Ed Catmull Takes Us Inside Pixar

A Creativity, Inc. Review

I'm not usually one for management books. To be honest, I don't recall reading one in the past. I don't think I ever thought to myself 'Yowzah! This management book looks so exciting I can barely restrain myself from exploding with joy!' - by the way, if you have said these exact words to yourself at any point in your life, you're an interesting subject matter.
And yet something in Disney and Pixar president Ed Catmull's book, Creativity, Inc., (co-written with journalist Amy Wallace) felt weirdly attractive: the promise of learning more about the two studios, as an animation fan, seemed exciting; Mr. Catmull should have great insight on these companies and on the films they produced in the recent years. And, unsurprisingly, when you read Creativity, Inc. you find out quite a lot of things about just that. What takes you by surprise, though, is how much you relate to the management segments.

Directing Candidates for Marvel's Doctor Strange Include Brave's Mark Andrews

It doesn't seem like so long ago that Marvel kicked off their Cinematic Universe with Iron Man in 2008, but we're now about halfway through Phase 2 of it, with our eyes starting to glance over to Phase 3. One film that's heavily talked about in relation to the third stage of Marvel's massive screen universe is Doctor Strange. And we're now starting to hear some interesting rumours about who could direct it.

Breaking: The Good Dinosaur Pushed Back to November 2015; Pixar Will Release No Film Next Year

Concept art for The Good Dinosaur, which stars the voices of Lucas Neff, Neil
 Patrick Harris and Judy Greer. It will now open November 2015.

When Bob Peterson was removed as director of The Good Dinosaur, particularly as we're so close to its planned 30th May, 2014 release date, it seemed incredibly unlikely that the film would be ready on time. In fact, it seems the situation is worse than anticipated, as Pixar have announced (via the L.A. Times) that they're pushing their fifteenth feature film all the way back to 25th November, 2015.

Pixar Bits: Brave Oscar Celebration Video and New Jam-Packed Monsters University Poster

Fresh of the studio's seventh Best Animated Feature Oscar win on Sunday night, Pixar had a rather boisterous celebration today. Co-director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian paraded the statuette around, celebrating with Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and what seemed to be the entire Pixar family! ABC7 News were present to record the proceedings and get a word or two from MAndrews.

Oscar Results: Brave and Paperman Win

Directors Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman accept their Oscar. ©A.M.P.A.S.

Yesterday was the night of the 85th annual Academy Awards. Hosted by an animator, it was a big night for animation - yet also a rather bittersweet one given the current turmoil in the animation and VFX industry, highlighted by a protest in Hollywood just prior to the ceremony.

Take a Look Into Pixar and the Filmmaking Process Behind Brave

Pixar is the most beloved animation studio on the planet, and the most sought after. The studio, who most recently output the Golden Globe and BAFTA winning Brave, isn't open to the public, so, any little glimpse inside the illustrious halls of its Emeryville campus is always welcome - and here's another great one for you.

Nightline's Bob Woodruff visited Pixar, where he spoke to Brave director Mark Andrews (who engaged in a little sword fight with story supervisor Brian Larsen), producer Katherine Sarafian and executive producers Andrew Stanton and John Lasseter. It's another great little peak into how the cogs turn at Pixar, who, as this video points out, may take home their seventh Best Animated Feature Academy Award this Sunday.

The embed may be a bit dodgy, so you can check the video out here too.

UPDATED - Brave Wins at BAFTAs!

Though the broadcast doesn't start until 9, the 66th annual BAFTA film awards are taking place right now, and Pixar's Brave just won the award for Best Animated Film! Seven BAFTAs have been given out for Best Animated Film, and this is Pixar's fifth win in the category - having lost to Happy Feet in 2006, and not bagging a nomination last year.

Brave Wins at Golden Globes

2012's awards-circuit has been a very close one - nowhere more so than where animation is concerned. Certain awards circles have picked Laika's ParaNorman as their Best Animated Feature of the year, others have gone for Wreck-It Ralph and Frankenweenie, and a couple have chosen DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians. One film that, sadly, seems to have not received a lot of awards love though is Pixar's latest, Brave. Well, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association just changed that.

The Mark Andrews/Brenda Chapman directed film took home the Best Animated Feature Film award at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony last night, beating out Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Rise of the Guardians and Wreck-It Ralph. Co-director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian were on hand to collect the award (check out the acceptance speech above); nice to see Andrews thank the brilliant Brenda Chapman, the heart of Brave, as well.

I think Mark Andrews is quite happy... Via Pixar Post.

It's worth noting that this is Pixar's sixth Golden Globe win in this category; it was established at the 64th Annual ceremony and Pixar have won the award every single year, apart from last year when The Adventures of Tintin rightfully won the award. Congrats to the Brave team on this well deserved honour!

