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RUMOR: Bob Peterson No Longer Active on Production for The Good Dinosaur

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We would like to begin this post with a focus on one word - and that would be "rumor". The story of Bob Peterson no longer having an active production role on Pixar's next feature film The Good Dinosaur has been swirling over the internet for the past few days (via BlueSkyDisney and /Film). Having heard rumblings of this rumor shortly after the 2013 D23 Expo (August 15), we didn't want to report on the story until we had additional details, but today with the rush of articles, we felt that we had to address this story and include our thoughts regarding Peterson and Pixar.

During the 2013 D23 Expo, when co-director Peter Sohn and producer Denise Ream (previously not noted as a producer for the movie) took the stage, you could almost hear the whispering rumor mill on the internet wondering about Bob Peterson's and John Walker's absence. This came as a surprise to many since The Good Dinosaur production team was previously reported as, Peterson (Director), Sohn (Co-Director) and Walker as the producer. Any news of an official change of the reigns hasn't been made and it has yet to be confirmed by Disney•Pixar.

Our thoughts on the early rumors are many - from Peterson perhaps stepping down from the project himself, to perhaps stepping away from animation for a bit and working on live-action films (like Brad Bird or Andrew Stanton), to this being a story of falsehood and nothing more than a rumor. One thing that is for sure is that Pixar always focuses on the story and the quality of the film, perhaps if there were creative differences, or The Good Dinosaur needed to go into a new direction the Pixar brain trust would make the appropriate call.


Additionally, we also feel the word "removal" that is being used, could be a bit harsh of a verbiage choice when it comes to this information. If this rumor proves to be true, it is worth noting that many of our beloved Pixar films had a production change-up during filming. Starting with Ratatouille (lead Director change from Jan Pinkava to Brad Bird), to Cars 2 (lead Director change from Brad Lewis to John Lasseter) and of course Brave (Director change from Brenda Chapman to Mark Andrews). It is also worth noting that if Peterson no longer has an active production role on The Good Dinosaur, that his hard work during the pre-production and current production won't be able to be completely removed. Although the storyline may change, you can't just "remove" Peterson's passion that he started the film with.

At this point, no official word of a release date change has been announced for The Good Dinosaur and is still slated for a May 2014 release - what are your thoughts? Will the release date change, will the plot points change drastically or just minimally. A few readers have already started conversations in the Pixar Post Forum regarding the Director change rumors as well as the Denise Ream stepping in as a Producer - keep the conversation going.

Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.
info@pixarpost.com

Disney Infinity - Woody Character for Pre-Sale and Toy Box Details

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Disney Infinity's infinite possibilities of the Toy Box grew a little more today with the release of five new pre-built toy boxes ranging from race courses to a fun side-scrolling adventure (à la Mario). Check out three of the five videos below and then download the free Toy Boxes on your console to start playing now.




Additionally, Walmart is now taking preorders for their exclusive Disney Infinity character, Woody, to be released on October 1. Of course, Woody will be available to play in the Toy Box as of October 1, but will also be able to be utilized in the Toy Story in Space play set also releasing in October (date not specified yet). The Toy Story in Space play set is likely to be released with Buzz and Jessie in a two pack, along with the hex game piece to enable the game play.


During the introductory Toy Box from the game you also get a glimpse of Woody's character in the game and I must say that we love the way they designed his run - it looks so authentic (check out our Vine video below).


Related Posts:

Pixar Post - T.J.

Confirmed - Directing Role For The Good Dinosaur Has Changed - Bob Peterson Already Working on Next Pixar Project

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Earlier this week, we noted that rumors had been swirling regarding Bob Peterson no longer being part of the production team on Pixar's upcoming, The Good Dinosaur. Today, we can report that the rumor has been confirmed as Ed Catmull, Pixar's President and co-founder, spoke to in a recent conversation with the LA Times (via /Film). Details were discussed regarding the intermittent Directors (yes, plural), Producer change, timing of the film's release as well as Peterson's employment status with Pixar.

Ed Catmull image © Pixar Animation Studios

"All directors get really deep in their films," Catmull said this week. "Sometimes you just need a different perspective to get the idea out. Sometimes directors ... are so deeply embedded in their ideas it actually takes someone else to finish it up. I would go so far as to argue that a lot of live-action films would be better off with that same process."
The next logical question that comes up is who will be taking over for Peterson? Will the movie fall to Peter Sohn since he has been the co-Director since the beginning of the film? Luckily, Catmull addressed that fact as well in the article,
Until a new director is named, Pixar is relying on a team of people to shepherd various sections of the movie, due in theaters in nine months. That group includes Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, "Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich, "Brave" director Mark Andrews and the film's original co-director Peter Sohn (at Pixar, a co-director plays a deputy role to the director).
As we also discussed earlier this week, Denise Ream is now the official Producer for The Good Dinosaur (as noted from her D23 Expo appearance). John Walker, the film's previous Producer has left and is now concentrating on Brad Bird's Tomorrowland film.

