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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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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