Poll Results - August

The results are now officially in! Over the course of August Pixar Central has run three polls to determine: 

• your favourite Pixar feature film
• your favourite member of Oozma Kapa
• the character you're looking forward to most in Frozen

We have three new polls. Vote now on the homepage!   
Pixar Poll - What is your favourite Pixar feature film? 
This was actually a tie. The three winners were:

• Wall-E
• Up
• Toy Story 3

The Incredibles, Brave and Toy Story all tied for second place, with an equal amount of votes. 
I didn't expect a definitive result on this one. It's a very tough call, especially for a Pixar fan, so I'm not surprised at the tie, although I'm surprised that neither Monsters Inc. or Toy Story 2 got no votes!
My vote: Toy Story 3.
 

Current Film Poll - Who is your favourite member of Oozma Kappa?

Just one winner here, although it was a close one!
Mike Wazowski won (unsurprisingly), with Squishy one vote behind in second and Sulley and Art tying for third place with the same amount of votes.
This was pretty predictable. Mike is one of the funniest characters in both Monsters films and he provides much of the heart of Monsters University. Although I'm surprised no one at all voted for the bumbling president of Oozma Kappa, Don.
My vote: Squishy.

Disney Poll - Which character are you most excited to see in Frozen?
This one was a landslide.
Elsa was the winner, probably because of the mystery surrounding her. We've seen very little of her in the marketing for Frozen so far. 
Second was Olaf, closely followed by Anna and Hans in a tie for third place.
My vote: Olaf.

Vote now in our three new polls:
Pixar Poll: Which Pixar film should get a sequel?
Current Film Poll: Favourite event from the Scare Games?
Disney Poll: Favourite Disney Princess?




 

Why Finding Dory WILL succeed

Admist all the - dissapointing - news of Bob Peterson being removed from The Good Dinosaur, we can take solace in the rest of Pixar's future. Chiefly, Inside Out and Finding Dory. I've said previously that Inside Out looks like an absolute gem, but I'd like to focus on Andrew Stanton's (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) next film: Finding Dory.

Firstly, Andrew Stanton's Pixar record is top notch. You can't deny that he's got a knack for animation. He's been a key player in the majority of Pixar's films, whether it being the story, editing, producing or directing. John Carter aside, he's a competent director, able to balance humour, charm and honest emotion. His films are amicable and heartfelt.

Then there's the two leads. Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres made a great pairing in Nemo, showing great chemisty and providing a lot of the humour. Ellen paticularly seems thrilled to work at Pixar as exhibited on her show when she announced it. They're infectious; something crucial in animated films. Goodman and Crystal and Hanks and Allen show similar brilliance, Pixar in particular are good at chosing well matched leads.

Of course, we're still waiting on more plot details, but we know that Dory will be getting lost and that her parents will be involved. Her mum will be voiced by Diane Keaton (!!!) and her dad by Eugene Levy. The addition of her previously unseen parents is a great move, as it could create a lot of emotional impact in the film.

Lastly; we can count on the story being good. I personally don't believe that Pixar would make a sequel to a film like Nemo without a solid plot. It's different to Cars 2, Nemo was so good and so well finished that only a sensational idea could create a sequel.

Until November 2015, we'll have to wait and see.

Hand-Drawn Animation, Stop-Motion Animation and Computer Animation

Animation, as a medium of art, has been popular ever since the release of the very first fully animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney pioneered the genre for the majority of the twentieth century, with classics like Pinocchio, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Fantasia coming out of the Disney Studios at Burbank. Disney had their ups and downs, then a resurgence in the late 80s and early-mid 90s. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Lion King sparked renewed interest in animation.

