Making a Pizza Planet Truck

Remember that real-life Up house that got a bunch of attention a few months ago? Yeah, that was awesome. And awesome in more than one way, it turns out, since I'm guessing that project is what inspired these guys to make their very own Pizza Planet truck.

The project, a documentary entitled The Road to Pixar, is being produced by a group of young film students who have gathered inspiration from Pixar's many films, and want to pay the studio homage. Once the truck is complete, which will include every detail from the dirty yellow paint to the "YO" on the tailgate, it'll go on tour hitting up college campuses along its journey to Emeryville, CA, where they hope to show their hard work off to the folks at Pixar.

Being filmmakers, they intend to document the whole process of creating the truck. Not only that, but during their road trip they're going to "interview as many people as possible about how they have grown up with the Pixar film canon (The Toy Story trilogy especially) and how it has effected their lives."

To complete their project, however, they have gone to the World Wide Web for fundraising help. Their IndieGoGo page asks for donations ranging anywhere from $1 to $1,000, each price tier giving you a little something for your cash, including DVDs of the film, your name in the credits, and even replicas of parts form the car.

Help them out if you can. They're far from their $4,500 goal and only have a couple of weeks left. I think it's a very worthwhile endeavor.

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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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Unkrich on 'Win, Lose, or Draw'

Well, the director of Toy Story 3, Mr. Lee Unkrich, has kept his promise to post an embarrassing video of himself after reaching 100k followers on Twitter. The video, embedded above, features Mr. Unkrich on an old 80s game show, Win, Lose, or Draw.

Unkrich prefaced the video with these three facts:

1. I was 20 years old
2. I was plump
3. I was coerced into buying that sweater by the show’s producers

Very nice.

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'TS3' auctions to support Japan

Briefly: Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich is having another set of charity auctions on eBay, this time to help the earthquake victims of Japan. There are only two items this time around, as opposed to the smorgasbord of items he offered for Haitian relief.

The items include an awesome, limited edition print (pictured to the left) from the film's story artist Adrian Molina and the complete TS3 soundtrack on a two-disc set, exclusive to Pixar employees.

The bid amounts are really getting up there, but if you love Pixar and want to support a good cause, get bidding!

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Pixar POP! figures to enter Disney Stores, empty my wallet

To the left of this text is a POP! figure, and it is planning to steal my hard-earned cash as I type this sentence.

At just four inches tall, it's adorably simple and, of course, lovingly Pixarian. It is one piece of a more massive collection of POP! figurines, including Woody, Buzz, Mike Wazowski, Mickey Mouse, and Maleficent, with "Incredibles, Lotso, Boo, Jack Skellington, Minnie Mouse, Belle, Steamboat Willie, the Beast, and more surprises" set to come.

Some Pixar and Disney bobble heads are expected to pop up in a similar style, as well.

Wave One of these beauties, which includes the mentioned Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story characters, as well as mickey and Maleficent, is expected to hit North American Disney Stores and DisneyStore.com this May.

Oh boy . . . !

Source: Pixar Talk

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Unkrich in TIME's 'Influential People' Poll

Any of you who thought that TS3's award season had run dry are gravely mistaken. Everyone's favorite Toy Story 3 director, Lee Unkrich, has been nominated for yet another award: TIME Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People of 2011!

Fellow nominees include Lady Gaga, Mark Zuckerberg, and Barack Obama. Currently, Mr. Unkrich is 32nd out of 203 nominees, beating out Kanye West, Christian Bale, Oprah, George Clooney, and Christopher Nolan, as well as 171 other high profile celebrities, government officials, etc.

Help a Pixarian make the list of TIME's Top 100 Most Influential People of the Year by voting for Lee here.

See the current results of the poll here.

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Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation Stills

Above and below you will find the just released, hi-res stills from Pixar's upcoming short, Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation. The short will be attached to Cars 2 (and we will be treated to yet another Toy Story short before the upcoming Muppets film), and it looks like lots of hilarious fun . . . Awesome!!

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Newman Talks Oscars, Pixar

Briefly: Read this interview. It's with Randy Newman and its about Pixar. What more could you ask for?...

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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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Happy Birthday Pixar! (with Link Round-up!)

It was 25 years ago today that the best movie studio of all-time officially came into being. Above you will find their original logo--it would soon be replaced, however, by a cute little lamp named Luxo, Jr.

Over at Cartoon Brew you can read Pixar's full, original press release from February 3, 1986. It is very interesting to see what the studio thought of themselves then, without having known how successful and iconic they would become.

