Upcoming Pixar Blog

Disney/Pixar has posted another interesting Pixar remix on their official YouTube channel, this time featuring Carl and Russell from Up.

The track, called "UPular", is composed by the Australian DJ Pogo. Pogo is unique in that he specializes in sampling sounds from movies and sequencing them into brand new music. Listen (and watch the accompanying video) below:



What did you think of this remix? Did you like it more or less than You’ve Got a Friend In Remix?

It’s that time of year again and the team here at Upcoming Pixar/Pixar Planet would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Lucky for you, we have some jolly presents to give out while you’re here! Well, not exactly, but hopefully you’ll enjoy these links to holiday themed Pixar news:

If you haven’t already… 
• Watch this holiday greeting from Buzz and Woody!
• Enjoy some holiday reading with Pixar Planet’s Peach Magazine!
• Marvel at the holiday postcards of Pixar’s past over at The Pixar Touch blog.
• Listen to the UPular Remix by DJ Pogo, featuring Carl and Russell.
• Read about John Lasseter’s involvement in those toys you got under the tree!

Speaking of toys and trees, I’d expect most of you got something Pixar related this season. Personally, I got the controversial Luxo Jr. replica, Up and Toy Story PVCs, and some Disney/Pixar Comics. How about you? Let us know what Pixar related goodies you got today in the comments section below.

Oh, and before you go, here’s a great last minute Christmas gift idea! Since Upcoming Pixar and Pixar Planet are "gifts that keep on giving", with the latest Pixar news and the largest community for fans, it would be a Christmas miracle if you guys could please spare a few dollars as a kind donation to the site. Click here to give.

All the money (yes, 100% of it) goes towards keeping the site running. After all, Pixar Planet exists on love, hard-work, and the generous donations that we get. Remember, it’s the season of giving and with a donation you’ll get access to a special forum on Pixar Planet, details here. The site may even be able to upgrade its servers for even more exclusive content come 2010!

Thank you guys so much for stopping by, from our daily readers to people who have just stumbled upon the blog, you’re the best. Happy Holidays to all!

As you may have heard, the first and only Pixar fan publication, Peach Magazine, recently joined the Pixar Planet Network for an exciting new partnership!

Today, the highly anticipated Pixar Planet premiere issue is complete and available for your reading pleasure! The fan-zine, from Editor-in-Chief Phileas, is complete with news, views and more fan-tastic content just in time for the holidays.

In the latest issue of Peach you’ll find:
• A Report on Toy Story 3
• Selected News by Yours Truly
• The Up Marathon of 50 Viewings
• A Profile on the WALL•E Fan Game
• Fan Works Including Art and Fan-Fiction
…and more!

This beautiful e-publication is of the highest quality and definitely worth your time. The magazine has come a long way from its former location at 42 Wallaby Way, and now that this endeavor is part of our Network, it has considerably expanded the site’s horizons. 

Look out for more new issues of Peach every month — right here at Upcoming Pixar/Pixar Planet! Don’t forget, as a Pixar Planet member you can submit fan works and more, read here for details.

At this time of year, when people are rushing to get the best gift for the holidays, it’s great to know that Disney/Pixar’s toys are in good hands. I’m talking about John Lasseter and his involvement with Disney Consumer Products, of course.

The LA Times profiled the creative, corporate toy enthusiast to get some insight on his strategy for producing best selling toys such as the multi-billion dollar Cars franchise. The article mainly focuses on Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (an excellent movie, check it out ASAP if you haven’t) and its tie-in products but also features quite a few Pixar tidbits.

As with everything that Lasseter is involved with, attention  to detail is key. Although he is budget conscious, he doesn’t spare crucial elements that make the character, simply because that would be selling out. For example, when the Ultimate WALL•E toys were in development, Thinkway suggested to add wheels under the toy, Lasseter insisted on treads just like in the film for integrity’s sake. And treads it is!! But it doesn’t end there, Lasseter also asked Mattel to make the Cars die-cast toys at a 1/55 scale (as opposed to Hot Wheel’s 1/64) so that no detail would need to be spared. That’s dedication to the characters!

It’s really no wonder that Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer pushes for such quality, after all, he is the major driving force behind the studio. With the movie-accurate Toy Story Collection out now and tons more toys in development, it’s going to be a very merry Christmas for the folks at Disney Consumer Products and their customers. I just wish there was more enthusiasm for Up toys in this division of the Mouse… There’s more interesting stories over at the LA Times article, it’s definitely worth a thorough read.

Think about all this when you’re last minute shopping. Disney Store anyone? What Disney/Pixar products are on your Christmas list or on a significant other’s list? Let us know in the comments.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
"Quality is the best business plan."
~John Lasseter

The holiday season is in full swing with Christmas coming right up in just 2 days! That can only mean one thing, the Toy Story 3 toys are surely getting ready for their big debut next year!

In this new video, Buzz and Woody want to wish you a very Happy Holiday! Naturally, the duo would also like to send viewers somewhat of a public service announcement regarding Christmas toys… Check it out below:



Happy Holidays from Upcoming Pixar, too!

This afternoon I was sent some exclusive images from Toy Story 3 production, so as you can imagine, I was very excited to show you guys!

These pieces are part of Toy Story 3’s color script, a visual representation of the film that allows for the lighting department to correctly illuminate each scene. Both were painted by the very talented Dice Tsutsumi, art director on the highly anticipated sequel.

