End of Year (Pixar) News! Happy 2012!

The year of 2011 has come to a close, but that's not stopping Pixar from giving their fans one last thing to talk about this year. Or rather, multiple last things to talk about.

Unfortunately, not all of this is exactly good news. UPMAD (the Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs), which was announced at D23 Expo earlier this year and is currently in production at the Emeryville-based studio, being directed by Bob Peterson (co-director of Up; voice of Dug) has had its release date taken away by Disney's new film, Frozen, formerly titled The Snow Queen.

The new Pixar film about dinosaurs living in the modern world was set for release on November 27, 2013, but is now left without a certain release date until further notice.

The news broke about a week ago, when Disney's calendar read "Frozen" on the 27 of November, 2013, which led many to think that Bob Peterson's dino-film had been given this new title. However, it was soon announced that "Frozen" was simply the new title for Disney's The Snow Queen.

So once again, an attempt to release more than one Pixar feature film in the same year has been jeopardized.

On the happier side, Pixar's 2011 spy film, Cars 2, now holds the title for the most successful animated movie of the year. It even made the top-ten list of the overall highest grossing films of 2011, coming in seventh place, above three of the years blockbusters; Thor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Captain America: The First Avenger.

Mater and McQueen raked in a total of $551,852,396 worldwide at the box office this year, with $191,452,396 of the film's earnings made in the US and Canada.

Pixar honcho John Lasseter was recently over at the currently in-construction Cars Land at Disney's California Adventure (it opens this coming summer) testing out the spectacular new ride, "Luigi's Flying Tires".

"This was awesome!" he says. Check it out:

Cars Land will opens its doors summer 2012! Another thing to look forward to this new year!

Last but not least, Brave was recently listed on both Yahoo! and Rotten Tomatoes as one of 2012's most anticipated films! So I guess passionate Pixar fans are not the only ones looking forward to Pixar's first fairy tale, set in the highlands of medieval Scotland. Can't wait for Merida to hit the big screen!

So I guess this concludes 2011 here at Pixar Corner. It's been an amazing year. Cars 2 came out, Toy Story 3 won two Oscars, Pixar celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Toy Story Toons kicked off, and Pixar Corner turned one year old! And these are just a very short few of the spectacular, amazing, incredible things that happened this year.

There are a whole lot of things to look forward to in 2012, some being the release of Brave, and Finding Nemo being re-released in 3D (and most likely in Blu-ray). So prepare yourself, it's going to be a fantastic year.

See you in 2012.

Watch This.

Watch this, and prepare to be amazed.



Now wasn't that a spectacular Pixar mashup? Proof of what an impact Pixar films have made on the world today.

Ed's Hand Added to National Film Registry

Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney, is surely very proud right now.

The computer animated hand (which is actually titled A Computer Animated Hand) that he created at the University of Utah nearly 40 years ago has been welcomed into the National Film Registry. Each year, the NFR selects 25 films that should be carefully preserved forever, for future generations to enjoy. Disney's Bambi was also added to the list this year.

Many people think that computer animation started with Toy Story in 1995, but it was actually beginning to take shape over 20 years before Woody and Buzz first hit the big screen. With some of his colleagues in 1972, Ed Catmull created A Computer Animated Hand, which at the time was astounding to people, even though now it looks almost ancient, since technology has soared over the last four decades.

The short animation starring a seemingly simple animated hand is, today, one of the ancestors and pioneers of computer animation. Watch it here, along with some footage showing the making of the film.

Pixar Corner Wishes You a Merry Christmas!

The year has zoomed by at a speed that rivals that of Lightning McQueen's, and the winter holidays are already here! Once again, I present to you a special annual post here at Pixar Corner that celebrates the joy of the season...Pixar style!

WALL-E likes to decorate at Christmas! Do you?

(via Adventures with Wall-e)

Paul Robin is also celebrating the holidays alongside his buddy Timmy Worm! Enjoy this new Christmas adventure by the designer of the Pixar Corner logo! Visit Paul's blog and see previous adventures here.

(via The Adventures of Paul Robin)

Be sure to be on the look out for some of these really cool holiday-themed Cars die cast collectibles! There are plenty more besides this Reindeer Mater and Snow-Plow McQueen, including a "Decked Out" Doc Hudson! Collect them all; they make excellent Christmas decorations!

That's all for now, but stay tuned, as the coming year will surely be full of many delightful Pixar surprises!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, and I wish you all the best in 2012!

Some Brave News!

After a period with not much Pixar news, we finally have something to talk about...this spectacular new still from Pixar's Brave!

The image (see above) depicts Merida taking aim at her target, being carefully watched by her father Fergus, her mother Elinor (who does not look happy) and a few other spectators. It sure looks as if Merida's archery skills are causing quite the commotion in her hometown. You can see part of this scene from the film in the newest trailer.

I hope to see a higher-res version of the still released soon.

On other Brave related news, Stitch Kingdom tells us that the MLB team the Atlanta Braves are taking legal action against the animated feature's title. Apparently, they don't want people associating Pixar's new movie with their team, and are afraid that people will get confused between the film Brave and the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Of course, this does sound quite foolish when you really think of it; I can't picture Merida showing up at an MLB game, since I'm pretty sure that there was no professional baseball in medieval Scotland. And let's not forget that the Braves don't actually own the word "brave".

Hopefully this mess gets cleaned up soon.

Pixar's Brave takes aim at theaters on June 22, 2012!

More 'Cars Toon' Die Cast Cars Coming Soon!