Peter Sohn, John Lasseter and Denise Ream on stage
at the D23 Expo @ Disney•Pixar

What we were most concerned about when hearing this rumor was the potential of Bob Peterson's exit from Pixar, as he is a studio legend and jack-of-all-trades. Jim Morris (General Manager and Vice President of Production) did put our minds at rest by mentioning that Peterson is still employed at Pixar and is actually already directing another project in development.

Finally, Ed Catmull also mentioned that the timeline for the films release is still on track at this point with no major story changes at hand.
As of now, the release date for "The Good Dinosaur" is unchanged and the movie is proceeding on its production schedule, according to Catmull. "We've been around long enough to know it will never be smooth," Catmull said. "But getting this process smooth is not our goal; our goal is to make the movie great." 
From our personal perspective, one item that has rung through loud and clear is that this news seems to be affecting fans more than any other directing change we've seen in the past. This is most likely because Peterson is so well loved within the Pixar fan community - as evidenced by the feedback that has been pouring in after the rumor was announced. Business decisions are never easy, especially when it involves someone that is so loved in Pixar's long and storied history. Let's remember that we're only looking in from the outside and we're sure this decision wasn't easy for Pixar's management team either.

What are your thoughts - can Pixar meet the existing release date? Leave a comment below or continue the conversation in the Pixar Post Forum and chat about the change overall, or who you would like to see take the lead directing role.

Related Articles:
- The Good Dinosaur sneak peek from the 2013 D23 Expo
- Details regarding Party Central - short film showing alongside The Good Dinosaur in theaters
- Thomas Newman to score The Good Dinosaur

Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie
info@pixarpost.com

Toy Story of Terror Poster Art

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Entertainment Weekly recently released an exclusive teaser poster for Toy Story of Terror! - the first 30-minute made-for-television Pixar short which will air on Wednesday, October 16. The poster, which is a combination of the logo and teaser image that was revealed in May, now pulls the images together with an ominous, haunted hotel in the background.


The short which features all of our favorite Toy Story characters starts with the gang watching a Dracula movie in the trunk of the car while Mr. Pricklepants criticizes all of the typical cliches you would find in a horror movie. After Bonnie's Mom gets a flat tire on her way to visit Grandma, the gang pulls up to a hotel to stop at for the night. Mr. Pricklepants then says that this exact scenario is the perfect setup for a horror movie...this is when strange things start to happen.

October is shaping up to be a great month for Pixar with the  release of Monsters University (digital October 8 and Blu Ray October 29), Cars 3D on Blu Ray (October 29), Toy Story in Space Disney Infinity play set (anticipated on or before October 22) and of course, Toy Story of Terror! 

Related Posts:

Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.

Toy Story of Terror UK Broadband Advertisement

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An ad for Sky's broadband service highlights the upcoming Toy Story of Terror release in the United Kingdom. Although the majority of the footage is specifically for advertisement purposes, we loved the introductory black and white footage with the traditional horror movie fonts and overall feel. Based on the initial plot points we already know, it made us wonder if the black and white footage will be reminiscent of the horror movie that the Toy Story gang will be watching in the trunk of the car on their way to Bonnie's Grandmother's house.


In the video uploaded by A113Animation, we were also pleased to see details that Toy Story of Terror will be released around the same time (Autumn release) as the October 16 North American release (since some of our international readers have inquired about this).

Related Posts:

Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.

Monsters University Worldwide Total Reaches Over $720 Million

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If Scott "Squishy" Squibbles heard the new box office totals for Monsters University he would utter one of his trademark lines from the film - "It's time for a celebration!"Monsters University continues to scare up high numbers at the Box Office reaching a worldwide total of just over $720 Million dollars this past weekend, making it Pixar's fourth highest grossing film to date (via Box Office Mojo). With an estimated budget of $200 Million (tied for third highest behind Toy Story 3 and Cars 2) it's obvious that Pixar believed in this film. One of the best things about Pixar films is that even with a budget of $200 Million, no portion of that money is wasted. The technologies developed during production continue to support and enhance future Pixar projects (unlike live-action films where millions of dollars are spent creating sets which will later be removed, or worse yet, destroyed). Let's take a brief look back at some of the milestones in Monsters U history and which technologies will continue to expand and support future Pixar films.