At The Pixar Blog you can read the wonderful story of Pixar's creation from David A. Price, author of The Pixar Touch.

Anywho, in honor of Pixar's illustrious 25 years (and having being my favorite film studio of all-time), here is a massive Pixar link round-up for your reading pleasure:


Probably the most exciting bit of news is that Randy Newman will perform his Oscar-nominated song from Toy Story 3, "We Belong Together," live, during the Awards ceremony on February 27. Also performing will be Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi accompanied by Alan Menken with their piece "I See the Light" from Disney's Tangled. I am much more excited for Mr. Newman's performance since, as you know, the music from Tangled didn't exactly knock my socks off, whereas I just loved all of the songs from TS3. Just writing this post got the chorus of "We Belong Together" stuck in my head . . . again.

While we're on the subject of the Academy Awards and the third Toy Story, it's worth mentioning that Lee Unkrich and Teddy Newton (director of Day & Night) will both be on-hand at a symposium at the Smuel-Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on February 24 to join all other nominees in the Animation categories in order to "discuss their films' development and their creative processes as well as present clips illustrating their techniques." Let's hope these discussions will be recorded and uploaded to the worldwide web so we can all get our Pixar-thirsty, grubby little mitts on 'em.

Now, while we're on the subject of Day & Night, it has recently won the VES (Visual Effects Society) Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short. It is no surprise that the short won for its visual effects--it definitely broke several barriers in the field by combining classic 2D animation techniques with the world of CG... TS3 was also nominated, but lost to How to Train Your Dragon.


Above, you will find a picture of Tom Hanks recording his voice for an upcoming Toy Story Toons short, most definitely the short that will be attached to Cars 2, whose synopsis can be found here. He is surrounded by the energetic crew of animators (turned directors): Angus McClane, Bobby Podesta, and Scott Clark.

Speaking of Pixar shorts, in a recent interview with AWN, Reher of Pixar, leaked some info about future Pixar shorts. Reher told AWN that:

It's funny, the new film we're finishing production on now, which will be attached to Brave in 2012, it's three characters and two sets, and man, how easy it is. It's different, there're no gags…

It's beautiful, it's lyrical, it's very different from all the other ones. It's amazing how easy it can be when you just have 3 characters and 2 sets."

Read the rest of the larger discussion with Newton, Reher, and Wellins for more interesting tidbits on Pixar, their short films, and the overall process.


It has long been said by many that Lee Unkrich looks like Office regular Andy Bernard (played by the always-funny Ed Helms). To secure any and all suspicions, Mr. Unkruch went to the set of The Office and took the above photo, tweeting: "Amazing day visiting set of The Office. How is it that all these people are so incredibly cool and friendly? Reminded me of Pixar." This is not the first time that Pixar and The Office have united--Woody and Up and numerous other Pixar-related themes and characters have made their way onto the show in the past. Being a huge Pixar and Office fan, I think it is all very, super cool.

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That's all the Pixar news out there for now! (Unless you call the constant "leaking" of new Cars 2 characters news. If that's the case, head over to TPB for the scoop).

Once again, Happy Birthday, Pixar! It's been 25 wonderful years of great films, whimsical stories, and truly timeless characters.

I cannot wait to see what the next 25 years will bring . . .

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The Oscar Noms and My Predictions

Well folks, it's that time of year again, and award-winning is in the air. The Oscars are taking place in just over a month, and, right on schedule, the nominations were announced today. No real surprises as far as the nominations go, although perhaps a but more noms for The King's Speech than expected--although this isn't a bad thing, seeing as it was a wonderful film. Still, the list is worth a look.

Below you will find the complete list of nominations, as well as my predictions of the winners bolded. Keep in mind there is a distinct difference between who I think will win and who I think should win. Bolded will be who I think will win.

And now, without further ado, this year's Oscar nominations!

Best Picture
'Black Swan'
'The Fighter'
'Inception'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'The King’s Speech'
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'
'Toy Story 3' (more info at TPB here.)
'True Grit'
'Winter’s Bone'

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, 'Black Swan'
David O. Russell, 'The Fighter'
Tom Hooper, 'The King's Speech'
David Fincher, 'The Social Network'
Joel and Ethan Coen, 'True Grit'

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, 'Biutiful'
Jeff Bridges, 'True Grit'
Jesse Eisenberg, 'The Social Network'
Colin Firth, 'The King's Speech'
James Franco, '127 Hours'

