Pixar Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

2018/01/12 at 8:42pm

PODCAST: “Coco’s” Director Lee Unkrich Hints At More Pixar Multicultural Films, Oscar Talk with Clayton Davis, 2018’s Most Anticipated TV & Movies

01.12.2018 | By Jack Rico |

We’re starting 2018 off on the right foot with perhaps the most influential people in animation with Pixar’s COCO director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson who join us straight from their Golden Globe win and the first Golden Globe award for a Latino-themed animated film. We discuss why it took so long for Pixar to make a Latino film and if its financial and award acclaim will spawn off more multicultural animated films. Read More

By Jack Rico

2017/11/22 at 8:57am

Podcast

PODCAST: ‘Coco’ Director Adrian Molina On Celebrating Latino Culture, Guillermo Arriaga On Writing A Good Story, Aimee Garcia Discusses FOX’s ‘Lucifer’ S3

11.22.2017 | By Jack Rico |

Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, we chat with Adrian Molina (2:34), he is the first Latino director of Pixar and the co-director of Pixar’s new movie Coco which is currently in theaters right now. We discuss why Coco is not a Mexican film for Mexicans and why it really is a film for everyone. Read More

By Jack Rico

2017/06/12 at 10:50am

Latino Podcast

Will White Audiences See Pixar’s Coco?

06.12.2017 | By Jack Rico |

In episode 35 this week of Highly Relevant, we focus on Pixar’s Coco with Latino film critic Kellvin Chavez of Splashreport.com. I also chatted with Mike Sargent, Chief Film Critic of WBAI Radio who also contributes film reviews nationally on the FOX Business Network with Maria Bartiromo, about Tom Cruise’s The Mummy reboot and what went wrong and what it means for Universal Pictures Dark Universe. Read More

Pixar’s ‘Coco’

By Jack Rico

2017/06/07 at 7:54am

Latino Movies

Pixar’s ‘Coco’ Announces All-Latino Voice Cast, Reveals New Poster

06.7.2017 | By Jack Rico |

Back in March, we posted the new trailer for Disney/Pixar’s Coco. Now, they have announced their new Latino voice cast, plus have revealed the first look at their new poster. According to co-director Adrian Molina, “Our voice cast is incredibly talented, helping to shape our eclectic group of characters. Each actor has told us they find something relatable in this film, so they’re finding it easy to capture the heart of this story—it’s all about family, so we hope that these characters will resonate with everyone.” Check out the full cast after the jump. Read More

By Jack Rico

2017/03/15 at 1:47pm

Latino Trailers

‘Coco’ Trailer: Here’s The First Look At Pixar’s First Latin-Themed Animated Movie!

03.15.2017 | By Jack Rico |

Synopsis: Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”). Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.

‘The Good Dinosaur’

By Jack Rico

2015/10/08 at 7:51am

Interviews

‘The Good Dinosaur’: Director Peter Sohn On Creative Freedom, Failure And Belonging To A ‘Nerd Race’

10.8.2015 | By Jack Rico |

The upcoming Pixar release “The Good Dinosaur” offers a spin on the traditional boy and his dog story. It follows an Apatosaurus named Arlo and his unlikely human friend Spot. The epic adventure story marks the directorial debut of Peter Sohn, who previously lent his skills to the art and animation department for films like “Finding Memo,” “The Incredibles,” and “Brave.” Read More

First review of Pixar’s short "Partysaurus Rex’

By Karen Posada

2012/08/22 at 12:00am

Movies

First review of Pixar’s short "Partysaurus Rex’

08.22.2012 | By Karen Posada |

We had the opportunity to be the first to see Pixar’s short- 3D film ‘Partysaurus Rex’ which will premiere in theaters along with ‘Finding Nemo 3D’ on September 14th. What’s even better is that we got to see it at Pixar Studios in San Francisco, California where gigantic Lego statues of ‘Toy Story’ characters stood along with other statues from ‘Monsters Inc.’ and other cool things like the drape from ‘Brave’ among others and of course their trademark desk lamp and circus ball. We were taken to their own in house movie theater, where we had a short presentation by the director of the film Mark Walsh and producer Kim Adams. The constellations shone brightly in the movie theater’s ceiling before the red velvet curtain opened to reveal the screen.

‘Partysaurus Rex’ brings to life one of the most memorable characters from ‘Toy Story’, Rex (Wallace Shawn). We get to spend some time with another one of Pixar’s most famous movies and its characters: Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato head, etc, but most of all Rex; who shows us another side of him where we get to meet a bunch of new, fun and wild bath time toys. Rex has always been portrayed as a nervous dinosaur, which is very cautious, but here Bonnie, his owner, takes him to her bath time where he gets to re-invent himself.

Pixar has done quite a lot of short-films; the latest one premiered with ‘Brave’ and was called ‘La Luna’ which was also made in 3D. I must highlight these are two very different short-films. ‘La Luna’ has a melancholic and soft tone to it, its characters mainly mumble and point. Pixar has a knack for being in tune with everything, and as ‘La Luna’ worked with ‘Brave’ and its theme so does ‘Partysaurus Rex’ with Nemo. This latest short-film is a rave party, that’s quite the opposite of ‘La Luna’ as it is loud, extravagant and extremely colorful.

