Newt

The Pixar fanbase will all know about Pixar's shelved project Newt (stylized as "newt" - which is what I will be calling it, for the purpose of this article). Directed by Gary Rydstrom - a prominent member of Pixar's "Brain Trust" - production was halted because of similarities to Blue Sky's Rio and to a lesser degree Crest Animation's Alpha and Omega. This was probably the right decision, but I think Pixar could've done a better job with that story line than the other two studios. Rio was entertaining (although far from spectacular) but Alpha and Omega was poor. Read more after the jump.

All hope is not lost. Someday, we may see a bit of footage from newt. The word cancelled isn't used. Only shelved. That makes me think that we may get something in the future. Probably not the full movie, but I'd like to see how it would've turned out. I also would like a feature film from Gary Rydstrom, who directed the original short film Lifted (which was attached to Ratatouille) and the hilarious Hawaiian Vacation, which very much eclipsed Cars 2. 

It's due to art like this which makes me want to see a snippet of newt so much. The character design is stunning and memorable and I love the realistic sheen of his skin. Moreover, newt was an original film. It would've been Pixar's fourteenth feature, preceeding Monsters University. Having two original films inserted inbetween Cars 2 and Monsters University would've helped dispell the sinful claim that Pixar are sequel crazy. Let's explore that a bit shall we.

The wonderful picture above shows that in fact Pixar have only released 4 prequel/sequels, out of fourteen. Compare that to say, Blue Sky, who have released 4 sequels out of 9 films - if we include the upcoming Rio 2. That's a massive difference. So, Pixar critics, why aren't you attacking Blue Sky?

This concept art is similarly lovely. It displays the potential newt had, animation-wise. It's colourful, detailed and very natural. I loved the jungle scenes in Up and the vibrant day care scenes in Toy Story 3, so, after the dark tone of Brave, I would have liked to have seen another bright feature. 

Whilst I'm glad that Pixar didn't send this one to theatres - critics would've ripped apart the recycled plot, especially after Cars 2 - I hope we see it someday. Perhaps, thinking wishfully, we could get parts of newt to appear as a bonus feature on a future DVD release. Thinking even more ambitiously, Pixar Canada or Disneytoon Studios could make a direct-to-video release. 

What do you think? Do you like newt's concept art? Do you think Pixar should've completed and released it? Leave your thoughts below, or contact me on Twitter: @animationctral.

Also, vote on our four new polls at the side of the page now!

Poll Results - September

The results are in for September! Over the course of September, Animation Central have run three polls to determine:

• the Pixar film you want to get a sequel
• your favourite event of Monsters University's Scare Games
• and your favourite Disney princess

You can vote now on our four new polls, details at the bottom of the page. 

Now to the results:

Pixar poll - Which Pixar film deserves a sequel?
The runaway winner - unsurprisingly - was The Incredibles, which was asking for a sequel with an ending like that. Second was Brave and a last-minute third place was Toy Story 3. I have to admit, you guys did well on this one. Whilst I think Brave finished sweetly and doesn't really need a sequel, The Incredibles is most worthy.
My vote: The Incredibles.

Current Film Poll - What was your favourite event of the Scare Games?

This one was very nearly a tie, with Event 1 (the sewer chase) outplacing Event 2 (capture the flag) by just one vote. Event 5 and 4 were in joint third place, with event 3 not receiving any votes at all. Bummer, eh.

My vote: Event 1 (Sewer Chase).

Disney Poll - Who is your favourite Disney Princess?

Merida won this one, with Belle a close second. Unsurprising, considering Beauty and the Beast's enduring popularity and Merida's modern, unique style. Third was Rapunzel, closely followed by Aurora and Tiana in joint fourth. Those last two votes were very late, but ultimately not enough to have a big impact on the result.

My vote: Rapunzel.

Vote now in our four new polls

Pixar Poll: Who is your favourite Pixar director?

Current Film Poll: Which Monsters University fraternity/sorority is your favourite?

Disney Poll: What's your favourite CGI Disney film?

Brand-new Dreamworks Poll: What's your favourite Dreamworks film?