Best Actress
Annette Bening, 'The Kids Are All Right'
Nicole Kidman, 'Rabbit Hole'
Jennifer Lawrence, 'Winter's Bone'
Natalie Portman, 'Black Swan'
Michelle Williams, 'Blue Valentine'

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, 'The Fighter'
John Hawkes, 'Winter's Bone'
Jeremy Renner, 'The Town'
Mark Ruffalo, 'The Kids Are All Right'
Geoffrey Rush, 'The King's Speech'

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, 'The Fighter'
Helena Bonham Carter, 'The King's Speech'
Melissa Leo, 'The Fighter'
Hailee Steinfeld, 'True Grit'
Jacki Weaver, 'Animal Kingdom'

Best Animated Feature Film
'How to Train Your Dragon'
'Illusionist'
'Toy Story 3'

Best Foreign Film
Mexico - 'Biutiful'
Greece - 'Dogtooth'
Denmark - 'In a Better World'
Canada - 'Incendies'
Algeria - 'Outside the law'

Best Original Screenplay
'Another Year'
'The Fighter'
'Inception'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'The King's Speech'

Best Adapted Screenplay
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'
'Toy Story 3'
'True Grit'
'Winter's Bone'

Best Art Direction
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I'
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'True Grit'

Best Costume Design
'Alice in Wonderland'
'I Am Love'
'The King's Speech'
'The Tempest'
'True Grit'

Best Original Song
'Coming Home' - 'Country Strong'
'I See the Light' - 'Tangled'
'If I Rise' - '127 Hours'
'We Belong Together' - 'Toy Story 3'

Best Original Score
'How to Train Your Dragon' John Powell
'Inception' Hans Zimmer
'The King's Speech' Alexandre Desplat
'127 Hours' A.R. Rahman
'The Social Network' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Documentary
'Exit Through the Gift Shop'
'Gasland'
'Inside Job'
'Restrepo'
'Waste Land'

Best Film Editing
'Black Swan'
'The Fighter'
'The Kings Speech'
'127 Hours'
'The Social Network'

Best Makeup
'Barney's Version'
'The Way Back'
'The Wolfman'

Best Sound Editing
'Inception'
'Toy Story 3'
'TRON: Legacy'
'True Grit'
'Unstoppable'

Best Sound Mixing
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'Salt'
'The Social Network'
'True Grit'

Best Visual Effects
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'
'Hereafter'
'Inception'
'Iron Man 2'

Best Documentary (Short Subject)
'Killing in the Name'
'Poster Girl'
'Strangers No More'
'Sun Comes Up'
'The Warriors of Qiugang'

Best Visual Short Film (Animated)
'Day & Night'
'The Gruffalo'
'Let's Pollute'
'The Lost Thing'
'Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)'

Best Short Film (Live Action)
'The Confession'
'The Crush'
'God of Love'
'Na Wewe'
'Wish 143'

The Awards ceremony will air February 27 on ABC.

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My Top 10 Films of 2010

I love movies. I love writing them, shooting them, watching them, and analyzing them. There isn't anything like seeing a really great movie, is there?

Here are the movies from last year that I thought were really great. Without further ado, My Top 10 list of movies from 2010:

#10: Red
Yeah, I know. An empty action flick makes it on the "Top 10" list for the entire year? What is up with that?! Well, I loved this movie. It's one of those movies where, once you manage to shut your brain off and just enjoy what you're seeing, you will be thoroughly entertained. There was not a strong story in the slightest, but I still loved it. I know, I know--this is coming from the guy who is all about story, story, STORY!, but sometimes it's nice to not have to analyze a film and just be able to appreciate some good old-fashioned grenade baseball by a mentally-ill John Malkovich...y'know?

#9: Legend of the Guardians
Zach Snyder, the director of Watchmen and 300, is the only director I know of who can manage to make a film about owls so amazingly epic. Legend of the Guardians was the classic hero's journey tale of a supposed weakling experiencing the world through a journey of trials to eventually undergo self-discovery and better themselves and others. It has been a done thousands of times since stories were first told ages ago, but it never gets old--it just works . . . especially when there are owl sword fights, it is amazingly animated (did you see that "water on the feathers" sequence?!?), and is just great storytelling with likable characters.

#8: How to Train Your Dragon
DreamWorks doesn't have what I'd call a perfect score as far as their films go. They are very much hit (Kung-Fu Panda) and miss (Bee Movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, every Shrek after the second one...), but I was pleasantly surprised by How to Train Your Dragon. It had a very good story (definitely the hero's journey, once again), wonderful animation, and lots of "heart" which we aren't used to seeing from Mr. Katzenberg...

