Pixar has released a new movie clip from their upcoming Scottish tale BRAVE and I'm really enjoying the comedy in this film so far.
PLUS, AMC Theaters are exclusively releasing the following Pixar classics on Memorial Day weekend: UP, TOY STORY 3, RATATOUILLE and WALL-E. Not only that but these re-releases will enjoy an extra low ticket price of $6! All of these cool screening will also pre-roll a behind the scenes look at BRAVE.
Here's the storyline for the movie: Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.
I would love to check out these affordable screenings but there are no AMC locations near me unfortunately. If you get a chance to get out and enjoy - let us know.
They've done it! Pixar has managed to top themselves as TOY STORY 3 just passed the shop's previous top property FINDING NEMO's tally of $868 million worldwide. The third and supposedly 'final' iteration of the TOY STORY franchise has accumulated $895 million thus far and still has plenty of legs left. I am calling it to surpass the $1 billion mark joining ALICE IN WONDERLAND and of course AVATAR in the feat for 2010.
Pixar certainly deserves all the accolades for TOY STORY 3. An amazing piece of storytelling in their fine tradition. Note that FINDING NEMO did perform without the benefit of 3D premiums though.
The next project to be released from Pixar is CARS 2 (June 24, 2011). I have to say that Pixar's success is NOT a trend. It's their status quo! I take it as a GOOD sign that John Lasseter has been recalled from Disney to revisit the story in CARS 2 - it shows they care and will always care about story first.
Pixar's TOY STORY is not just a great franchise (we all knew that TOY STORY 3 was going to be awesome with Pixar's track record) - it is a near perfect reflection of the human adolescent journey. Whatever they are putting in the coffee over at Pixar's cafeteria is continuing to work.
TS3 hit theaters Friday with $41m and continued its dominance over the weekend with $37m on Saturday and $32m Sunday. Worldwide its take is already over $155m (not counting today's estimates).
3D plays a role on the box office side but it also plays a huge role in drawing you into the movie. It seems so real, yet clearly it is not. Pixar's magic on screen is enhanced that much more with 3D. I assure you that seeing TOY STORY 3 in 3D is the best way to go; I have seen it in both dimensional options!
TOY STORY 3 is my favorite of the series. It ties up loose ends, reveals more emotion in the human characters and manages to squeeze teary eyes out of even the most resolute movie goer. Well worth the price of admission.
I have to say that Ken steals the show. Whoever dreamed up the character behind that fellow is a genius. Here I am, a grown man, admiring the on screen performance of a Ken doll - ask me 20 years ago that I would be saying that and I would have laughed in your face!
I won't go into more specifics because you HAVE to see this movie in 3D. Do it. It is one of this year's best and wraps up one of the most treasured family movie franchises of all time. Bring your kids - heck, bring your parents! It is that good.
Good move! RealD has announced that kid sized 3d glasses will be available in USA and Canada for the release of TOY STORY 3 on June 18.
"The little ones will be able to comfortably enjoy the great summer movies coming out in RealD 3D wearing glasses designed just for them," said Joseph Peixoto, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD."Kid-sized RealD 3D glasses are made to the same high-quality standards as adult size RealD glasses with each individually packaged in sealed bags ensuring they are clean and fresh for every moviegoer."
And remember, these are not surgical instruments - they will have common, everyday germs on them just like everything else in most cases. The sealed bags help even more with cleanliness. Don't believe thenegative hypeabout anything else.
This is a thoughtful move by RealD and will be appreciated by parents everywhere.
Here is a behind the scenes (BTS) look at Pixar's wonderful new short DAY & NIGHT which will be entertaining you prior to TOY STORY 3 on June 18.
You have got to love the culture at Pixar and how they cultivate new talent. This is easily one of my favorite shorts from them - I won't give away the ending but if you pay attention to the storyboard visuals during the BTS you get a feeling of where it is going.
Trust me, you are really going to enjoy TOY STORY 3. Having seen it at ShoWest, I can safely vouch for it. Heck I even went into the screening with trepidation as I was getting bored of the franchise. I was wrong. TOY STORY 3 pushes all the right buttons.
Jim here. Just a quick post with the most recent TOY STORY poster pic courtesy of YAHOO Movies.