Other winners at the ceremony included Argo and Les Misérables taking home the Best Picture awards for Drama and Musical or Comedy respectively; Daniel Day-Lewis and Hugh Jackman took home the two best actor awards for their roles in Lincoln and Les Mis, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence won the lead actress awards for Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook. Game Change and Homeland were the big TV winners. Full results here.

BAFTA Nominations Revealed: Brave, Frankenweenie and ParaNorman Compete for Animation Award

The nominations for the 66th British Academy Film Awards were announced by BAFTA today - ahead of the reveal of the Oscar nominations tomorrow - and, naturally, as there always is with award ceremonies, there's a little bit of controversy and distaste with some of the categories.

Interview: Brian Larsen, Brave Story Supervisor and The Legend of Mor'du Director

A while back now, I had the chance to interview Pixar's Brian Larsen, a frequent Genndy Tartakovsky collaborator, who worked on Ratatouille and most recently acted as Story Supervisor on Pixar's 13th feature film, and awards-hopeful, Brave - as well as directing the new Brave-based short film that was attached to the film's home video release, The Legend of Mor'du.

Unfortunately, due to me having a heck of a lot of work to do as of late, it's taken me rather a while to get transcribed. That said, I'd like to, once again, extend my sincerest thanks to Pixar's PR mogul Chris Wiggum for taking the time to deal with me and set these interviews up. Thanks also to Brian for being so courteous with his time and generous with his responses. Brave is available on DVD and Blu-ray now and you can purchase it from Amazon here.

Topics covered in our interview include the inspiration for the short and its distinctive visual style, Brian's reaction to some of the criticisms levelled at Brave, what working on the film was like, including reactions to its high-profile directorial change, and the new project he's developing (we assume, a feature film) with Brave director Mark Andrews - could this be the PG-13 rated Pixar film Andrews spoke about wanting to make recently? Check out the transcription below.

Guest Review: Brave Blu-ray

By Munir Abedrabbo.

The Film:

Brave, the thirteenth feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios arrived with a very high level of anticipation, expectation and controversy. First, it was the first Pixar film to have a female lead character; second, it was the first film based on an original idea after two sequels; and third, it was the film that was meant to be a “return to form” for Pixar, whose previous film Cars 2, released a year ago, received a lot of (somewhat unfair in my opinion) criticism and was labeled as Pixar’s first “bad” film. On the controversy side, Brave underwent some changes, first being called “The Bear and the Bow” and being promoted as the first Pixar film directed by a woman (Brenda Chapman). Chapman was fired in the middle of production and replaced by Mark Andrews (though she retained a director’s credit) resulting in many angry responses from women working in Hollywood and animation. With all this level of anxiety, Brave was poised to be either a great achievement or a great disaster. Which one it was? Keep reading to find out.

Watch: Roundtable Discussion with Animation Directors

The L.A. Times have posted an absolutely enthralling roundtable discussion with five animated film directors, in anticipation of the very tight Best Animated Feature competition at awards season this year. Hosted by L.A. Times reporter Rebecca Keegan, the roundtable includes Mark Andrew (Brave), Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians), Chris Butler (ParaNorman), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania).

It's not all too equal a discussion, Rich Moore and Mark Andrews tend to dominate it, and it would've been nice to see Brenda Chapman and Peter Lord in the mix, but it really is brilliant! The start's your general stuff: talk about your film, your studio, your team, etc..., but it really takes off in the last fifteen minutes or so, when the conversation turns towards animation as a medium, the problem with American animation, and the directors' shared interests in seeing more 2D animated films, more adult animated films, and the versatility of animation as a medium.

Check it out!

Via Cartoon Brew.

Brave Blu-ray Review

Pixar have had a rough deal of it as of late. It seems as though people were determined to hate Cars 2 no matter what, so it never really stood a chance - despite being an actually really fun film. That attitude has led many to foreseeing the, entirely fictionalised and false, fall of Pixar, which ultimately led to some unnecessarily harsh reviews of Brave. Saying "if this was a DreamWorks or Disney film, it'd be great. But it's Pixar, and we expect better" and giving it a harsh score is stupid; if it's a good film, it's a good film. And Brave is a good film. Rant over, for more, read my review of the film.

Brave Out Now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK!

Fortunately, the wait for Pixar's thirteenth feature film to arrive on home video here in the UK hasn't been nearly as long as the wait we had for its arrival in cinemas, because Brave was released today on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK!

The film is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D - I got the 3D package, despite not having a 3D Blu-ray player, because it includes the normal 2D Blu-ray disc, and an extra 2D Blu-ray bonus disc (as well as the 3D disc) for only an extra £5! We'll have a full review up of the Blu-ray package later in the week.

After the less than stellar array of extras on the Cars 2 release, Brave is packed full of everything from behind the scenes featurettes, an alternate opening, filmmakers' commentary and a brand new short, The Legend of Mor'du. Be sure to check it out, it's great!

