Next Toy Story Toon to be Called Mythic Rock?

Animated Views have discovered what might well be the name of the next Toy Story Toon! While perusing LinkedIn, the site found, on the profile of producer Pixar Kim Jorgensen Adams - credited as the producer of Partysaurus Rex and Small Fry - was listing another Toy Story Toon, called Mythic Rock, as her current project. All mentions of that appear to have vanished from Kim's profile, but it's interesting nonetheless.

What exactly could Mythic Rock entail? A family vacation to somewhere with a tourism trade surrounding enchanted rocks? Something more space-y? Among all the speculation, one thing's for sure: we won't find out any time soon. Composer BT let slip that he was working on Partysaurus Rex months and months before we heard anything official, so don't get too excited just yet.

Rumour Overload: Toy Story 4 Confirmed For 2015? [UPDATED: No, it's not.]

Treat this one as a rumour until strongly indicated otherwise: some Colombian news outlets are reporting that Disney and Pixar have officially announced the long rumoured Toy Story 4 for 2015!

New Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray Trailer

Monsters, Inc. 3D has been and gone, and now Pixar have begun hyping their new "Collector's Edition Blu-ray" set, available 19th February. As such, check out a new mini-promo for the release above.

Monsters, Inc. has been on Blu-ray for quite a while already, but this new release - as well as presumably some new bonus features - will include the hilarious Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex (check out my interview with its director here) and an exclusive new look at the film's impending prequel, Monsters University.

Any time you can return to Pixar's funniest film is a good one, check it out again in glorious high definition two weeks from today!

Watch: Partysaurus Rex

It recently showed before Finding Nemo 3D in the States (which is still to come for us UK Pixar fans), it has also premiered on Disney Channel and been released digitally on iTunes, and now Pixar's third Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex, is available to watch online!

The HD Disney stream of the short is as of now only available in the US, but there's always a way to beat the system. Daily Motion user Dr. Malo has uploaded the wonderful short in glorious low-definition, check it out above!

Also be sure to check out our review of Partysaurus Rex and our interview with the short's wonderful director, Mark Walsh.

Partysaurus Rex Review - What Up, Fishes?!

A couple of days ago, I had the chance to interview the very talented and very kind Pixar veteran, Mark Walsh, the director of the latest Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex. Following Hawaiian Vacatian and Small Fry, Partysaurus Rex is the third Toy Story Toon, and is currently playing in US cinemas before Finding Nemo 3D. However, Nemo 3D doesn't hit the UK until March of next year, so in preparation for the interview, I was able to watch Partysaurus Rex online, via a secure server, and, as I have been with both of the preceding Toy Story Toons, and in fact with all Toy Story films, short or feature, and in fact with everything Pixar have released, I was very impressed! So, check out a brief review of Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex, after the jump break.

Interview: Mark Walsh, Pixarian and Partysaurus Rex Director

Today, I had the opportunity to interview Pixar's Mark Walsh, the director of the latest Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex! Partysaurus Rex is showing now in America, alongside Finding Nemo 3D - although they don't arrive here until March (unless you can attend the VIEW Conference that is). However, I was able to watch the short online, via a secure link, just prior to our interview, and it's great (I'll post a quick review later)! I've loved all of the Toy Story Toons, but this is definitely the most original one yet.

Thanks of the highest magnitude, again, should also go to Pixar's PR king, Chris Wiggum, for setting the interview up!

Mark is a lovely, down-to-Earth guy, who went out of his way to ask me about my own life; and his enthusiasm and zeal for the characters and the short was abundant. In our conversation, visible after the jump break, Mark and I discuss his inspirations for the short, basing it around Rex, his other work for Pixar, working with Pixar Canada, Finding Nemo 3D, the future and more!

Two New Partysaurus Rex Stills

The German Pixar Blog brings us two new stills from Pixar's next Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex. The third Toy Story short, developed by Pixar's satellite studio in Vancouver, is directed by Pixar veteran Mark Walsh, and follows everyone's favourite neurotic dinosaur, as he tries to reinvent himself.

Scored by Grammy nominated electro-musician, BT, Partysaurus Rex will play with Finding Nemo 3D which hits US cinemas in just under a month (14th September; UK viewers have to wait until 29th March, 2013 though).

Check out the hi-res images above, and be sure to watch the clip from the short, revealed a few days ago, here!

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.

First Look at Partysaurus Rex

This shouldn't come as any great surprise - given that electro-artist BT spilled the beans (1:12 onwards) a while back, and a line of Disney Holiday toys uncovered by The Pixar Times's Samad were for the short - but Pixar have finally officially announced, through Entertainment Weekly, that their next Toy Story will be called Partysaurus Rex, and released the first images from it!

EW also announced that the Rex-focused short will be directed by veteran Pixar animator Mark Walsh, and that it will be paired with Finding Nemo 3D when that hits cinemas next month (14th September in the US; 29th March, 2013 over here in the UK).

