Pixar news. All the time.
Brave was the first Pixar film to feature a princess as the lead character. Disney Animation, on the other hand has relied heavily on princesses, who have gone on to become a major symbol for the Walt Disney company. Prior to today, there had been 10 characters named as official Disney Princesses. Coinciding with Mother’s Day weekend, Merida was crowned a Disney Princess by her mother at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Check out photos and a video from today’s festivities after the break!
Last week, Walt Disney World held a press event to detail its ”Monstrous Summer,” including plans to integrate Pixar’s upcoming film Monsters University into Disney Parks. The campaign is also a way for Disney to raise awareness of the exciting attractions that were recently completed/updated. The event culminated in the temporary-but-still extraordinary transformation of Spaceship Earth at Epcot into Mike Wazowski. Take a look at how Disney was able to implement this tremendous spectacle, and learn who at Pixar helped make this a reality!
Brave was the first Pixar film to feature a story driven by a female protagonist. The character, Merida, was also a princess, which presented interesting questions for Disney/Pixar. Would she remain separate from the other Disney princesses since it was Pixar, not Disney, that was behind the creation of the character? Or would she join the Disney Princess roster and give the line-up its first Scottish influence? We have an answer now and it is the latter, as we hear that Merida will become an official Disney Princess next month!
With a test video of Mike Wazowski taking over Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park leaking out yesterday, we were left wondering just what the spectacle was tied to. With Epcot closed for the night except to the press, a huge Mike projection was shined upon the iconic Epcot structure, to share the announcement that the Magic Kingdom park at Disney World and the Disneyland and California Adventure parks in California would all remain open for a 24-hour stretch at the start of Memorial Day weekend. Watch the gigantic Mike Wazowski make the announcement after the break!
Just yesterday, Walt Disney World debuted the “monsterail,” a monorail at the resort that has been covered with Monsters University characters to promote the release of the upcoming film. Also tying into the film is the “Monstrous Summer” campaign that is currently underway, to not only showcase the Pixar film, but to also emphasize the enormity of the various attractions and events around Disney resort this summer season. There is a press event being held at Disney World through Friday that discusses these aspects of the campaign. Connected to the event, a report has emerged that, in order to help launch the Monstrous Summer campaign, Mike Wazowski will be projected onto the iconic Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Watch how it will look in a video after the break!
Pixar’s parent company, Disney, has more resources to promote its upcoming films than rival studios. The Disney Parks and various Disney channels allow the company to extend its arm beyond the promotion that we see most often, such as trailers and commercials. In addition to organizing “meet and greets” with film characters at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the company has recently started to theme its park monorails in a creative fashion. Earlier today, Disney World debuted a monorail that is covered with Monsters University characters. Take a look after the break!
Every spring, Epcot hosts a Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World and places intricately trimmed topiaries of various Disney characters throughout the park. The appearance of Pixar characters such as Buzz, Woody, and Lightning McQueen is a given every year, with the level of their popularity. This year, with the release of Monsters University rapidly approaching, the theme park has put up a great display featuring main characters Mike and Sulley. Take a look at the topiaries after the break!
When it comes to Pixar properties, there are several that have had an attraction inspired by them at the various Disney Parks around the world. Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., A Bug’s Life, and Finding Nemo have existed at Disneyland, Disney World, and other parks for a number of years. Most notably, Cars Land, inspired by the town of Radiator Springs from the film series, opened last year at Disney California Adventure. Films such as WALL-E, Ratatouille, and Up have had their characters walking around, interacting with park guests, but no attractions had been created. It has just been announced, though, that a Ratatouille ride is now in the works. Find more details after the break!
Back in 2008, Disney debuted a new line of collectible figures called Vinylmation, which were shaped in the form of Mickey Mouse. While recent additions to the line have incorporated other shapes and sizes, the collectible nature of the figures persist. Wildly popular at Disney Parks and Stores, the vinyl figures celebrate Disney films, rides, and characters. Pixar figures have been somewhat lacking, but that is about to change as Disney has announced a new Vinylmation series that will exclusively celebrate the Emeryville-based studio. Find images about the new series of figures as well as several limited edition combo packs after the break!
Have you ever wanted the chance to attend behind-the-scenes talks on how Pixar films come to life? Do you want to re-watch classic Pixar films on the big screen? Then, get this – Disney Cruise has themed four of its cruises so that they are taken over by Pixar’s films, characters, artwork, and employees. Pixar co-founder John Lasseter and other employees from the animation studio will give presentations taking guests closer than ever to their creative process. After the break, you can find the complete schedule.
