let him go. I think that making another Toy Story would undermine the powerful message and superb, poetic ending of the current trilogy.

But who knows? I might take it all back come 2015 . . .

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Hanks says 'Toy Story 4'?

Tom Hanks, whom you may know as Sheriff Woody, recently sat down with the BBC to promote his upcoming film, Larry Crowne.

During the interview, however, his granddaughter comes up which prompts interviewer Tim Muffett to pry Hanks about the possibility of a Toy Story 4. (Video, around 2:26.)

Hanks replies: "I think there will be, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I think they're working on it now. There you go."

Although, it is entirely possible that Tom is just referring to some future Toy Story Toons, which we already expect to come out of the studio. Let's just hope this is the case, especially after the poetic, bittersweet ending of Toy Story 3. It's the perfect place to leave the toys, and it's impossible to top that film's finale.

Or, perhaps we will see another feature with everyone's favorite Cowboy and Space Ranger. If we do, it won't be until 2015 at the earliest.

Developing . . .

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'Cars 2' Interviews Aplenty

With the release of Cars 2 less than 3 days away, the PR push is gearing up big time, and that means, in addition to reviews of the film, tons of new interviews!

I've been searching the internet for fresh interviews, and have found plenty of them for your reading pleasure. Enjoy:

Movies Online talks to Director John Lasseter about his motivations for making a sequel, the story process, 3D, and more stuff. Nothing new or incredibly exciting in the interview, but still a good read to get you excited for this Friday!

Collider has an interview with Michael Caine about the voice work he did for Finn McMissile (as well as some talk about The Dark Knight Rises). It's a good interview, in which Caine discusses the differences between live action acting and animation, this role compared to his past spy roles, etc. Good read.

CinemaBlend and ComingSoon.net both have interviews with Giacchino. He talks about the challenge with this film due to the very different atmospheres in each city, the fine line between an homage to spy films and a parody, his inspirations, etc. Two great interviews with the greatest film composer in the business today.

The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Lasseter, in which he discusses the villain of the film being "Big Oil. Obviously the interview is spoiler-filled, sobe weary, but that also means it's got some new information in it... Read it here.

Finally, Movie Viral has a roundtable (once again) with director John Lasseter. He talks about the animation process, 3D, and more... Nothing groundbreaking in this interview, either, but it'll keep your Pixar Fix at maximum levels until Friday, and that is very important.

Well, those are all the interviews I have for now! Stay tuned for more news on Cars 2 as its release gets ever nearer . . .

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A Great Interview with Guillermo

Guillermo Del Toro recently talked with NY Times' Daniel Zaleweki. The main focus of their discussion concerns his upcoming film At the Mountains of Madness, an adaptation of a classic story by H.P. Lovecraft which is being produced by James Cameron, but it also covers The Hobbit, Frankenstein, and even his childhood. The entire interview is incredibly interesting--the way it's written makes it feel like you're reading a detailed and flowing narrative instead of a simple interview.

It's easier for you to just read it than for me to try and explain it. Read it here.

Oh, and for a laugh, look at the below photo, which features Del Toro enjoying a Lakers game with famed DreamWorks dude Jeffrey Katzenberg. Although I hate seeing ol' Guillermo fraternizing with the enemy, it is an interesting dynamic to picture in your head...

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Interview with Pixar's 3D Director

Head on over to Collider and watch a video interview with Pixar's 3D director Bob Whitehill. While I, as you know, despise 3D, it is an excellent interview that reveals some new tidbits about TS3, Cars 2, and even Brave. Very interesting.

Watch it here.

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'Toy Story 3' Link Round-up: Featurettes, Storyboards, the Screenplay, Interviews, and more!

The Toy Story 3 Blu-ray has been officially released, and I'm planning to watch the complete trilogy back-to-back-to-back this weekend. It's gonna be awesome.

Anyways, to coincide with the release of the Blu-ray and DVD, Disney has released a few things online for our viewing pleasure.

The first is this set of previews, letting you in on what you'll get to see within the Bonus Features section of the Blu-ray.

Next up is a set of storyboards from the "Thrown Away" sequence in Toy Story 3. They are huge images, and slightly cleaner than I'd have expected storyboard drawings to be. Still, they get the action across effectively, and obviously did their job well:






NPR's Fresh Air conducted a wonderful interview with Lee Unkrich and Michael Arndt here. It's definitely worth a listen--if you wondered why you cried at the end of the movie (twice), this will satisfy your curiosity. They talk about everything from advances in technology, to the infamous story retreats, to how Lee thinks of his animators as his actors. Give it a listen if you've got the time. You'll enjoy it. I promise.