The short, the third Toy Story Toon, is - in the words of BT, who handles the dance music for the short - "like a Toy Story rave!" Rex, the only bath-time toy endowed with limbs, turns on the water to get the party started! And we can expect to see gorgeous underwater, bubble filled, techno-lit animation!

Wallace Shawn, who has voiced Rex since the original Toy Story in 1995, says that Rex is "sick of being the angel of goodness and sensibleness and caution and fear. He wants to stand on the side of pleasure and happiness and joy". And Walsh, the director, also offered up a brief summary:

“If you’re a bath toy you get really intense playtime. It’s like a party. Then when the water goes down you can’t move. You’re helpless. And that’s pathetic, these guys in bottom of the tub all the time. What I was going for was, you move to a new town and make new friends, and suddenly you think you have this chance where you can reinvent yourself. I love that Rex, in his sweetness, thinks he can reinvent who he is in the image of a party animal.”

The short is apparently full of easter-eggs and references; you can even see a few in these images - check out the toilet seat! We'll likely see Partysaurus Rex on Pixar Short Films: Volume 2 in November.

I'm excited for Partysaurus Rex - even if us in the UK have to wait until next year for it - are you?

Disney Holiday Toy Line Confirms Toy Story Toon Rumours

Yesterday, The Pixar Times posted an extensive look at the upcoming Disney Store Holiday Line, mixed in amongst lots of great Brave toys, some new Cars and Toy Story toys, and the Finding Nemo Blu-ray, is one surprise that sheds some clear light on a rumour that's been circling around the past few months.

A while back, we were told that techno/dance artist BT had just worked on a Toy Story short called Partysaurus Rex, but nothing was confirmed.Then at the start of the month, we found out that three new Toy Story Toons were on the way. This lent credence to the belief that the first of these Toons would be Partysaurus Rex.

Again though, no confirmation. I emailed Pixar to follow up on this, and they commented that "We haven't officially announced any additional toons, so Partysaurus [Rex] is just speculation at this point." It seems, however, that this speculation was correct, as The Pixar Times also posted a couple of pictures of a Partysaurus Rex bath set. If this set is going to be included in the holiday line, then it certainly seems that this will be the first of the upcoming Toy Story Toons - possibly even paired with Finding Nemo 3D, or certainly on Pixar Short Films: Volume 2.

Excited? I certainly am! See the rest of the great line at The Pixar Times.

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.

5 New Toy Story Films Coming Soon!

Calm down, it's not what it sounds like. It also seems that those rumours about Toy Story 4 have been quieted for now, as Mike from Big Screen Animation just broke some huge Toy Story news!

A Disney e-catalogue tells us that - following Hawaiian Vacation and Small Fry, which were attached to Cars 2 and The  Muppets respectively - Pixar are developing three brand-new Toy Story Toons. Also, and somewhat more excitingly, "two new 22-minute TV specials are in the works for October 2013 and Spring 2014." This is very exciting news and corroborates what Pixar and Disney Animation President, Ed Catmull, said a while back about the role of Pixar Canada.

Look for these shorts and the TV specials to air on Disney Channel sometime over the next two years.

I assume some Cars TV specials will follow soon, and I'm hoping we hear of some other properties being given this treatment soon - A Bug's Life, Nemo or Up particularly seem like great choices!

Thanks to Big Screen Animation for this huge story.

The Muppets Review - The Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational, Muppetational Return Possible

For those of you in the States, this is a very belated review, but, as we long ago came to terms with, Disney clearly hates all of us here in Europe, and we often have a ridiculously large delay between the US release and the UK (or European) release of Disney, or Disney owned, films - last year we had to wait until January for Tangled which came out in November in the US, The Muppets is our 2012 equivalent. Fortunately though, much like Tangled was, The Muppets was definitely worth the wait.

Marvel to Publish Toy Story Comic Books

Via IGN, we get the exciting news that the comic giants, Marvel (owned by Disney, remember), will be publishing a series of comic books based on Pixar's Toy Story franchise to take place between the first and second films.

The 4 issue series, another way of continuing the insanely popular film saga, will tell the story of Andy's dog Buster's introduction into the household and how the toys bonded with him.

IGN also caught a few words off Marvel's Editor-in-Chief on the subject:

"Everyone loves Toy Story, so we're excited to team with our friends at Disney-Pixar to bring readers all new stories of our favourite characters from these blockbuster films," said Axel Alonso, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. "Toy Story allows us to bring great new material to the market that's not only perfect for kids, but also a great read for fans of all ages. What's next for Woody and Buzz in these stories? We can't wait for you to find out!"

This, to me, sounds like a wonderful idea! It's a brilliant way of expanding on the canon, without, hopefully, leading to a fourth film - which would just be unnecessary. Toy Story is the pinnacle of cinema and animation, so this should be fantastic news to any Toy Story, Pixar, Disney, film or comic fans!

Read the full article over at IGN.

Small Fry Bios

The second Toy Story Toon, Small Fry, is currently playing with Disney's The Muppets in the US and while those of us here in Europe and the UK will have to wait until February to see either, Disney and Pixar are promoting Small Fry now by revealing bios for some of the new characters that the short introduces on the official Toy Story Facebook page.

