Cannes has been quite a whirlwind adventure for Pixar this year, as the studio’s upcoming film, Pete Docter’s Inside Out, enjoyed its world premiere at the annual French festival and saw heaps of praise thrown upon it. With two new Pixar films after Inside Out expected in the next year, Pixar’s CCO John Lasseter took the opportunity at Cannes to share more details about the studio’s upcoming slate. After the break, read what he had to say about The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, and even Toy Story 4! [Read more…]
D23 Expo: ‘Finding Dory’ Story Detailed, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, and Ty Burrell Join Cast
Finding Nemo was never one of the films that fans assumed would see a sequel (cue chants for The Incredibles 2). That is a point that Andrew Stanton and Produer Lindsey Collins underlined today at the D23 Expo, stating that he is usually averse to the thought of sequels. However, he also stated that if a good idea came along, he would be willing to entertain it. That happened two years ago for Finding Dory, the sequel to Nemo, as Stanton was able to develop an intriguing storyline. Learn what he cooked up after the break!
Disney Wanted Pixar To Make A ‘Finding Nemo’ Sequel
Over the course of its 27 years as a full-blown animation studio, Pixar has released a mind-boggling number of classics. Even more impressive is that the films have also been a huge hit with audiences around the world, with nary a flop. In an age where many high-profile (and expensive) films fail to rake in enough cash at the box office, the studio has set an unbelievably high bar for both itself and rivals. Given the number of great films under its belt, sequels are understandable, as both audiences and the filmmakers get the opportunity to see memorable characters again, while also likely creating a project that will be more successful at the box office than original films. The risk associated is finding the right balance between original film and sequel, which Finding Dory director Andrew Stanton believes the studio will have in the coming years.
Thomas Newman All But Confirmed To Score ‘Finding Dory’
The animation, characters, and script may get a lot of the glory in Pixar films, but it would be a mistake to overlook the role that the music plays. A prime example would be the opening sequence in Up, which took a somber turn right after we fell in love with the characters – it broke our hearts, but combine that with Michael Giacchino‘s superb score, and we were left devastated. Composer Thomas Newman has collaborated with director Andrew Stanton twice before, is reportedly working on next year’s The Good Dinosaur, and we have just learned that he will likely return for Finding Dory. Find more details after the break!
Watch: Ellen Announces ‘Finding Dory’ On Her Show
Reactions are flying to today’s big announcement that Pixar is officially developing a Finding Nemo sequel titled Finding Dory. The film will center on the character that Ellen Degeneres famously played in the original film. With the sequel film still over two years from release, director Andrew Stanton and the cast are sure to remain tight-lipped on substantial details. Degeneres did speak about the film, though, on her show earlier today, which you can watch after the break!
‘Finding Nemo 2’ Officially Announced, To Be Titled ‘Finding Dory’
After it became known that director Andrew Stanton was developing a follow-up film to Finding Nemo, speculation ran wild on what the story would involve. Would Nemo get lost again? Would all of the main characters return? It was previously reported that Albert Brooks (Marlin) and Ellen Degeneres (Dory) would be back. Today, we have learned that the film will be titled Finding Dory. Find more details after the break!
The Pixar Perspective on Female Directors
Over the last two decades, Pixar Animation Studios has been able to top its competitors by reaching an almost unattainbly high level of quality. Pixar isn’t worried, it seems, with topping DreamWorks, but topping only what they’ve done in the past. Those rival studios—really, any studio making a family film, animated or not—are judged against whatever Pixar makes, but the Emeryville, California company raises the bar mostly so they can clear it before anyone else does. We may become rapidly disappointed at their output when they release something like Cars 2 after Toy Story 3, but it’s only because when Pixar delivers on a promise of brilliance, they do so in such unbelievable, ridiculous, unexpectedly moving ways. Their various consecutive runs of quality are unparalleled in the modern film industry, which they’ve worked hard to be separate from. Pixar works with Disney, fully ensconced in the culture of Hollywood, but being placed hundreds of miles north makes them feel totally separate, even now. And yet, there is one disturbing trait they share with the greater film industry, one that needs to be fixed soon: Pixar has a woman problem.
The Pixar Perspective on Competing with Disney
Over the last year, a fast-growing and nearly deafening debate in the film world is that of Pixar Animation Studios vs. Walt Disney Animation Studios. For a long time, the two heavyweight fighters were Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, because Disney Animation was churning out titles such as Brother Bear and Chicken Little, not remotely close to representing serious competition. Since the success of Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph, though, people have once again sat up and paid attention to the studio that started it all, seeing in its new breed of animators a serious challenge to Pixar’s creative and financial dominance. Now that Pixar’s had two consecutive features creatively falter to varying degrees—Brave was better than people give it credit for, but it never reached the vertiginous heights of Up or the raw emotion of Toy Story 3—and because they have a couple sequels at different stages of production, the knives are out, thanks to a built-in yet outlandish level of impatience.
Albert Brooks Returning To Voice Marlin In ‘Finding Nemo 2’
Since the revelation that Andrew Stanton would be returning to Pixar to direct a follow-up to Finding Nemo, many have wondered what the plot for the second film would be. Will Nemo go missing again? Will it be a sequel or a prequel? Will Darla grow up to be a perfectly normal adult? Much of the success of the original film stems from the touching story and the talented voice cast, including veteran Albert Brooks. It has now emerged that Brooks will be returning to voice Marlin. More after the break!
Andrew Stanton Confirms He Is Directing ‘Finding Nemo 2’
Earlier this year, Andrew Stanton‘s first live-action effort made its leap onto the big screen but was quickly overshadowed by unsubstantiated rumors of a bloated budget and unplanned reshoots. Stanton went on the record, combating many of the negative rumors attached to John Carter. Now that there are currently no plans for a sequel, he confirms that, in line with unconfirmed reports back in July, he is returning to Pixar to direct a follow-up to Finding Nemo.
