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.

Pixar Debuts Teaser for 'Inside Out'

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally here. After what seems like an eternity of patiently waiting, Pixar has finally released a teaser trailer for their fifteenth feature film, Inside Out. So without further ado, here it is:

By intelligently reminding us of how great their past successes have been, Pixar amps up the excitement for what looks set to be another winner for them. Only a fraction of the minute-and-a-half teaser has footage from the film itself (or of the film's characters, anyway), but it's put together so flawlessly that nothing else is necessary to get the point across: this film will be something special.

Judging by the teaser, Inside Out will fit right in with with the Emeryville studio's fourteen other features. The trailer promises everything we've come to expect from a Pixar film; gorgeous visuals, unique character designs, a top-notch voice cast, intriguing new worlds, and a heartfelt story.

The film is directed by the brilliant Pete Docter, who has built quite the reputation for himself over the course of his career at Pixar. He made his directorial debut in 2001 with Monsters, Inc. and later directed fan-favorite Up (2009), which went on to become the second animated film in history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, following Walt Disney Animation's Beauty and the Beast (1991). The Pixar name already means the audience will have high expectations, but Docter's pristine track record raises the bar even higher for next summer's Inside Out.

Additionally, the studio also released an image (top) of the film's main characters, Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), as well as a teaser poster for the new movie (below).

Pixar's "major emotion picture" Inside Out hits theaters June 19th, 2015.

New Details on 'Inside Out', Pixar Announces 'Lava'

2014 has sure been painfully slow in terms of Pixar news, and I am not proud of having only published eight posts this year prior to this one. However, the animation powerhouse did recently give us some insight into what they are cooking up for us at the moment and it all seems very promising.

Of course, we all know that Pete Docter, the mastermind behind previous Pixar features Monsters, Inc. and Up, has been hard at work on his latest project Inside Out for several years now. The film, which takes audiences into the world inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley, is due in just a little under a year from now, and last month Pixar previewed the film at the Annecy Film Festival in France, where those in attendance were treated to a clip from the studio's latest feature. The approximately 5-minute-long clip reportedly showed the birth of the character Riley and then progressively introduced each of her emotions in different stages of her childhood. The same clip was later shown at a press event for the Director's Guild of America. If you're interested in reading a detailed description of the screened footage, head on over to Cinema Blend.

Also at that same Director's Guild event, Pixar veteran James Ford Murphy stepped onto the stage to unveil his new short film Lava, which will play in theaters in front of Inside Out next year. Disney and Pixar released an official synopsis for the short:

Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, "Lava" is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.

From Pixar Animation Studios, director James Ford Murphy and producer Andrea Warren, "Lava" opens in theaters on June 19, 2015, in front of "Inside Out".

An official poster for Pixar's upcoming short film Lava

Early buzz for the upcoming short film, which was screened for attendees at the event, has been very positive.

Just saw a roughly 95% finished version of Pixar's latest short, LAVA, which will play in front of INSIDE OUT. Lovely & musical & beautiful.
— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) June 20, 2014

Just saw Pixar's next short: The sweet, romantic musical LAVA, about two volcanoes in love. Might've teared up a little.
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) June 20, 2014

Yup, that just about sounds like a Pixar short. Innovative, heartfelt, and sweet.

Murphy himself reportedly composed the short's song on ukulele, which will be sung by Hawaiian singers Kuana Torres Kahele and Napua Grieg Makua. Again, none of this has been confirmed by Disney or Pixar, but it seems very plausible.

Back to the topic of Inside Out, several tidbits regarding the film have been dropped here and there over the past couple of months, so here are some of the most notable ones.

The official title treatment for Pixar's Inside Out

Pixar released a new official logo for the film (above), as well as a new synopsis for the film:

From the tepuis of South America to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In 2015, he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all - inside the mind of an 11-year-old named Riley. 

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city,

house and school.

Inside Out will be the second Pixar feature film to have a female protagonist, the first being 2012's Brave. The main character, however, is not the preteen Riley, but rather her emotion Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler. Riley will reportedly be to Inside Out what Andy is to the Toy Story films; while a key character in the story, she is not the protagonist.

