Munir's Pixar Retrospective #2 - A Bug's Life (1998): 17 Years Later.

Previous post: Munir's Pixar Retrospective #1 - Toy Story (1995): 20 Years Later.

Toy Story's enormous success put Pixar on the map but it still wasn't the animation powerhouse it would become years later. When producing its second film, Pixar had the daunting task of not repeating itself but also, to deliver a high-quality motion picture. As a result, A Bug's Life was born but how does it fare almost 17 years after its original release?

Do All Pixar Films Exist in the Same Universe? Well, No, But this Theory's Magnificent.

I'd say it's extremely unlikely that you haven't thought about the possibility that the talking fish of Finding Nemo exist in the same universe as the talking rats of Ratatouille or the talking insects of A Bug's Life. In fact, a lot of Pixar's filmography could well be interlinked. Well, Cars kinda scuppers all of that... But nonetheless, I doubt you've thought about in as much detail or as cripplingly hilarious a fashion as Jon Negroni.

According to Negroni's "Pixar Theory", which is making the rounds online, A Bug's Life is post-apocalyptic, Monsters, Inc. is set in the distant future and the witch from Brave is actually a time-travelling Boo looking for Sulley through time and scattering Easter eggs to help him find her. Oh, and "Wall-E is basically Robot Jesus". The theory is so massively extensive, at least some of it has to be true... right?

Check out the hilariously ridiculous and ridiculously hilarious theory in all its extensive glory here.

5 Animated Films That Should Have Sequels

Animated sequels have long been in effect - some for good, some for bad. Here's the five that should
 get made.

We live in a world where sequels are an inevitability; if a film does quite well at the box office, it's general practice that it'll get a sequel, hence why we're at the stage where we hear chatter about 22 Jump Street, Independence Day sequels and more (you know Warner Bros. begged Christopher Nolan for an Inception sequel). More topically, we have animated sequels, prequels and spin-offs coming out the wahzoo: Monsters University, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Despicable Me 2 and the Cars spin-off Planes are all due this year alone, with films like How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hotel Transylvania 2, Rio 2 and Finding Dory in the pipeline for the next few years.

Things don't always pan out exactly as we'd like them to, though, and we end up with The Smurfs 2 and Shrek 4, while films like The Pirates! languish alone. As such, I've compiled a list. A list of the animated films that should have a follow up, but in which the studios just don't seem interested. And yes, The Incredibles 2 is unsurprisingly on there.

So, in no particular order...

Interview: Tyler Garland of The Road to Pixar Team

In yet another interview, I'm interviewing Tyler Garland, Online Quality Controller, of the 'Road to Pixar' team:

A113Animation: Firstly, for those of us that may not know what 'The Road to Pixar' is about, tell us a little bit:
Tyler Garland: The Road to Pixar is a documentary that will follow the Pizza Planet delivery truck on it's incredible journey up to Northern California.


A113: When did the project start; when is it expected to run until?
TG: About a year ago. We hope to have it up and running by the end of summer!


A113: The ultimate goal is Pixar, obviously, what are your thoughts about Pixar?
TG: Pixar is incredible! From story lines, to characters they really set the bar for animated films in my eyes. Not to mention everything they do is so visually stunning.


A113: What is your favourite Pixar film; why?
TG: For sure Toy Story. Such a groundbreaking film in so many ways, with some great acting talents as well. Can't beat it. A Bug's Life comes in at a close second, though.


A113: Who is your favourite Pixar character; why?
TG: I'd have to say RC. That was always my favorite as a kid, and I never outgrew it. I actually had a real RC remote control car like in the movie at one point.


A113: What was the inspiration for the project?
TG: The love for Pixar, and the love for filmmaking. I think that says it all.


A113: You're launching an online campaign I believe, tell us a little about that:
TG: The campaign is going to be shedding some light on the project and also hopefully creating a fan base!
 

A113: Will you be making a stop on the journey to see Cars 2; what do you make of the idea of Pixar making a sequel to arguably their weakest film?
TG: I think that Cars 2 is going to make a lot of fans happy, although it may not be groundbreaking in any way, it will still please the kids, and that is important. 

A113: Anything else we should know?
TG: This will be a really fun journey to follow. Don't be left behind!


Once again, remember to keep your eyes peeled for more and check out their website.

Happy 25th Anniversary of Pixar

25 years to this day on 3rd February, 1986, Pixar was born. When Apple head honcho, Steve Jobs bought the Lucasfilm Graphics Division back in '86, I'm not sure even he knew how huge it would become. Since 1986, Pixar have produced 11 consecutive hit animated films and left a mark on critics and audiences alike that may never be matched.

Pixar, later bought by arguably the biggest film company of all time, Disney, has a legacy unmatched in the film industry and John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and the whole team changed the landscape of animated films forever.

I wish Pixar a sincerely heart felt congratulations on their 25th anniversary and can only wish them the best for the future, not that they need it!

On a side note, Kung Hei Fat Choi, happy Chinese New Year!