In 1995 the whole field changed. Pixar released Toy Story, a brand new way of doing things. The animation was more realistic and the visual style was world's away from the traditional animation coming from Disney. As a result, the public went to see Toy Story in their droves, making it the highest grossing film of 1995. This led to Dreamworks expanding to computer animation with Antz and Shrek (their successes resulting in the complete closure of the Dreamworks hand-drawn department). Pixar and Dreamworks continued to succeed both critically and commercially - especially the former. Other companies saw the potential too, in 2002 Blue Sky studios released Ice Age and in 2006 Sony Animation released Open Season. Ever since, computer animation has dominated the market place, with only one traditionally animated film - from Hollywood - entering wide release.

During all of this, Stop-Motion Animation has enjoyed moderate success. Aardman had great success (particularly in the United Kingdom) with Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run (they later teamed up with Dreamworks to create The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away). Tim Burton used the medium to produce James and the Giant Peach, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and, more recently, Frankenweenie. Also, Laika have had success with Coraline and Paranorman. Despite the limits that the technology has compared to computer animation, it remains popular.

All this begs the question: is there one type of medium superior to the others? Certainly, studios at the minute seem to believe that computer animation will garner the most commercial success. I myself find all three to have their own individual merits. 

Traditional Animation

When I watched The Princess and the Frog in 2009, I realised how much warmer traditional animation is. It's visual style is lovely to look at and if done right it can be a real joy, although, it's success depends greatly on the skill of it's animators. Sometimes I prefer to watch a classic Disney animation rather than something like Tangled or Wreck-it Ralph. The techniques used in this form are great to look at and I hope Disney produce traditionally animated films much more often.

Computer Animation

My favourite form of animation is the most common in modern theatres. None of the big animation studios make fully hand-drawn features these days, due to the success of Pixar in the 90s and 00s. This comes with good reason. Computer animation brings meticulous detail and much more realism to animation, particularly when creating landscapes and humans. A new, emerging branch of computer animation is Photorealistic animation, shown in Rango and The Polar Express. Whilst it still needs some work, it shows that there are still things to be discovered on the technical side of the world of animation. 

Stop Motion

Probably my least favourite, only because it's the least realistic and generally the least appealing to look at. Saying that, I love Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit and Coraline and the technology behind it is steadily improving, as exhibited in Paranorman and Frankenweenie.

Overall, all three are sturdy art forms, each popular and advanced in their own right. Whilst traditional animation has had it's day and computer animation is the form of animation right now, stop motion has been less successful commercially. This can of course be attributed to the stories behind each individual medium, but all three deserve their chance in the limelight. 

Why we should be excited about Pixar's future - D23 Update

Pixar's future is undeniably bright. Three of the four films officially slated for release are original films (not sequels). Sure this doesn't guarantee that they will be good films, but it's encouraging nonetheless. 

Toy Story of Terror

Pixar's first television 30 minute special has a lot of promise. Firstly, Toy Story is adored globally. You can guarantee it will get a good reception from the public. Plus, the premise is interesting and it's scored by Michael Giacchino. What can go wrong?

Update: Brand new still showing Jesse in distress. We already knew that she will be a key part of the story, along with Combat Carl. The animation looks as great as ever and we'll see if the story can deliver.

The Good Dinosaur 

The concept is pretty good, not groundbreaking, but far superior to a lot of the trash you can pay to watch these days. Considering, at the time of writing, we don't know much about the plot, it's hard to predict what to expect. The few details we do know are encouraging, as are the people involved. Bob Peterson did a great job co-directing and co-writing Up (one of my favourite Pixar films), so I think he'll pull something great out of the bag. He's working with Peter Sohn too, who directed the lovely Partly Cloudy. On paper, The Good Dinosaur should be sweet.

Update: Brand new image released, showing the two main characters, Arlo (the dinosaur) and Spot (the human). I love the look of Arlo, even in this concept art he looks great. Also more announcements regarding the cast, John Lithgow will be voicing the father of Arlo's family, Frances McDormand the mother, Neil Patrick Harris and Judy Greer as the middle-siblings and Bill Hader as the oldest member of the family. Hader also features in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (not Pixar) and the upcoming Inside Out (PIXAR). A bonus arrived in the form of Party Central, a Monsters University short, featuring Mike and Sulley reuniting with the Oozmas.