Also check out Ned Beatty's (voice of Lotso) recent interview with Hollywood.com here.

I also thought I'd mention this article published in the LA Times yesterday. It predicted a victory for the Conservatives at this year's midterm elections, based purely on the popularity of Toy Story 3. While I think that this theory is completely absurd, it's an entertaining op-ed piece.

Finally, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the complete Toy Story 3 screenplay, written by Michael Arndt, for your reading enjoyment here. It is located on their "Awards" site, which also indicates the other categories that they hope Toy Story 3 will be nominated for. These include Best Original Song for Randy Newman, Best Director for Lee Unkrich, and Best Picture for Darla K. Anderson. See the complete list of potential nominations here.

I'm calling it right now: Toy Story 3 will be the first animated movie to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars. Maybe I'm just being blindly optimistic, but that's how I see it playing out. It really is the most critically-acclaimed and the highest-grossing film of the year. It deserves Best Picture.

I loved Toy Story 3, and am now the proud owner of the complete trilogy on Blu-ray. I'm planning on watching every Toy Story, as well as every special feature, this Friday night. And I can hardly wait.

Next stop: Awards Season!

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Quench Your Toy Story Thirst: Lots of Interviews, Articles, Videos, and More [UPDATED!]

This is it, folks. Toy Story 3 is right around the corner; we have just one more week until we get to see Pixar's eleventh feature in all of its glory.

If you think that the wait is going to be impossible, I have good news for you: this is a super-duper mega post packed to the brim with interviews, videos, featurettes, advertisements, and more, all about Toy Story 3. This thing will take you about a week to get through, then, without you even realizing where the time went, it will be time for you to see the third installment of Pixar's most lovable franchise.

So, without further ado, here's a slew of Toy Story 3 stuff to indulge yourself with:

Two Video Interviews with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen:

There are some great quotes in those interviews. Especially when Tom talks about how emotional he and Tim got during Jessie's song in Toy Story 2. It just shows how powerful Pixar's unique attention to story can be.

TrailerAddict has released 3 new clips from Toy Story 3:

The New York Times has a very interesting article about how director Lee Unkrich and production designer Bob Pauley designed all of the new characters that we'll see in Toy Story 3. Unkrich describes how his "primary goal was to not screw it up. I really wanted to stay true to the world and the characters."

In an article on AMC's Filmcritic.com, Michael Keaton discusses (in great and humorous detail) his TS3 character, Ken.

And, finally, Google and Disney teamed up to bring you the following advertisement. I love these Google commercials, and the fact that it's Toy Story makes it 10 times better. Very clever and cool. It will show before most, if not all, showings of Toy Story 3:

UPDATE: Here are two featurettes entitled Old Friends, New Places and New Faces, respectively. Cast and crew discuss various aspects of making Pixar's next feature. Enjoy:

Wasn't that great?! That took your mind off of the excruciating wait for at least an hour, plus, it was really interesting! I hope you enjoyed the super-mega Toy Story 3 post. Stay tuned for more TS3 news as June 18 gets ever closer.

Only 6 more days...

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Keaton on 'TS3' and Ken

Briefly: The LA Times has a very short article out in which they ask Michael Keaton several questions regarding his role of Ken in Toy Story 3. Among other things, he discusses how it's hard to keep a straight face when talking about such an eccentric character. From what I've heard, Ken is a really, really funny character.

Read all three questions and answers with Keaton here.

Source: The Pixar Blog

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A Great Interview with Lasseter

Briefly: I just finished reading one of the best interviews with Lasseter I've come across. While the title says it's all about The Princess and the Frog, Lasseter covers everything from his inspirations to his Hawaiian shirts to his current workload. It is a terrific read, and I'd highly recommend heading over to The Disney Blog to take a look.

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Tilt-Shift Videos and an Interview

Disney has been releasing Tilt-Shift videos, like the one you can see above, for quite some time now. They are very interesting to watch and never cease to hypnotize me. The art of tilt-shifting is, first and foremost, a photographic principle that Disney has applied to video in the form of stop-motion animation. As you can see, it leads to a very cool effect where everything appears to be miniaturized. Read a really great interview with the man in charge of the videos, Todd Heiden, here.

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Lasseter's Oscar Interview

Reuters did a really great, brief interview with John Lasseter about Up at the Oscars, and about Pixar's success in general. I highly recommend reading it. It doesn't give any information I hadn't known already, but it is a great way to get excited about the mountain of Oscars that Up is sure to win! I think that Lasseter's most interesting answer was this:

I believe in research. Each movie at Pixar involves research with college professors or taking trips to learn as much as we can about a particular subject matter...I have met a lot of top chefs around the world during my travels. Each one of them has said "Ratatouille" is their favorite movie and the only movie that truly captures what they do. Auto Week called "Cars" the best car movie because the details were spot on.