Photo via Pixar Animation Studios

The team behind Monsters University have worked exceptionally hard throughout the years on this film - as with other Pixar films. During production there were quite a bit of Pixar firsts that took place, one of those would be the incredible amount of storyboards that were created for the film - over 200,000 in fact. Over 100,000 of those were "used" and delivered for the film's production making it the most storyboards created for a Pixar film. The team also included an average of 25 characters in each shot, making it the most of any Pixar film. That ability was courtesy of the numerous advances in computing power and rendering efficiencies that have been seen as the team continued to evolve and push animation forward.

Photo via Pixar Animation Studios

It's also worth noting that Pixar used Global Illumination for the first time in a Pixar feature film. This process assisted the artists with new lighting tools, allowing them to deliver more realistic and streamlined lighting. This also allowed the artists to work more quickly with multiple lighting sources and reduced the time needed to generate a light source.

One of the scenes that has (and continues) to stick out in my mind as one of the best lighting scenes of any Pixar film is where Mike Wazowski attempts to join the Scare Games in the cul-de-sac of Frat Row (where Dean Hardscrabble strikes a deal that if he doesn't win, he must leave Monsters University). The cloudy, overcast look of the scene just blows me away - it's perfection (at least to me).

With so many firsts and with the hard work of so many Pixar artists, it's no wonder that Monsters University is still gaining fans and revenue as the film has finally opened in all markets. Now, we just have to wait until we can see it again (starting in October) at home - we can't wait.

Related Posts
- Monsters University to be released on Blu Ray and Digital in October
- Monsters University SUPERFAN Video & Photos - Opening Night
- Day One: Monsters University Press Day
- Day Two: Monsters University Press Day

Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.
info@pixarpost.com

Who Voiced Woody in the 'Toy Story of Terror' SKY Broadband Commercial?

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Image © Pixar Animation Sutdios

Have you ever been watching your favorite Toy Story character during a commercial or in a video game and said, "hey, that doesn't completely sound like Woody from the movie"? Well, you're not alone. A reader of ours, Emmet, recently inspired us to write this post after he watched the most recent Toy Story of Terror! SKY Broadband advertisement and asked, "Was that really Tom Hanks' voice? It didn't sound like it!".


Emmet was right to question the accuracy of Woody's voice because this is not Tom Hanks' vocal work in the commercial. You may be surprised to find out who provided the voice though - it's Tom Hanks' Brother, Jim Hanks. Yup, Jim has been filling Woody's vocal chords for a lot more than you may think over the years - everything from commercials to video games. Jim even voiced Woody in the upcoming release of the Toy Story in Space play set for Disney Infinity video game (Woody character to be released October 1, play set to be released October 22).

Check out this hilarious video as Tom Hanks describes working with Pixar and how Jim was asked to voice Woody's smaller roles.



You may be wondering who will voice Woody in the full 30-minute Toy Story of Terror! feature. Well, wonder-no-longer - Tom Hanks will be back at the helm for his signature cowboy role.

Vocal changes are quite common between feature films and smaller work as many actors are substituted for various reasons. For instance, the television series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, found Patrick Warburton voicing Buzz Lightyear instead of the more familiar, Tim Allen (although Tim did voice Buzz for the direct-to-video feature of the same name).

Related Posts:
- Toy Story of Terror! UK Broadband Advertisement
- Disney Infinity - Woody character available for pre sale
- Toy Story of Terror! Additional Sneak Peek Details from the D23 Expo

Pixar Post - T.J.
info@pixarpost.com

Episode 019 of The Pixar Post Podcast - We chat about Toy Story of Terror, The Good Dinosaur, Disney Infinity and more

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In episode 019 of the Pixar Post Podcast we discuss:

PIXAR POST FORUM DISCUSSION

  • We congratulate the winner of our Disney Infinity Crystal Lightning McQueen figure sweepstakes - forum user, "csp131".
  • Quick discussion of the "title tiers" for our forum and the first user to cross over 50 posts, "mac95".

TOY STORY OF TERROR!


THE GOOD DINOSAUR


DISNEY INFINITY

  • Additional discussions surrounding our experience playing both the Wii and WiiU versions of Disney Infinity and our in depth thoughts on why the Wii version possibly shouldn't have been produced.
  • Quick discussions on the Toy Story in Space play set coming out on October 22, the Woody figure being released on October 1 and the next wave of power discs.
  • Wrap up of the Toys"R"Us power disc trading event which took place on September 7 and why the Tron disc is really helpful in gaining your figures experience points.
  • Discussions on the free InfiniList app in the iOS app store to help you track your figures and power discs.

