Pixar news. All the time.
On Sunday night, Brave returned Pixar to the Oscar podium once more, as the film won the Best Animated Feature award. While director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian were present at the show, most of those who worked on the film were not in attendance. Andrews and Sarafian returned to Pixar on Monday, carrying the golden statuette, ready to celebrate with their co-workers. Watch a news clip showing their celebrated return after the break!
Last year was a solid year for animation, consisting of several popular hits including Wreck-It Ralph and Brave, along with less-seen but still quality films such as ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. All of the above were deservedly nominees in the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars, but no clear winner was in sight. Pixar’s Brave had picked up momentum in recent months, taking the top animation prize at the Golden Globes. After sitting out the category at last year’s Academy Awards, Pixar was looking to reclaim the spot that it had all but claimed ownership over in recent years.
A few weeks ago, Brave won best animated film at the Golden Globes, the Pixar film’s first major award of the season. With the Academy Awards just two weeks away, the question was whether Brave would be able to maintain momentum. The BAFTAs, often referred to as the overseas version of the Oscars, were held earlier tonight in London, and it looks like good fortune remains on the film’s side as it took home the prize for Best Animated Film. Watch the acceptance speech after the break!
Last year, Pixar received awards and nominations for its short film, La Luna, which was beautifully directed by Enrico Casarosa. However, the divisive Cars 2 largely remained on the sidelines, making last year the first time Pixar’s feature film had not been a factor in awards season. Brave received far more favorable reviews in 2012, and last night captured the Golden Globe in the Best Animated Feature Film category. Find more details and watch the acceptance speech after the break!
Awards season is fully underway with film circles and organizations announcing their top picks for 2012. While most of the prominent groups look at film as a whole, there are some that look at specific forms of film such as ASIFA-Hollywood, which awards prizes in animation at the Annie Awards. Nominations were announced this morning, and Brave is tied for the lead, garnering a total of 10 nominations. View the full list of nominees for the 40th Annual Annie Awards after the break!
The high-profile New York Film Critics Circle is announcing its picks for the year today, which means the awards season has now begun. Historically, Disney has promoted Pixar’s feature films during the season by publishing ‘For Your Consideration’ ads, the first of which we saw for Brave recently. Two more FYC ads have emerged, made up of two memorable and visually striking moments from the film. Take a look at them after the break!
With the holidays around the corner comes the realization that awards season is rapidly approaching, which has studios scrambling to keep their films on voters’ minds. The most common approach for that is for studios to publish ‘For Your Consideration’ ads, which gently remind potential voters that their films should be in the running. Pixar’s Brave, which will likely be seriously considered for nominations in the animated feature and music categories, recently saw its first ‘FYC’ ad pblished and you can see it after the break!
Last night the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences hosted its annual discussion with the filmmakers of the Oscar nominated animated short films. Incredibles and Ratatouille director Brad Bird hosted the event, which spotlighted shorts Dimanche (Sunday), The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, Pixar’s La Luna, A Morning Stroll, and Wild Life. Clips from all the shorts were presented, followed by an extensive conversation between Bird and the filmmakers. Watch the entire panel after the jump! [Read more...]
The difficulty with evaluating the Oscar nominated shorts is that many of the short films are not widely released. Pixar has been screening shorts worldwide with its feature films, but many of the other studios’ films tend to evade Oscar viewers. Five animated shorts have been nominated for an Academy Award this year: Dimanche, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, Pixar’s La Luna, A Morning Stroll, and Wild Life. Check out plot synopses, clips and trailers from all the nominees after the jump! [Read more...]
It is always an early morning when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announces Oscar nominees, but if you are one of those nominees, the morning is likely to be a bit easier to handle. La Luna is Pixar’s representative at the Academy Awards this year, which has the director of the short, Enrico Casarosa, “over the moon.” He released a statement thanking the Academy and expressing his gratitude. Read on to check out his full statement. [Read more...]
