Ahhh Monsters!

Pixar has finally released the trailer for Monsters University and it looks very cute. We have to wait another year before it comes out, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

 

Brave

Sad day. I missed the opening of Cars Land because I was in Arkansas for my cousin’s wedding. I actually had a blast so it was ok. I never thought I would enjoy Arkansas. Anyway, I made up for missing Cars Land by getting to go to the world premiere of Brave at the grand opening of the Dolby Theatre. Lots of stuff premiered. I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw the title art. Then, when I found out about the short, La Luna that went along with the movie, I was even more excited. Well, I have to say that I was not disappointed in the least. The entire night was awesome.

Let’s start with the red carpet: it was grass. So fun! Disney always goes above and beyond for their premieres. They always find a way to do some clever stuff. At least with the 3 I have been to. I was kind of hoping to see John Lasseter, but sadly he was no where to be seen. We went into the theatre and were handed our 3D glasses and naturally I wasn’t too thrilled with that, but I know that Pixar knows what they’re doing. I grab my free Brave bucket full of popcorn and am placed in the very first row.

La Luna starts and I suddenly forget that I’m in a movie theatre. I was completely enchanted. Clever and cute just like every single short Pixar has ever made. They continue to out do themselves. The short is about a boy who learns the “family business” by venturing out with his grandpa and father. I don’t really know what else to say without ruining it so I’ll leave it at that. You’ll just have to see for yourself.

Then, Brave starts and I felt like I was there in Scotland with all the characters. Maybe because our seats were so close, but the movie was seriously beautiful. The animation and the scenery were just incredible. And to top it off the story is very heart warming and the movie was just good overall. Once again, Pixar has created a hit. A movie that you could watch a million times and never get bored.

The movie opens everywhere tomorrow and you MUST see it! I’m definitely preparing to buy the DVD.

Minimalist

I love creative, minimalistic art. When it's done well, it looks awesome and it makes you want to hang it on your wall. Someone recently made minimalist posters for all of Tim Burton's movies and they all looked awesome. Simple, but you know exactly which movie is being depicted.

The most recent set of minimalist posters that I can't get enough of are new Pixar posters. Lee Wonchan created a poster for almost every Pixar movie and they're super cute. I think some of them could have been different, but I still like them. For example, I think Up should have been a balloon. But the rest are really cute. See for yourself.











I think Toy Story has to be my favorite. Ratatouille is pretty cute too. Which one do you like most?

Weekend Movie - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Wow. It's been a while. The end of the year has been nuts with work, my grandmother getting ill, and then of course the holidays. Luckily, I have had this week off so I have been able to breathe a little bit.

For awhile, there weren't any good movies out and then all of a sudden I want to see every movie ever! So I started off with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and it didn't disappoint in the least. This is definitely one of the few franchises that has been able to last through multiple sequels that have been just as amazing as the previous. Tom Cruise is looking a tiny bit old, but he did all of his own stunts so I guess he's not too old. Some of the things these writers come up with are just freaking awesome. And to make this movie even better, it's directed by a Pixar alum, Brad Bird. He directed The Incredibles. Who knew that someone could go from animation to live action without even skipping a beat. See this movie!

It's Here!!!!

YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Star of Stars

I am so so happy for John Lasseter. Today he received a star on the Walk of Fame and he definitely deserves it. Pixar has made so many incredible, life changing movies and all because Lasseter had a dream and drew a lamp playing with a ball. Congrats John! Keep up the good work! I would hug my star if I was given one too.

RIP

I'm sure everyone has heard that Steve Jobs passed away today. I got the alert from my Associate Press app and it made me really sad to hear the news. I didn't know him, but from what I do know, he has done some amazing things. Apple obviously, but Pixar as well. This man has had many visions and they all seemed to pan out really well. I really hope that everyone will be ok without him. I'm sure he will be truly missed. I know as a consumer he will be missed. RIP in Steve Jobs.

Good Friday

Yet another reason why I should have been an animator or need to work in that field. Ex-Pixar animator William Joyce heads the Moonbot Studios team who has created an iPad app called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. It’s meant for kids, but I would totally buy this app and play with it all the time. The book is an interactive book, which I think are the best. I feel like it helps kids become one with the story. Very cool. You have to watch the video to know what I’m talking about. Now I need to go out and buy an iPad. Happy weekend all!