Inside Out 

This is the one I'm looking forward to most. Firstly, Pete Docter (the genius behind Monsters Inc. and Up) is directing. He's one of the Pixar legends, crucial to the production of their string of hits, from Toy Story to Toy Story 3. Now, we have nothing but this concept art (above) to go by, but I love the premise and the idea of emotions being characters is creative and intriguing. Frankly, I think this will be the true return to form for Pixar.

 Update: Great new character art, showing the five main characters, those being, Joy (Amy Poehler - my favourite piece of casting news), Disgust (Mandy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader - again), Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Anger (fantastically cast Lewis Black). We now discover that the girl's name is Riley and she will be the setting of the film. We'll see many parts of her mind, including Long Term Memory, Abstract Thought, Imagination Land and Dream Production. It's only becoming more and more intriguing.

Finding Dory

Oh my god. We all remember the ecstasy when we found out that Andrew Stanton was making a sequel! With he blessings of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres too, it should be a solid follow up to the original. Pixar's track record supports this too. Only a follow up in the Cars franchise has been below par. Both Toy Story sequels were spectacular and Monsters University was funny and emotionally satisfying. I'm extremely optimistic about this, I just hope Stanton can deliver, not that he's struggled in the past with Nemo and WALL-E.

Update: New concept art and casting announcements. The picture is intriguing and leaves us in the dark a bit, but you can tell the animation is going to be amazing already. Ty Burrel has joined the cast as Dory's Beluga Whale friend, Diane Keaton (YES) and Eugene Levy have been announced as her parents. It looks interesting, I'm glad to see her family involved. Looks like a proper sequel this.

 Untitled Dia De Los Muertos Film

Another promising concept. We know virtually nothing besides the fact that Lee Unkrich is directing. He previously directed my favourite Pixar feature, Toy Story 3, and I'm confident that he can deliver again, particularly because he subject of Dia De Los Muertos has a lot of promise. here's loads of stuff to explore, even jus a rough skim of its history leaves you mightily interested. I've got a feeling this will be different from anything we've seen before from Pixar.
Update: No new news on Lee Unkrich's second film, we'll get that at the D23 Expo in 2015. 

Why we should be excited about Pixar's future

Pixar's future is undeniably bright. Three of the four films officially slated for release are original films (not sequels). Sure this doesn't guarantee that they will be good films, but it's encouraging nonetheless. Check back after D23 for more information!

The Good Dinosaur 

The concept is pretty good, not groundbreaking, but far superior to a lot of the trash you can pay to watch these days. Considering, at the time of writing, we don't know much about the plot, it's hard to predict what to expect. The few details we do know are encouraging, as are the people involved. Bob Peterson did a great job co-directing and co-writing Up (one of my favourite Pixar films), so I think he'll pull something great out of the bag. He's working with Peter Sohn too, who directed the lovely Partly Cloudy. On paper, The Good Dinosaur should be sweet.

Inside Out 

This is the one I'm looking forward to most. Firstly, Pete Docter (the genius behind Monsters Inc. and Up) is directing. He's one of the Pixar legends, crucial to the production of their string of hits, from Toy Story to Toy Story 3. Now, we have nothing but this concept art (above) to go by, but I love the premise and the idea of emotions being characters is creative and intriguing. Frankly, I think this will be the true return to form for Pixar.

Finding Dory

Oh my god. We all remember the ecstasy when we found out that Andrew Stanton was making a sequel! With he blessings of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres too, it should be a solid follow up to the original. Pixar's track record supports this too. Only a follow up in the Cars franchise has been below par. Both Toy Story sequels were spectacular and Monsters University was funny and emotionally satisfying. I'm extremely optimisitc about this, I just hope Stanton can deliver, not that he's struggled in the past with Nemo and WALL-E.