PIXTOBER

  • We chat about the amazing month of October and why the release of Monsters University, Toy Story of Terror!, Toy Story in Space Disney Infinity play set and Cars 3D makes October a month not to miss for Pixar fans.

Feel free to listen to the Podcast using the player below, subscribe and listen directly in iTunes, or subscribe and listen on Stitcher.


Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie

Monsters University to Receive Hollywood Animation Award

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Let the award season commence! Yesterday, it was announced that Monsters University will be the recipient of the Hollywood Animation Award at the 17th annual, Hollywood Film Awards (HFA). Carlos De Abreu, the HFA founder and executive producer, noted that Monsters University was selected as the recipient due to the fact that, "Once again, the animation and storytelling of 'Monsters University' reflects Pixar creativity and greatness".

Image © David Butow for the LA Times

The award will be received by none other than Director, Dan Scanlon and Producer, Kori Rae at the October 21 event which will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Of course, a big congratulations is in order to Dan, Kori and the entire Monsters University crew for their extremely hard work and technological advances that the film brought forth. Here's to hoping that this will kick off an amazing award season for the hilarious and beautifully rendered film.

Previously Pixar has also won the Hollywood Animation Award for:

  • Toy Story 3 (2010)
  • WALL-E (2008)
  • Rataouille (2007)
  • Cars (2006)
  • Finding Nemo (2003)

The October 21 HFA are yet another reason we're calling October, Pixtober. Between the release of Monsters University on digital release (October 8) and Blu Ray (October 29), we also have the Toy Story of Terror! special (October 16), Cars Blu Ray re-release in 3D and finally the release of the Toy Story in Space Disney Infinity playset (October 22...with Woody releasing October 1).

Pixar Post - T.J.

PartySaurus Rex Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary

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One year ago today, one of the most fun, beat-dropping Pixar shorts hit theaters alongside the re-relase of Finding Nemo in 3D - PartySaurus Rex! Stemming from the brain of Director, Mark Walsh, and honed by many talented individuals from Pixar and Pixar Canada, PartySaurus Rex was brought to life. We knew we would love this short the moment we caught wind of it due to Rex's timid nature juxtaposed against the raucous elements of a rave. Things only got more exciting for us as we learned that the short would be composed by the electronic dance master, BT.

All this excitement lead Julie to want to create her own custom PartySaurus Rex...and that is where our Rex's journey began. We took Rex all over town and even across the country in a string of wacky events prompting us to start the #FollowRex hastag where people could follow along with his journey (summary photos from week one and two).



Clearly we weren't the only ones that fell in love with PartySaurus Rex and we often received (and still do) emails from all over the globe regarding how to buy our custom toy or the custom sweatshirt that Julie made. Due to the emails, we decided to show the process of how we made our Rex in a short "how to" video. Following that, some amazing fans also made their own versions (shown below).

Mini PartySaurus by the huge PartySaurus fan, Lauren C.
Fan rex_op_reis took their Rex to a wax museum to have Rex
meet a ton of other celebrities
JorBestBet's custom PartySaurus!

Share your favorite PartySaurus Rex moment using #WHATUPFISHES on Twitter


A full sized PartySaurus Rex toy has yet to hit store shelves, however here are some ways that you can keep enjoying the short.

Watch:
Buy the short in High Definition
Buy the short in Standard Definition

Listen:
Buy the song inspired by the short on iTunes or Amazon (read our song review)

Books:
Three Toy Toons (a 3D picture book)
Partysaurus Rex (self titled children's book coming out in January 2014)

Toys:
Toy Story PartySaurus Boat Playset

Be sure to share your favorite PartySaurus Rex moment using #WHATUPFISHES on Twitter. Congratulations again to the entire PartySaurus Rex team on their one year anniversary of the hilarious short!

Related Posts
- PartySaurus Rex Goes to Pixar Animation Studios
- Ever Wonder How We Made Our Custom PartySaurus Rex Toy?
- Our Custom PartySaurus Rex/Pixar Canada Sweatshirt
- Astounding Interview with PartySaurus Rex Director Mark Walsh
- Our PartySaurus Rex Red Carpet Premiere

Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.
info@pixarpost.com

New Toy Story of Terror Image Shows Mr. Pricklepants and the Gang in a Worried State - UPDATED with Video!

