'Brooklyn' at the Pixar Studios

Brooklyn is what Pixar's new Phase II building is referred to internally. The building has been being planned for quite a while now, and I believe it is nearly done construction, and about to be inhabited by many eager Pixar animators, story artists, etc. The purpose for this expansion at the Pixar studios is for future Pixar projects that are still in pre-production to be moved to the new building, while those films closer to their release dates will stay in the main building. My guess is that Monsters University and the unannounced Pete Doctor project will be moved to Brooklyn, and as for Brave and Cars 2, they will probably remain in the studio's older building. Also, be sure to check out a load of sketches, construction photos, floor plans, and other neat stuff regarding the new Pixarian Brooklyn here.

Vote 'Lee Unkrich' on TIME 100 Poll!!!

A round of applause for Mr. Lee Unkrich!! This year, he was nominated to be included in TIME's list of the most influential people in the world, A.K.A. the TIME 100 Poll! Only 100 out of the 203 candidates are chosen to be on this very special list. Luckily, Lee is currently #38 out of all those other people. So you know what you've got to do now......VOTE FOR LEE UNKRICH!!!

(Via The Pixar Blog)

'Monsters' Prequel Re-scheduled for 2013!

I'm afraid you read that headline correctly. Unfortunately, Pixar has decided to release their upcoming prequel to Monsters, Inc., which was recently given the title Monsters University, in the summer of 2013 instead of in the late fall of 2012. After having been changed from November 16, 2012 to November 2, 2012, it will now hit theaters on June 21, 2013. But this is surely for a good reason, as Pixar always does what they think is best. The movie was probably taking a bit longer than usual (the Pixar process usually takes about four to five years) and they didn't want to rush the film, so changing the release date was the only good solution. So you can still expect to see Sulley and Mike back up on that big screen again, just a couple of months later than you were expecting.

Viral Campaign Video for Cars 2--New Footage!!

Watch this awkward, yet funny, ad here.

The video you just saw may look like another boring old commercial for car dealership at first, but it is actually more than that...it is part of Pixar's campaign to promote Cars 2! It is similar to last year's Lots-O-Huggin' Bear ads (which you can view here and here), and is actually quite funny. I had a few chuckles myself while watching it. The first time you watch this "Sale-A-Bration" advertisement you might wonder, "How on Earth is this related to Cars 2?" But after watching it again, you may start to catch a couple of Pixar references! The first (obvious) one is that this "Cars N' Deals" place is in Emeryville, California, the same city where Pixar's main campus is located. If you knew this already, you probably caught this reference the first time through. The next reference is the old A113--which appears in every single Pixar feature, and makes an appearance in this video on one of the cars' license plates. The last (but definitely not least) reference is found near the end of the commercial, and is surely the biggest reference of them all, as it will lead you to discovering a clip of all-new Cars 2 footage!! I will not say exactly how to find this one...it is a lot more fun finding it on your own! So put your secret agent skills to the test, and find the top-secret footage!

(Hint: Pause the video somewhere near the end, OR call the phone number that appears on the screen while the "Cars N' Deals" jingle plays.)

'Monsters University' Director Confirmed

Last week came the announcement of the upcoming Monsters film being a prequel called Monsters University. Soon after that, it was confirmed at Pixar's blogger's event that the director for the film would be Pixarian Dan Scanlon. Mr. Scanlon worked on parts of the screenplay for Cars, and also did some storyboards for the film. He co-directed the short film Mater and the Ghostlight. Good luck directing, Dan!