William Talks Pixar with Pixar Corner

Al of Pixar Corner has started up a new feature, The Luxo Limelight, asking a series of personal Pixar questions to super-fans from all over the Web. I'm very fortunate to be the first interviewee, and our email chat is now live over on Pixar Corner!

Surprisingly, I said my favourite Pixar film is Toy Story 2; head on over now to check out all my responses. And Al is eager to accommodate all manner of Pixar fans, so shoot him an email at pixarcornerunofficial@gmail.com if you're interested. Be sure get following the site, if you're not already, it's a great read.

First Monsters University Posters

Argentinian movie poster site, Cine 1, recently debuted the first posters for Pixar's Monsters University. Cine 1 treats us to a hi-res banner for the film (above) and two character posters featuring the eventually-inseparable, once-rivals Mike and Sulley.

Directed by Dan Scanlon, (Mater and the Ghostlight) Monsters U is Pixar's first prequel, and promises to be hilarious. And if these posters and the teasers are anything to go by, the new animation software debuted on Brave is going to make Monsters University an absolutely gorgeous film; we can already see a world of difference (even if the posters are annoyingly sprawled with watermarks) from the, already wonderfully animated, characters from the 2001 original.

You can enroll in Monsters University when it hits theatres next year, 21st June in America and 12th July in the UK.

Via Pixar Corner.

Randy Newman Set to Score Monsters University

I missed this story until now, but Bleeding Cool reported about a month ago, at the premiere of Brave, that Randy Newman is set to score the Monsters, Inc. prequel, Monsters University!

Newman scored the 2001 original, and it was a toss up in speculation as to whether he or another composer would score the 2013 prequel. Newman scored the original two Toy Story films, and its threequel, yet, after scoring Cars, fellow Pixar favourite Michael Giacchino scored its sequel Cars 2 - to give it a different feel. Aside from Toy Story 3, it's been a while since Newman scored a Pixar film, and I can't wait to see what he does with the score!

When interviewed at the Brave (scored by Pixar newcomer Patrick Doyle) premiere, Newman even sang a brief snippet from the soundtrack that he hasn't started on yet!

Monsters University opens on 21st June, 2013 in the US and 12th July that same year here in the UK!

Via Pixar Corner's Twitter.


Elsewhere in Pixar follow-up news, have you heard the reports about Finding Nemo 2 yet?

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.

Brave Soundtrack: Sounds of the Highlands

Disney and Pixar issues a press release this morning with some in-depth words on the soundtrack of Brave! Scored not by a Newman, nor Michael Giacchino, Pixar's first fairytale is scored by a newbie to Pixar, Patrick Doyle. Doyle scored Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as Marvel's recent box-office hit, Thor. Joining Doyle on the film's musical side are Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis, British folk group Mumford and Sons, singer Birdy and Pixar's own Alex Mandel.


Pixar have also released another parody advert to promote Brave, Bag Pipe Greatest Hits (head to Pixar Corner to see this video feature).


Read the full press release after the jump break: