Pixar – Page 6 – WDWNT Archive

Releases and Prices Confirmed/Announced

WDWNT on January 12, 2012

May 4th at D-Streets will be the Nightmare Before Christmas 9/3/Jr set. It is LE 2000 with a $74.95 retail price tag.

Also on May 4th on Vinylmation Facebook Store beginning at Noon EST the Brave set will be available for $39.00.

May 11th Urban 9 is a confirmed D-Street release. The price, $9.95. The combo topper will also be out.

On May 18th Disney Character Star Wars gets released at Darth’s Maul, the merchandise tent at Star Wars Weekend in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It looks like a Disneyland release will wait until later.

Also on May 18th at both D-Streets the Brave set will be released.

As we assumed, May 25th will be the release of the Phineas and Ferb figures at both D-Streets and the Disney Store.

May 28th will see the release of the Brave set at Disney Stores. The 25th anniversary light up set will also be released this day at Disney Store. We also have word about the Sorcerer Mickey and base purchase with purchase. Here is the exact wording from Disney:

“Get a free 3-inch Sorcerer Mickey Light Up Vinylmation figure with the purchase of a full tray of the 3-inch 25th Anniversary Vinylmation Series. While supplies last. Limit two (2) trays with free Sorcerer Mickey Light Up per Guest.”

Nice to see that giveaway.

So Tasty is June 4th at Disney Stores for $11.95.

And Villains 3 gets a release date! It will be June 18th at Disney Stores for $9.95.

Cars Land Ready to Become a “Radiator Springs Reality”

WDWNT on August 31, 2011

Time to hit the road for the D23 Expo and an exciting, high-octane look at one of the largest projects ever created for the Disney Parks!

In this presentation, John Lasseter and Roger Gould from Pixar and Kathy Mangum, Kevin Rafferty, & Jennifer Mok from Walt Disney Imagineering take us on a in-depth exploration of the upcoming Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. While it may not be a Walt Disney World related presentation, it is a fascinating look at the project and a rare opportunity to hear the creative forces behind the project talk for over an hour about every last detail of next Summer’s blockbuster addition to the Disneyland Resort. Enjoy!:

D23 Expo: Pixar Events Highlight Video

WDWNT on August 21, 2011

Today, Disney released a short video showing just a few of the highlights of the various Pixar events going on at the D23 Expo. Scenes include the US Postal Service unveiling of the Pixar stamps, an extremely quick look at the Prep 4 Landing panel and merchandise, and a look at Cars 2 merchandise with John Lasseter. Here it is…

Walt Disney Studios Gets In On the Action at the 2011 D23 Expo

WDWNT on August 9, 2011

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS TAKES FANS BEHIND THE SCENES
AT DISNEY’S D23 EXPO, AUGUST 19-21

BURBANK, Calif. – August 9, 2011 – Exclusively at Disney’s D23 Expo August 19-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Disney film fans will go behind the scenes to explore the exciting roster of projects on the horizon at The Walt Disney Studios, with a variety of panel discussions, sneak peeks, and exhibits.

On Saturday, August 20, Rich Ross, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Sean Bailey, president, Production, The Walt Disney Studios; John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios; and Kevin Feige, producer and president, Marvel Studios, will present a not-to-be-missed look at The Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming film slate, which includes Disney’s The Muppets, John Carter, Disney•Pixar’s Brave, Marvel’s The Avengers, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and more.

With projects from Disney, Pixar Animation Studios, and Marvel Studios, this special presentation will feature never-before-seen footage and all-star appearances by Jason Segel, Kermit, and Miss Piggy (Disney’s The Muppets), Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, and Willem Dafoe (John Carter), Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd (Brave), Jennifer Garner (The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Jack McBrayer and Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph), cast members from Marvel’s The Avengers, and other surprise guests.

