Pixar President Reveals New Originals Are on the Way

Looking at Pixar's current slate, one thing sticks out; of the five feature films they have scheduled from now until 2019, only one is an original (Lee Unkrich's Día de los Muertos-inspired Coco), while the rest are sequels to past Pixar hits. Sequels are by no means a bad thing, but Pixar's legacy has been built through breaking boundaries and taking audiences to thrilling new worlds, so naturally, fans are also hungry for more original films.

Fortunately, it seems like the studio has more up its sleeve than it has made public. In an interview last month, Pixar president Jim Morris revealed that there are in fact several unannounced original films currently in production at the studio. He briefly mentions that Peter Docter and Jonas Rivera, director and producer of last year's smash hit Inside Out, are currently working on "a new and equally weird idea" and goes on to namedrop Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and Mark Andrews (Brave), stating that they too are directing new original films. Andrews was known to have been working on a new project since early 2013, but it had not been mentioned since. Newcomer Brian Fee, a story artist at Pixar and part of the studio's Senior Creative Team, is also directing a new film, though Morris did not specify whether this one is a sequel or another original; my money is on the latter.

All in all, exciting news! I always figured that there were plenty of originals in the works, but it's nice to finally have confirmation. Each of the studio's original films always manages to break new ground while being fresh and distinct from anything done before, so I can't wait to see what they have in store.

Awards Season Recap: Monsters University

This awards season, unfortunately, has been a rather disappointing one for Pixar, as their brilliant but underrated feature Monsters University has been largely ignored by most notable award organizations. The film was downright snubbed by the Golden Globes and the Oscars this year, who for some reason preferred arguably weaker films like Despicable Me 2 and The Croods.

The Monsters prequel has, however, received some recognition from less-known organizations, and it did win a couple awards at the Annies, where it had a total of 10 nominations and ended up taking home the awards for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production and Editorial in an Animated Feature Production. It was nominated for, but ended up losing, the following Annie Awards:

• Best Animated Feature
• Animated Effects in an Animated Production
• Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
• Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
• Music in an Animated Feature Production
• Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
• Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production (Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski)
• Writing in an Animated Feature Production
• Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production

Way back in October, the film also won a Hollywood Animation Award at the 17th Hollywood Film Awards. Unfortunately, it hasn't won anything outside of that and the Annies, but it has at least been nominated for several other awards including:

• Best Edited Animated Feature Film - American Cinema Editors
• Best Animated Film - British Academy Film Awards
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures (Animated) - Cinema Audio Society Awards
• Best Animated Feature - Critics' Choice Movie Award
• Best Animated Feature Film - Denver Film Critics Society
• Best Animated Film - International Cinephile Society
• Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures (Kori Rae) - Producers Guild of America Award
• Best Animated Feature - San Francisco Film Critics Circle
• Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media - Satellite Awards
• Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture and Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Visual Effects Society Awards
• Best Animated Feature - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association

Awards are marvelous things, it's never a bad thing to give recognition to a filmmaker, actor, artist, or studio for their outstanding work. However, let's not forget that a film's (or a director's, actor's, etc.) greatness is not really determined by the number of accolades it earns. Films are meant to entertain, so shouldn't their greatness instead be determined by the joy they bring to people across the world? As the wise Doc Hudson would say, an award is "just an empty cup".

Congratulations to Dan Scanlon and the entire cast and crew for crafting a truly remarkable film with an exceptional message, a film that I hope will gain more recognition as it ages.

A Week Full of Monsters

Oh boy. It's been raining Monsters University news like crazy this week. We got the new trailer on Monday, but that was only the beginning. Check out some of the other monstrous news that has surfaced this week.

First off, you can head on over to this link and take a neat 10-question quiz on the latest MU trailer. See how high you can score, but be warned, you'll have to pay really close attention to lots of tiny details in the trailer!

The wonderful John Goodman (voice of lovable James P. Sullivan) was on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Monday night, where he talked about some of his upcoming films, including MU of course, and the interview also brought us an extended 40-second clip from the film, from the scene where Mike and Sulley first meet. You can watch it below at the 2:10 mark, although I do recommend watching the whole interview. The clip is great and it'll make you wish June 21 was tomorrow!

Also on Monday was this year's Toy Fair event in New York, where Disney unveiled the toy line for Monsters University, and I must say, the toys look fabulous. I personally have very fond memories of the toys for the original film, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for a lot of these, particularly the Funko Pop! Vinyl figures. Head on over to The Pixar Times, they've got some awesome coverage and pictures from the event!

Look for these MU toys and more in stores this spring!

Disney Living also uploaded the following videos: the first one is of Pixar honcho and toy fanatic John Lasseter going over a few of the toys that were revealed this week, and the second is a short recap of the MU panel at the Toy Fair. Check them out below.

Not only were the toys for MU unwrapped at the Toy Fair, but some of the film's cast and crew, including director Dan Scanlon, producer Kori Rae, and star John Goodman, were also there to talk about the new film, and provided a sneak peek at some of the new characters that will make their on-screen debut in this year's Monsters prequel.

Photo credit: The Pixar Times

The new characters include aspiring scarer Don Cartlon (voiced by Joel Murray), bickering brothers Terri and Terry (voiced by Sean Hayes and Dave Foley, respectively), the adorable Scott "Squishy" Squibbles (voiced by Pixar's own Pete Sohn), and the hilariously abnormal Art (voiced by Charlie Day). With all these fantastic new additions along with classic favorites from the original film returning, it sure looks like Monsters University already has quite the unforgettable cast of characters!

That's all for now folks, but stay tuned as we are sure to get even more MU news in the months to come as June 21 quickly approaches!

MU Featurette Opens Door to New Plot Details

At last. Pixar have listened to our pleas. Well, sort of.

