Pixar news. All the time.
We’re back with more Monsters! As we draw closer to the release of Monsters University (June 21), we continue our celebration with another batch of clever illustrations. This week’s eclectic collection of tributes includes send-ups of The Addam’s Family, My Neighbor Totoro, Gilligan’s Island and more. The artists clearly had great fun in coming up with these unique ideas, and we are sure you will enjoy them. Take a look at the 14 mash-ups after the break!
There are many employees that work together to bring an animated film to life. Often times, all Pixar employees are referred to as animators, even if they had little to do with how the animation appears on screen. This error is widespread because of the confusion surrounding what animation can achieve. Animators can move characters and environment details around, but it is the job of other employees to adjust other aspects of the scene such as lighting. Scott Clark, supervising animator of Monsters University, talked to me and a few other members of the press about how animation works. Find out seven things that he had to say about animation and Monsters University after the break!
We’re just a few weeks away from the debut of Pixar’s first prequel – Monsters University opens June 21 in theaters everywhere. To celebrate, we asked you to submit your best Monsters Mash-Up. Take any of the characters from the ‘Monsters’ universe and smash ‘em up with just about anything else. The results have been unsurprisingly entertaining! In this first batch alone, we see monsters invading the worlds of Star Wars, The Incredibles and The Lord of The Rings.
Disney Infinity is an ambitious new platform as it provides the developer the ability to release entire games. Previously reliant on producing standalone titles, the platform is a new venture for both Disney and Pixar properties. The starter pack will include The Incredibles, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Monsters University. Today, Disney Interactive has released a video, additional details and screenshots of the Monsters University Play Set, including our first official look at Randy (yes, the same Randall Boggs from Monsters, Inc.). Take a peek after the break!
With summer quickly approaching, the last thing you’d think we’d be excited about is school. But when that school is Monsters University, there’s plenty to be happy about. We’re counting down the days ’til Pixar’s latest release hits the big screen on June 21, 2013. While we can’t wait to see Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan take on the world of college, it got us thinking about what other worlds they could wreak havoc on. Can you think of any? We want to see your Monsters Mash-Up. Find out how you can join in on the fun 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!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World celebrates the golden age of the film industry, with its beautiful structures and classic theme. The park grounds used to house the home of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, which was responsible for the development of such films as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. That production building was later converted into an attraction where guests can visit and learn how Disney animated characters come to life. There is also a showroom inside that displays concept art for upcoming films. Monsters University concept art was recently added, and you can take a look at the beautiful pieces after the break!
Over the years, Vinylmation figures have become very popular in the collectors market. While they were originally all shaped like Mickey Mouse, the lines have expanded to include other shapes and sizes, giving the designers and artists who work with them virtually unlimited possibilities. The Mickey-shaped figures continue to be the most widely released, which include the new Monsters University figures that are coming soon. Take a look at the monster figures after the break!
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!
Monsters University is currently screening for college students and faculty around the country, and judging from the overall consensus, the film is on track to delight audiences across the globe. To raise and maintain awareness of the film’s release, which is less than two months away now, Disney/Pixar has just released the final theatrical trailer. Watch the final Monsters University trailer after the break!
In early April, I was invited to visit Pixar to preview its upcoming films for the year, Monsters University and The Blue Umbrella, and to speak to the filmmakers that worked on them. One of the concerns (translation: nitpicks) that some Monsters, Inc. fans had after the announcement of prequel Monsters University was the comment Mike made to Sulley in the original film that inferred they knew each other in the fourth grade. With the prequel film revolving around the story of how Mike and Sulley met in college, there was a vocal minority that complained about what seemed to be a contradiction. After the break, read what MU director Dan Scanlon had to say about that!
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!
Yesterday, Disney held a presentation at CinemaCon, the event where studios preview their upcoming films as a way to rally support among members of the movie theater industry. The studio confirmed that Pete Docter‘s 2015 film that takes place inside the human mind would be called Inside Out. Additionally, attendees were lucky to be one of the first audiences outside of Pixar to view a near-complete version of Monsters University. Given that the film is a prequel to Monsters, Inc., which starred several beloved characters, expectations are high. Based on the brief reactions from the press present in the audience, it looks like the prequel film is on the way to being another Pixar hit.
Monsters, Inc. was only the fourth feature film to come out of Pixar. Almost twelve years later, the studio is set to release the prequel, Monsters University. In that time period, animation technology has evolved, and allows for far more detail to appear on the big screen than ever before. The Monsters prequel, which takes place on a campus, will have hundreds of characters share the screen, making for an expansive cast. Today, we have posters and details for twelve of those characters, along with the actors who will be voicing them. Enjoy information overload after the break!
Fraternities and sororities can often have a major impact on student life, especially if those joining are far away from home. There is a reason why group members come to call each other brothers and sisters - pledges can develop close bonds with one another that are of immense help through college and afterwards. Given that Monsters University has been described as a “college movie,” it comes with little surprise that the college groups will play a major role in the upcoming film. After the break, find details and images on all the fraternities and sororities of Monsters University!
With the sheer number of ads that we are presented with while at movie theaters, it is normal for the marketing of some films to be overshadowed by others. One of the important concepts in advertising is to create something different and memorable so the products get noticed, but it sometimes requires the advertising company to be bold. Disney/Pixar has done a great job at creating a Monsters University marketing campaign that capitalizes on the school that the film is based around. The film’s in-theater advertising, which first emerged in February, has also been creative. After the break, take a look at some more fun displays that have started to appear in movie theaters.
Getting a new Pixar film means that we also get to take another peek at the beautiful pre-production art that the talented artists at the studio put together to help them tell the story. We get to see the finished product in animation form, but it takes a lot of work to make the words leap from the script into the visual world. Art is created to help the filmmakers narrow their scope, a task that can be even more helpful in the case of Monsters University, a unique world limited solely by the imagination of those who work at Pixar. There is a new set of concept art pieces that have been released and they are as gorgeous as any artwork we have seen come out of the Emeryville-based studio. Take a look at their beauty after the break!
Pixar’s films are known to generally play well with children as well as adults, with stories containing complex characters and genuine heart. Back in 2010, Disney/Pixar screened a “cliffhanger edition” of Toy Story 3 for college students around the country months before its official release, fully understanding that many students enrolled in universities at the time grew up with the Toy Story franchise. Given that Monsters University is arriving almost 12 years after the original film, I had little doubt that we would see similar early screenings for the prequel. That has now been confirmed, as the film will be screened for those with a college ID in select cities starting next week. Find more details after the break!
Major entertainment events are often seen as the go-to place for studios to debut TV spots for films that are still several months out from seeing release. The Super Bowl is the biggest of them all, a venue where many highly-anticipated films provide audiences with a first look. The Kids’ Choice Awards is appealing to studios for the show’s ability to draw the younger crowd, with last year’s presentation bringing in over 11 million viewers. Disney/Pixar chose the awards show, which was held this weekend, to debut a brand new commercial for Monsters University. Watch the TV spot after the break!