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In an image released exclusively to Animation Scoop, Disney•Pixar provides another sneak peek into the upcoming Toy Story of Terror! television special releasing on October 16. To date, we know that the 30-minute special takes a turn for the worse when Bonnie's Mom's car gets a flat tire on their way to "Grandma's house", forcing the toys to spend the night in a motel. Soon, the gang finds themselves searching for a lost member of the group while trying not to get lost themselves! For more details surrounding Toy Story of Terror!, be sure to check out the D23 Expo post for additional sneak peek details.

Thanks to our great readers, we were also told that an exclusive television trailer has also just been exclusively released to Huffington Post. Check out the new advertisement below and watch for it during commercials soon! By the way, we love the part with the PEZ dispenser and Rex stepping in the mysterious goo.





We should also point out that the Toy Story of Terror! advertisements are in full swing as TouringPlans points out in this series of banners up at Disney's Hollywood Studios.


Related Posts:
- Additional Toy Story of Terror! sneak peek details from the D23 Expo
- Toy Story of Terror! UK Broadband advertisement
- Who voiced Woody in the UK Broadband advertisement?

Pixar Post - T.J.
info@pixarpost.com

The Good Dinosaur Release Date Pushed to November 25, 2015 - Pushing Finding Dory's Release to 2016

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Pixar has just announced (via the LA Times) that The Good Dinosaur's original May 30, 2014 release date has now been pushed to 2015. The release date for the film has been an almost consistent point of discussions since Pixar announced that Bob Peterson would no longer be Directing the film late last month.


The Good Dinosaur is now slated to be released on November 25, 2015 and if that date sound familiar that is because it was the original release date of Finding Dory. So what does that mean for the Nemo spinoff? Well, Finding Dory is now slated for an open-ended summer 2016 release date. In a effort to put people's minds at ease, Pixar's President, Ed Catmull noted, "Nobody ever remembers the fact that you slipped a film, but they will remember a bad film. Our conclusion was that we were going to give the film [The Good Dinosaur] some more time."

Currently, the film is still listed with the directing team of Lee Unkrich, Mark Andrews, John Lasseter and the film's original co-director, Peter Sohn. No news was announced as to who the film's final director will be as the film steps back to the story department. Additionally, with the release date being pushed back a year-and-a-half from it's originally slated 2014 release date, we have to assume that this will mean some major changes to the film will be coming. Will the dinosaurs still remain farmers, will the film still be set around the journey of Arlo and Spot?

So, what are your thoughts? Does this move make sense for the movie? Leave a comment below or chat about it more in depth in the Pixar Post Forum.

Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie
info@pixarpost.com

Episode 020 of the Pixar Post Podcast - The Good Dinosaur date change, Toy Story of Terror Commercial & more

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In episode 020 of the Pixar Post Podcast we discuss:

NEWS SNIPPETS FOR THE WEEK

  • We kick off award season by chatting about Monsters University and how the film is set to receive the Hollywood Animation Award and our thoughts on the upcoming awards season.
  • Ron Howard recently was asked what five films he would have loved to have been involved in - listen in as he surprisingly selects all Pixar films.
  • Jay Leno released a special video of the Pixar 2013 Motorama - such a great way to see a ton of great cars and listen in as Pixarian Jay Ward interviews four other Pixarians regarding their vehicles: Bob Pauley, John Lasseter, Stephanie Hamilton and Mark Walsh. We even hear from Jay Ward and get to see his hot rod that he built as well.

TOY STORY OF TERROR!

  • Advertising is in full swing for the soon-to-be-released television special - we chat about the banners at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the newly released still from the short, as well as the first television commercial to be released for the hilarious 30-minute feature.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

  • We spend the majority of our podcast discussing the September 18 announcement of the film's date change from May 30, 2014 to November 25, 2015 (as well as the impact to Finding Dory as well). We chat about everything from Ed Catmull's official comments, to Disney's involvement in this decision, to the Party Central short which was slated to be included with the May 2014 release of the film.
  • We wrap up our discussion with our thoughts on how and if the story will change.
  • We're looking for your input - give us a call at (415) 799-POST (7678) and let us know your thoughts in regards to the date change - how do you feel about it? With any story changes, do you think the dinosaur will remain farmers? Who do you think will be the final lead director for the film?

    Feel free to listen to the Podcast using the player below, subscribe and listen directly in iTunes, or subscribe and listen on Stitcher.


    Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie

    Bill Hader Talks About Working With Pixar

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    Saturday Night Live Alumni, Bill Hader is quickly becoming a household name in the world of animation as he is once again partnering up with Pixar to voice characters in two upcoming feature films. Hader, who previously worked with Pixar on Monsters University voiced two characters in the film, the Slug who is late for class and the Referee. Our favorite line in the film was actually voiced by Hader as the Referee during the Sneak & Scream Scare Game - "Tough luck, Kris Kringle".


    Recently, Hader was interviewed by Screencrush where he discussed his voice talent in many upcoming animated films. Below are the the questions that were asked related to Pixar.

    You’re going to be in ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ you’ve got this franchise plus ‘Turbo‘ and ‘Monsters University,’ so at this point you’ve done a lot of animated work. Was that a career goal, do you want to be the next Mel Blanc?

    Nah. I love animated movies, but I never consider strategizing anything in my career, it’s kind of more about what’s available at that moment, and what I’m interested in. That changes every year, so it just happens that lately that’s what I’ve been approached about and have been interested in.

    How far into ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The Good Dinosaur’ are you? 

    ‘Inside Out’ I’m into way more, ‘The Good Dinosaur’ I just did my first session a month ago, but ‘Inside Out’ I’ve been working on that for two years.

    Bill Hader and his character "Fear" from Inside Out.

    It’s funny because ‘Dinosaur’ was originally scheduled to come out first. 

    That’s how long these movies percolate for. ‘Inside Out’ I was hanging out inside the writer’s room and bulls—ing with people and it turned into “Do you want to play the part?” “Yeah!” Which is pretty cool.


    Related Posts
    - Pixar Panel Breakdown from the D23 Expo
    - Inside Out Sneak Peeks from the D23 Expo

    Pixar Post - Julie
    info@pixarpost.com

    'Toy Story of Terror!' Sneak Peek Video Clip & Soundtrack Details

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    With the release of Toy Story of Terror! just around the corner, TV Guide has released an updated exclusive sneak peek clip from the sure-to-be-humorous television special. Paired along with the five new stills that were released last week, our anticipation for the film is at an all-time high. With this new clip, we now have confirmation who the first (and now second) toy that goes missing is.


    As if you weren't excited enough, Amazon has also released details (via Everything Pixar) regarding the Michael Giacchino-scored soundtrack which will go on sale one day prior to its television premiere on ABC on October 16. How great is it that Pixar is releasing the soundtrack for the 30-minute special?  The track listing is as follows:

    1. The Suspension Is Killing Me (0:44)
    2. Thinking Inside the Box (1:40)
    3. Motel Me a Scary Story (1:07)
    4. I've Got a Bag Feeling About This (1:45)
    5. Why'd It Have to Be Crawl Spaces? (1:15)
    6. The Ballad of Combat Carl (2:33)
    7. Iguana Be Kidding Me (4:03)
    8. Nobody Puts Jessie in the Box (1:33)
    9. Rock 'Em Box 'Em Robots (1:31)
    10. Pink Peanut Panic (1:23)
    11. World's Worst Curtain Call (2:31)
    12. FedExit (End Credits) (0:53)
    Be sure to download the soundtrack on Amazon starting on October 15 - and stay tuned as we'll be providing an in-depth review of the soundtrack as soon as it is released. With track titles like those, you can guarantee the film will be packed full of hilarious puns.



    Related Posts:
    - Five new Toy Story of Terror! still showcasing the return of Combat Carl
    - Toy Story of Terror! - Additional sneak peek details from the D23 Expo
    - Michael Giacchino to score Toy Story of Terror!

    Pixar Post - T.J.

    Monsters University Spin Master Toys - Video Review

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    Monsters University toys initially hit shelves along side the movie's theatrical release in late June, but with the digital release of the movie (October 8) and the Blu Ray release coming out at the end of month (October 29), we wanted to take a look back at some of the exciting toys that were exclusively released by Spin Master in our video review. Even more exciting is that some new releases are starting to trickle out (such as a Dean Hardscrabble Roll-a-Scare character and the Randy Scare Student toy).


    Here are the list of toys that we reviewed in our video with a direct link to the products:

    - Monsters University small figures (exclusive to WalMart)
    - Monsters University Scare Pairs
    - Monsters University Toxic Race Playset
    - Monsters University My Scare Pal Art
    - Monsters University My Scare Pal Sulley

    Pixar Post - T.J.

    Willem Dafoe Returns as Gill in Finding Dory - What About the Rest of the Tank Gang?