 Untitled Dia De Los Muertos Film

Another promising concept. We know virtually nothing besides the fact that Lee Unkrich is directing. He previously directed my favourite Pixar feature, Toy Story 3, and I'm confident that he can deliver again, particularly because he subject of Dia De Los Muertos has a lot of promise. here's loads of stuff to explore, even jus a rough skim of its history leaves you mightily interested. I've got a feeling this will be different from anything we've seen before from Pixar.

The Art of Pixar Posters

1995

Toy Story

Pixar's first feature film's poster does a textbook job with it's poster. It shows off its main characters in one unique and showy poster. You can see who the main characters are going to be, along with nice glimpses of the supporting characters. I like this poster, it's colourful, simple enough and shows off a great amount of the technical prowess which all other animated films did not have at the time.

1997

 A Bug's Life

This poster features some great things and some bad things. Firstly, I like Flik peeking over the top of the leaf (this was used in all subsequent posters for A Bug's Life), it's just a nice feature. I also like the shadow showing through the leaf, another simple but effective addition. I don't like the characters used in this poster. For me, posters should either feature the main characters (a la Toy Story) or just the main, and perhaps one other, character (a la Ratatouille). I'd just prefer a better selection of characters (Flik on his own would work best for me).

 

1999

Toy Story 2

Simplicity is the key to a good poster in my opinion. Too much information overloads the audience and makes it immensely complicated. This poster is as simple as it can acceptably get. I like that just Woody and Buzz feature, as their narrative arcs are most important and most prominent in the story. I like Woody's "2" gesture too, it adds a bit of charm to the simplicity.

2001

 Monsters Inc

Another one of Pixar's classics, with a simple, but cheerful poster. It relies all of the key information, shows us the two main characters and even a little bit about them. Sulley leaning on Mike is a nice touch, it adds a little of the charm which the film possesses. However, I would like some kind of tag line at the top instead, although that's a small ask. 

2003

 Finding Nemo

At this point, Pixar go back to, quite literally this time, adding all of the characters to the poster, just like Toy Story. The result is a frantic, colourful and very fun poster. Wherever you look you can see a gaudy new character, exciting for little kids and Pixar fans. Although I love this poster and its characters, I'd like a bit more focus on the two main characters (you can just about make them out in the middle), especially considering the very personal story of the film.

2004

The Incredibles

This is how you make a fun, lively poster with focus on the main characters. It's a great poster. I love the old fashioned action style and the hints to all the unique characters. The small glimpse of the Omnidroid is a great move, showing us what to expect but not giving away absolutely everything. Edna Mode's small cameo at the bottom is strange (and slightly out of place) but I understand why she's there: she was one of my highlights of the whole film.

2006

Cars

 The film may not be quite up to Pixar standard, but the poster is. Lasseter's first feature since Toy Story 2 has a great poster, stuffed with great characters and vibrant colours. I do think that the line of Cars should've stopped sooner than it did (after the line containing Chick Hicks perhaps), but the formation is neat and the most important characters are the most prominent (unlike Finding Nemo's). The inclusion of Radiator Springs (instead of a track or something similar) is another good touch.

2007

Ratatouille

Now, is it just me or do Brad Birds' films have great posters? This is my favourite Pixar poster. It's strongly focused on the main character - with a sturdy tag line, giving you a hint about the character and the plot. It's got humour and Remy is the centre point of the poster, crucial if you are creating a film based around its characters so much. I like the chefs had and whiskers on the dot on the "i" too. Small touches like that add charm to things like this.

2008

WALL-E

A nice poster, if not as groundbreaking as its film. The focus on WALL-E is good, but I'd like more EVE in the poster, considering the role she plays in the film. Despite the lack of EVE, the background is good, suggesting a different style Pixar adventure. I like the line of text at the top too: "From the humans who brought you 'Finding Nemo'". It's a small thing, but it displays Pixar's imagination.