Can you pick out anything interesting? One of the first things that I noticed was that Slink is stretched from top to bottom LOL. Love the peas in the pod. :-)
Jim here. The second trailer for Pixar's TOY STORY 3 is now on the Interwebs! Looks pretty good too. Hard to tell just what they are doing with the story, but that's alright - Pixar excels in that department.
The addition of Barbie's mate Ken seems to play well. I expect some big laughs there!
TOY STORY 3 will hit 3D screens near you on June 18.
Jim here. Buzz Lightyear's character sheet is up this time, the second of the lineup after Rex for promoting TOY STORY 3's launch on June 18, 2010.
Also we've got the TOY STORY 3 trailer that has been playing in front of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS for you. You can tell it is a homerun.Can Pixar ever make a mistake? Hardly seems likely with this one - check out the increased detailing in the backgrounds and improved lighting over the original two.
A perfect story for the perfect animation franchise. These stories understand what it is like to be a child and as Andy has grown up and is going to college - it has evolved with everyone who has watched and loved them before. Kinda like how Pixar has evolved with TOY STORY from the very beginning - keep up the exceptional work guys.
Jim here. Got a new image for TOY STORY 3 - Rex the dinosaur. Nothing earth shattering about it really. Click to enlarge.
If I were you, I would brace myself for an onslaught of character promos for the movie over the coming months what with the release of TOY STORY 3 slated for June 18th, 2010 (kinda like what Dreamworks did for MONSTERS VS. ALIENS).
If you haven't seen the TOY STORY 1 & 2 double feature that's playing right now, do yourself a favor and check it out. It is a heckuva deal and great entertainment! I saw it last weekend (my daughter loved them of course) and the 3D is awesome - especially in the second one.
Michael here. Disney has announced that they will be holding their first-ever D23 Fan Expo from September 10-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The show will give fans sneak peeks at Alice in Wonderland, TRON, Toy Story 3, A Christmas Carol, Rapunzel, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and more.
Disney President and CEO Bob Iger calls it "the ultimate event for the multitude of fans who have been so instrumental in Disney's success."
From the D23 site: From September 10–13, 2009, the D23 Expo will transform the Anaheim Convention Center into the single largest gathering of all things Disney ever assembled in one place at one magical time. The incredible experiences, exhibits and presentations at the Expo are another way D23 will connect fans to the timeless stories, characters and amazing worlds that we create here at Disney.
For tickets, schedule of events, and more, visit d23expo.com.
Jim here. According to Box Office Mojo, Pixar's UP is going to have a heckuva ride in the coming weeks. Box office receipts have already soared to ~$68.2 million (by comparison, WALL-E only opened to $63.1 million last year). UP is enjoying 6,700 screens at 3,766 locations.
Moreover, 3D screens accounted for $35 million of the gross from only 1,534 screens(~51% of revenue from only 23% of the screens). CLEARLY 3D is a wise choice for business types. Audiences are enthralled with the format. That $35 million opening topped the previous, short lived record from Dreamworks Animation: MONSTERS VS. ALIENS which had $32.6 million of it's take from 3D screens. Of course UP is enjoying more screens that MvA did.
Is there any doubt that UP will be one of the best efforts ever from Pixar? I can't wait to see how their technology evolves now with 3D in their back pocket. Toy Story 3D anyone? :-)
Jim here. Have a look at this new Toy Story 3 teaser that the folks at Disney/Pixar have made available for us! It is great to see these characters back in action - truly. I forgot how well Woody and Buzz interact together. Should look amazing in 3D!!
Interesting 'voice casting' news today that Michael Keaton (Batman, Beetlejuice just to name 2 of his movies) will be living vicariously through 'Ken' from Mattel's 'Barbie' fame.
Keaton joins Tom Hanks, John Cusack, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Jodi Benson, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as the voicing team.
The premise of the story involves the toys relegated to a daycare facility after higher education beacons Andy away from home.
Look for Toy Story 3 on June 18th, 2010 and also the exciting reboots of the first two iterations, Toy Story (Oct 2nd, 2009) and Toy Story 2 (Feb 12th, 2010) for a very nice lead up!!
It is going to be great to see the full digital conversion of these movies as they are originally made in digitally! Little will be lost in that portion of the processing and should provide a wonderful palette from which the 3D conversion company will work with.