The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning, with the usual surprise or two making an appearance (cough, Extremely Loud, cough). The nomination for Pixar’s newest short, La Luna, however, did not come at a shock, as the film has been capturing the hearts of critics all over the world. Nominated in a field of five in the Animated Short Film category, the short is the directorial debut of Enrico Casarosa. Jump ahead to view all five nominees! [Read more...]
Computer animation came into fruition in the 1990s, notably with the release of Toy Story by Pixar, though that is a bit deceiving to the medium’s birth. Pixar may have been the first to make the world of computer animation enjoyable and profitable, but the process of animating through a computer had been in development for decades before that. One of those gentleman at the forefront of computer animation was Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, who created A Computer Animated Hand, one of the first fully-rendered forms of computer animation. The New York Times (via Cinema Blend) announced that the short is now being added to the National Film Registry, to be preserved for future generations. [Read more...]
Last year, Pixar and Disney sat out the Annie Awards, which focus on the animation industry, as the studios had issues with the voting process. News arrived a few months ago, though, that the problems had been resolved to the animation studios’ liking. Following the controversy, Pixar submitted Cars 2 and La Luna for consideration by the International Animated Film Society. Nominations have just been announced and the two Pixar films are contesting for eight awards. Check out all the nomination categories after the jump. [Read more...]
A few months ago, the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) leapfrogged the National Board of Review (NBR), so that they would be first in announcing their picks for the top films and performances of the year. The first few awards announcements are always important, as they can really set the tone for which films have a great chance at picking up awards and which films will be on the outside looking in. On Tuesday, the NYFCC announced their award winners and, surprisingly, the “Best Animated Film” category was nowhere to be found. [Read more...]
First there were 44, and now there are only 10. Ten animated shorts have advanced to the next part of the voting process on the path to the Academy Awards. La Luna, the animated short Pixar submitted to the Academy, is one of the 10 moving along. Pixar has been a mainstay in this category, just like with animated feature, so it comes with no surprise that the Enrico Casarosa-directed short is playing in the big leagues. La Luna is easily one of the best shorts to come out of the studio, and it definitely has a shot at claiming the prize on Oscar night. More details and the full press release after the jump. [Read more...]
Early this morning, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a press release detailing a new process for choosing Best Picture nominees. Recently, the Academy increased the number of films that could be nominated in the category from five to 10. It was widely seen as a response to The Dark Knight not receiving a nomination the previous year. During this brief two-year era of 10 nominees, Disney/Pixar’s feature films were nominated each year (Up and Toy Story 3). Now, the Academy has altered the rules once again, stating that there will now be “anywhere between five and 10 nominees in the category.” What does that mean for Pixar? Read on to find out! [Read more...]
Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich has collected many trophies throughout the awards season, recently winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Now, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, which he attended as a student, is awarding him with the Mary Pickford Foundation Award. The award is given to distinguished alum, a status that an Academy Award more than confirms. [Read more...]
Yesterday, Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich shared many photos of his Oscar experience, tweeting from inside the Kodak Theatre and then from the Governers Ball following the Academy Awards. Today, Pixar Animation Studios held a huge party in honor of Toy Story 3‘s win for Best Animated Feature. Lee continued the barrage of pictures by sharing what is arguably the greatest of them all:
Immediately following the Academy Awards last night, the stars proceeded to the Governers Ball. The annual party is always the first stop of (likely) many parties for the winners. Cameras caught Lee Unkrich and Randy Newman celebrating their big Oscar wins in style. Enjoy the photos below.
Lee Unkrich with admirer. Credit: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Going into the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, Toy Story 3 had been nominated for five Oscars, while Day & Night was up for one. After a broadcast that lasted a bit longer than three hours, the smoke cleared and Toy Story 3 emerged a winner. The film did not walk away with the Best Picture award, but did come away with two more golden statuettes that can now be placed in Pixar Animation Studios’ ever-growing trophy case. [Read more...]
