The Limelight Will Shine Again...

If you've been a reader for long enough, you may remember the column I started up back in 2013, the Luxo Limelight. Its purpose was to seek out Pixar superfans from around the world and get them to tell their story. Why do they like Pixar so much? How does the studio inspire them? At its conception, the Luxo Limelight was intended to be a weekly column, but unfortunately that didn't quite work out. I published a total of ten issues, and after that it sort of quietly died out.

Never fear, for I have devised a new strategy that should allow the Luxo Limelight to operate more consistently, and the column should be back up and running sometime this spring. Here's how things will work from now on:

As of right now, anyone interested in partaking in the column can shoot me an email at pixarcornerunofficial@gmail.com, simply stating they would like to be featured on an issue of the Luxo Limelight. A reminder that participants may choose one of two options; an interview-style article, where I provide the questions and the participant emails me his or her responses, or an original composition explaining how they first came to love Pixar, why they enjoy its films so much, and so forth. To keep things fresh, this "second season", if you will, of the Luxo Limelight will feature a series of new questions not seen in the previous ten issues for the interview option, though some of the essentials will remain.

Once I have been contacted by ten people and have been provided with each of their responses, I will begin publishing an issue of Luxo Limelight on a weekly basis. Once the ten issues have been published, the column will take a brief break until I can get ahold of another ten participants, at which point the aforementioned process will be repeated. Keep in mind you may email me whenever you like, you do not have to wait until the ten issues are up.

If you would like to participate in the Luxo Limelight and/or have any further questions or suggestions, please contact me at pixarcornerunofficial@gmail.com and visit this page for more information. If you know of anyone who loves Pixar and would like to be featured on this column, please share this post with them!

I look forward to bringing you the Luxo Limelight again very soon.

First Look at 'The Art of Inside Out'

During the making of every Pixar film, artists at the studio create hundreds and hundreds of pieces of artwork, many of which are never seen by the public. The good news is that for every Pixar film comes a whole book dedicated entirely to the artwork that went into the creation of the film, so that we, the fans, can enjoy it.

The cover artwork for The Art of Inside Out has been revealed via Amazon , where the book is now available for pre-order. This may very well be the book's finalized cover, but keep in mind that Pixar art books often bear temporary placeholder covers when they first show up online.

The official description for the book:

"The Art of Inside Out provides an exclusive look into the artistic exploration that went into the making of this vibrant film. Featuring concept art—including sketches, collages, color scripts, and much more—and opening with a foreword by actress Amy Poehler and introduction by the film’s writer and director Pete Docter, this is the ultimate behind-the-scenes experience of the making of this landmark film."

Set inside the vast world of the human mind, Inside Out promises to be one of Pixar's most inventive and out-there films yet. The film's 176-page art book will be a thing to marvel at, no doubt.

The Art of Inside Out arrives May 26, just in time for the movie's release!

New 'Inside Out' TV Spot Shows Off Brain Freeze

A new Inside Out television spot has surfaced, showing off some tiny bits of new footage. The highlight is undeniably the part where Riley takes a big sip of a cold beverage and the inevitable happens - brain freeze. Watch the TV spot below:

Once again, Pixar reaffirms its ability to take a seemingly ordinary concept and turn it into a clever and imaginative experience onscreen. Also, keep in mind that this is only a very, very, very small fraction of what we'll see in Inside Out when it hits theaters; a movie set inside the human mind opens an endless amount of possibilities and different routes for the artists at the studio to explore, which makes this film all the more exciting, so expect to see plenty more moments like this one in the finished product.

Inside Out arrives June 19, 2015. Stay tuned for more updates!

Luigi's Flying Tires to Be Replaced at Disneyland

For almost three years now, Cars Land has entertained millions of guests at Disney California Adventure, the second of two parks at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. Based on Pixar's Cars films, the themed area is an exact replica of Radiator Springs, the fictional town featured in the films, and is home to a variety of restaurants and gift shops, as well as three rides, one of which will be closing on Monday to make room for an updated attraction featuring new technology.

via Disney Parks Blog

Luigi's Flying Tires will close tomorrow, February 16, and be replaced by an all-new attraction in early 2016. The new currently untitled ride will introduce both a new ride system and ride vehicles. The above concept art gives us an idea of what we can expect to find occupying the space at Luigi's Casa Della Tires next year.