Read the full interview here.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters)

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'Queen' May Overrule 'Elves'

Briefly: It is being strongly rumored by multiple sources that Disney Animation Studios will be releasing a hand-drawn rendition of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen sometime in 2013. Animation producer Peter del Vecho, before any official statements have been made, let this little bit of information sneak out in a recent interview. Due to this new information, the release date for Disney's King of the Elves is under strong speculation.

Source: Blue Sky Disney

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Docter's Original 'Monsters, Inc.' Pitch, New Docter Project

The Creative Screenwriter Magazine's Podcast recently interviewed Up and Monsters, Inc. director Pete Docter. The entire podcast is very interesting, and I recommedn hearing all of it, but the most fascinating part was when Pete revealed his original pitch for my favorite Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc. And believe me, this film turned out quite differently than originally intended:

Well, my idea was that what it was about was about a 30 year old man who is like an accountant or something, he hates his job, and one day he gets a book with some drawings in it that he did when he was a kid from his mom, and he doesn't think anything of it and he puts it on the shelf and that night, monsters show up. And nobody else can see them. He thinks he's starting to go crazy, they follow him to his job, and on his dates, and all this- and it turns out these monsters are fears that he never dealt with as a kid. And each one of them represents a different kind of fear. As he conquers those fears, the guys who he slowly becomes kind of friends with- they disappear as he conquers those fears. It's this bittersweet kinda ending where they go away, and so not much of that stayed...it sounds better as a pitch than it did at the time- anyway.

As you can see, they must have reworked the story hundreds, if not thousands, of times to get to what we eventually know and love as Monsters, Inc. Very interesting.

Download the podcast at the Creative Screenwriter Magazine Blog.


In addition to this recent audio interview, Pete Docter also did an interview with the New York Entertainment section Vulture about his work. He had this to say:

I’m mostly focused on the next film that I have in development already. ...I just started. We finished Up, I took some time off, spent some time in Europe and Japan doing publicity over there, so I’ve only been on this for like a couple weeks," he says

When asked if this upcoming work was the long-rumored sequel to Monsters, Inc., Docter replied:

"I'm not working on [it]... I'm working on something else, but I cannot announce what it is."

The fact that he is not working on it makes me want to think that perhaps the sequel is indeed in the works, just not headed by Docter. Especially since there is a lot of evidence that points to a sequel for Sulley and Mike. Also, what is this secret project of Docter's that should be released around 2013/2014? Whatever it is, I'm sure that it will be wonderful, and I cannot wait to see what it will be. Read the great and complete interview right here.

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Pete Docter on 'Up'

The Good 5¢ Cigar, a student newspaper at the University of Rhode Island, has a great interview with Up director, Pete Docter. read the interview here (after loading the page a few times, it requires registration to view any more articles--so read all you can right away!).


During the interview, Docter discussed how "Carl was fun because he could be a jerk and likable at the same time. He could slam the door in the kid's face and you're like, 'eh, well, he's earned that.'"

Another interesting part of the interview is when Pete Docter was asked if, since Up's main characters are human (a 1st for Pixar), the characters of Up are more easy to relate to. "Even though this might be a bug or a monster or a fish," Docter replied, "there has to be something about what they're going through that I can relate to on some level." Docter also talked about character development in Carl, and in general: "There's this weird thing where the more specific you get, the more generally it applies. If you're foggy about a character's situation then you're always looking at it at arm's length. There's something about Carl's situation that I think appeals to people in some way and that's what we're looking for in any character."


I really like that description of character development by Docter. What he says is very true, but the concept he discusses would never occur to you. Brilliant.


Pete Docter also describes several of the Pixarian's trips to Venezuela: "This one we actually got to go to South America and, right where Venezuela meets Brazil and Guyana, there's this place called Triple Point, and right on that point is this amazing, weird tabletop mountain. It's full of these weird rock shapes and it's very wind swept...It's as close as I'll ever get to going to Mars. It just felt really alien. I kind of think people are going to watch the movie and go, 'Boy you guys have an active imagination. But this is all real, it's actually there."

What a place! I can't wait to see Up to see this gorgeous, exotic place he is talking about. It sounds absolutely incredible.


There's plenty more wonderful stories and tidbits by Pete Docter, director of Up, in the interview.

Up comes out on May 29 of this year! Only 28 more days!

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