Read my full review of the film here.

#7: Inception
A heist movie that takes place in . . . the mind?! Directed by Christopher Nolan?!? Are you kidding me?! That combination made this one of my most-anticipated films of last year. Momento and Dark Knight easily rocketed Mr. Nolan to my top 5 favorite directors, and I was very interested to see what he'd do with a completely original work. And he didn't disappoint. There was action, humor, philosophy, and even a great, ambiguous ending that we all love debating so very much. For all of that, though, I feel like it was missing the "x factor"--maybe it's the fact that I had already seen and loved Shutter Island and was kinda sick of seeing Leonardo whining about his dead wife. Maybe I just couldn't relate to the characters' situations. Or maybe it's just that I'm subconsciously upset that Christopher thought of the film premise before I did. Whatever the reason, it is still a phenomenal film, and deserves its #7 slot.

#6: Tangled
Yeah! The 50th film to come out of Walt Disney Animation Studios has got it all (or at least most of "it"). Humor, heart, gorgeous animation galore, and some of the funniest animated characters I have ever seen . . . it's all there, and it's there in heaping quantities. The story is solid, the characters are well-animated, and it is just great entertainment. My one beef with the film, however, was its soundtrack--there were no good songs! I was very disappointed in Mr. Menken, especially after his previously-impeccable track record. Still, Tangled is a wonderful film.

Read my full review here.

#5: Shutter Island
What a great film. I love period movies, and the 1950s especially. The style of the film--very "Hitchcockian"--was great to look at. The way the shots were lined up, the sets were decorated, the characters acted, and even the color tones used, all helped to really suck you onto Shutter Island. In that respect, the film definitely delivered--a movie should transport you to a different time and place, and Shutter Island definitely did that. And, not only did it do that, but its superb acting performances, major twist, and (yet another) ambiguous ending made it a joy to watch and an Oscar-worthy movie. It had story, great acting, and a twist; what more can you ask for?

#4: The King's Speech
I went into this movie not knowing much about it. I knew it was a period piece about a guy doing a speech or something, but that was about it. I wasn't expecting anything out of it except maybe a history lesson, but I was sorely mistaken--I enjoyed it. Like, really enjoyed it. Taking the simple premise of "A guy who has to give a lot of speeches has a speech impediment," they made something really special. It is funny, dramatic, and engrossing. The suspense and tension the director managed to get across to the audience is awe-inspiring; you really do get butterflies in your stomach when Colin Firth steps up to the microphone to deliver his speech. Easily the best part of the film, however, was Geoffrey Rush's performance as His Majesty's speech coach--he was very funny, very witty, and just a joy to watch. If you haven't seen The King's Speech, go see it. Right now. You won't be disappointed.

#3: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Edgar Wright, director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, created something really special with Scott Pilgrim. When I first saw Sin City and 300 and the other Miller adaptations, I thought that was the quintessential "Filmographic Graphic Novel." I was mistaken; Scott Pilgrim is. The more "interactive" components, like the pee meter in the bathroom and the bursts during the fight sequences made this movie the graphic novel movie. It was just so cool to watch. And, not only that, but it was so funny. All of the characters were perfectly cast, and the story was really engaging. I don't think there was one thing wrong with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Not a thing...

#2: The Social Network
Talk about buzz. This is probably the most-hyped film of 2010, and deservedly so. David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Benjamin Button) is easily in my top 3 favorite directors of all-time. The Social Network portrays a really gripping story and utilizes great acting to enhance the story even further. And, not only was the story great, but the screenplay itself was. The dialogue was so wonderfully-crafted and just perfect--it was witty when it had to be, subtle when that was key, and powerful during the several climaxes. That screenwriter should (and definitely will) win an Oscar. Everything about The Social Network was great. Just great.

#1: Toy Story 3
This should be no surprise to my regular readers out there. I am not choosing this film because it is a Pixar film, but because it truly, truly was the best film of 2010. It had a flawless story, even more character development for characters we've already seen twice before, humor, action, homages to classic movies, a great score, gorgeous animation, and more "heart" than I know what to do with. There is too much to say about how great this film was, so I'll just point you to my full review right here.

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Well, there you have it, folks. The best movies of last year. Obviously, I loved many more movies than just those 10, but these are the best of the best, and each one of them deserves its spot. Once the Oscar nominations are announced I'll post my predictions here, but I hope this satiates your film-thirst for the time being.

On to 2011! . . .