Like the new Lava short, the 5-minute Inside Out clip has also sparked wild enthusiasm in those who saw it. Eric Eisenberg tweeted:

It's still a year out, but everything about #Pixar's Inside Out looks phenomenal. First 5 minutes dropped my jaw and put tears in my eyes.
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) June 20, 2014

On June 19, Pixar's social media accounts posted this funny picture of director Pete Docter showing his excitement for his upcoming film by holding up a sketch of Joy.

We were also treated to a beautiful piece of concept art from the film, showcasing Joy inside the headquarters of Riley's mind.

Photo credit: The Pixar Times

Last of all, Docter signed autographs and gave out drawings like the one above featuring characters from Inside Out last month at Annecy. Expect the film's art book to be packed with fun doodles like this one!

Photo credit: hayleyanimates

This year sure is an odd one for Pixar news. It's been very quiet for the most part, but every now and then we get a sudden burst of exciting news about the studio's future projects. In March they announced the ever-coveted Incredibles sequel (and the not-so-coveted Cars threequel), and now we got a bunch of exciting details about their next feature film, as well as word on what their next short film will be! And though they seem far away now, a year flies by quicker than you think. Just think, Monsters University just turned a year old! So don't you worry, June 19, 2015 will be here in the blink of an eye, bringing two astounding Pixar films along with it.

(Hat tip to A113Animation, Upcoming Pixar and The Pixar Post)

Pete Docter Spills (Some) Beans on 'Inside Out'

As this year's annual Pixar flick is out and most folks have already seen it, fans of the studio begin to look to the future for excitement. What does the future have in store? Well, in 2015, Pixar is treating audiences to a little film called Inside Out.

Directed by the one and only Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up), this animated adventure will take us "to a place that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen". The studio's 16th feature film will allow us to venture inside an 11-year-old girl's mind and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, some of the emotions featured as prominent characters will be anger, sadness, disgust and joy.

Docter also revealed that the film will have two storylines taking place simultaneously - one being what occurs inside the protagonist's head, the other what happens on the outside. “One story is hard enough,” the director explained. “This is two stories that need to talk to each other.” Pete also gave us an idea as to what the film will look like and said, "The characters are created with this energy because we are trying to represent what emotions would look like. They are made up of particles that actually move. Instead of being skin and solid, it is a massive collection of energy. It’s a lot of fun and really takes advantage of what animation can do."

No doubt this will be unlike anything we've ever seen before, both visually and storywise.

Apart from Docter, several crew members from Up are back working on Inside Out, including producer Jonas Rivera, and story supervisor Ronnie del Carmen, who co-directs this new animated flick. The film is written by Michael Arndt, the mastermind scribe behind Toy Story 3's genius script, who is currently also working on penning Star Wars: Episode VII.

There's still a bit of time until Inside Out hits the silver screen, but in the meantime, help pass the time by going out to see Monsters University - whether it's for the first time or for the fiftieth. And hey, The Good Dinosaur will be here in less than a year, so that should make the wait until Docter's next project a whole lot easier.

(via A113Animation)

Pete Docter 'Mind' Film Gets Title - Unconfirmed

Pixar has announced so many upcoming projects lately that I'm starting to lose track of how many films they have in store for us. However, out of all their upcoming projects, Pete Docter's film that delves into the world of the human mind intrigues me the most. The film is yet to be given a title, but Bleeding Cool reports that the film is in fact called The Inside Out.

Bredon Connelly writes:

"We've now heard that the film is on the verge of getting an official title and that title is almost certainly going to be 'The Inside Out'. That title hasn't yet been cleared, but it's the one Pixar wants. Barring any problems with getting the name okayed, we can probably expect it to be announced soon." 

Following Pixar's tradition of giving their films simple yet powerful titles, this title really excites me and makes me even more eager to find out more about this film. There are endless possibilities when crafting a movie about the human mind, even more so than there are when crafting one about monsters, I'd say. This is likely both a blessing and a curse for Docter and the Pixar crew; if the sky is the limit, where do you begin?

Hopefully Pixar decides to stick with this title, I quite like it. Look forward to an official announcement from the studio!

