Copyright Disney/Pixar
Pixar is famous for its feature-length films, but originally they started out making shorts. It was John Lasseter’s ‘The Adventures of Andre and Wally B.’ short that raised eyebrows and brought attention to computer animated features, which had never before been able to have organic objects look and move realistically. The lamp from the short Luxo Jr. became Pixar’s mascot and now, has become famous for jumping its way past the ‘R’, ‘A’, and ‘X’ before jumping and flattening the ‘I’ in their logo prior to the start of their every film.
Lasseter and Ed Catmull, who co-founded Pixar Animation Studios, were determined to animate and release full-length computer animated films. Out of that drive emerged ‘Toy Story’, which went on to become one of the most successful and beloved animated movies of all time.
They started placing shorts before their full-length features, recalling the classic era of films, when short animated movies were rampant. The short playing with ‘Toy Story 3’ is called ‘Day & Night’ and marks Pixar artist, Teddy Newton’s first time in the director’s chair. Early descriptions have the short pegged as “mind-blowing” and “like nothing you have ever seen before”. That may be true, as there is an integration of hand-drawn animation, as well as computer animation. The two characters are Day and Night, and their movements as well as their facial expressions are all hand-drawn. The interesting angle is that their insides are computer animated. Intrigued yet?
Enough with the explaining – how about I show you? For your viewing pleasure, here is an exclusive Comcast video going behind-the-‘Day & Night’-curtain:
Teddy Newton’s ‘Day & Night’ makes its debut in theaters alongside ‘Toy Story 3’ on June 18th.
