Pixar is the world's greatest animation studio. They focus on story while maintaining excellent and cutting-edge animation, and they're humble about it the whole time. Another great thing about Pixar is that they interact with their fans. They do this, mainly, through placing Easter Eggs throughout their films. Below you will find, courtesy of /Film, the Easter Eggs found in the recently released Toy Story 3 trailer. There are plenty of familiar ones, and some quite surprising ones, as well. Enjoy:
Lee Unkrich, director of Toy Story 3 has one line in the whole film. As the Jack-in-the-Box, he shouts "New Toys!"
In the initial daycare scene, you can see Mr. Ray from Finding Nemo as a toy sitting on the shelf.
When Woody is on the computer chatting with a dinosaur, you can see Totoro sitting next to the computer. Totoro is the main character from Miyazaki's 1988 masterpiece, My Neighbor Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki, the "Walt Disney of Japan," is a truly great animator and director, and is good friends with John Lasseter. I wonder how much more of Totoro we will see in Toy Story 3...
In the same computer scene, you will notice that the username of the dinosaur contains "237," which is an homage to Unkrich's favorite film, The Shining.
While watching the trailer, you may also notice numerous Macs. This is due to Steve Jobs' huge contribution to the animation studio (and, by huge contribution, I am referring to its creation). So, Toy Story 3 is full of Apple Computers.
In another scene at the daycare, you can see a very basic, yet obvious, homage to Cars' Lightning McQueen.
The "95" painted on the side of Woody's getaway train refers to 1995, the year that the first Toy Story was released.
And, finally, the classic A113 shows his face on the license plate of Andy's Mom's car. This is, of course, a reference to the classroom number of the animation class at CalArts. This Easter Egg is not only seen in every Pixar film, but also Disney movies, Family Guy, The Iron Giant, American Dad, The Simpsons, Powerpuff Girls, among other animated things. Very cool.
So, there you have it. Now you can have a whole new appreciation for the new Toy Story 3 trailer, as well as Pixar history as a whole. Good ol' Pixar...
Source: /Film
Friday, February 12, 2010
The 'Toy Story 3' Trailer's Easter Eggs
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Final 'Toy Story 3' Trailer Released
Here it is! The final Toy Story 3 preview! This trailer makes me even more excited to see the movie, which I didn't think was possible. It looks like Toy Story 3 will have even more excitement, humor, stunning visuals, and fantastic animation than previously expected. The train chase scene looks especially great, turning the movie into an epic, almost. Watch the trailer right now. Then watch it again. And then one more time.
June 18 cannot come soon enough...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New 'Toy Story 3' Characters Revealed!
After a few weeks of anticipation, a few new Toy Story 3 characters have been announced! They are... Ken and Peas-in-a-Pod! We've pretty much known about Ken for quite some time, but Peas-in-a-Pod is a brand new character, and is certainly very interesting. Just looking at him (her?) I can think of tons of humorous opportunities that the folks at Pixar could contrive. Here's ComingSoon.net's official description of Peans-In-a-Pod:
Peas-in-a-Pod will quickly become a parent’s favorite on-the-go toy. The soft, plush pod secures the happy peas inside with a durable metal zipper, making it perfect for the car or stroller.(I can't wait to get one!) Also, Ken's attire is a very interesting pick. I'm guessing he might have gotten his fashion sense from some daycare attendees, but I could be wrong. Ken will be voiced by Michael Keaton.
The Peas-in-a-Pod plush toy also develops fine motor skills by catering to a child’s natural grab instinct. Pulling the three peas out of the pod will provide repeated enjoyment for infants and toddlers, and soon they’ll learn to put them back in!
Machine washable. Not for human consumption.
But that's not all! The above banner, as you may have guessed, shows 14 new Toy Story 3 characters that will be announced within the next few weeks. I can make out an octopus, a mean looking humanoid, a worm in a tuxedo and glasses, a horse, a telephone, possibly a lamb, and a bear. but of course, this is all speculation and could be proven completely absurd when the actual characters are announced.
Developing...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Why I'm Not Renewing My D23 Membership
I was a D23 Charter Member and always will be. I have not renewed my membership, however. There are several reasons for this, but it mostly boils down to a simple lack of what's in it for me.
The best thing, by far, is the quarterly subscription to the D23 magazine that comes with a membership. The magazine is gorgeous and full of useful and interesting information, but it isn't something that I have to own. It's not the type of magazine I want to keep as a piece of memorabilia, and I can get all of the information out of it that I'll ever need by flipping through it at the bookstore. While it is a wonderful magazine, it really isn't worth purchasing.
Another huge feature of being a D23 member is having access to a ton of "special events" all about Disney. Well, these events might be nice, but, living in Golden, Colorado, I wouldn't know. I make it to California once a year for my annual trip to Disneyland, but that's it. If you don't live near Anaheim or New York, there are virtually no D23 events open to you, unless you are willing to pay 2 memberships' worth for a plane ticket.
Now, I will concede that the D23 Expo is a special special event, but it's still not worth the membership+plane tickets+a hotel room. The expo might be that great in 5-10 years, but they're still working out the kinks. The expo will constantly improve, and I'd be a fool to go this early (although there are some really great seminars and things...but it's just too much money).
The one thing that had me on the fence were the nice little pieces of Disney memorabilia that D23 sent out. Not because they had to, but because they wanted to. I loved getting them--the Matterhorn patch, the Christmas card reprint, etc. Those were great, but I figured I could pick one up on eBay if they sent out something really great. Nevertheless, it really was a nice touch that made being a part of D23 a bit more special and exclusive.
