Pixar Animation Studios is the exemplar of originality in Hollywood. This is what we remind ourselves when we get frustrated that they’ve announced a sequel to Finding Nemo or a prequel to Monsters, Inc. If those sequels turn out to be more like Toy Story 2 instead of Cars 2, then good for all of us. But when we think of Pixar, we think original. They may pay homage to animated and live-action films from across the globe, of course; however, what the animators and filmmakers in Emeryville, California do has always been based on original ideas. Today, after considering a recently unearthed report, it’s time to ponder the opposite: what if Pixar did traffic in adaptations of preexisting material?
The Pixar Perspective on Honoring Walt Disney’s Animated Legacy
Depending on your age and attitude, it has become very difficult over the last month to not be cynical about the state of affairs at the Walt Disney Company. Though Disney appears to be, financially, as high as they’ve ever been, the company is cutting costs left and right, up to and including letting long-time employees go. Some of the more high-profile layoffs have targeted, inadvertently, one hopes, touchstones of many a Millennial child. Last year, people thrilled at the idea that Disney was now in league with the seminal video-game company LucasArts as part of buying Lucasfilm as a whole. A few weeks ago, those same people were depressed to hear that Disney shuttered the company for good, essentially outsourcing future video games. And now, Disney’s axed a number of their most venerated employees in the hand-drawn animation department, cementing the notion that hand-drawn animation is persona non grata at a company that built its reputation on that illustrative vision.
The Pixar Perspective on the Importance of Continuity
Over the last year or so, there’s been a trend online where people create short videos in which they list a series of problems they spotted in a mainstream movie, from Skyfall to Looper to The Dark Knight Rises. These videos all have received a disturbing amount of traction, as if their creators deserve a pat on the back for seeing what the rest of us, apparently, didn’t see or chose to ignore. These bite-sized excuses for modern film criticism are created by people who presume they’re being insightful, which is far from the truth. Better still, when they’re called out for their unnecessary whining, as happened when Looper’s director, Rian Johnson, got audibly frustrated at one of these videos, they half-heartedly shield themselves behind the “Oh, it’s just a joke!” excuse. Among Pixar films, Brave avoided this nitpicking—at least on such a grand scale. But if this video is any hint, we may need to batten down the virtual hatches because the nitpickers are already unloading on Monsters University. [Read more…]
The Pixar Perspective on The Necessity of Trailers
Great movie trailers are something of a lost art. While we are overloaded with ads for every new big-budget movie these days, they’re getting more obnoxious, cacophonous, and ruinous. Depending on the movie, you can go onto its website or YouTube and see a handful of TV spots—most of which repurpose the same shots, action, and dialogue, but tweak them ever so slightly to stand out—as well as teaser trailers and full trailers that often lay out a movie’s entire plot. If they don’t, they’re almost certainly going to show you some of the most impressive bits of action or the funniest jokes. It feels as if we’ve been clucking our tongues at trailers that spoil the films they sell since the advent of the Internet. So why, exactly, should we watch trailers for movies we know we’re going to see? [Read more…]
Zombie Thriller ‘World War Z’ Rescheduled To Battle Pixar’s ‘Monsters University’
According to Variety, Paramount shuffled some release dates around yesterday, which is fairly common in the film industry. Disney and Pixar have surely taken notice as zombie film World War Z, which is being adapted from the popular Max Brooks novel, has been pushed from this holiday season to June 21, 2013, a date that Pixar’s Monsters University originally had all to itself. If the change holds up, it looks like monsters will be battling some zombies for the box office crown that weekend. [Read more…]
Billy Crystal: Mike Wazowski To Wear Retainer In Monsters University
At a 20th Anniversary screening of City Slickers on Friday night, Billy Crystal had a chance to speak about his upcoming role in the prequel film, Monsters University. Returning as the voice of the hilarious Mike Wazowski, Crystal spoke with Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog, who moderated the event. Apparently, the actor had just finished working on an extensive voicing session for the film, and his voice was a bit hoarse. Read on for some thought from Billy Crystal on the highly anticipated Monsters University! [Read more…]
Scott Clark Supervising Animation on Monsters University
Scott Clark, who has previously served as a supervising animator on such Pixar films as Cars and Up, is back at it again as he announced earlier today that he is “supervising the animation team on Monsters University.” The only other crew member that has been officially announced for the film is Dan Scanlon, who is directing the film for release in 2013. [Read more…]
Monsters University Pushed Back To June 2013
Box Office Mojo, which has made announcements of release date changes rather often, shared that the prequel film to Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, has been pushed back from November, 2012 to June, 2013. Next year would have been the first time that Disney/Pixar was set to release two feature films in one year, an exciting feat. The second release date change for the film (it was originally pushed up a few weeks) does not mean the film is headed for a disaster, as the extra time likely gives the studio more time to maintain the quality of film that audiences around the world have come to respect. [Read more…]
Monsters, Inc. Prequel To Be Called ‘Monsters University’
CinemaCon is an event where studios preview their upcoming titles to theater owners. Last year, when the event was still called ShoWest, it was reported that many in attendance cried during a screening of an unfinished copy of Toy Story 3. That was our first clue that the studio had created another fantastic film. This year, Disney has shared something else, in the form of an official title. We already knew another Monsters, Inc. film was coming but now we have an actual title: Monsters University. [Read more…]