Though the concept behind it was certainly a fun one, Luigi's Flying Tires was the only element of Cars Land that left me rather underwhelmed when I visited Disneyland in 2013. Based on the concept art, however, the new attraction will be a worthy addition to the immersive themed land and I look forward to experiencing it.

Are you excited about the new attraction at Cars Land? Are you sad to see Luigi's Flying Tires go? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments!

LEGO WALL-E Set Approved for Production

If you're a LEGO fan, you have likely heard of the website LEGO Ideas, formerly known as LEGO CUUSOO. The site allows builders around the world to submit their own ideas for potential LEGO sets. If their creation garners 10,000 supporters, it advances to the lengthy review stage, during which LEGO painstakingly examines the set to determine whether or not it is apt for mass production. In late 2013, Pixar employee Angus MacLane submit a LEGO model of Pixar's own WALL-E to LEGO Ideas, which reached 10,000 supporters this past summer.

WALL-E director Andrew Stanton poses with MacLane's model

Those familiar with Pixar and its employees will know that MacLane, director of  Pixar shorts BURN-E and Small Fry, as well as 2013's Toy Story television special Toy Story of Terror, is a huge LEGO buff - he even snuck in a LEGO Bunny of his own design into the aforementioned TV special. He built the WALL-E model while actually working on the film WALL-E way back in 2005 - almost a decade ago! After having met the required number of supporters on LEGO Ideas, the project entered the review stage, which takes several months, in July. Today, the LEGO Group announced which of the eight sets that were being reviewed up until now will be coming to stores. Rejoice, for WALL-E has emerged victorious!

Watch the official announcement video here:

According to LEGO, the pricing and release date, as well as the finalized design for the model, are currently being worked on, but expect this delightful plastic brick-built interpretation of the curious little robot to hit store shelves sometime next year, if not this year. Being both a big Pixar and LEGO fan myself, I was thrilled to hear this news and will be picking up the set as soon as it arrives.

Congratulations to the insanely ingenious Angus MacLane! If you're interested on some more background info on his WALL-E model, head on over to The Brothers Brick for a nearly seven-year-old interview with the man himself, and be sure to support his other project on LEGO Ideas - a 100% screen-accurate replica of the LEGO Bunny seen in Toy Story of Terror!

Pixar Turns 29

29 years ago today, that's February 3rd, 1986, a small computer division of Lucasfilm known as the Graphics Group officially became Pixar Animation Studios, and the rest is history.

Since then, the studio has gone on to create a total of fourteen successful feature films and counting, as well as over thirty short films, two television specials, and a wide array of internationally beloved characters. For nearly three decades, the creative minds at Pixar have brought a combination of smiles and tears to faces across the globe, and they don't seem intent on stopping anytime soon.

Happy anniversary Pixar!

Preview the 'Inside Out' Toy Line

With every new Pixar film comes a colorful plethora of new toys for both young ones and passionate collectors to enjoy. We recently got a look at the upcoming toy line for Inside Out, which features everything from posable figures to plush toys.

Japanese manufacturer TOMY has been tasked with producing lines of toys based on the characters from both Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur. Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, who happens to be a massive toy aficionado himself, said this of the company:

“When I visited TOMY’s headquarters in Japan, I was impressed by their commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The toys they've created for Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur are fantastic—they've truly brought our characters to life.”

Pictured below are some of the posable, highly-detailed figures of Inside Out's unique array of characters that TOMY has crafted.

Toy manufacturer Funko's 3-inch Pop! vinyl figures have also grown increasingly popular over the past few years, and the company has announced that the five main characters from Pixar's new film will all be getting Pop! renditions. These are a definite must-have for Pixar fans and collectors alike. Check them out below.

Additionally, Funko will release plush toys of Anger and Sadness as part of their Fabrikations line.

Lastly, the image below shows the plush toys of the film's characters that will be released later this year, and also gives us our first look at a peculiar pink elephant creature, a previously unheard of character in the film; Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend. It should be interesting to see what role he plays in the film.

Keep in mind these are only a handful of the toys being made for Inside Out, and we will likely get a further look at even more from the film's toy line in two weeks at the New York Toy Fair.

Inside Out arrives in theaters on June 19th, so the toys should start arriving in stores sometime in May, or perhaps even late April. Keep your eyes peeled!