Four Years Later...

Exactly four years ago today, I opened up this little blog dedicated to the work of Pixar Animation Studios. I never could have foretold what would follow.

Here we are now in 2014, a relatively slow year in terms of Pixar news, what with no new Pixar feature film until 2015. It would be easy to merely shut this blog down and be done with it, but that's not something I plan on doing anytime soon, because I know it would likely end up being one of the biggest regrets of my life. In the past four years, Pixar Corner has opened so many doors for me, and it's also given me the privilege of meeting some wonderful people, both in person and through social media. I have also been incredibly, unbelievably fortunate to have been able to visit both Pixar's HQ in Emeryville, California and Pixar Canada in Vancouver, Canada (before its unfortunate closure in October, which still has me feeling pretty bummed out). A huge thank you goes out to Pixar publicist Chris Wiggum and Pixar Canada General Manager and VP Amir Nasrabadi, who made those once-in-a-lifetime experiences possible. If either of you is reading this, know that you made one of my childhood dreams into reality, and that's a debt I don't think I'll ever be able to repay.

A shoutout also to the very talented Paul Robin, who continues to spruce up this blog with his very inventive seasonal headers. Don't forget to check out his blog!

I'd also like to thank my fellow bloggers and Twitter buddies, with whom it is always a pleasure to interact and share opinions, and my readers, both the ones who have been here from the start and the ones just tuning in. And of course, thank you to all the artists and storytellers at Pixar, who have continued to entertain and inspire me throughout my entire life.

Here's to another four years of blogging!

What Is Pixar Fandom?

Millions of people watch Pixar's films, know and love their characters, and adore the stories they bring to the world. Some have developed true interest in the animation giant, and follow the company's every move on the Internet, books, and just about anywhere else possible. In the present day, Pixar now has an ever-growing fanbase filled with people young and old who love Pixar and the movies they make. A couple of these superfans have even started blogs about Pixar and begun writing all about the studio, its films, and its people on the Internet. And a lucky few have unlocked the key to enter the animation studio itself.

"Welcome to the world of Pixar superfans." says The Bay Citizen.

An article all about Pixar's massive fanbase was recently published on TBC. It talks all about Pixar's many passionate fans, and many comments expressing the love for the story-telling studio have been rounded up from the Internet and put into this article. I can assure that if you are a passionate Pixar "superfan", you'll be able to relate to this article immensely, like I did. Believe me, I related to this article more than ever.

As I carried on reading, there came a part with some words from Pixar publicist Chris Wiggum regarding Pixar's fans. When I read Chris' name, I thought, "Hey! He gave me a tour of the studio back in May!"

Chris says, “It’s not just the films people are into, they treat our filmmakers and artists like total rockstars. I’m always amazed by the level of celebrity they have among fans,”

And that right there that he said, is SO true. I remember when visiting Pixar in May, I saw Bobby Podesta, supervising animator of Toy Story 3, walk right past me. I wanted to say hi, but I got a little starstruck and I didn't have the guts to walk up to him and introduce myself, so I ended up staying right where I was standing, speechless.

As I continued reading Chris Wiggum's comments, I couldn't believe my eyes. Why? Read the quote below:

One 11-year old blogger stuck out in Wiggum’s memory.

“He knew the names of people and would name them as they walked past him in the hallways. Not just animators, but lighters,” Wiggum said, “He had learned their names from watching the DVD extras for the films.”

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12VVb)

"Gee, well that sounds familiar" I thought to myself. I couldn't believe that Chris had mentioned me in the interview. I'll have to thank him later on for the honor in being mentioned in The Bay Citizen.

Read the full article here, and see how you connect to other Pixar fans around the globe!