Partysaurus Rex Clip

Pixar just uploaded a sneak peak from the latest Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex, which will play before Finding Nemo 3D (released 14th September, US; 29th March, 2013, UK). UPDATE - Pixar've made the clip private, fortunately Stitch Kingdom have uploaded it, in HD, above.

The short is being described as "a Toy Story rave", and sees everybody's favourite neurotic dinosaur trying to reinvent himself at Bonnie's house. It turns out having arms makes a toy very in-demand at bath time! Check out the clip (above), which is certainly a bit different for Pixar, but - as with previous Toy Story Toons - is very funny.

Partysaurus Rex is directed by Pixar veteran Mark Walsh, over at Pixar Canada, and the music was created by techno-artist BT. Also, check out Rex's King Fergus look above - surely one of the many Pixar references we've been told the short features.

Brave: Happy Father's Day

For Mother's Day last month, Pixar released a touching Brave promo to remind you to show your Mum the care and affection she deserves, the very sentiments at the heart of Pixar's latest feature film. Today, they released another (above) to promote Father's day this Sunday. Using a lot of the same footage and showing a young (and very cute) Merida, this once again emphasises how important the realistic family at the centre of Brave is to the film.

Remember to get your Dad something nice for this Father's Day! Brave is released on 22nd June in the US, just a few days away now, and on 13th August over here in the UK.

New Brave Featurette: Triple Play

Pixar continue the onslaught of promos for Brave, with yet another featurette today, called "Triple Play". As opposed to yesterday, today's clip is not a parody, rather a brand-new clip showing Merida's mischievous triplet brothers Harris, Hubert and Hamish. Courtesy of Pixar Post, this new clip sees the three young boys reenact the story of how King Fergus won the hand of Queen Elinor.

The triplets are absolutely hilarious and its very easy to see why many people are citing them as the comic highlight of the film!

Brave is released in the US on 22nd June and in the UK on 13th August.

Queen Elinor Takes the Lead in New Brave Clip and Interview

Queen Elinor, mother to Brave's star Merida, takes the spotlight in two new promotional videos for Pixar's latest film, today. The Queen is touted as being very traditional in her views, that a lady should be a lady, and not, for instance, wield a bow and refuse to marry. The clash between Merida and her mother is the backbone of Brave's story and Pixar have honed in on that with their advertising for the film today.

Above, via Yahoo! Movies, you can see the clip (which has appeared in a few trailers) in which Elinor recounts her woes over Merida's stubbornness, to her husband, King Fergus. The scene is more sombre and resonant (in the same vein as Marlin and Nemo in Finding Nemo) than some of the more comic aspects we've seen in the past couple of weeks; with Fergus here to provide comic relief.

Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Harry Potter) the Oscar winning actress who lends her voice to the Queen also spoke to Australian morning television show, Sunrise, about the film and its own resonance for her. Thompson said of the film:

"It's a growing up story, but it's a growing up story for both parent and child. They both go on this incredible joruney together and it's exciting and funny and moving."

Great to see such enthusiasm for the film, check out the full interview above!

On a side note, I'm not very fond of everyone comparing Brave to The Hunger Games now everyone appears to have jumped on that bandwagon. Can no one shoot an arrow anymore without copying Hunger Games? I suppose Daryl in The Walking Dead is channelling Katniss?

Via Upcoming Pixar.

Another New Brave Featurette: Cutting Class

Disney and Pixar treat us to yet another featurette from Brave, this one is called Cutting Class. Cutting Class (above) features King Fergus giving Merida a "lesson" about the history of DunBroch. The King is absolutely priceless in his role here and the differing dynamics between the royal family looks to be one of the highlights of Brave when it hits theatres very soon!

Brave is due out in less than one month, on 22nd June, in America, whereas us unlucky fans in the UK have still got a few months until its 13th August release date here.

New Brave Clip and Bloomberg's Visit to Pixar

After yesterday's high, it's back to business as usual today, and we have two new great Pixar videos for you. Firstly, above you can see the latest clip from Pixar's upcoming summer release, Brave - via AOL. Although a large portion of the footage you can see here has been seen in previous trailers, this is yet another straight-forward clip from the film; allowing us to get a feel of how the film flows. It looks pretty great, showing the deft blend of comedy and intensity that we've been promised for Brave.

