Pete Docter Was Given Newt Before It Was Cancelled, Says Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull's got a book coming out. Creativity, Inc. tells the story of the studio's rise "from a small, money-losing hardware company to a movie studio with 1,200 employees and a streak of fourteen #1 movies in a row that has garnered 30 Academy Awards and earned more than $7 billion worldwide." And, to help promote that book, the Pixar president has been chatting to Fast Company, spilling a lot of really exciting and interesting titbits from inside the studio's walls. Like, for instance, what actually happened to newt. Read on to find out.

Former Pixarian Gary Rydstrom Heads to Lucasfilm Animation; Brenda Chapman Talks

Word just broke today that longtime Pixarian, Gary Rydstrom, who was a sound designer on multiple Pixar films, directed Pixar shorts Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian and the wonderful Lifted, and was directing the hotly anticipated newt (so that's still a no then?) is now directing an animated feature film for Lucasfilm Animation! You may recall that was where Brenda Chapman headed after her Pixar exit last year (although she now works for DreamWorks), and it was from said Brave co-director that the news emerged.

Damn You, Pixar: More Tantalising Newt Concept Art

*sigh* Pixar, will you ever let us move on?

newt was by far my most anticipated Pixar film, we didn't know much about it, only a premise and some gorgeous concpet art (here and here -- you can view it all here), but I was hooked; I don't remember ever connecting quite so much to quite so little. So, I was rather upset when the film was cancelled - due in part to plot similarities to Blue Sky Studios' Rio. Pixar, though, won't let us mourn in piece, and insist on showering us with yet more beautiful concept art and references to the film, and today we get more still, via former Pixarian Katy Wu, who shared some of the work she did on the film on her personal blog.

Mark Walsh (And More!) To Appear At View Conference

Tomorrow (as well as the last day of voting in Groups 1 - vote here - and 2 - vote on the right-hand sidebar of this site - of our Round Two "A113 Ten Years" polls; and the day after my birthday!) is the US re-release of Pixar's Finding Nemo, in 3D! Accompanying Nemo 3D is a brand new Toy Story Toon, directed by Finding Nemo's directing animator Mark Walsh, Partysaurus Rex.

However, those of us in Europe don't get Finding Nemo 3D until mid-March - so no Partysaurus Rex until then either! However, a select few won't have to wait that long! Mark Walsh will be appearing at the VIEW Conference, a huge computer graphics and animation expo that runs in Turin, Italy from 16th to 19th October. In addition to appearing at the event, Mark will bring with him Partysaurus Rex, for its European premiere!

In addition to Walsh, Genndy Tartakovsky will be on hand to present exclusive footage of Sony's Hotel Transylvania, as well as DreamWorks' Madagascar 3 co-director Eric Darnell; the VFX supervisor of The Dark Knight Rises Double Negative's Paul J. Franklin; the former director of Pixar's newt, Skywalker Sound's Gary Rydstrom; and even Halo creative director, Josh Holmes, who'll premiere Halo 4 at the event! Check out the website for fuller listings - it certainly looks to be a must-attend event if you can afford the flights!

Check out the full press release which the VIEW PR team sent me, after the jump break - with details on how and when to get tickets.

Theory: Newt Isn't Cancelled, It's Just Hibernating

*This post contains some mild spoilers if you haven't seen Brave yet*

Pixar's latest feature film, Brave, is out now in the US and its release dates for the rest of the world are fast approaching. With the release of a new Pixar film, swiftly comes the Easter-egg hunting. Pixar have a long-standing tradition of cross-pollinating their films with references, both to each other and to the wider world of animation in general. The most famous examples are the Pizza Planet Truck (which first appeared in 1995's Toy Story) and the code A113 - the very same code that this blog is named after.

Very common also though are references to other Pixar films, past and present. Occasionally for the purpose of time-saving or due to cost-constrains - like the use of Geri from the short film Geri's Game as the cleaner in Toy Story 2, or the tree from Ant Island from A Bug's Life being used as the scene for Jessie's happy playtime memories, also in Toy Story 2, due to the film's short time-frame for animation - but more often just as a neat little reference, indicative of the deep affection Pixar have for all of their projects. In Monsters, Inc. for example, in one of the final scenes in Boo's bedroom, you can see Jessie from Toy Story 2 and Nemo from Finding Nemo (the previous and following Pixar films). Also, in Ratatouille you can see a shadow of Dug, who would appear two year's later in Up.