Toy Story 4?

Is there really going to be a Toy Story 4 movie in 2015? According to Tom Hanks and John Lasseter, there might be. I really really hope they’re just playing around. Pixar isn’t one of those companies to kill a project just for the money. I feel like Toy Story 4 would be doing just that. Andy has given up his toys so now the adventure continues with Bonnie. She’s super cute and all, but I think Andy needs to be around. Sigh. Please don’t let this be a flop. I'm already scared with everyone saying Cars 2 was a flop even though it was very good. I don't want Pixar to fail.

Up and Away

As everyone knows, I’m a pretty big Pixar fan and I think this is really cool, but did it have to be in Utah? Adam Bangerter, who runs Bangerter Homes with his two brothers, built an exact replica of the house from the movie Up in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were watching the movie and for fun started creating blueprints and then got permission from Disney and Pixar to build it and there it is. They watched the movie over and over to get the exact detailing and they did it. Down to the last freaking shingle. The house is 2,800 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths, a living room, family room, basement and walk in pantry. Wow! I want to live there! It went on the market a week ago for $400,000. So freaking cool. It should be a museum or something. I wonder if it has the wheel chair lift on the stairs.

Weekend Movie - Cars 2

All I have to say is that all the critics can kiss my butt. Cars 2 was very good. It was very clever and entertaining. It was basically a spy movie in cartoon form and instead of people, the characters were cars. Very awesome. I mean, if the critics went in thinking it was just going to be another racing movie, than sure they wouldn't like it, but I think they're dumb. Pixar always has the most clever ideas when it comes to the littlest things and I definitely think that makes them stand out from the rest. The all star cast didn't hurt either. If you haven't seen this movie yet and aren't sure if you want to because of what the critics are saying, ignore them and go see it! The movie has a tiny bit of politics in it when it comes to using gasoline versus finding another form of fuel, but there's so much more to the story and the tiny bit of politics can be over looked. It's hard to even begin to explain the plot line so you just have to see it.

The short before the movie was a Toy Story short where Ken and Barbie think their going to Hawaii, but they get inside the wrong travel bag. The rest of the toys feel bad for them so they try to create Hawaii in the bedroom. So freaking cute. Again, Pixar and their cleverness takes the prize.

We saw it at the El Capitan and afterwards, they had this Gran Prix thing at Hollywood High School and even that was awesome. They had tricycle racing and picture taking and it was all set up like the movie. They even put down a floor so it looked like we were walking on a newly paved road. You could even make Lego cars and race them down a track. So cool! I felt like I was 10 years old. Definitely an awesome time. I definitely recommend seeing the movie at the El Cap so you can experience the after show.

Land of Cars

Every time I go to Disneyland, I see the construction and I recall artwork in my head of what the new California Adventure will look like. I can see the rock mountains they're building behind the Tower of Terror where Cars Land will be and the construction where the main entrance is. It's all very exciting. Disney recently posted a video of a walk through of the new Cars Land. It's a pretty minimal walk through, but it gives us all a really good idea of what's in store. I'm definitely looking forward to this.

Brave!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. Sorry I missed the blog yesterday. Hopefully, todays blog will make up for it. I’m so excited for Pixar’s Brave! These teasers are getting me all riled up. This poster is so gorgeous and the renderings of the characters look amazing!

I’m interested to see the trailer before Cars 2. Disney added a story synopsis to their movie website:

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

There are some awesome actors in this movie. I’m so excited I can barely contain myself!

Good Friday

The new Pixar short, La Luna that will be shown in connection with the new Pixar movie Brave premiered at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France on Monday night. The director was finally able to share the poster on his blog. How gorgeous! I can’t wait to see it!

Book of Jobs

The Steve Jobs biography, iSteve: The Book of Jobs has started to hit Amazon for presale and it’s already a best seller. It still has 9 months to go before its release! That’s insane. The set release date is March 6, 2012. I’m glad that the cover picture is only temporary because it looks a little silly. I’m still interested in reading the book and my hopes are still high for many chapters about his Pixar days.