You may recognize the paintings from two distinct shots as seen in the trailer. They contrast each other well, not just in color saturation but in emotion. For example, the first color script depicts young Andy enjoying his toys around the TV while the second is from a later scene in which the toys are discussing at Sunnyside Daycare — after their departure from Andy. Click on each image to see a larger version.

A second set of exclusive color scripts is over at The Pixar Blog with a third set at Pixar Talk; check those out too! I guess this is a bit of a preview inside The Art of Toy Story 3 and an early Christmas present from Lee Unkrich…

Let us know what you think in the comments section!

The new Toy Story 3 clip is EPIC and available online now!!

Well, the sneak peek has been on the ‘net for quite a while today, but I thought I’d respect ABC Family’s ratings and wait just a tad bit. So, now that the special Lee Unkrich hosted preview has played on TV, I feel comfortable embedding it on the blog.

This is Toy Story at its best! By the way, this clip is the same one we heard about from Venice only it’s been “heavily edited and condensed.” Watch as Woody tries to save his toy pals from destruction after Andy’s mom accidentally puts them on the curb to get picked up by garbage men! Although it feels like classic Toy Story, the winds of change are evident in Andy’s new attitude towards the toys as he’s ready to leave for college. Best of all, the peril and comedy is balanced just right. I’ll stop writing about it, just watch below:



What did you think of this sneak peek at Toy Story 3?

(Clip courtesy of Coming Soon)

Detroit loves Up! At least, according to the Detroit Film Critics Society which named Pixar’s 10th as their best of 2009!

In the Best Picture category, Up won against the following big-time Oscar buzz generating films: (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds and Up in the Air. Pete Docter also went home with Best Director for Up, competing against each helmer of the aforementioned films.

With Up landing Best Animated in a bunch of this year’s other critic awards, it’s refreshing to see the highest honor bestowed upon Pixar’s latest in the Michigan-based awards. What’s strange is that the DFCS Awards doesn’t appear to have a Best Animated Feature award, not that it needs one. Anyway, you can see the rest of the DFCS winners here.

Here’s hoping the Academy recognize Up as the DFCS has, or if anything else, allows for a Best Picture nomination. But for now, congratulations, Pete Docter and co. on another momentous win!

BOOM!‘s recent collaboration with our favorite animation studio has intelligently furthered the stories of our favorite Pixar characters, including those in Andy’s room, using the medium of comics.

I recently read through the latest Toy Story issue #0, "The Return of Buzz Lightyear", and completely loved it! The comic is definitely a separate and distinct experience from the film itself, but each character is written to match his or her respective on screen personality and the situations feel like they belong in the same universe. Better yet, the writing doesn’t talk down to anyone, so it’s not a kiddie comic by any means although kids will enjoy it.

In part one of this four part story, Andy gets a new Buzz from his grandma, to the other toy’s dismay. Luckily, he has the receipt and quickly decides to return the toy for another Star Command character. But when new Buzz escapes from his box, Andy’s Buzz starts questioning if he’s worthy of his owner when he could have a "better" version of himself. Tensions rise and hilarity ensues! As usual, Woody is in the middle of the mess.

Written by rock star Jesse Blaze Snider, this expansion of the TS saga is sure to turn in all sorts of crazy directions. Snider does a great job of keeping Buzz, Woody and company as "in character" as possible, even adding some obscure typically mute characters in the mix like Rocky Gibraltar. You should also look out for cameos of Luxo Jr. and Booster from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command as rendered by artist Nathan Watson. For more behind the scenes info, check out this interview with writer Jesse Blaze Snider over at Newsarama. 

Issue one of Toy Story #0 is now available at your local comic shop or at BOOM!‘s website. I highly recommend you check it out and pretty much everything else from BOOM! and Disney/Pixar! It’s some good stuff to keep you occupied in between theatrical and home releases.

What is this, Pixar Channel, or something?! Nope, it’s ABC Family‘s Disney/Pixar Weekend!

Starting tonight (12/18) and ending Sunday, ABC Family will be airing beloved Pixar favorites as part of their 25 Days of Christmas promo. This is a weekend of prime-time TV you don’t want to miss; you’ll revisit classics while taking a peek at the future. Check out the schedule below, all times ET/PT:

Tune in today at 7:30 PM for a showing of Cars followed by another chance to check out Pixar Short Films! Also, watch out for Prep & Landing, Disney’s brilliant Christmas special, 30 minutes before.

Tomorrow, catch the ABC Family premiere of Ratatouille at 8:00 PM ET/PT immediately following an encore of Pixar Short Films at 6:00 PM.

Sunday tops off Disney/Pixar Weekend with a bang! Don’t miss The Incredibles, also at 8:00 PM, for a sneak preview of Pixar’s upcoming sequel! The Incredibles will encore on Christmas Day at 8:30 PM.

Lee Unkrich announced today on Twitter that during Sunday’s showing of The Incredibles there will be a special sneak peek at Toy Story 3! The two minute film clip will be hosted by Unkrich himself. My best guess says that it will be the clip from D23 that we’ve been hearing so much about.

Update: Check out this cool ABC Family promo (still above) featuring a teaser of the clip we’ll see from Toy Story 3! Can you guess what Woody is staring in agony at? If you’ve been following TS3 news, it shouldn’t be too hard. 

Remember, check your local listings!!! Oh, and enjoy the weekend!