The only hint I'll give y'all concerning all the Brave Easter eggs is that they are all in the same sequence. ;)
— Catherine (@cathicks) June 25, 2012

Now that Brave is out, the search is on for how Pixar slotted its references into the antiquated 10th century Scottish setting. The Pizza Planet Truck has been spotted quite en masse, but A113 and an apparent Monsters University reference have alluded most viewers - despite Pixarian Cat Hicks' helpful hint (above) that all of the Easter eggs are in the same scene. However, one reference that has been noticed quite widely, to some delight and shock, was one to Pixar's cancelled project, newt.

Cars 2 Blu-ray Review

This may be old news to those of you in America, but Cars 2 was only recently (Monday in fact) released on DVD and Blu-ray over here in the UK and I picked up my copy today, and thought it a good idea to pen my thoughts on the overall quality of the product; the film, the picture, the sound, the features and more.

Now, I won't get too bogged down with talking about the overall quality of the film - read my review of the film if that's what you're after -, however, what I will say of the film is what I said at the time, do not be fooled by the bad reviews, Cars 2 is a damned good film and, perhaps more importantly, Pixar are still to produce a disappointing film. Sure, it didn't have the same emotion or character depth as some of Pixar's more acclaimed classics, but it was fun and warm hearted and, as I said at the time "anyone going into Cars 2 expecting the emotional resonance or poignancy of Toy Story 3 or of Up is, simply put, an idiot. Enjoy Cars 2 for what it is, a rollicking, fast paced, enjoyable and genuinely great spy film that, if anything, marks a definitive improvement on the original.", basically, don't review Cars 2 comparatively, but, rather, on its own individual merits; it's such a fun film. Furthermore, with absence grows fondness, as, after only watching Cars 2 once in cinemas (compared to four times with Toy Story 3), I enjoyed Cars 2 even more than the first time when I watched it back on Blu-ray.

So, getting onto the crux of this review, the actual package; I bought Cars 2 on Blu-ray (although it was a perplexing case, as, rather than selling the normal old Double Play - which is what I'd normally spring for - the Blu-rays were being sold and inside the box was a code that enables you to send off for a complimentary copy of Cars 2 on DVD, it's just weird. I assume Disney think, because some people'll be too lazy to send off for the DVD, that they'll save money making them) and was blown away by the sheer quality of the picture. Cars 2 was a gorgeous film when I saw it in cinemas, but it looks absolutely breathtaking on Blu-ray, the three main different locales of the film, Japan, Italy and England, each have their own charm and every single detail, from Lightning's bonnet to the furthest away, minuscule background item were superbly animated and designed. Pixar has long been leading the computer animation industry, basically because they invented it, and it shows due to the brilliance and gorgeousness of this film, from the glint of the runway in Japan to the sparkle of the river in Porto Corsa, the animation was top notch throughout and was only enhanced by the HD visuals.

In terms of sound, it is brilliant. The superb sound quality is utterly immersive, from the way it quietens and mellows out in the film's sombre, tender, emotional scenes, to the way it booms and crescendos in the high-octane fight and race scenes. Furthermore, Michael Giacchino is, simply, a genius, all of his work at Pixar has been sublime, I love the score here in Cars 2 (kind of a hybrid of The Incredibles and James Bond) almost as much as his work on Up.

However, in terms of the quality of the bonus features, I was left unsatisfied. Blu-ray used to be the premier brand, now, however, Disney's trying to push everyone towards 3D (meaning we have to spend an extra few hundred pounds on a 3D TV and 3D Blu-ray player to have to wear daft, darkening glasses to watch the films we've paid for), and the latest uncomfortable example of this is that all of the noteworthy bonus features for Cars 2 are only viewable if you buy the 3D Blu-ray copy. The regular old Blu-ray copy sports only Hawaiian Vacation (which is still as wonderful as it was alongside Cars 2 in cinemas), Air Mater (which was very funny and a nice way to link into Disneytoon Studios's Planes - if a bit less impressively animated) and director's commentary. This is incredibly lacking and left me rather disheartened.

