New WALL•E Video with Andrew Stanton

MovieWeb has posted a new 4-minute video where director Andrew Stanton talks about WALL•E:



You can also head over to to this link to check it out.

via: Animated News

Disney•Pixar's Upcoming Films

Sorry all. I'm just fighting a cold/flu and haven't had a lot of time to update on the latest Pixar news, but in case you didn't read it already, Disney/Pixar released info on their upcoming films and they all sound pretty cool!

Head over to Animated-News for more info.

The Art of Cars Exhibit at Petersen Automotive Museum

UPDATE: Thanks to the Petersen Automotive Museum we've received some images and text from The Art of Cars exhibit:



A Happy Place
John Lee and Nat McLaughlin
Acrylic
© Disney/Pixar




Flo Wing Study
Bob Pauley
Marker and Pencil
© Disney/Pixar




Ramone Hood Designs
Bert Berry, Yvonne Herbst, and Laura Phillips
Digital Print
© Disney/Pixar


You can download the press release for the exhibit by clicking this link.

Bios for all of the artists whose work is showcased in the exhibit can be found in this PDF file.

Elise also let us in on one of the coolest bits of news regarding the exhibit: Mr. John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, has recorded the guided tour around the exhibit. Callers are given a phone number which will let them access a guided tour on their cell phones.

All of you folks in California better soak in this experience for the rest of us who can't make it. Sounds amazing!
--



We received this scanned article from the Larchmont Chronicle stating that The Art of Cars exhibit will visit the Petersen Automotive Museum from Saturday, March 29 through November 2, 2008.

Heading over to the Petersen Automotive Museum website, we can indeed confirm that the exhibit will be visiting there:



According to the detailed information on the website:

“The Art of Cars” exhibit includes more than 60 watercolor and pastel drawings, pencil and marker sketches, and a variety of three-dimensional pieces, including:

Life-size replicas of the movie’s main characters: Lightning McQueen and his tow-truck buddy, Mater

Three-dimensional maquettes of Mater, Doc Hudson, Sally, and The King, which were used as reference to guide animators when drawing their characters

Illustrated character studies that illuminate the development of supporting characters Flo and Ramone, Luigi and Guido, Fillmore, Sarge, DJ, and Wingo

Digital, pencil, and marker sketches interpreting the cars’ eyes, gestures, and expressions

Pencil and marker drawings of the fictional Los Angeles Motor Speedway, Sally’s “Cozy Cone” motel, and iconic diners, curio shops, and service stations based on actual locations along “The Mother Road”
Pastels, watercolors, and pencil sketches of such scenic vistas as Ornament Valley, Cadillac Range, and Radiator Cap Butte, based on familiar landmarks as Arizona’s Monument Valley rock formations and the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

Sounds like a great exhibit. Wish I could visit!

Thanks to Sean for the heads up. Larger article image available at this link.

The REEL Addict Ranks Pixar Films

While we don't necessarily agree with the order or reviews, you can check out The REEL Addict's REEL List ranking of Pixar films at this link.

Thanks to Alex for the notice.

Brad Bird to Direct Live-Action 1906 Film

Pixar's Brad Bird will direct the live-action film, 1906 for Disney/Pixar and Warner Bros. according to The Hollywood Reporter:

The story centers on a college student who begins to investigate the murder of his father, uncovering a web of deceit that has left the city vulnerable to the sort of fire that breaks out when the Great Earthquake of 1906 hits San Francisco.

Paula Weinstein is producing the feature, while John Walker, Bird's producing partner, executive produces. Disney/Pixar will co-finance the movie.

You can read the rest of the article at this link.

The 1906 project is based on the best-selling novel by author James Dalessandro, who was also the original screenwriter.

Though Warner Bros. was the same studio that produced Bird's highly-acclaimed, but under-publicized animated feature, The Iron Giant, and animation fans criticized the lack of promotion, It's been rumored that the studio has been trying to make up for their mistake with a new DVD release of the film a few years ago and continuing to foster good relations with Bird.

Fans waiting for a sequel to Bird's action-adventure superhero film, The Incredibles shouldn't be too worried about his involvement in 1906. It's likely that the sequel could still happen whether he hands the directorial reins over for Bob Parr's next chapter to another talented Pixar storyteller or picks up the action helm again after 1906.

via: Animated News.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

New WALL•E Trailer

You can check out the new WALL•E trailer which debuted at ShoWest, the Motion Picture Industry Convention at Apple's Trailers site.

This is the same trailer that snuck onto the Internet a few weeks back. It showcases a few more story points, some vibrantly colored settings, a few new characters.

Thanks to Josh and all the others for the notice.

Job Opening: Pixar Animator

Want to work as an animator at Pixar? The position doesn't seem to be posted too often so you better head over the Pixar website and check out the new posting in the Careers section:

Job Title: Animator
Job ID: 10092
Location: Emeryville, CA

About Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios is an Academy Award®-winning computer animation studio with the technical, creative and production capabilities to develop computer-animated feature and short films with memorable characters and heartwarming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages.

Pixar has created eight of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and most recently Ratatouille. The studio has won 20 Academy Awards® and its eight films have grossed more than $3.4 billion at the worldwide box office to date. The Northern California studio's next film release is WALL-E (June 27, 2008).

Summary of Position
Creates the motions, gestures, and expressions of three-dimensional computer graphics characters and objects.

Responsibilities
• Receive with each assigned shot: storyboards, story reels, recorded dialogue, set layout, and direction. The Director shows each new sequence in layout and describes what is expected for every shot at a 'blocking meeting'
• Read soundtrack and plan shot
• Block in movements in rough animation and show for the Director's approval in a daily review
• Finish work for Director approval in a timely manner
• Attend animation dailies.

