Spooktacular

I couldn't resist the pun, Pixar's first ever television special delivered on all fronts. Toy Story of Terror is not only a lot of fun, but it's another great adventure with the beloved toy gang.

*Spoilers Below*

Toy Story of Terror lands Woody and the gang in a roadside motel, as owner Bonnie is on a road trip with her mother. Due to a flat tire, they must stay overnight. A stormy night at that! Mr. Pricklepants picks apart the typical horror film as the toys embark on their adventure. Mr. Potato Head - the first to foolishly leave the suitcase - goes missing, and the search for him results in everyone getting stolen by something mysterious... Except Jessie. Her run-in with a Combat Carl who talks in the third person is pretty funny stuff, but what surprised me about this special was the character development on Jessie.

Of course, fans know that Jessie has a phobia of being packaged in boxes. In this film, she finally faces her fears (which are visually represented for the first time in the series' history, as we see the box closing in around her) and uses them to save Woody at the end. I'm glad that they took the time to actually do that in a special, which makes me respect Pixar in many ways: In a special of all things, they add to characters that are already well-written and well-defined.

But what's also great is that its twists work, I honestly didn't know which direction it was going until Jessie encounters an iguana of all things, something that I thought totally came in out of left field. I loved the whole plot with the hotel manager looking to make money off of stolen toys, and when someone won Woody for $2,000, I immediately thought of good ol' Al McWhiggin. I was a bit shocked that he didn't show up in this, I thought that would have been hilarious! A post-credits scene of him weeks later, realizing that his item won't ship - I would've liked that.

The faces they meet when escaping, from Combat Carl Jr. to the self-building Lego set to the Old Timer (a fun toy clock that acts like an old man) to the Transformers parody (the name escapes me right now), were all cool as well. I hope to see them in a future special or Toy Story Toon. Part of me actually wishes for another Halloween special next year, one that has things similar to Sid's mutated toys! One can dream, right?

The only downside is that Pixar Canada won't be the ones making future specials and shorts, given their unexpected shut down a week ago. I was hoping that they'd thrive, considering what their mission was. That all being said, Toy Story of Terror is an unexpectedly great and fun Halloween treat from Pixar, it's no ordinary special.

What did you think of it? Sound off below!

Toy Story Faux

What is the deal with all of these rumors of a fourth Toy Story film? First there were a few reports saying that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were behind it, Hanks himself fumbled and said that Pixar was already working on the film in 2011, then John Lasseter himself sort of implied that it was going to happen, IMDb had it listed for a 2015 release at the time and... Let's not forget last summer when the rumors of a sequel to Finding Nemo popped up. Out of nowhere, a fourth Toy Story was announced by different sites... Not Disney or Pixar themselves. Unfortunately, the news spread like wildfire.

Now all of a sudden, the rumored sequel came back. However, Disney denied that a fourth film was in the works. Colombian website Terra broke the news earlier today after a radio executive tweeted it, only to remove the article hours later. They claimed that Disney and Pixar did confirm it, but without any sources backing it up. They also mentioned that the film would hit theaters in 2015. Apparently they forgot that Pixar already has two original films coming out that year: Pete Docter's The Inside Out and an untitled film. There are two more original films in the works as well, so you won't be seeing a fourth Toy Story any time soon.

These rumors of a fourth installment to Pixar's classic series just won't go away... But why? Finding Nemo's heavily rumored sequel was half-confirmed, so does this mean that one will happen? Or will Pixar leave the series alone when it comes to feature films? It's well-known in the animation community that the only Toy Story-related releases coming out are two television specials and more Toy Story Toons.

But I have a feeling it's not going to happen, because there have been so many faux announcements. Toy Story 3 is a film that you simply can't make a sequel to in my eyes. The short films and specials are fine because they're harmless and entertaining, they don't really attempt to expand on the story. If Pixar had to make a fourth film (Disney probably wants one, considering that the third installment made $1 billion at the box office and a killing in merchandise sales), they would probably make a prequel or start fresh with a new cast of characters that have nothing to do with Woody, Buzz and the gang. But I just can't see Pixar doing that.