Related posts: Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 Blu-ray Review

Brave Blu-ray Special Features Listings

Disney issued a press release today, giving a breakdown of the exciting special features that will appear on the various edition Blu-ray releases of Pixar's latest feature film, Brave. Included amongst the director's commentary, deleted and extended scenes, and some other exciting bonus features, is the Brave-based short film we heard about a couple of days ago!

Check out the colossal list of special features for the Brave Ultimate Collector's Edition after the jump break!

Brenda Chapman Speaks About Being Replaced on Brave

Pixar's thirteenth feature film, Brave, is finally out in the U.K., and is truly a fantastic film, but there's been quite a bit of chatter about the behind-the-scenes politics of the film's production too. Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King) conceived the idea for Brave - originally as The Bear and the Bow - based on her own Scottish roots, and her relationship with her daughter. The film, therefore, was a passion project for her. So it had to have stung when, in 2010, she was replaced as the director of the film, by Mark Andrews (The Incredibles, John Carter).

The film turned out great, with "creative differences" cited as the reason for the replacement; we heard Brenda was staying on at Pixar, and everything seemed rosy. Not so much. People in the industry voiced distaste at the replacement (check out the comments section on Cartoon Brew's post about it - Home on the Range co-director John Sanford scathingly indited Pixar their, saying "Brenda was shoved aside because she was doing an unconventional movie in a studio that fears failure. They are second-guessing themselves to death."). However, we heard little from Brenda, or indeed Pixar, on the subject. However, last week we were told that Brenda had left Pixar, instead pursuing a role at Lucasfilm animation. The word then was that she had only stayed at Pixar that long to ensure she received her co-directing credit on the film.

No longer under employ by Pixar, Brenda wrote an article for the New York Times on Tuesday, called "Stand Up for Yourself, and Mentor Others". The original writer-director of Brave spoke candidly about the transition, the lack of protection for animation directors, and the role of women in Hollywood:

"It has been a heartbreakingly hard road for me over the last year and a half. When Pixar took me off of "Brave" – a story that came from my heart, inspired by my relationship with my daughter – it was devastating."

It's a sad read, for sure, and it must've been very hard for Brenda, to lose such a personal project. It's little surprise she chose to leave; look at Jan Pinkava after being replaced by Brad Bird on Ratatouille. It's hard to judge, having only seen the final version, but word is that the changes are often for the best, in the best interest of the film, but it can't be easy, and it certainly does raise questions about the safety of directors at Pixar - it can never be easy having something you love taken away from you. To her credit though, Chapman, a lovely and talented person, seemed overwhelmingly proud of the film and the roles of all involved:

"But in the end, my vision came through in the film. It simply wouldn’t have worked without it (and didn't at one point), and I knew this at my core. So I kept my head held high, stayed committed to my principles, and was supported by some strong women (and men!). In the end, it worked out, and I’m very proud of the movie, and that I ultimately stood up for myself, just like Merida"

I, resolutely, have faith in Pixar, they are the gold-standard of animation, and indeed film, but this is tough to read. We wish Brenda the best at Lucasfilm and wherever she may lay her hat next.

Brave Is Finally in UK Cinemas!

Pixar's thirteenth feature film has come and gone in the States, but Brave only hit UK cinemas for the first time today. It's been a ridiculously long wait, and some of the hype had died down in recent weeks, but strong advertising will surely mean Pixar's first fairytale has a strong box-office showing over here.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by Disney to an advanced screening of the film back in July (else the wait would've been deathly) and absolutely loved it! So, I rushed out to see Brave again today, and, if anything, was more enamoured with it than I was the first time around. Everyone I went with loved it - ranking it quite high up their favourite Pixar films - and I was, once again, humbled by the unparralelled excellence of Pixar.

As I said in my review at the time:

"Touching, powerful, immersive, funny and gorgeous – all in equal measure –Brave is yet another winner from Pixar, and has the feel of a grand epic, and an instant classic."

And my adoration of it hasn't lessened. Some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy, some of the humour a tad crude; but the characters are so well formed, the story so fantastic and the film in general so wonderful, that it really doesn't matter. Brave just needs to be seen.

Also, I was even more taken with Enrico Casarosa's preceding short film, La Luna, this time around too. I loved it back in July, and more so now; the magical innocence, the originality, the wonderful score and painterly animation, it's worth the price of admission alone! I was, though, disappointed that we didn't get the Monsters University teaser with the film - again! - but I loved the trailer for Frankenweenie with it.

If you're here in the UK (or indeed anywhere else in Europe or around where it's just opening) be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@A113Animation). And please also take the time to vote in our poll on Facebook, to decide your favourite animated film of the last ten years - get the full details here.