We haven't seen a whole lot of new Cars Toon die casts in a while, since all the new Cars 2 merchandise took over back in May. However, it looks like the popular line of Cars Toon collectibles will be returning in a bit, and this time with some of the newer Tall Tales.

Take5aDay has got a nice picture, which you can have a look at above, of a fine-looking Moon Mater die cast car. I really can't wait for this to come out, I have several other Cars Toon die casts, and they are all awesome collector's items.

I also hear there's some new Cars 2 die casts coming up, so keep your eyes peeled for those as well!

Meet the Characters of Small Fry!

On the Toy Story Facebook page, Pixar has been uploading pictures and bios on some of the fantastic new fast food meal characters from "Poultry Palace", featured in the new Toy Story Toon, Small Fry. Here are the some of the new buddies Pixar has introduced to us in this new short...

Neptuna, Queen of New Nautica

For centuries, Queen Neptuna ruled the peaceful ocean kingdom of New Nautica. When her undersea home was defiled by corporate industrial waste and discount chain stores, Neptuna formed The Mermaid Battle Squadron to protect the ocean from future pollution and exploitation.

T-Bone, Leader of the Steak Force

Fearing the healthy, life-extending agenda of the evil Vegitenarians, the government established the Steak Force, a commando squad of heroic robots dedicated to mandating a meat option for every meal. Sponsored in part by The American Meat Council.

Funky Monk

Spiritual mentor to Rappin’ Robin and Lil’ Juan, Funky Monk always keeps it real and on the down low. Be it a rap battle between his boys and Producer P John or hooking up a guest-spot on the next MC Maid Marion single, Funky Monk has got your back. See Funky Monk in the CGI animated film “Rappin’ Robin in the Hood 3D,” only in theaters.

Condorman

When comic book artist Wiley Wilkins is given the opportunity to act out the pages of his greatest cartoon creation, “Condorman,” he jumps at the chance! Will Condorman defeat the evil Krokov and win the heart of the beautiful Natalia Rambova? Find out when Condorman swoops into theaters, Summer 1981.

Bozu, The Ninja Clown

Circus clown by day, 15th century ninja from feudal Japan by night, Bozu is a master of silent entertainment. Armed with his balloon katana and a cream pie, this Ninja Clown is sure to have even the grumpiest Circus audience members in stitches!

And all these are just a few of all the Fun Meal toys from the new short. Hopefully Pixar will release some more bios and pics later on, because I'd love to get to know the rest of these toys.

Small Fry is playing in theaters right now with The Muppets!

New Disney-Pixar Kinect Game Coming Soon!

The last Pixar video game that was released, I believe, was the Cars 2 video game, that is, if you don't count the recently released Disney Universe, which includes characters from countless Disney branded films, including many of the Pixar films.

A new Disney/Pixar game is coming, however. This March, Kinect Rush - A Disney/Pixar Adventure will arrive, and boy, does it look exciting.

Watch the trailer here:

I was at Best Buy the other day trying out the Kinect, and I have to say, it is pretty astounding, so I can't imagine what fun the Pixar characters will bring to the system.

The game consists of five beloved Pixar classics; The Incredibles, Up, Toy Story 3, Cars 2, and Ratatouille., and judging by the trailer, will have special levels with all of the different characters from these films. What's more, you'll now be able to control Buzz, Remy, Mr. Incredible, and even Lightning McQueen by using yourself as the remote!

Kinect Rush - Disney/Pixar Adventures hits store shelves March 2012, and will be available exclusively to the Xbox 360 console.

'The Art of Brave' Now Available for Pre-Order

With every Pixar film comes a fabulous book that gives you an inside scoop into the making of that particular movie. These popular books, known as the 'Art of'' books, display original concepts, storyboards, colorscripts, interviews with the film makers, and obviously, art.

The Art of Brave is now listed on Amazon, and you are able to pre-order the book, which arrives in bookstores in June.

The official description has also been posted:

Brave is Pixar’s first fairy tale, a lush, animated adventure through the forests, heaths, and highlands of medieval Scotland. Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the film’s many artists, The Art of Brave also showcases the gorgeous concept art that went into the creation of the movie, including colour scripts, storyboards, character studies, environment art, sculpts, and more.

The cover art currently displayed is subject to change; whenever these books are posted for pre-order, the cover is always changed to a more appealing design later on. However, I do quite like this cover.

The book is written by Jenny Lerew, with a preface from Chief John Lasseter, and a foreword from directors Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman.

Pre-order now, or wait until June, but you'll want to get ahold of this book sooner of later!

More Info on Pete's 'Mind' Production

Hooray! At D23 Expo, two brand-new original Pixar films were announced; Bob Peterson's "UPMAD" (Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs), and Pete Docter's "Inside the Human Mind" film.

John Lasseter talked on the Charlie Rose show and said the following about Pete's film:

"Pete Docter, from Monsters, Inc. and Up, is doing a new film that takes place inside of a girl’s mind and it is about her emotions as characters, and that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen."

The protagonist's emotions will be characters? No kidding this will be unlike anything we've ever seen before. Oh, and yes, John did say that it was a girl who is at the center of the story. So joining Brave in the short list of Pixar films with female protagonists is Pete Doctor's new feature. Expect another mind-blowing (pun intended) hit from Pete, as his filmography currently includes classics like Monsters, Inc. and Up.

Scottish princesses? Monsters in college? Dinosaurs in the modern world? A look inside a human's mind??? Is it just me, or is Pixar's upcoming film list just really, really exciting?