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    One question that has lingered in the Twitter-verse after the announcement of Finding Dory, is will any of the "Tank Gang" from Finding Nemo reappear in Finding Dory?  Well, it appears that the voice of Gill (Willem Dafoe) will be reprising his role in the highly anticipated Pixar sequel. In a recent interview with Total Film, Dafoe stated,
     “Yeah I’ve already started...It’s even better than the first. It’s fantastic. It’s good to say I think it’s going to be better than the first; that’s good advertising!” 

    With the return of Gill we can only speculate the return of Deb and Flo (Deb's tank reflection), Peach, Bubbles, Gurgle, Bloat and Jacques who was voiced by the late Pixarian, Joe Ranft. We do think that the appearance of the tank gang will be minimal as the film focuses on Dory's journey as well as the new cast of characters the audience is set to encounter.


    Some of the new characters will be Dory's mother, Jenny (voiced by Diane Keaton). Dory's father, Charlie (voiced by Eugene Levy) and Bailey the beluga whale (voiced by Ty Burrell) whose voice will perhaps mirror Dory's playful, forgetful nature.

    Dafoe did note that he is confident with Finding Dory stating, “It’s difficult to repeat a success and so many years afterwards, but it’s really cool, I’ve done one session so far and I just am going to have such a good time.” That is great praise for the entire Finding Dory crew working hard to make this film another Pixar success for it's June 17, 2016 theatrical release!

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    Pixar Post - Julie

    Monsters University Movie Now Available For Download in HD

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    Fans of Monsters University can celebrate in excitement as the high definition digital release of the movie is now available on iTunes and Amazon. The movie is also only available for early release in high definition whereas the standard definition download will still be released on October 29 alongside the Blu Ray/DVD release date.

    The high definition download is split into two files - the first file being the main movie (4.09 GB) and the second file is a whopping 3.90 GB of extras and commentary - Woo Hoo! Be sure to stay tuned to Pixar Post as we'll be posting our full review of the extras very soon. The full list of extras can be seen below the details on how you can purchase and download the movie.

    How To Purchase and Download:

    - Purchase and Download Monsters University in iTunes



    - Purchase and Download Monsters University on Amazon



    Monsters University Extras:

    Click to Enlarge - Quick look at the Monsters U extras menus

    Campus Life– What’s it like being on a production crew at Pixar? Get a look at a day in the life of the “Monsters University” crew through their own eyes.

    Story School– This documentary examines the challenges of creating a prequel as well as themes that run through the story, and the change in focus from Sulley to Mike. We’ll also look at how gags are developed – from writing jokes to brainstorming a million ideas, only 5% of which actually end up in the movie.

    Scare Games– At Pixar, we play hard while we work. The same people who keep the film production moving – producers, managers, coordinators and artists – are also the ones who bring spirit and excitement to some of our extracurricular activities. We check out the MU production teams as they go head to head in the mostly playful Pixar Scare Games competitions. A preview of this feature has previously been released on YouTube and can be seen on our post here (the extra in the movie is much longer).

    Monthropology – This takes a close look at the monsters themselves and how they are comprised of different shapes and how their different controls create varied emotions. It also takes a look at the arduous process of creating the character of Dean Hardscrabble.

    Welcome to MU– Sets aren’t just buildings, they are the worlds our characters live in and explore. This look at the Monsters University campus and its development is told from the perspective of the artists who created each piece of the campus from the architecture to the ivy leaves.

    Music Appreciation– Randy Newman’s scores are a mainstay of Pixar films, and this documentary will give you a privileged look at his creative process. We follow the “Monsters University” scoring process from spotting to writing and on to the scoring session. including special college-themed recording sessions.

    Scare Tactics– Animators are actors who digitally bring the characters to life. In this look at how the MU animation team worked, you’ll see their process of how they channeled their own monster-selves and created moments on screen that were really funny, really scary and also really serious, sometimes all at the same time.

    Color and Light– How can a single painting set the tone for an entire scene? We’ll look at the creation of the colorscripts and how they were realized technically in the final film. Along with the process, this piece explores the many layers of technical innovation required to produce such a naturalistic feel.

    Paths to Pixar – MU Edition– When one door closes, sometimes another door opens – one with an even more exciting opportunity behind it. Members of the MU crew tell their own compelling backstories and share the challenges they overcame along their paths to Pixar.

    Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective– Explore the difficulties in creating characters that are 20 years younger with tools that are 10 years more advanced in this contrasting look at the differing technical challenges that arose when making “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Monsters University.”

    Deleted ScenesFour separate scenes– “Rivalry,” “Recon,” “Movie Night,” and “Drama Class” – are highlighted with an introduction from director Dan Scanlon.