Through Disneyland, Walt Disney wanted to transport park visitors to a different era filled with joy and free from the harsh realities that daily life brings. To set the tone, he found attraction posters to be a gateway for children and adults to connect with happy memories of the past and fun-filled potential for the future. Although the process of screen printing to bring these posters to life was not cheap, Walt felt it was essential to give guests the full experience – combine the posters with the attractions themselves and those of all ages would find themselves immersed in their surroundings at all times, with little opportunity for the mind to wander away from enjoying “the happiest place on Earth.” Disney Editions has released “Poster Art of the Disney Parks” to celebrate that aspect of visiting the parks and it is without a doubt a must-have.
Pixar films are incredibly popular among families, children and adults alike, which is why the films have an ever-growing presence at Disney Parks around the world. Disney California Adventure has added several big Pixar rides over the last few years, culminating in the grand opening of Cars Land this past June. Now, Disney Cruise Line is about to be taken over by Pixar, as there are several Pixar-themed cruises set to sail starting this September. Find all the details after the break! [Read more...]
Cars Land has been open for about a month now, during which time the huge new addition to Disney California Adventure has been wildly successful. The painstaking attention paid to the design of the entire area by Disney Imagineers clearly shows, as you are transported to the town of Radiator Springs as soon as you step foot into the 12-acre land. After the break, take a look at hi-res photos of the main attractions and really try to take notice of all the little details meticulously planned and designed by the Imagineers! [Read more...]
We are wild about seeing the creativity that artists can display through their artwork. That is one of the reasons that we started PixArt, which encourages artists to use Pixar characters in their own pieces of artwork and provide a unique perspective. On June 9, Disney opened up the WonderGround Gallery, a new space to feature a rotating set of Disney- and Pixar-inspired pieces. Located at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, it brought in many art collectors and fans who were eager to get a look at the original pieces of work. After the break, check out a video that covers the exciting opening weekend! [Read more...]
Prior to its opening two weeks ago, Cars Land at Disney California Adventure had been in development for over five years. Disney Imagineers wanted visitors to the new section of the park to feel as if they had been transported into the film. To achieve that feat, years of meticulous research and planning were essential. The Blue Sky Cellar, the park’s preview center for upcoming attractions has been playing a short documentary, featuring stories from Cars creator (and Principal Creative Advisor of Walt Disney Imagineering) John Lasseter, along with many of the Imagineers who worked on the extensive project. Take a look at the touching video after the break! [Read more...]
California Adventure has been undergoing a massive expansion over the past few years, with Disney’s goal being to make the park a worthy companion to the behemoth that is Disneyland. Friday marked the grand re-opening of the theme park, with the additions of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street being the two headliners. Crowds lined up throughout the evening prior to the opening, with thousands ready to race straight to the new rides, which would no doubt bring extremely long wait times. [Read more...]
Though the official debut is not until next week, the Merida meet-and-greet had a soft opening earlier today at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. While the red-haired character from Brave appeared at the neighboring Epcot a little over a week ago, her time there was more of a testing ground to prepare for her grand entrance at the Kingdom. After the jump, get a first look at her Magic Kingdom debut, with some photos and a video! [Read more...]
There is a little over a month left until the grand opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, which has Imagineers putting the finishing touches on the huge expansion to the park. Much of the buzz about the new themed land has come from announcements made by Disney on the web. Now, Disney Parks has unveiled the first spot featuring a near-finished look at Cars Land. Take a look at the video, which stars a few Cars characters you may recognize, after the jump! [Read more...]
Prior to her official debut at the Magic Kingdom, Brave‘s Princess Merida has started practicing her meet-and-greets at Epcot in Walt Disney World. With her unique look, Merida is sure to attract a crowd, even before she has made her film debut. However, once she hits the screen in Brave on June 22, expect the wait times to bask in her presence to increase tremendously. Take a look at some videos from her debut after the jump! [Read more...]
With its grand opening looming, finishing touches are being put on Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. In the huge new themed area, there are several different forms of entertainment, but the spotlight will shine squarely upon the three major attractions – Radiator Springs Racers, Luigi’s Flying Tires, and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. The Disney Parks Blog has posted some photos of the attraction marquees, which you can take a look at after the jump! [Read more...]