Brenda Chapman Reportedly Leaves Pixar

Pixar Portal yesterday broke the news that Brave co-director, Brenda Chapman, (pictured above at the Brave world premiere) has apparently left Pixar! Before joining Pixar, Brenda - who is married to Enchanted director Kevin Lima -  was trained by the story department on The Little Mermaid at the start of the Disney Renaissance. She did more key work at Disney as a story artist on the Best Picture nominated Beauty and the Beast, and then acting as head of story on The Lion King. She later made waves being the first female to direct a major animated film, with DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt.

She joined Pixar in 2003, during the production of Cars, and, after working on that film, she began crafting her own. Brave, from its initial conception as The Bear and the Bow, was a passion project for Brenda Chapman, drawing so much from her own life: her Scottish roots and her relationship with her daughter. Later renamed, Brave was Pixar's first fairytale, and featured their first female protagonist - their first princess - and was set to see Brenda become their first female director. But then things changed.

Brenda Chapman was removed from the director's chair and replaced by, The Incredibles head of story and John Carter co-writer, Mark Andrews, with "creative differences" cited as the reason for the change. The directorial change didn't jar the final product and Brave was a fantastic, emotional film and Brenda, Mark and all involved throughout the 7-year production should be very proud!

Pixar Portal also reports that Brenda is now working as a consultant for Lucasfilm animation. It's a big shame to see Brenda part ways with Pixar - especially as she comes as only the latest of a long stream of talent to leave Emeryville; Jan Pinkava left after being ousted as Ratatouille director, Presto director Doug Sweetland left to direct The Familiars for Sony, and original Cars 2 director Brad Lewis left after being replaced on that project - nonetheless, we're sure Brenda will be a huge asset to Lucasfilm and great at whatever she tries her hand at.

We wish Brenda the best in whatever she pursues next!

Brave Review - A Magical Film that Hits the Bullseye!

*This review is largely spoiler free, but read cautiously if you haven’t seen the film yet*

Brave is the thirteenth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, the studio most notable for having produced critical and commercial hits such as Toy Story, Up and Monsters, Inc. The common denominator between these films (aside from their obvious brilliance) is that none of them have a female main character. Brave is therefore notable for being the first Pixar feature to have a female as its lead, and also for being Pixar’s first fairytale. Hearing those two statements however might give you entirely the wrong impression about Brave; it is neither a feministic rant nor a traditional, princess-prince-stepmother-villain type fairytale. The common denominator with Brave and previous Pixar films, is that it’s brilliant.

Brave has received decent reviews, but, at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, nothing near what we’re used to from the studio. It seems Cars 2 acted to, unjustly in my opinion, make people doubt Pixar, the studio they once revered above all else, and look for flaws. Well, they must be looking pretty damn hard to find things to gripe about here, as Brave was phenomenal. Touching, powerful, immersive, funny and gorgeous – all in equal measure – Brave is yet another winner from Pixar, and has the feel of a grand epic, and an instant classic.

First Brave Reviews And More TV Spots

Ahead of the US premiere of Pixar's Brave in 11 days, the first reviews have started to surface - and it's looking good! Contrary to the somewhat lukewarm critical reception to their last feature, Cars 2, Pixar look to be back on top form with Brave.

Only a handful of reviews have showed up so far, but the prevailing impression is a good one. Variety's Peter Debruge says that Brave creates "a resonant tribute to mother-daughter relationships that packs a level of poignancy on par with such beloved male-bonding classics as Finding Nemo", whilst citing it as more "conventional" than some of their previous more ambitious projects like 2004's The Incredibles. HeyUGuys gushes about the film in their review, saying:

"What makes Brave truly special is that, even if it were stripped of its dazzling visuals, laugh-out-loud humour and dynamism, it would remain a clever, arresting and emotionally involving, yet inherently simple tale about the turbulent relationship between a mother and daughter and the fact that freedom may not be all it’s cracked up to be. It’s the emotional core, with all those extra elements sprinkled liberally on top that makes Brave the best animated film of the year, rewarding in droves. It’s quite simply, unrelentingly spectacular."

Awarding the film 4/5 stars.

However, although (from a small sample of 5) it currently totes an 80% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating, not all of the reviews are positive. The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy seems less enthused about the film, saying "Pixar's 13th film, which follows an adventurous Scottish princess, is visually stunning and strongly voiced, but doesn't take any real risks.", although it's by no means a bad review, saying it has a "beautiful and eventful prologue", also stating:

"The wild beauty of Scotland, of the verdant forests and the craggy peaks, is lovingly rendered with a gorgeous palette of painterly colors and in very agreeable 3D."

and

"Patrick Doyle's active and resourceful score is another major plus "

Big Screen Animation's Mike Bastoli also said on Twitter "If you read any early Brave review that say Pixar fans might be disappointed by Brave, ignore it."

Also, head on over to Pixar Corner to check out a bunch of great new TV spots for Brave!

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