For D23, there were a number of film presentations, but the highlight was much of the Pixar material. On top of the two newly announced titles, their slate through summer of 2014 was discussed, from the upcoming Brave through to those two announced untitled projects. John Lasseter was the tour guide through the animated material, but here’s a round up of the Pixar presentation.
I’m often inclined to give family movies a pass (as evidenced by my favorable review of Mr. Popper’s Penguins), if only because sometimes you’ve got to drag the family to a movie theater just to get them all to shut up for 2 hours. Don’t worry, I sympathize here for you. If you needed this critic’s permission to pack up the family and go to the multiplex, here it is: Cars 2 is the ticket to buy this weekend. It’s a big, colorful, noisy spectacle that will please broad audiences looking for a good time, especially small children.
But this is a Pixar film! They’ve made some of the most emotionally resonant films of the last decade! It’s impossible not to compare Cars 2 to the rest of their catalogue, and as soon as you begin to, it breaks down. Read the rest of the review (and more car puns!), after the jump…
Disney and Pixar have really revved up the publicity for this week’s release of Cars 2! Did you see what I did back there, by the way? That was a hilarious car pun. Listen, I’m just trying to appeal to the Cars crowd here. It seemed to work for those studios, at least. Do you have any idea how popular this franchise is?! $2 Billion dollars a year in merchandise and licensing! I’m just trying to follow the formula here. Anyway, director John Lasseter (pictured above) gathered with the film’s stars, Michael Caine, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, and Eddie Izzard, to discuss the new film with members of the press. Check out some highlights of what was said, after the jump…
Now that Toy Story 3 is in theaters making both children and adults cry with its sentimental tale it’s time to focus on another Pixar property, Cars. The 2006 animated film has a high profile sequel in the works and today some big news broke regarding its production. According to Cinemablend, Pixar co-founder and original Cars helmer John Lasseter has officially stepped in to co-direct the follow-up.
D23 finished up yesterday with Toy Story and Cars, Director John Lasseter heading a presentation for Disney’s upcoming animation and Pixar films. Although they mainly rehashed news from the opening day announcements and re-confirmed the casting of Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Lasseter also confirmed quite a bit of casting news…
Over at Empire they’ve got the inside scoop on the plot details for the highly anticipated sequel, Cars 2. The first film was a huge hit for Disney-Pixar back in 2006, and starred Owen Wilson, the late Paul Newman, and comedian Larry the Cable Guy. Earlier today, director John Lasseter spoke at a Disney panel presentation and divulged some long awaited details regarding the latest film, which is due to hit theaters in the summer of 2011.
This year’s Venice International Film Festival is moving full speed ahead by honoring some of the most talented individuals in filmmaking. One of the major events that have already taken place at the festival involved Pixar Animation. According to Yahoo, the studio’s founding directors and producers including John Lasseter were recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
At last weekend’s Comic-Con, I was able to interview the incredibly talented animator Hayo Miyazaki and director John Lasseter for their upcoming film Ponyo. Miyazaki is one of the most well known directors in his native country Japan, and although he’s not as well-known in the US, he was put on the map for his film Spirited Away, and is about to become a household name for his work in Ponyo. With help from director John Lasseter, the man behind many Pixar movies including, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, and Cars, they have managed to make a groundbreaking animation. Needless to say, these are two very talented duo, and based of the ten minute clip we saw at Comic-Con, you will not be disappointed.
In the interview, Lasseter discusses the future of 3-D in Pixar films, how Miyazaki inspired him, and how they went about translating Ponyo for US audiences. Miyazaki talks about the personal and environmental themes within Ponyo and much more.
Check out the interview below… Continue Reading
Disney is pulling out all the stops for Comic-Con this year! Animation greats Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter and directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton will all be taking part for the first time ever in Comic-Con, showing that the event is about more than just comic books. You can see your favorite animators and directors at the San Diego Convention Center July 23-24. If you won’e be able to make the event we’ll be live blogging it and trust me, we’re not missing any of these!
The filmmakers will be on hand to help Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures showcase a wide-ranging roster of upcoming films, including 3D juggernauts Alice in Wonderland, Tron 2, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, and animated gems The Princess and the Frog, Beauty and the Beast, Ponyo and Toy Story 3.
Check out the details below…