So, I am no longer a member of D23. If I move to California and become closer to these events they offer, or if they make the magazine twice as long, I'll consider rejoining the ranks of D23, but, for now, I'm staying out of it.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Rich Ross' Big Picture and Bottom Line
Dick Cook is officially ousted and his replacement, Rich Ross, is starting to make changes to the world's most magical studio. Ross and Iger plan to release about five tentpole features every year: one during the spring (think Alice in Wonderland), then two animated and two live-action features throughout the rest of the year. They want to produce and distribute films that they will be able to be fully exploit on television and the internet, as well as other media outlets.
However, Disney is slowly moving away from being a moviemaker and closer to just becoming a distributor. That's why they are shopping around for studios like DreamWorks and Marvel--Disney wants to profit off of films through the internet and TV without the need of producing them. And Rich Ross is making this a definite possibility.
That's not to say that Disney's never going to make another movie again. They are already planning on a sequel to Enchanted, a new Muppet movie, a Lone Ranger film, a third National Treasure, a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, and Zemeckis' Yellow Submarine, as well as a Jungle Cruise and Tommorowland film. Plus, Disney has an incredibly strong line-up of films already: Alice in Wonderland, Prince of Persia, Rapunzel, Toy Story 3, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Tron Legacy.
Ross is certainly more of a "suit" that Dick Cook ever was. I just hope that he knows what he is doing...
Source: Variety
The 37th Annie Awards' Winners
Getting lost in the sea of celebration resulting from Up's Best Picture nomination by the Academy is the list of winners at the 37th Annual Annie Awards. The big winners were Up and Fantastic Mr. Fox:
Best Animated Feature
Up (Pixar Animation Studios)
Best Animated Television Production
Prep and Landing — (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Best Home Entertainment Production
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Best Animated Short Subject
Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5
Best Animated Television Production for Children
The Penguins of Madagascar (Nickelodeon and DreamWorks)
Character Animation in a Feature Production
Eric Goldberg for The Princess and the Frog
Character Design in a Feature Production
Shane Prigmore for Coraline
Directing in a Feature Production
Pete Docter “Up” — Pixar Animation Studios
Writing in a Television Production
Daniel Chun - The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX
Writing in a Feature Production
Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach - Fantastic Mr. Fox
Go here for a complete list of winners (and nominees).
I am very surprised (and pleased) about Robot Chicken and Futurama's wins. I am also very glad that Eric Goldberg's talents were rewarded; Louis really was a great, well-designed and -animated character. Also, unexpectedly, Prep and Landing received several awards.
Congratualtions to Disney, Pixar, and all of the other winners at this year's Annie Awards!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Academy Award Nominations
The nominations for the Academy Awards have finally been announced! Among the most nominated films are Avatar and Up in the Air, but it is also worth noting that, for the first time since
Best Picture:
‘Avatar’
‘The Blind Side’
‘District 9’
‘An Education’
‘The Hurt Locker’
‘Inglourious Basterds’
‘Precious’
‘A Serious Man’
‘Up’
‘Up in the Air’
Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, ‘The Hurt Locker’
James Cameron, ‘Avatar’
Lee Daniels, ‘Precious’
Jason Reitman, ‘Up in the Air’
Quentin Tarantino, ‘Inglourious Basterds’
Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges, ‘Crazy Heart’
George Clooney, ‘Up in the Air’
Colin Firth, ‘A Single Man’
Morgan Freeman, ‘Invictus’
Jeremy Renner, ‘The Hurt Locker’
Best Supporting Actor:
Matt Damon, ‘Invictus’
Woody Harrelson, ‘The Messenger’
Christopher Plummer, ‘The Last Station’
Stanley Tucci, ‘The Lovely Bones’
Christoph Waltz, ‘Inglourious Basterds’
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz, ‘Nine’
Vera Farmiga, ‘Up in the Air’
Maggie Gyllenhaal, ‘Crazy Heart’
Anna Kendrick, ‘Up in the Air’
Mo’nique, ‘Precious’
Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, ‘The Blind Side’
Helen Mirren, ‘The Last Station’
Carey Mulligan, ‘An Education’
Gabourey Sidibe, ‘Precious’
Meryl Streep, ‘Julie & Julia’
Best Animated Feature Film:
‘Coraline’
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’
‘The Princess and the Frog’
‘The Secret of Kells’
‘Up’
Best Film Editing:
‘Avatar’
‘District 9’
‘The Hurt Locker’
‘Inglourious Basterds’
‘Precious’
Best Cinematography:
‘Avatar’
‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’
‘The Hurt Locker’
‘Inglourious Basterds’
‘The White Ribbon’
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, ‘District 9’
Nick Hornby, ‘An Education’
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, ‘In the Loop’
Geoffrey Fletcher, ‘Precious’
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, ‘Up in the Air’
Best Documentary Feature:
‘Burma VJ’
‘The Cove’
‘Food, Inc.’
‘The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers’
‘Which Way Home’
Best Foreign Film:
Israel - ‘Ajami’
Argentina - ‘El Secreto de sus Ojos’
Peru - ‘The Milk of Sorrow’
France - ‘Un Prophete’
Germany - ‘The White Ribbon’
Best Original Score:
‘Avatar’
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’
‘The Hurt Locker’
‘Sherlock Holmes’
‘Up’
Best Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal, ‘The Hurt Locker’
Quentin Tarantino, ‘Inglourious Basterds’
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman,
‘The Messenger’
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, ‘A Serious Man’
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy,
‘Up’
Best Original Song:
‘Almost There’ from ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
‘Down in New Orleans’ from ‘The Princess and the Frog,’ Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
‘Loin de Paname’ from ‘Paris 36,’ Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
‘Take It All’ from ‘Nine,’ Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
‘The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)’ from ‘Crazy Heart,’ Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett ’
Best Costume Design:
‘Bright Star’
‘Coco Before Chanel’
‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’
‘Nine’
‘The Young Victoria’
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