Nonetheless, Cars 2 was a great film, it's in great quality here and the attached shorts are sure to bring a smile to your face, while the lacking bonus features may aggravate you somewhat (it annoyed me to no end), it's still a good buy this holiday season, and, in addition to a 9/10 film score, I'd give the Blu-ray copy of Cars 2 an 8/10 for the overall product.

Want to find out for yourself? You can order Cars 2 on Blu-ray by clicking above (UK link).

Cars 2 Special Features

As the home media release of Pixar's latest feature film, Cars 2, draws ever closer, Disney and Pixar are amping up the advertising and bonus clips to build interest in the film. Today, they have released clips showcasing some of the special features on the Cars 2 DVD and Blu Ray.

Firstly, Pixar released the above clip showing how the animators at Pixar get the movements of their characters so accurate; in this case, the Pixarians were "Getting Behind The Wheel" of fast cars to really get the hang of just how their cars characters would move. This clip provides just a small insight into how the guys from Emeryville research each and every movie, although, to see the full feature, you'll have to buy Cars 2 on DVD or Blu Ray.

We also have a short extract (below) of the brilliant Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation (directed by Gary Rydstrom), that played with showings of Cars 2, and which will feature on the DVD and Blu Ray releases as well.


The clips, as is the norm for Pixar, are interesting and thoroughly entertaining, but, to see more, be sure to keep your eyes out for Cars 2 on Blu Ray and DVD on November 1 (North America) and November 21 (UK).

Thanks to The Pixar Times.

Pixar News

We have a lot of Pixar news to report today, we have a huge slab of images, news and more. Firstly, today, Pixar's 12th feature film, Cars 2, is released in North America. Pixar's first sequel to a non-Toy Story film is receiving mixed reviews, currently holding a 38%, Rotten, rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film does have a higher top critic rating than Cars 1 received, as it currently holds 60%. Either way, it's not Pixar good, although more reviews will surface as the film opens in other territories. Furthermore, it's what you think of the film that counts, not what the critics say. As Anton Ego said:

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

Secondly, as Cars 2 opens, audiences will see the newest adventure of the beloved Toy Story characters, in the first Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation. To show this, we have been given a glimpse at a new image from the short film (above), and there's a great interview with director, Gary Rydstrom, over at Animation World Network.

Finally, also with Cars 2, viewers will also see the (supposedly) astonishing teaser trailer for Pixar's next feature, Brave (apparently with 3D showings only). So, as the release of Brave is now less than a year away, Pixar have launched the official website for the film, including the film's synopsis and previously released artwork. We also get our first fully rendered (official) look at the main character, Princess Merida, courtesy of this month's issue of Entertainment Weekly. We also got a look at four fully rendered characters from the film, however, Pixar's cracking down on the images being published online, so I will hold back putting them up for now.

Shame. They were really good.

Cars 2 is open now in America and opens July 22 here in the UK.

Update

Actually, forget that, you can now view the character images here.

More Newt Concept Art

Following the very public cancellation of Pixar's Newt last year, we were treated to a large amount of beautiful concept art for the film, as anyone who frequents the blog will know, this was the Pixar film I was most looking forward to and I was very disappointed by its cancellation. However, we have just been treated to a new batch of concept artwork for the film and its characters (courtesy of The German Pixar Blog) by Pixar artist, Jason Deamer (above and below).

Needless to say, the artwork looks fantastic!

First Proper Look at Hawaiian Vacation

Disney and Pixar just unveiled the first proper look at the upcoming Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation, the short that is to be attached to Cars 2. Just days after unveiling the first hi-res stills of the short and announcing Gary Rydstrom as director.

The short looks, needless to say since it's a Toy Story, great. It's also great to know, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, that all of the voice cast are returning. You can also read a great interview over at Entertainment Weekly with Gary Rydstrom as well.

I can't wait!!!