In celebration of 25 years of moviemaking magic, five sessions will be devoted to the artistry and technical wizardry of Pixar:

A Conversation with the Pixar Creative Team – Enjoy a rare opportunity to spend some time with the key figures responsible for Pixar’s unprecedented success, including John Lasseter (chief creative officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios), Jim Morris (general manager, Pixar Animation Studios), Pete Docter (director, Monsters, Inc., Up), Andrew Stanton (director, Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Bob Peterson (co-director, Up), Lee Unkrich (director, Toy Story 3), Mark Andrews (director, Brave), and Dan Scanlon (director, Monsters University).
The Characters of Monsters University – Director Dan Scanlon and Production Designer Ricky Nierva discuss how they combine hair, horns, and a lot of heart to bring the wonderful Monsters University characters to life.
Michael Giacchino’s Music of Pixar – In this musical presentation, award-winning composer Michael Giacchino explores his early influences through the creation of modern-day classic scores from Ratatouille, Up and Cars 2.
The Art of Brave – Production Designer Steve Pilcher and Shading Art Director Tia Kratter show how they and their team put paint to canvas and fingers to computer keys to create the stunning visuals of Scotland for Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Brave.
Pixar Shorts – This retrospective screening of the animation studio’s legendary short films will be followed by a panel discussion with several of the filmmakers, including Ralph Eggleston (director, For the Birds), Andy Jimenez (director, One Man Band), Angus MacLane (director, BURN-E), Pete Sohn (director, Partly Cloudy), Teddy Newton (director, Day & Night), and Enrico Casarosa (director, La Luna).

Expo attendees will also have access to advance screenings of an all-new 3D version of The Lion King, presented by RealD 3D, coming to theaters and homes this fall, and the upcoming ABC holiday special Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Out on the Expo floor, fans can explore the world of The Walt Disney Studios at their leisure with comprehensive exhibits, including:

Walt Disney Studios Animation Pavilion – Experience the art, technology, culture, and legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios with filmmaker demonstrations, drawing classes, book signings, meet-and-greets, and art exhibits.
Walt Disney Studios In-Home Entertainment Pavilion – Dive into cutting-edge home entertainment technology and learn what the future holds for Disney movie fans, with sneak peeks of upcoming films in breathtaking high-definition Blu-ray 3D™ and more.
Inside Tides: Pirates of the Caribbean Film Prop Collection – Get an up-close look at an exclusive collection of detailed set pieces, props, and costumes from the billion-dollar blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

PIXAR Celebrates 25th Anniversary with a Weekend at Epcot

WDWNT on April 21, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Heads up Pixar fans – we’re breaking an exciting announcement this morning on the Disney Parks Blog.

The 18th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will celebrate all-things Pixar, including the upcoming release of “Cars 2,” during Pixar’s 25th Anniversary Weekend May 13-15 at Epcot.

Mater from “Cars” and “Cars 2” leads the celebration, which will include special Pixar character meet and greets, kids activities, informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers and more.

World Showplace (located between the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions), will serve as the celebration headquarters. Inside, families can enjoy meet and greets with characters from “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story 3,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Up,” or browse a photo gallery that calls out some of Pixar’s best Easter eggs from past films. There also will be an art gallery that displays the creative work that went in to Pixar films.

World Showplace also will be the setting for informational discussions by Pixar filmmakers: Composer Michael Giacchino, Producer Jonas Rivera and “Cars” Franchise Guardian Jay Ward (pictured above). Discussions will take place May 14-15 (times are still TBD).

And the Pixar fun will continue throughout World Showcase, where characters from “Toy Story,” “Ratatouille” and “A Bug’s Life” wait to greet guests. Kids also can play the “Cars 2” Race Around the World Showcase game by picking up a booklet with clues that send them on a journey to specific World Showcase pavilions, where they’ll receive more clues, and receive a reward at the end. (All entertainment is subject to change).

You can find more information on the events official site at www.PIXARWeekend.com!

Tom Corless’ 1/15-1/18/11 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on January 21, 2011

I was visiting Walt Disney World for the premiere of PIXAR Pals: Countdown to Fun and “Let the Memories Begin” last week and managed to find some time to take some newsworthy photos, so let’s take a look at what’s new around the parks:

We begin at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Gnomio & Juliet was going to be a Disney movie, now it’s just a Disney promoted movie…

Bye-Bye Block Party, Hello PIXAR Pals!