What are your thoughts on all these rumors? Are you fine with a fourth Toy Story? Or do you think it should never ever happen? Sound off below!

Module 13: Japan (and the Rest of Asia) and Computer Animation

Hoo boy. This was a MASSIVE module, mainly because it incorporated two huge topics that probably warrant their own modules: Computer animation and Japanese animation. Computers have been a major tool in the production of animation since the 1970s, giving the ability to produce rendered animation with a 3 dimensional look or vector animation. It has taken over not only the field of animated films but also the production of many live action features. The technicalities of computer animation is way beyond the limits of my understanding, but needless to say it has completely transformed the animation industry.

And then there's the realm of Japanese animation, which has gained a massive following of its own. While animation has been in production since the 1910s and 1920s, it didn't really start to take off until the efforts of Osamu Tezuka, who is prolific in both the production of manga and anime. From then it expanded into Japanese culture as anime films and series became a big source of entertainment for the Japanese. And now it is becoming an international interest. I'm a big fan of the films of Studio Ghibli, and from that people seem to think of me as being an anime buff, but I've really cut back on watching anime since getting into the Oscar nominated animated shorts,* while my sisters have taken on the title of true blue anime otaku. It's still an interesting field for me.

*I really should come up with some abbreviation for this term, like ONIS.

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Animation News Roundup: "Toy Story", MU, Ralph and Peanuts

A lot has gone around this week...

For starters, Pixar has announced what the title of the upcoming half-hour Toy Story special will be...

It will of course air in October 2013. A nice Halloween-themed Toy Story special sounds like a lot of fun, and again, I'm glad Pixar and Pixar Canada are going this route to keep the franchise going strong alongside the Toy Story Toons.

Next up is the big one. Want to enroll in Monsters University?

The viral marketing for Monsters University kicked off to a grand start with a page for Monsters University itself, similar to the website Disney marketing launched for Buy N' Large for WALL-E. With this, that means a new trailer will be here soon enough. Since the teaser, I predicted that the trailer will debut with Wreck-It Ralph on November 2nd. That might as well just happen, since Disney has followed this routine for past couple of years.

Last but not least is some awesome viral marketing for Wreck-It Ralph...

Disney marketing has now given us a flyer for the Fix-It Felix, Jr. arcade game, since flyers for arcade games were the norm in the early 1980s. This one for Galaga, for example...

This is paired with a retro commercial for Litwak's Arcade (the setting of the film) and the game itself, much like the retro Lots-O-Huggin' Bear ad Disney marketing created for Toy Story 3.



Isn't that something? Disney marketing is actually getting it right once again. No bland, by-the-numbers marketing like what we saw in Bolt and The Princess and the Frog's campaigns. Huge success is written all over this film. Also, Disney gave us an extended clip...

A nice little clip, and no real spoilers are on display here.

Last bust not least, Blue Sky Studios announced that a Peanuts film has been added to their schedule.

There have been animated films based on the classic characters before, most notably the four films (A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Come Home, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!)) directed by Bill Melendez. Whether this will be a hand-drawn film or a computer animated film, we don't know. All we know is that it is slated for November 25, 2015 for the 50th anniversary of the television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Personally, I hope it's done in hand-drawn animation. I'm tired of all these updates of classic icons being done in computer animation. Audiences will love it just the same because they're the Peanuts! Come on! Also, I just hope that Blue Sky doesn't do what some other companies have done: Modernizing them or making them appeal to this generation. It should be a timeless film, and if done right, they can keep the Peanuts fresh with a new generation.

~

What do you think? What are your thoughts on this week's animation news? Are you looking forward to a Peanuts film? Are you looking forward to the Toy Story of Terror special? What do you think of the viral marketing for Wreck-It Ralph and Monsters University?

Nemo in the Third Dimension

Yes, that's right. Finding Nemo is worth re-experiencing on the big screen in 3D. The wizards at Pixar have delivered a good post-conversion 3D job, proving that animation is born for 3D more so than any CGI-sprinkled live action film. It also continues Disney's plans to re-release their classics and Pixar's films to theaters, just like Walt Disney himself, even though I could do without the 3D conversions.

Finding Nemo's 3D boasted some great effects, particularly how they used it for depth. I'm no expert on 3D, but it was great how you felt as if you were under the sea during the film. At times, I felt as if the underwater characters were closer to the eye. At other times, no effects are as noticeable. It's never distracting, nor is it done poorly. You won't be missing anything if you don't see it in 3D, though. But the 3D is a nice touch, and the conversion gets my stamp of approval.

What was really good though was re-experiencing this film on the big screen. I first saw Finding Nemo on opening weekend when I was ten years old, and I actually saw it two more times in theaters after that. I rented the DVD nonstop until I finally got it for Christmas, and watched it religiously after that while dissecting every shot and watching all the bonus features. I loved it back then in a different way, but as I got older (and learned about the tricks of the trade in film and storytelling), I gave it a good re-watch and was blown away by the emotional side of the story. That's the last time I saw it, and that was back in 2009.

This viewing, it again reminds me of why I have such respect for Pixar and why lots of other people do to. This happens every time I watch a Pixar film (with the exception of you-know-what), and it's such a satisfying feeling. It really is, a special feeling you get. Pixar knows how to deliver that magic, while several big blockbusters can't: They just come and ago, even a good chunk of the recent animated films can't ever deliver that despite how good some of them can be.

Our theater experience wasn't perfect. The screen and image quality could've been, we had some annoying teenagers babbling from time to time. (Seriously, movie theaters need to enforce stricter rules. A "no talking" message before movies is NOT helping) At times the sound quality was off, as the theater boomed, as if something was wrong with our speakers. But I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I was excited during the action scenes... If a film can do that on a lesser-quality screen, lesser-quality audio and the occasional annoyance from an audience member, then that film is really something special. Do I need anymore reasons to explain the greatness of the Pixar films?

Oh... What about Partysaurus Rex? The third Toy Story Toon, Partysaurus Rex was once again a fun little short film with some genuinely hilarious moments. I actually found it funnier than the previous two shorts, while it was still talky. As long as they do this and not do a fourth film, I'll be happy, because these shorts are amusing. Pixar Canada keeps proving that their work can equal that of their Emeryville friends, as this short looks no different from what we saw in Toy Story 3. It definitely appeals more to the teenagers too, as Rex rocks out to club music of today. It works because it's all set up nicely, and the various partier toys in the bathtub are also a hoot. It's ultra-colorful too (that image alone sums it all up nicely), and I wonder: Will this also show up on the second collection of Pixar short films? Or will it show up on the Blu-ray release of Finding Nemo. I'm guessing it will be the latter, but it could appear on Volume 2 as well. What do you think?

Trailers? Oh yes, as always, I do a rundown of the trailers. Most importantly, we got Wreck-It Ralph, but since the audience was incredibly small (went to a very late showing), there was not much of a reaction except from me and my stepfather (who grew up during the early 80s when most of those games were being released), but alas... We also got a trailer for To The Arctic, an IMAX 3D nature documentary that opened up way back in April. I guess it's another one of those IMAX releases that's always going to be playing, since it's a documentary. Still, attaching it to this was not necessary. We also got the trailer for the 3D re-release of Monsters, Inc. along with Blue Sky's Epic and Illumination's Despicable Me 2. But then we got a trailer for a film called Dino Time, which looks like it was produced ten years ago and it actually came out two years ago in Europe. The animation was subpar, but that's only the beginning. I often remind people of what animated films are family films and what films are only for kids. This fits the latter, with terrible kid-friendly dialogue and awful attempts at comedy. It looked like a Lunchables commercial. The moment in the theater where I have a strong look of disapproval on my face. If you see this trailer in the theater... Oh boy, my condolences...

All of that aside, Finding Nemo is certainly a classic. What can I say that hasn't been said about it many times before? Excellent writing that fires on all cylinders, great heart, an atmospheric score by Thomas Newman, fantastic voice acting from a well-chosen cast and elaborate animation that still holds up today despite a few little things (i.e. the human animation). It's worth seeing again in theaters, and Partysaurus Rex is a lot of fun. Don't miss out.