2009

 Up

Probably my third favourite poster of the lot, Up's theatrical poster is fun, gives us a good idea about our new main characters and shows us how original this film is. It's at this point where I realise how much the Pixar posters have evolved. From the simple plain backgrounds of Monsters Inc and Toy Story 2, to the exciting and colourful posters which Up and The Incredibles have spawned.

2010

 Toy Story 3

Second only to Ratatouille's, this is a poster I absolutely adore. It may be cramped, but in a fun, realistic way. I also like the simple 3 in the middle, in the same recognisable font as the other films. The poster allows us to see all our favourite characters (freshly rendered and coloured) and plenty of new ones. It's just a glorious design.

2011

 Cars 2

Yeah that film which is awkward for Pixar enthusiasts to talk about. The poster isn't bad though. In fact it's pretty good. The characters are displayed clearly and the background shows us that this sequel will be very different to the previous one. Despite the film feeling lacklustre, the poster benefits from being vibrant and simple.

2012

Brave

Although I much prefer the poster featuring all of Merida's family, Brave's poster is sufficiently suited to the key elements of the film. Merida is given the limelight (her fiery hair especially) but for me what makes this poster good is the background. The dark colours are great and I love the font and styling used on the lettering, but the glimpse of Mor'du is subtle and quite frightening. The tagline "change your fate" is effective too, it works better on this poster than any other.

2013

Monsters University

I like this poster too (I've liked most of them to be honest). It rammed with colour, fur, tentacles, slime, teeth, eyes and horns, but you can distinctly see the college theme emerging, with great flashes of Monsters University's well designed campus. Ultimately this is well designed, clearly themed and just nice to look at.

All posters are the original theatrical posters used at the time of release.

 

 

 

A Guide to Monsters University's New Characters

Pixar's latest feature film, Monsters University, gave us a bunch of brand new characters, in many different shapes, forms and sizes. Here's a look at a few of the best! Warning, minor details/gags included, but there's nothing about the main plot.
Vote for you favourite member of Oozma Kappa at the bottom of the page!


Scott "Squishy" Squibbles 
Oh Squishy. We do love you. So very much. Scott Squibbles is the cute member of Oozma Kappa. He's young and not incredibly smart, but he makes up for that in heart. He's also made of jelly, enhancing just how adorable he is! Brilliantly voiced by Pixar's own Peter Sohn, Squishy is the embodiment of Monsters University's humour.
Best Moment: being pelted with toxic urchins and screaming hilariously, my highlight of the entire film. Or, pulling Sulley in using his fake rope during the Roar's party, that was golden.

Terri and Terry Perry
I loved these two. From the very first squabble, you could tell that they were the kind of Monsters you want at your house. Terri (left) is fun and optimistic, whilst Terry (right) is cynical and disapproving. In my opinion, they get the least focus out of all the Oozmas, but they're still lots of fun, with great voice work from Sean Hayes (Terri) and the tremendous Dave Foley (Terry) - who also voiced Flik in A Bug's Life. I like their narrative though, their ethos "two heads are better than one" is never more accurate than in this literal example.
Best Moment: using their powers of misdirection. Particularly in the second event when distracting the librarian, haha.




Don Carlton
Sweet, bumbling old Don. He's a mature student, so he seems a bit out of place compared to the rest of them. He's also the president of Oozma Kappa, definitely a father figure to the rest of the Oozmas, Squishy in particular. Don too is not the scariest monster on campus, that's for sure, but he's definitely one of the most lovable, oh and he has experience in sales, as you know if you've seen the movie. I love the end of his story, it's cute and funny, reflecting the film nicely.
Don is just an all-round gem.
Best Moment: Using his tentacles to his advantage. I love how he found a unique talent to help himself succeed. He also is hilarious in the toxicity challenge, as you can imagine.