While we are yet to get a full-length trailer for Monsters University (it better come soon), an awesome featurette debuted online yesterday via AnimatedPodcast. Check it out below.

Not only do we finally get to see some actual footage from the film, but director Dan Scanlon gives us a sneak peek at the storyline, some of the new characters, and other things we can expect to find this summer when Mike and Sulley return to theaters. My excitement-o-meter just went up. By a lot.

Monsters University sure looks like it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun, and I am 99.999% sure that fans of the studio, or anyone else for that matter, will not be disappointed.

MU hits theaters June 21. Be there.

EW Reveals New MonstersU Images!

A website, two posters, and now two brand new stills from Monsters University fresh from the studio. But still no stinking trailer.

However, Pixar may be torturing us fans by not yet having released a new trailer (and not even mentioning when it'll pop up), but at least they're feeding us with small appetizers like these new images to ease the hunger for the extremely anticipated trailer.

Entertainment Weekly debuted the stills, and also talked with director Dan Scanlon, who gave brief explanations of what is happening in each of the images.

“They’re at a fraternity party, and this is Mike and Sulley getting off on the wrong foot a little bit,” he says of the first image (seen above). Mr. Scanlon also tells us that the creature Mike is clutching in his right arm while being lifted up by his furry rival is "the monster equivalent of a farm animal" and the university's mascot. The second image sees a young Mike arriving at MU on his very first day, eager to begin a new chapter in his life.

Be sure to read the full story over at EW, and look forward to Pixar's Monsters University this summer. In the meantime, Monsters, Inc. 3D hits theaters just next week, so don't miss out on this chance to get to see the original film in theaters 11 years after its original release!

Pixar at D23 Expo

At last, some Pixar news to share with you all.

You've probably heard of D23 Expo, often called "The Ultimate Disney Event for Fans and Families". This year, for the first time ever, Pixar will be present at the event, and it seems that it will be pretty hard to ignore Pixar's presence at D23.

Many Pixarian "celebrities" will be present at the event, such as Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd from Pixar's upcoming release, Brave, Ricky Nierva, production designer for Monsters University, Jim Morris, general manager of the Pixar studios, and best of all, a group of almost all of Pixar's directors, from John Lasseter, all the way to Dan Scanlon! Not to mention, legendary Pixar composer Michael Giacchino will be there too. Wow, if I was lucky enough to be attending the event, I'd probably pass out from all the excitement.

Here is an official list of all the Pixar-related panels to enjoy at the giant event:

A Conversation with the Pixar Creative Team

Enjoy a rare opportunity to spend some time with the key figures responsible for Pixar’s unprecedented success, including John Lasseter (chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), Jim Morris (general manager, Pixar Animation Studios), Pete Docter (director, Monsters, Inc., Up), Andrew Stanton (director, Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Bob Peterson (co-director, Up), Lee Unkrich (director, Toy Story 3), Mark Andrews (director, Brave), and Dan Scanlon (director, Monsters University).

The Characters of Monsters University

Director Dan Scanlon and Production Designer Ricky Nierva discuss how they combine hair, horns, and a lot of heart to bring the wonderful Monsters University characters to life.

Michael Giacchino’s Music of Pixar

In this musical presentation, award-winning composer Michael Giacchino explores his early influences through the creation of modern-day classic scores from Ratatouille, Up and Cars 2.

The Art of Brave

Production designer Steve Pilcher and shading art director Tia Kratter show how they and their team put paint to canvas and fingers to computer keys to create the stunning visuals of Scotland for Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Brave.

Pixar Shorts

This retrospective screening of the animation studio’s legendary short films will be followed by a panel discussion with several of the filmmakers, including Ralph Eggleston (director, For the Birds), Andy Jimenez (director, One Man Band), Angus MacLane (director, BURN-E), Pete Sohn (director, Partly Cloudy), Teddy Newton (director, Day & Night), and Enrico Casarosa (director, La Luna).

So not only will many Pixar celebs be there, but we'll probably get our first peek at Monsters University, and see more concept art from Brave! This is sure shaping up to be one heck of an event!

Visit D23's official website for further details, and if you are interested in attending, you can buy tickets there as well.

'Cars' & 'The Incredibles' Now Available on Blu-ray!

It seems like only yesterday I was announcing that Pixar's Cars and The Incredibles would be coming to astounding Blu-ray high definition on April 12 (Cars now on a second edition Blu-ray, but The Incredibles for the first time ever). Time flies and they've already hit store shelves!

The new Cars Blu-ray is basically the same as the one that was released back in 2007, except that you can now watch Mater and the Ghostlight (co-directed by Dan Scanlon, director of Monsters University) in HD, and it comes with a free admission (only up to $8.50) for the sequel, Cars 2! Also, you can now enjoy the new cover art, which matches the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 re-releases from last year.

At last, the wait is over, and we finally get to see what has probably been Pixar's most action-packed film in glorious Blu-ray high-definition! Also, you can now enjoy a whole bunch of new 'Incredible' bonus features, alongside all your favorite original DVD extras! One of these new features is New Nomanisan Island. Ever wondered what happened to the island that used to be Syndrome's hideout after the villain was defeated? Well, this new bonus will surely answer your question! The Incredibles Blu-ray also comes with a coupon to watch Cars 2 this summer!

So if you're interested in buying either (or both) of these new releases, act now, before they all get sold out!

'Monsters University' Director Confirmed

Last week came the announcement of the upcoming Monsters film being a prequel called Monsters University. Soon after that, it was confirmed at Pixar's blogger's event that the director for the film would be Pixarian Dan Scanlon. Mr. Scanlon worked on parts of the screenplay for Cars, and also did some storyboards for the film. He co-directed the short film Mater and the Ghostlight. Good luck directing, Dan!