From bestselling author Walter Isaacson comes the landmark biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. In iSteve: The Book of Jobs, Isaacson provides an extraordinary account of Jobs’ professional and personal life.

Drawn from three years of exclusive and unprecedented interviews Isaacson has conducted with Jobs as well as extensive interviews with Jobs’ family members, key colleagues from Apple and its competitors, iSteve is the definitive portrait of the greatest innovator of his generation.

Are you going to read it?

Manic Monday

Happy Monday to everyone! Sorry there wasn't a blog on Friday. The site was down and I didn't have the time to keep checking it throughout the day to see if it was up and running again. I hear it erased some people's posts as well. Looks like all of mine are intact.

Yesterday was an incredibly lazy day and there wasn't much on TV, but while I was surfing, I found Monsters Inc. Of course I stopped and had to watch it. I almost forgot how good the movie is. How clever everything is and how much I miss Disneyland. The Monsters Inc ride is very cute. I talked about the Pixar prequel a little bit and Pixar has released an official synopsis for the new movie as well as a color logo. I was only able to find the logo in black and white before. Here is the synopsis, which matches the rumors:

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. Monsters University unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

I bet it's going to be a very heart warming story. I mean the relationship between Boo and Sully is just too cute in the first one. I'm looking forward to this. Looks like the release date will be June 2013. That's too far!

La Luna

Pixar has been revealing info regarding their new short called La Luna that will appear before their new movie Brave expected to be released sometime in 2012. The synopsis sounds interesting:

La Luna is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait.

A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?

I’m very intrigued. Pixar always has the best shorts and I don’t doubt that this one will be good as well. Pixar also revealed the title card and a still from the short both shown above.

Kevin Reher, who produced shorts Day & Night and Partly Cloudy, has been named as producer. He hinted at the film's setup in an interview back in February:

The new [short] we're finishing production on now... it's beautiful, it's lyrical, it's very different from all the other ones. It's amazing how easy it can be when you just have three characters and two sets.

La Luna's total running time is 6:53, making it Pixar's longest theatrical short film to date by nearly one minute. So exciting!

Good Friday

YES! I am very much looking forward to Cars 2. I’m also really looking forward to their new land at California Adventure. Here is a brief trailer from the movie. It looks awesome. Plus, the cast is an all star cast!

Magic

Ok, I'm kind of over the Bin Laden thing now. I mean I know it's important and people are happy about it, but that's the ONLY thing in the news. I guess it's better than something petty about a celebrity, but it's a little exhausted. All NPR and KROQ talked about this morning was Bin Laden. All BBC.com and LATimes.com had on their pages yesterday was the death of Bin Laden. Again, it's much better than something silly, but I'm a little tired of it. Maybe my attention span sucks. Either way, I'm going to attempt to get our minds off of it for a few minutes.

I've been having these crazy urges lately. I want to sit down and watch all the Back To The Future movies, E.T., and Jaws. I want to go on the tram ride at Universal Studios. I want to take a tour of the Warner Brothers lot and the Paramount Lot. I've been on both lots before, but for some reason I've been getting these intense urges to hang out on a studio lot. I'm not sure where this is all coming from, but the feelings just keep getting stronger and stronger. A bit ago, I found a Pixar documentary on NetFlix. It wasn't on instant so I couldn't watch it, but a few weeks ago it was instant and I watched it like 3 times. I'm getting an urge to start doing something great. Making movie magic or something. Because of my intense urge, I thought I would share a clip that I'm sure everyone has seen, but it's probably my favorite and I feel like it's kind of important. Especially now. Makes me want to get out and do something.

The Store!

As many of you know, I love Pixar. I love what they do and how well they do it. I love how creative they are, but I hate that their offices are so far away. I hate that I would have to move up north to work there. The other day I discovered a well kept secret of theirs. They have a store. But here's the catch, it's only for employees and special visitors. You can't order online. You can't even find the store online. You have to have a special employee password to access the store online and you have to be a guest of the studio to even enter. I find this very interesting because usually you would think they would want to sell their merchandise to the public. I decided to do some digging and found some amazing stuff.

I want to take a road trip to Emeryville just so I can tour the studio and then end in this gift shop. And then, once I'm there I want to buy everything!