    The Blue Umbrella – This animated short film from Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Saschka Unseld and produced by Marc Greenberg, played in theaters in front of “Monsters University.” “The Blue Umbrella” tells the story of an evening commute in which the rain starts to fall and the city comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling gutters. And in the midst, two umbrellas—one blue, one not—fall eternally in love.

    Additional Bonus Features - Promo Picks, College Campaign, Theatrical Campaign, Set Flythroughs, and an Art Gallery
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    Related Posts:
    - Monsters University and Cars 3D releasing on Blu Ray on October 29
    - The Art of Monsters University detailed book review
    - Monsters University advanced charity screening in Detroit
    - Day One of the Monsters University Pixar Press Event
    Director's commentary track review of Monsters, Inc.

    Pixar Post - T.J.

    Monsters University Deleted Scene Has Mike & Sulley in Drama Class

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    With the digital release of Monsters University early this morning (in North America) we were excited to download the movie and start digging into the extras. Pixar never disappoints in the level of extra content that they release with their movies and Monsters University is no exception. We'll be writing a more in depth look at the extras very soon, but in the meantime take a look at this excerpt from the deleted scene called Drama Class, in which Mike and Sulley do a little improvisation that gets a bit out of hand (via Disney•Pixar's YouTube page). We can't recommend the digital release enough as it has such a broad set of extras - plus you can watch the entire movie three weeks ahead of its Blu Ray release. For a full list of the extras, and for details on how to download the movie, click here.

    Pixar Canada Closes its Doors

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    It is with much sadness that we report that Pixar's sister studio located in Vancouver, British Columbia, has permanently closed its doors today (Oct. 8, 2013). Pixar Canada was founded back in the Spring of 2010 with a team of nearly 100 employees - all whom were dedicated to creating Pixar short films, such as the popular Toy Story Toons - Small Fry and PartySaurus Rex, just to name a few.


    The breaking news was posted in an article by The Province with Barb Matheson (a spokesman for Disney) stating "A decision was made to refocus operations and resources under the one roof" - that one roof being Pixar's main studio located in Emeryville, California.

    The article also included a portion of an official statement released by Pixar:
    “As the dynamics of the animation industry continue to change rapidly, we continue to fine-tune our studio and its production processes. We have made the determination to refocus our creative and business efforts and resources under one roof. Pixar Canada will cease operations immediately.”
    Additionally, Variety also speculated that the closure may be due to the recent tax changes that the British Columbian province has put in place. In early interviews, senior Pixar employees noted the importance of the tax incentives and the wealth of talent that they could pull from in the Vancouver area. Unless the tax incentive changes were drastic, we can't imagine that would be the sole reason - but it may have played a part.

    In looking into the tax changes a bit more (source - B.C. Provincial Budget Tax Changes), it appears that the corporate tax rate was originally set to rise to 11% (from 10%) in April of 2014, but a change noted that the rate would increase a year earlier in April of 2013. Keep in mind that Pixar Canada may not have been paying the existing 10% rate currently as new businesses are often given tax incentives as a way to attract new companies to the area. It could be that their existing, larger tax credits were expiring and Vancouver was no longer able to offer them a sizable enough credit to keep Emeryville satisfied with the deal. Again, these are only speculations that we are exploring based on the Variety article and we certainly don't claim any of this to be the reason that Pixar Canada has closed.


    We have always been fond of Pixar Canada and its quaint qualities that mirror the larger Emeryville studio in its earlier days. Although the studio may have been smaller in scale, the quality of the work was always astounding. We certainly can say that the talented team at Pixar Canada will be missed - they were an amazing group of people that were extremely kind and supportive, and they will be sorely missed in our eyes.

    Change is never easy when a company as beloved as Pixar makes changes along these lines. It seems rash at times, but we must never lose sight in the fact that our emotional response as outsiders cannot trump the response of those employees who have lost their jobs and feel the sting of this news personally. We hope to continue to learn more about the closure of Pixar Canada over the coming days and will update everyone as we learn more.

    Share your thoughts and reaction to this news with us on The Pixar Post Forum - we'll be discussion this news in our upcoming podcast and would love to include excerpts of your feeling and reactions as well.

    Related Posts
    - PartySaurus Rex Concept Art
    - Our Custom Pixar Canada/PartySaurus Rex Sweatshirt
    - Our Astounding Interview with PartySaurus Rex Director Mark Walsh

    Respectfully,

    Pixar Post - Julie & T.J.
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