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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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Massive Link Round-up: 'Toy Story' short gets a plot, Awards, Postage stamps, and more!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Since Disney, etc.'s posting has been on a temporary hiatus as of late, this shall be a massive link round-up summarizing all of the important Disney, Pixar, entertainment, and "everything in-between" news from the last few weeks. Enjoy....

At the top of this post, you will find some wonderful mash-up art from DeviantArt user iamclu, courtesy of HeyUGuys. It is just awesome, ain't it?...


Rumors that a Toy Story short will be attached to Cars 2 have been all but confirmed. After it was leaked that the next short will include Ken and Barbie going to Hawaii, Mike at The Pixar Blog did some very thorough investigating and discovered an Amazon.com product page for a picture book based on the short. Here's the synopsis:

Bonnie is off to Hawaii, and Barbie and Ken are excited to go along on their first tropical vacation! But when they're accidentally left behind, it's up to Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the toys to create a Hawaiian paradise right in Bonnie's room.

Based on the latest animated short featuring the toys from Disney/Pixar Toy Story, this full-color storybook includes punch-out postcards that girls and boys ages 3-7 will love sending to their friends!

Read all about the short and its synopsis at The Pixar Blog here or Amazon here.



Above you will find a video tribute, The Beauty of Pixar, by Leandro Copperfield, who says that "Pixar's films have always been important in my life." It is a very well-edited video, and will remind you just how great Pixar is.


As we get further and further into this Awards season, more news of the Oscars are being leaked and announced. Recently, Variety has reported that Disney will not enter Randy Newman's Toy Story 3 score into the running for Best Original Score. Instead, they will focus their efforts on promoting his tune We Belong Together for Best Original Song. It really is a great song, and helps to lighten the mood of the film while it plays during the closing credits. Not only that, but it is a great song on its own. It definitely deserves one o' them little gold guys. Also, I think it is a smart move for Disney not to enter Newman's score--there are tons of great scores this year, and I doubt the Academy would vote for a score that is simply (yet expertly) an extension of two already-existing scores.


You may have heard of Disney's brilliant "For Your Consideration" ad campaign for where they are comparing stills from Toy Story 3 to past Best Picture winners including The Sting, Lord of the Rings, The Sound of Music, Platoon, Shakespeare in Love, and Slumdog Millionaire, among others. They are very funny, and I hope they manage to snag Pixar the Best Picture nom and, with some luck, the award itself. Go to the Disney Awards site here to see the newly-released series of advertisements, as well as an additional (and boldly hilarious) one here.


Current accolades for Toy Story 3 include: being at the top of Moviefone's list of the best films from 2010, being at the top of Rotten Tomatoes' list of the best films from 2010, being on Quentin Tarantino's list of the best films of 2010 as well as Edgar Wright's top 5 list, a Golden Globe nom for Best Animated Feature, being one of the films honored on AFI's list of the top ten films of 2010, and being at the top of Time Magazine's list of the best films from last year. With all of that under its belt, how can you say that it won't win that Best Picture Oscar? I think it will. It just has to...


While we're on the topic of Pixar, it's worth noting that the U.S. Postal Service has announced that later this year, a collection of commemorative Pixar stamps will be released. They'll be in sheets of twenty, include the above five designs, and instead of having a set value, they'll be valid for every first-class letter forever. Expect to see them on August 19 later this year.



Above, you will find a behind-the-scenes video for the upcoming animated film Rango. The short video, which features Johnny Depp, is very interesting, showing how director Gore Verbinski coached the voice actors while also incorporating their movements into a type of mo-cap/animation hybrid. It's really quite interesting...

The headline How Disney Designed The Military's Electromagnetic Launch System says enough about this article. A bizarre, surprising, and thoroughly engaging read... Check it out here.

In an interview with Collider, David Fincher let loose the information that his upcoming remake/adaptation 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will be in 3D. Although I hate 3D with a fiery passion, I am very, very excited to see a version of Jules Vernes classic story told with modern effects by one of my favorite directors. Read the full interview here.


Tron: Legacy was visually-stunning, but was quite under-whelming. The story was weak, the acting was dry (although I appreciated seeing Jeff Bridges returning to a Dude-type philosophy on the big screen), and the overall feel of the movie just didn't do justice to its original counterpart. I couldn't even follow the Light Cycle scene well enough to enjoy it! I certainly agree with RT's 49%. However, it is doing decently at the box office, having made over $130 million so far. They still need $40 million more to make their money back, but I'm sure that they will...