And secondly, Bloomberg have a great mini-video chronicling their recent trip to Pixar and what they observed on what makes the studio great. In the video, we see the Pixar team (including Chris Wiggum, the kind gent that helped set up my interview with Enrico Casarosa), as well as a look at John Lasseter's office. The creative genius behind Pixar and Disney Animation recites his famous quote, "The art challenges technology. The technology inspires the art.", as well as sharing some touching words on the passing of Steve Jobs. The video doesn't seem to want to embed, so you can watch it here.

Via Upcoming Pixar.

New Brave Featurette - Kilt

What we've seen from Brave in the past has been, with a few exceptions, very tense, very ominous, very eerie and very badass. However, what we're treated to today is a much more light-hearted, jovial advert for the film - a featurette satirising fashion adverts, selling Kilts. The advert may seem a little adult or low-brow for Pixar, but, in my opinion, this is a very needed move. As fantastic and exciting as Brave looks, up until very recently it's showed very little of its funny side - of the side that'll attract the majority of its audience: kids. Animation may be an art-form that perpetual children like myself enjoy, but the fact of the matter is, their key demographic is actual children, so comedy is an essential.

As it's Pixar, the film will undoubtedly be a deft blend of comedy, pathos and emotion, but it's a smart idea - marketing wise - to try and get that across in its advertisements.

The featurette (above) parodies the oftentimes ridiculous fashion adverts we're regularly subjected to; advertising the traditional kilts that populate Brave. It, as well as being very funny, features a decent amount of previously unseen footage - including a shot of Merida's father, King Fergus, fighting the demon bear, Mor'du.

Brave hits US theatres on 22nd June, and arrives here in the UK a couple of months later on 13th August (up slightly from its previous due date of the 17th).

Via iTunes Movie Trailers.

New Brave Character Bios and Images

Throughout the many trailers and TV spots we've seen for Pixar's next feature film, Brave, a royal duo have featured very prominently: King Fergus and Queen Elinor. The monarchy of DunBroch, the parents of the film's antagonist, Merida, have been at the forefront of each and every trailer (apart from the teaser), particularly Elinor, and today /Film provide us with character descriptions for the duo as well as previously unreleased images.

The official character description for King Fergus, voiced by Billy Connolly, is:

King Fergus is a heroic warrior with a majestic bear cape, broad sword and a knobby peg leg – the result of his much-regaled skirmish with the demon bear Mor’du. His vendetta against the beast who took his leg makes Fergus a ferocious and determined bear hunter, evidenced by a home full of mounted trophies of every size. Protector of his kingdom and family, Fergus has a heart as big as his triplet sons are mischievous and boundless love for his wife, Queen Elinor. But his pride for his first-born daughter Merida is unmatched, and he has gifted her his great skill and passion for the sword and the bow.

And the description for Queen Elinor, voiced by Emma Thompson:

A vision of grace, wisdom and strength of character, Queen Elinor is fiercely dedicated to the well being of her family and kingdom. As the measured, diplomatic counterpoint to her more impulsive husband, King Fergus, Elinor carries the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders in order to maintain the fragile peace between the volatile clans. Elinor strives to instill in Merida the knowledge and manner of a royal, expecting complete commitment to Elinor’s standards. But her vision of her daughter’s future is at odds with Merida’s rebellious spirit and desire to forge her own path, which ultimately causes Elinor to face calamitous consequences.

Via /Film.

New Brave Images Show Merida's Swordplay

Disney and Pixar have released two new images from their next feature film, Brave. These newest images both show the film's fiery-haired protagonist, Merida, practising her swordplay, but are polar opposites in tone. The first image (above) details a scene, presumably, from towards the end of the film, showing a tense, dramatic test of strength, with Merida standing centre, wielding a large sword.

The second (below) shows the very different relationships Merida has with her parents; showing jolly, fun-filled sword practice with her father, King Fergus, whilst her mother, Queen Elinor, lingers in the background, looking her over.

Be sure to click to see the enlarged high-res versions; Pixar never skimp on the detail.

Brave is due out on 22nd June in the US, and 17th August here in the UK.