In Small Fry, Buzz is left behind at a fast food restuarant and finds himself in a support group for abandoned kid's meal toys, so Pixar have released some bios and images of these extremely eccentric characters (below).

Neptuna, Queen of New Nautica
For centuries, Queen Neptuna ruled the peaceful ocean kingdom of New Nautica.
When her undersea home was defiled by corporate industrial waste and discount chain stores, Neptuna formed The Mermaid Battle Squadron to protect the ocean from future pollution and exploitation.

T-Bone, Leader of the Steak Force
Fearing the healthy, life-extending agenda of the evil Vegitenarians, the government established the Steak Force, a commando squad of heroic robots dedicated to mandating a meat option for every meal. Sponsored in part by The American Meat Council.

Funky Monk
Spiritual mentor to Rappin' Robin and Lil' Juan, Funky Monk always keeps it real and on the down low. Be it a rap battle between his boys and Producer P John or hooking up a guest-spot on the next MC Maid Marion single, Funky Monk has got your back. See Funky Monk in the CGI animated film "Rappin' Robin in the Hood 3D," only in theaters.

Condorman
When comic book artist Wiley Wilkins is given the opportunity to act out the pages of his greatest cartoon creation, “Condorman,” he jumps at the chance! Will Condorman defeat the evil Krokov and win the heart of the beautiful Natalia Rambova? Find out when Condorman swoops into theaters, Summer 1981.

Bozu, The Ninja Clown
Circus clown by day, 15th century ninja from feudal Japan by night, Bozu is a master of silent entertainment. Armed with his balloon katana and a cream pie, this Ninja Clown is sure to have even the grumpiest Circus audience members in stitches!

More are likely to follow, so stay tuned.

New Small Fry Images and Interview With Director

Following on from the release of the first clip and look at Pixar's next voyage into the world of Toy Story, the Toy Story Toon, Small Fry, we get a couple more images courtesy of IGN. With The Muppets now hitting theatres in the US (although those of us in the UK will unfortunately have to wait until February 2012), audiences who go to see it will be treated to the 7 minute short, that sees Buzz left behind at a fast-food restaurant and the gang inadvertently taking home a happy-meal-like toy instead.

The images give us a sneak peak at the scaled down, toy characters and how they'll slot into the Angus Maclane directed short. Speaking of MacLane, IGN also managed to catch a few words from the Pixar veteran on the short, its voice cast (including Glee's Jane Lynch and Pixarian Teddy Newton) and its genesis, which is definitely worth a read.

Via The Pixar Times.

Short Fry Clip

With the release of Disney's The Muppets edging ever closer, after recently premiering, (although it, annoyingly, doesn't open until February over here in the UK), Disney and Pixar are looking to promote the Toy Story Toon that goes along with it.

Short Fry, the follow up to the Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation, (which showed with Cars 2) will be opening soon and, following on from some images and words from the short's director a few days ago, we now get a thirty-odd second clip. The short looks very funny and very good, as is to be expected from Toy Story and from Pixar; we also get our first proper look at Glee's Jane Lynch's character.

First Look at the Next Toy Story Toon

Disney's The Muppets, opening in cinemas very soon, is set to be preceded by the latest continuation of the Toy Story franchise, the Toy Story Toon, Short Fry. As such, Disney and Pixar have released a couple of images from the short film, giving us a flavour of its story, to promote Pixar Canada's first Toy Story short.

USA Today gives us one image (above), and Stitch Kingdom provides us with another (below). The plot of the short is a retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, when Buzz is accidentally swapped for his Happy Meal toy equivalent. The images also provide us with our first look at the pint-sized Buzz (voiced by Day & Night director, Teddy Newton, who also voiced Chatter Telephone in Toy Story 3) and Glee's Jane Lynch's character (the mermaid with her back to us below).

USA Today also has an interview with the short's director, Angus MacLane, who says, of the abandoned toys: "These toys' existence is about being really popular before the meal and then being totally forgotten about,".

MacLane also adds, of Buzz being Juxtaposed into the support group for these toys, that "There's something funny about having the action hero have to deal with something very mundane like escaping from an awkward social situation,". He also passes some comments on the short's voice cast and message.

Head on over there to read the whole interview. Thanks to The Pixar Times for the news.

New Air Mater Images

Along with Cars 2 and the Toy Story short film, Hawaiian Vacation, the home media release of Cars 2 will also feature the tenth, and purportedly final, Cars Toon, Air Mater. As the release of Cars 2 on DVD, Blu Ray and Digital Download approaches - due to be released this November around the world - Disney and Pixar have rolled out some brand new images of the short film.

The short film is supposed to link in to Disneytoon Studios', straight to DVD/Blu Ray, Cars spin-off, Planes, and is the first short film to be entirely produced by Pixar Canada.

Courtesy of The Pixar Times.

Also, worth your time is Greg, from Pixar Talk,'s interview with Rob Gibbs, the director of Air Mater.

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.