Art
This guy is mad. First off look at his shape, like a purple new-age rainbow. Nutty would be the word I'd use to summarise him. You have to love him though. With his goofy smile, crooked teeth and quirky persona, Art is a sure-fired hit with everyone, especially kids. Did you know he has an extra toe? Not with him of course... 
Wackiness comes in handy in the monster world, as he shows by getting a respectable score in the scare simulator. His acrobatic skills are useful in all of the tasks, he's just generally very fun.
Best Moment: Standing out in the open during Mike's hiding exercise, I laughed for ages!



Sherry Squibbles
The supportive, loud, squeaky, maybe slightly annoying mum of Squishy is the head of the Oozma Kappa household. She may not be an official member, but she cooks, cleans, makes the Oozma's clothes and is their biggest fan. She even gives them lifts in her car, what a lovely mum!
Best Moment: Her constant presence and support at all of the events, particularly the first one!



Johnny Worthington III
The leader of the greatest fraternity on campus (besides Oozma Kappa of course), Roar Omega Roar, Johnny Worthington is extremely confident, bordering on arrogant. Particularly when boasting about his entire teams scaring skills. He never really takes the Oozmas seriously, a fatal mistake, as he'll soon realise. He also has a short  temper, evidenced during the final event of the games, after Randy's turn.
Always surrounded by his fellow cronies, notably the hilarious Chet, he is seen as the coolest kid on campus, that's for sure.
Best Moment: the look on his face at the end of the fifth and final event. I won't give anything away, but that look is absolutely priceless.



Claire Wheeler
The leader of the Greek Council, Claire Wheeler's bored and brooding demeanour is highly entertaining, especially when paired with Brock Pearson, who's even more hilarious than her. Sorry Claire...
She takes dark delight in testing the sororities and fraternities, exhibiting many times throughout the games. Her personality clashes with her counterpart Brock, but together they make a great pairing, meticulously planning the events of the scare games. 
Her voice is monotone, but you shouldn't be fooled by that, she's sarcastic, morosely vibrant and a great creation!
Best Moment: after discovering the results of  the fifth event, she goes wild with joy and screams into the face of the startled Brock Pearson, with absolutely hilarious results.





Brock Pearson
The loudmouthed, enthusiastic and frankly delirious Brock Pearson is one of the funniest and most jovial students on campus. 
He is delighted by the challenges the fraternities and sororities face, showing obvious joy at the dangers of the urchins and that crazy librarian.
His design reflects his strange and distinct personality, with an odd bird like beak and fur, but with cow horns. Strange. As I said earlier when discussing Art, being weird is a good thing in the monster world. Imagine a normal, sane bunch of monsters. It simply wouldn't work, would it?
Those of you fond of the loud and wacky monsters in the previous film, such as Mike Wazowski, will love Brock. He takes it to a whole new level.
Best Moment: before the first event, he just screams the house down and his tone is bed-wettingly funny.



Professor Derek Knight
His role onscreen is not massively important, but this man has trained some of our favourite characters to become the great scarers we know and love today.
He's firm, fair and strict when teaching his classes. Only the very best can succeed in his classes, as only the best can go on to become scarers. 
Professor Knight is influential in the lives of all scare students, Mike and Sulley's especially. He helps Mike to  study harder and learn even more. In a different way does he help Sulley. He, along with Hardscrabble, makes Sulley realise that work is required to succeed and that he cannot just use his name and natural ability to succeed.
Best Moment: making Sulley snap out of his illusion that he doesn't need to work to succeed. It's an important turning point in the film.



Dean Hardscrabble
Finally then, we come to the terrifying Dean Hardscrabble. She puts on a steely and chilling persona, which frightens even the scariest monsters.
She commands absolute authority, which she gains, obviously. This is particularly evident when she arrives at the scaring school, much to the horror of her students.
Whilst she certainly isn't a villain, she proves to be a barrier for both Sulley and Mike during their time at the  scare school.
Her design is great, enhancing her scariness, as is her voice, provided excellently by Helen Mirren. Although her scary outer layer is rubbed away towards the end of the film, revealing something much different.
Best Moment: her speech to Mike and Sulley at the end of the film:  "keep surprisng people Mr Wazowski".