This isn’t the first Pixar short-film on ‘Toy Story’ either, Pixar has a series of shorts called Toy Story Toons and this is actually the third episode in the series; the other shorts are: ‘Small Fry’ which was released in 2011 with ‘The Muppets’ when it was in theaters and made Buzz its main character. Another short was ‘Hawaiian Vacation’ which featured Ken and Barbie and was released in 2011 when ‘Cars 2’ hit theaters.

‘Partysaurus Rex’ left me wishing it were a full-length movie, because it was so much fun! It has upbeat music and wonderful animation accompanied by florescent colors. All of these elements are brought to an even higher level because of the 3D effects, which really takes full use of them. This short is a great way to get the audience in a water environment, ready and excited to watch ‘Finding Nemo 3D’.

Check out a preview clip:

Disney announces 3D releases for converted classics

By Mack Chico

2011/10/04 at 12:00am

Movies

Disney announces 3D releases for converted classics

10.4.2011 | By Mack Chico |

BURBANK, Calif. – October 4, 2011 – On the heels of the phenomenal success of The Lion King 3D – which will cross the $80 million mark at the domestic box office today – The Walt Disney Studios has announced limited theatrical engagements for four of its classic films for the first time in 3D. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios will be released in 2012 and 2013:

· Beauty and the Beast – January 13, 2012

· Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo – September 14, 2012

· Disney•Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. – January 18, 2013 (Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters in Disney Digital 3D on June 21, 2013)

· The Little Mermaid – September 13, 2013

“Great stories and great characters are timeless, and at Disney we’re fortunate to have a treasure trove of both,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “We’re thrilled to give audiences of all ages the chance to experience these beloved tales in an exciting new way with 3D – and in the case of younger generations, for the first time on the big screen.”

Originally released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast is a classic “tale as old as time” that follows the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman imprisoned in the castle of a mysterious beast and his enchanted staff, who must learn the most important lesson of all – that true beauty comes from within. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film ever nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, earning an additional five Oscar® nominations and winning two. It has grossed $380.4 million worldwide.

First released in 2003, Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo takes audiences into a whole new world in this undersea adventure about family, courage and challenges. When Marlin, an overly cautious clownfish living in the Great Barrier Reef, helplessly watches his son get scooped up by a diver, he must put aside his fears of the ocean and leave the safety of his coral enclave to find Nemo. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory, a forgetful but relentlessly optimistic fish, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero in a seemingly impossible land-and-sea rescue. Finding Nemo won an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for three others. With a total of $867.6 million worldwide, it was the second highest-grossing film of 2003.

In 2001, Disney•Pixar released Monsters, Inc. Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. But when a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it’s up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home. Monsters, Inc. shattered every DVD-era home entertainment sales record when 11 million DVD/VHS copies were sold during its first week of release. It won an Academy Award® for Best Song and has grossed $526.9 million worldwide.

Released in 1989, The Little Mermaid, stars Ariel, a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true and save her father’s beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula. One of the most celebrated animated films of all time, The Little Mermaid was nominated for three Academy Awards®, winning two. It has grossed $228.9 million worldwide.

"UP" from Pixar is #1 at the box office!

By Mack Chico

2009/05/31 at 12:00am

Movies

"UP" from Pixar is #1 at the box office!

05.31.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Pixar Studios, the last film house in Hollywood that draws an audience on its name alone, scored its 10th straight No. 1 film as Up soared above the competition this weekend.

The animated comedy about a widower and young boy who travel in a flying house raked in $68.2 million, according to studio estimates from Nielsen EDI.

The debut slightly exceeded the expectations of analysts — who expect a lot from the studio behind Finding Nemo, WALL·E and Toy Story.

And the film delivered on virtually every count, scoring an A-plus from CinemaScore and a recommendation from 98% of the nation’s films critics, according to RottenTomatoes.com.

“Pixar rarely has big stars in its movies,” says Gitesh Pandya of BoxOfficeGuru.com. “Ed Asner (the star voice of Up) is not known for opening big. Pixar relies on their reputation for quality. And they’re 10 for 10.”

Chuck Viane, distribution chief for Disney, which distributes Pixar’s films, says that while families drove Up‘s business, nearly a third of the audience was adults without children.

“I think Pixar has a way of turning stories into ‘gotta see’ movies for adults,” Viane says. “They get an unusually even blend of ages.”

Up marked the third-largest Pixar debut, behind The Incredibles‘ $70.5 million and Finding Nemo‘s $70.3 million.

The studio has created anticipation for its films with patience. Up is only the 10th film in the studio’s 14-year history.

“They take their time,” Viane says. “They’ll tweak a story over and over until they’re satisfied. The highest compliment you can pay to them is they’re in no rush and get the job done right.”

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was second with $25.5 million for a 10-day total of $105.3 million.

Despite stellar reviews, Sam Raimi’s return to schlock horror with Drag Me to Hell managed only third place and $16.8 million. Most analysts projected the horror film, which earned thumbs-up from 94% of reviewers, to collect at least $20 million.

Terminator Salvation ($16.1 million) was fourth, followed by Star Trek ($12.8 million).

Ticket sales dipped 24% from last weekend and 1% from the same weekend last year. Final numbers are out today.

1. “Up”, 68,2 millon

2. “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”, 25,5

3. “Drag Me to Hell”, 16,6

4. “Terminator Salvation”, 16,1

5. “Star Trek”, 12,8

6. “Angels & Demons”, 11,2

7. “Dance Flick”, 4,9

8. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, 3,9

9. “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”, 1,9

10. “Obsessed”, 665,000