February In Review

This month has been bursting with exciting Pixar news, so in case you missed any of it, here it is in a nutshell.

It was a big month for Monsters University, and it looks like Pixar have got their marketing campaign for the film in full swing. This month marked the release of the film's first full-length trailer, as well as the debut of a marvelous new poster - plus several other little tidbits, like a fantastic little promo.

Director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarfian posing with the golden trophy 

The 85th Academy Awards took place just this past Sunday, and the Best Animated Feature statuette ended up going to Pixar's Brave. Congratulations to Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Katherine Sarafian and all the talented artists and filmmakers that put together a wonder of a film!

Monsters, Inc. arrived on Blu-ray 3D this month, bringing with it Partysaurus Rex and a sneak peek at MU! I'll hopefully be picking it up shortly, but if you have already gotten around to buying it, feel free to share your thoughts on the release!

The latest short film to come up of the animation powerhouse, The Blue Umbrella, premiered on the 12th of this month at the Berlin International Film Festival, and a gorgeous poster (above) for the short was also released.

Reports began to show up that the hilarious Albert Brooks, voice of Marlin the clownfish in Finding Nemo, had officially signed on the voice the character once again in the rumored sequel to the 2003 film. If Nemo 2 is indeed a go, then at least it seems Brooks would likely return, because let's face it, you can't make a sequel to Nemo without him. Ellen DeGeneres (voice of Dory) is reportedly in talks to return as well, and director Andrew Stanton would helm the follow-up for sure.

I was originally skeptical of a sequel to Finding Nemo, but if it is really happening then I trust Pixar's judgement, and I doubt they would ever make a sequel just because it would be a huge box office hit. And apparently Stanton has got quite the idea, so I see little chance of them screwing up, especially if they've got the main cast back.

Regarding upcoming films from the studio, the official logo for Bob Peterson's The Good Dinosaur was revealed, and while it had already been rumored, the title for Pete Docter's ambitious 'Inside the mind' film has been officially confirmed to be The Inside Out. Hooray!

So now February comes to a close and we begin March. Rumor has it that a new Monsters University trailer may show up this month, so fingers crossed!

New Cover Art: The Art of Monsters University

And the Monsters University news just keeps on coming. A new and presumably final cover for MU's 'Art of' book has been posted onto Amazon. It's quite lovely, as you might expect coming from Pixar.

Just judging by the trailers and latest poster, it looks like the Monsters prequel is shaping up to be Pixar's most vibrant, colorful film to date. The environments, characters and everything else are simply marvelous and very nice to look at, which always makes a movie a lot more enjoyable.

Look forward to The Art of Monsters University, which arrives in bookstores this June, a couple of weeks prior to the film's June 21 release. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.

Vibrant New 'Monsters University' Poster

When it comes to movie posters, Pixar never fails to impress. Today Nerdist dropped an all-new poster for Monsters University onto the web, and it is quite stunning.

Overflowing with monster college students, some familiar faces, some new, the poster is just exploding with color. The Monsters characters have always been some of my favorites, as well as the Toy Story gang, because of just how vivid and lively they are - not to mention incredibly hilarious and charismatic.

Monsters University already looks like it's got quite the cast of new characters. I personally love the ones that have been introduced so far, particularly Squishy and Art.

Excitement meter continues to rise....nothing new here.

MU hits theaters June 21.

The Oscar Comes Home to Emeryville

The 85th Academy Awards are officially history, but will definitely not be forgotten anytime soon. I mean, come on, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe singing and dancing on a stage together? How exactly do you top that?

It was also an exciting night for Pixar, as the studio's 13th feature film Brave won them their 7th Oscar for Best Animated Feature, which just so happens to mark the 30th golden statuette the studio has ever won.

Be sure to visit this link and watch short yet exciting video of the trophy coming home to the studio in Emeryville and the crew celebrating in Pixar's giant atrium.

Congratulations Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Katherine Sarafian and the rest of the team!

Brave Claims the Golden Statuette

Tonight was an exciting night. At the Oscars this year, I think we had the finest selection of Best Animated Feature nominees that we've had in a long, long time. So naming one of these the best was no easy task.

My goodness. Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates!, Wreck-It Ralph, and finally Brave. All absolutely amazing films. Brave had won the BAFTA and Golden Globe, but Ralph won the Annie, so ultimately the battle was between these two.

Pixar ended up walking away with the prize and directors Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews (who, unsurprisingly, wore a kilt) came up to receive the award. Many people argued that Ralph should have won the Oscar, but personally I think both films were equally deserving - and at least Ralph won the Annie, and is still a superb and brilliant film.

Congratulations to the team at Pixar for their 7th ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and here's hoping they take home an 8th golden statuette next year for Monsters University!