Let's conclude this New Year's link round-up with a bang. Watch the above video of the "Fountains and Fireworks" show that was shown at Disney's California Adventure a couple of nights ago...

And that's all there is to post about for now! You are now completely up-to-date on all Disney, Pixar, entertainment, and everything in-between news. I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to keep checking your favorite blog for all of the best news...

And once again, Happy New Year!

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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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'TS3': For Your Consideration Ad Campaign

Above you will find a recently-released advertisement--it is part of a "For Your Consideration" campaign by Disney, promoting Toy Story 3 for Best Picture at the Oscars.

There will be numerous more print ads like this one, in which TS3 characters re-enact scenes from films that have previously won the coveted Best Picture prize. This will hopefully convince A.M.P.A.S. voters that animation should be taken just as seriously as any other media of film.

And not only that, but they're going to be super funny. This one is. I can't wait to see other TS3 characters parodying other films...

According to Disney chairman Rich Ross, "We wanted to come up with a campaign that kept our aspirations clear but at the same time used a tongue in cheek approach."

More on the awards season as it develops...

(If you weren't aware, I have already predicted that Toy Story 3 will shatter the Oscars this year and win the Best Picture statuette.)

Source: Deadline

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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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Into the Drawer

Here's a short video that Lee Unkrich released yesterday. It is him, officially, completing Toy Story 3 by placing the Blu-ray into his drawer.

"Done."

Also check out an interesting, two-part interview with Unkrich over at Upcoming Pixar here and here.

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A Big News Day: Great 'TS3' Concept Art, Galifianakis meets Muppets, and Indiana Jones in 3D

With so much news coming out of Hollywood today, I decided to post a bunch of links instead of 10 different, shorter posts. I hope you don't mind.


This first bit of news is my favorite: Cinematical has posted a large gallery of exclusive, never-before-seen Toy Story 3 concept art. It was given to them to promote the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release (which I can hardly wait for! It's this Tuesday...), and is really great artwork. I wish I could draw like they do at Pixar... Anyways, see two pieces of the concept art above, and the rest of it here.


Above you will find a "first look" at the upcoming Dr. Seuss adaptation, The Lorax. Danny DeVito will be starring as the title character (Yes! I love Danny's work.), and will be joined by Ed Helms, Zac Efron, and Betty White. It is being made by the same people who brought you the recent adaptation of Horton Hears a Who!, so, unfortunately, don't expect much from this production...


In an interview with the lucky folks over at Hero Complex, Christopher Nolan divulged some very intriguing information... He has revealed the title for the next installment of his incredible Batman saga will The Dark Knight Rises, and that the villain will not be The Riddler, as was previously believed by, oh, everybody. He has also thrown Mr. Freeze and a reprise of The Joker out for the count. I think he should have Danny DeVito reprise his role as The Penguin. That would be awesome. Nolan also discussed the fact that he does not want to shoot the film in 3D, but in the IMAX format. Thank goodness for that.


This piece of news might tie with the concept art for my most favorite: Zach Galifianakis will be in the new (currently untitled) Muppet movie!! I cannot believe it. My favorite actor is going to be featured in a reboot of one of my favorite things, the Muppets. Maybe I died and went to heaven? It's entirely possible--this news is just that exciting.

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Some other, slightly less noteworthy odds and ends:

Sir Elton John and Lady Gaga will team up for the song "Hello Hello" which will be featured in the upcoming Touchstone film Gnomeo and Juliet. I love E.J. Such great music.

The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson, will be shot in New Zealand.

Unlucky for those of us who actually appreciate quality films, Mr. James Cameron has announced that he will be creating Avatar 2 and 3 as his next two films. Fantastic (add sarcastic tone)...

LucasFilm will be re-releasing its Indiana Jones franchise in 3D. Just as I felt with the Star Wars re-release, this is a good and bad thing. At least now I'll have an excuse to wear a fedora and bullwhip to the movie theater...

Piven to play the villain in Spy Kids 4.

Boba Fett's invoice. Just because. (Oh, and it's awesome.)

Off-Hollywood: An artisanal pencil sharpener: "I'm going to have this nice, authentic, considered reaction with your pencil," Rees said. "I just want to treat it with respect. And get it really freaking sharp."

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Well that's all of the news I found for you today. I hope you learned something new and had some fun while wasting some time. I still can't believe that Zach Galifianakis is going to be in the next Muppet movie... Anyways, have a nice day, and be sure to keep checking back at Disney, etc. for all of your news regarding Disney, Pixar, Entertainment, and everything in-between.

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