Qualifications
• Degree or certificate in classical animation, film, or related field, or equivalent production animation experience
• Must have a DVD or VHS demo reel that demonstrates application of the principles of animation to tell a story with meaning through movement
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Must be open to direction and able to embrace change
• Proven storytelling skills
• Ability to use acting skills, which bring characters to life, as well as clearly communicate simple ideas with which an audience can empathize
• Strong understanding of traditional animation principles
• An art background, which shows a thorough, understanding of physical motion, weight, balance, texture, and form
• Computer animation experience preferred but not required.

Pixar is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Best of luck to all of those submitting their applications!

New WALL•E Poster Released

A new poster for WALL•E courtesy of Cinematical:





Larger version is available at this link.

via ComingSoon.net

Ratatouille Wins Best Animated Feature Film at 80th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony

At this evening's 80th Annual Academy Awards, Pixar's Ratatouille won for best Animated Feature Film. It was also nominated for Original Screenplay, Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing, and Original Score. Congratulations to all the talented artisans at the studio, at Disney, and all the other folks who helped make the "anybody can cook" movie a success!

A full list of winners is available at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website.

Also a congratulations goes out to all the winners and nominees including those in the Best Animated Short Film category!

Thunder Chunky Interviews Pixar's Susan Bradley

Thunder Chunky recently interviewed Pixar's Susan Bradley, who works as a type and graphic designer at the studio. Her most recent work can be seen in Ratatouille. From the interview:

One of your roles on the film was graphic designer; what sort of things did this entail?

There were a few of us working with the talented Harley Jessup and we basically took different scenes and developed them graphically. Our research, done in and about Paris, was vast and we tried to keep a consistent style going for Brad; a touch of whimsy, but not too much. My biggest scene was the design of the rat poison products for the front window of the Paris exterminator shop – which is a real place! It was strange developing something evil in the world of our adorable little friends, but that was the point.

Head over to the website at the link above to read the full interview.

Thanks to Jon for the pointer!

Ratatouille Nearly Sweeps Annie Awards

Pixar's Ratatouille swept up most of the Annie Awards at the recent awards ceremony. From Variety (via Animated News):

"Ratatouille" ranked tops with Hollywood's animation community, taking home nine trophies - including best animated feature - Friday night at the 35th annual Annie Awards.

[Ratatouille] can also boast wins for short subject for its DVD extra "Your Friend the Rat" and for the "Ratatouille" vidgame.

In a near-sweep, Pixar's popular "anyone can cook" parable shut out every bigscreen contender except Sony Pictures Animation's "Surf's Up," which scored two individual achievement awards, while Oscar nominee "Persepolis" went home empty-handed.

Before presenting one of "Ratatouille's" many trophies, actor James Hong (Mr. Ping in DreamWorks' forthcoming "Kung Fu Panda") reminded the crowd that the Chinese New Year kicked off a day earlier. "This is the Year of the Rat, so that's why you are winning all the awards," he mused. "We are psychic, you know."

The coup marks a major improvement over Pixar's performance the year before, where "Cars" earned only two awards. Among "Ratatouille's" more prominent individual honorees were Brad Bird (writing, directing), Michael Giacchino (music) and Ian Holm (who voiced the pint-sized chef, Skinner).

Be sure to check out the full report at Variety.com

Congratulations also to Surf's Up, which I thought was one of the most enjoyable animated films I've seen and easily one of Sony's best works. Even though Persepolis was recently shown here in Banff, but I didn't have the chance to see it. Nice to read that it was nominated though.

Rent Pixar Movies on Apple's iTunes

For those of you into online video renting, Pixar's Ratatouille is featured as one of Apple's new iTunes Movie Rentals services:



More information can be found at the official Apple site.

Your Friend the Rat and Alberta

Happy New Year to all of you!

Those who have picked up Ratatouille on DVD or Blu-Ray Disc will probably have watched the new Pixar short film by Jim Capobianco, Your Friend the Rat.



Once again, kudos to the folks at Pixar! Not only is the animated short outstanding fun, we here in Alberta are jazzed to see our province featured in the short film! Alberta gets a nod because we are considered to be rat free.
Of course, both Ken and I are excited to see our hometown of Edmonton on-screen too!



Right behind the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer shooting at the rats, you'll see Highway 1 which leads to Banff, my current home and workplace at The Banff Centre, where we've held our Story, Character and Interactivity Workshops, featuring many renowned storytellers and designers, including Pixar's own Ronnie del Carmen.

The animated 8-bit video game sequence is amusing too!



Images: © Disney•Pixar

The Luxo 2007 Holiday Gift Guide

If you haven't bought any Disney•Pixar related items for those special folks on your holiday list, here's some popular items you can order from Amazon.com and support this blog. Be sure to head over to our fellow animation blog sites and support them as well!

The Amazon.com Gift Certifcate is also a good way to let your friends and family choose their own Disney•Pixar holiday gift!




MOVIES (REGION 1):





BOOKS:



MUSIC:



VIDEO GAMES:



OTHER:



Happy Holidays from myself, Ken, our friends and families, and surely, all the folks at Disney•Pixar!!

Ronnie del Carmen Interviewed by The Inquirer

Our good friend and outstanding Pixar Story Supervisor, Ronnie del Carmen, was interviewed during a recent visit to the Philippines. He discusses storytelling, the local animation industry, and his own creation Paper Biscuit.

Check it out at The Inquirer website.

Also, be sure to head over to Ronnie's blog and read about the narrowly averted natural disasters and coup attempt in the Philippines!

Thanks to Thomas and Jenn for the heads up!

Photo: Courtesy of Ronnie del Carmen.