'Funny! Twenty-Five Years of Laughter From The Pixar Story Room' Book Review

Have you ever thought to yourself "I wish I could be a fly on the wall at Pixar Animation Studios"? If you answered yes, Chronicle Books has just released the perfect book for you, Funny! Twenty-Five Years of Laughter from the Pixar Story Room. Created entirely of sketches that have previously been unreleased, Funny! contains artwork from numerous talented artists that span 20 years of Pixar filmmaking. At 160 pages, this hardcover book reads like the previous Pixar "Art of" series and is a must-have for any fan who wants an in-depth look into the silliness that takes place in the Pixar Story Department. (Watch our video preview of 'Funny!' on YouTube or embedded below.)


From the moment you open the book you'll find yourself giggling at parody sketches of the famed Luxo lamp instantly transporting you into the world of a Pixar story artist. The book begins with a Foreward provided by John Lasseter in which you can feel the passion and respect he has for the artists in the story department — sharing that there's no other group within the studio walls that has more fun. Long time Pixar Story Artist, Jason Katz Introduces the book in a creative way that explains the basics and origins of "gag sessions" within the story department, including how important gags are to make the film stronger.

(left) Mathew Luhn, pen and colored pencil (Monsters, Inc) (right) Jason Katz, pencil (Toy Story 3)

As you flip through the pages of Funny! and begin to immerse yourself into the sketches you may start to recognzie some of the artists styles such as Jeff Pidgeon, Matthew Luhn and Joe Ranft. The book includes short explanations/stories that compliment certain sketches completing the behind-the-scenes feel — such as some of the hilarious iconic moments from A Bug's Life that came from the mind of the brilliant, Joe Ranft. Speaking of "minds", one of our favorite sketches from the book is by Inside Out Story Supervisor, Josh Cooley, who created a comical version of Sadness wearing "mom jeans" (hilarious).

During a recent visit to Pixar Animation Studios we were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Pixar Archives where were able to inquire about Funny!, Asking Christine Freeman (Lead Archivist) and Juliet Roth (Pixar Historian) if their team helped assist the artists and directors when compiling the art for the book. Indeed, the archivists did share input — in fact Funny! was a labor-intensive job as the team pulled over 500 pieces of art to be considered for the book.

Pick up a copy of Funny! on Amazon using this direct link.



Related Posts:
- The 'Art of Inside Out' Book Review and 14 Additional 'Inside Out' Themed Books
- 'The Good Dinosaur' Review: An Awe-Inspiring Tale of Friendship and Perseverance
- Take A Rare Peek Into The Pixar Archives

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