Stanton and Docter Teaming Up for Short

(L-R) Pixarians Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter

Andrew Stanton, director of Pixar favorites Finding Nemo and WALL-E, has recently been working on the live-action Disney film, John Carter, in theaters March 9. This has led many to believe that, like director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Brad Bird,  Andrew Stanton has left the Pixar. However, he himself tweeted that he "never left Pixar" and the he "never will".

Director of Monsters, Inc. and Up, Pete Docter is currently working at Pixar directing his latest film, one that takes you "inside the human mind".

Well, how exciting is it to hear that these two geniuses are collaborating to make a new Pixar short film together? Pretty darn thrilling, right?

Here's what Mr. Stanton himself said:

Yeah. As a matter of fact I’m developing a short film with Pete Docter. There’s an idea that he and I have had for years that we are finally getting around to doing which is kind of funny. We are both way too busy, but we just love the idea of doing this one little project together and then I’ve been… I executive produce a lot of the films over there and so I spend a lot of… People keep thinking I’ve been away from there, but I actually have been on campus for the last year and a half just helping watch over other stuff, but I don’t have a feature film of my own that’s an animated Pixar film that’s coming up soon, no. That’s a ways away.

We probably won't see this short anytime soon, but at least we know it's coming, and it's very unlikely it will disappoint. How can a short film directed by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter fail?

(via /Film)

Does Pixar Have A Chimp?

Lee Unkrich's Twitter display pic. He loves chimps.

If you've ever seen the bonus material for the Monsters, Inc. DVD or Blu-ray, you've probably noticed the completely random "pet" chimp walking around the Pixar studios as the filmmakers casually explain how the movie was made. This has led many people have ask themselves the very same odd question:

"Does Pixar have a pet chimpanzee?"

The answer is actually no, but they did have one for a day, and that happened to be the day they were filming the bonus features for the Monsters DVD. I remember as a little boy seeing this chimp in the background when watching the special features, and thinking to myself, "Man, It would be so cool to work at Pixar, they have a chimp!"

Why on Earth would they decide, of all things, to have a chimp casually making appearances during the bonus material of one of their films? Watch as Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, Bob Peterson, and Darla K. Anderson explain the story behind the "Pixar" chimp.

Quite a funny story, huh? I guess it was pretty hilarious to "inexplicably" have a chimp there, put just pretend like it wasn't there. Lee's love of monkeys and chimpanzees also probably had something to do with having the little ape at the studio for a day.

This chimp, however, isn't the only ape to have worked within Pixar...

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?

Pixar Announces TWO New Films!!!

Drumroll please...

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for, Pixar announces their two new films scheduled for Fall 2013 and Summer 2014!!!

In 2013, we have Bob Peterson, co-director and writer of Up, stepping up to direct a whole new adventure...

What if that deadly asteroid that presumably vanquished the dinosaurs from existence had missed Earth? In this exciting new tale, Bob Peterson shows us what the world would be like if the dinosaurs had never gone extinct.

Wow. A Pixar movie about dinosaurs in the modern world? Say no more. I'm going to the midnight screening.

Peter Sohn, inspiration for the character of Russell (Up), voice of Emile (Ratatouille), and director of the Pixar short Partly Cloudy, will co-direct, and John Walker (producer, The Incredibles) will serve as producer for this currently untitled dinosaur-centric adventure.

As for the May 2014 movie, this is the highly anticipated Pete Docter (director, Monsters, Inc., Up) directed film that has remained completely top secret until now...

In Pete Docter's next tale, he will take us into a world even more mysterious than the monster world...the human mind.

The human mind...this world opens up thousands...maybe even millions...of possibilities for a Pixar film, it's giving the film makers even more freedom than they had with Monsters, Inc., so I'll bet we're in for a real treat.

Ronnie Del Carmen (director, Dug's Special Mission, story supervisor, Up) will be co-director, and Up producer Jonas Rivera will once again be producer in a film directed by Pete. Also, it is rumoured that Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt will return to write the screenplay.

Although we still don't have much details on these two projects, at least now we know what they'll be about, and by the looks of things, we've got a load of Pixar awesomeness awaiting in the years to come...Brave next year...Monsters University the year after that...the dinosaur movie a few months later...then Peter Docter's "human mind" film...what's next?

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.