WDWNT on January 4, 2011

The Block Party Bash came to an end on January 1st at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The parade/show was just approaching it’s 3rd anniversary at the park, debuting in March 2008 after a run at Disney California Adventure from May 2005 through January 2008. Luckily, Banks Lee was there for the final performance and captured it on video for all of us to enjoy:

Now that Block Party Bash is gone, we can turn our attention to the upcoming “PIXAR Pals: Countdown to Fun”. The new parade is scheduled to debut on January 16th, but as always, we can expect some early performances at some point in the days before the official first performance. There has been a lot of speculation as to what floats will be included in the parade since the announcement. We expect to see the existing Block Party Bash floats that carry characters from “A Bug’s Life”, “Monsters Inc.”, and “Toy Story”, but what are the floats carrying characters from “The Incredibles”, “Ratatouille”, and “Up” going to look like? Here’s our theory:

Either Walt Disney World has built a new float for “The Incredibles” or we can expect to see these floats make their way to Florida from California Adventure this week

Construction and new float height requirements are being cited for the removal of the PIXAR Play Parade from DCA, and this is one of the taller floats, so it would make sense to send it to the Studios.

The “Ratatouille” float was the tallest in the parade and was only used during busy Summer months, so we can assume we will see this at DHS

The “Up” float is another mystery, but the little seen pre-parade float from California in 2009 seems like a candidate

Another question is the parade soundtrack. Yes, we can expect to hear the PIXAR Play Parade main theme and the songs that were in that parade to play along with characters from “Ratatouille”, “The Incredibles”, “Monsters Inc.”, “Toy Story” and “A Bug’s Life”, but what about “Up”? These characters were never in that parade, so we should expect to hear something new for Carl Fredrickson and the gang. Again, this is all purely speculation at this point but are the most likely outcomes for this new parade we’ll see at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2 weeks. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on the “PIXAR Pals Countdown to Fun”.

Banks Lee’s 11/17/10 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on November 19, 2010

WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee visited three Walt Disney World theme parks on Wednesday (take a WILD guess which one he did not go to) and took plenty of photos to share with us in a lengthy photo report:

The gingerbread house is up and open at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

The Art of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

WDWNT on September 16, 2010

The page on DisneyWorld.com for the upcoming Art of Animation Resort has been created and features a new piece of concept art and some more concrete details on Walt Disney World’s newest resort hotel:

Coming soon: a new Walt Disney World Resort! Disney’s Art of Animation Resort hotel, a Disney Value Resort hotel, will draw its inspiration from 4 classic Disney animated films: The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Disney·Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Cars.Booking dates for this family-friendly resort, scheduled to open Summer of 2012, have not been announced yet. Please continue to check back for more information and details.

Step into some of your favorite stories! Each one of the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort buildings are being designed to make you feel like you are part of one of 4 beloved animated films. Trace the movie’s theme, from the playful courtyards to the festive room interiors.

The 864 rooms planned within The Little Mermaid buildings will be sea-inspired with an eye towards value.

The Lion King, Cars and Finding Nemo buildings are planned to exclusively feature family suites which accommodate up to six guests. The concepts show a total of 1,120 family suites—all arranged for added space and comfort.

The concept for these family suites include:

2 separate bathrooms

A master bedroom

3 separate sleeping areas within the living space, which includes an “Inovabed”—an impressive piece of furniture that transforms from a generously sized dining or work table to a comfortable bed in seconds.

Kids and kids at heart will be able to romp through one of the 4 courtyards—one courtyard for each film—where there will be icons and sculptures to interact with and play around. Make a splash in the main pool—complete with a pool bar—or relax in one of the 2 quiet pool areas. Planned amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort include an animation-themed food court, arcade, retail location and interior airline check-in stations.

Location and General Information
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is scheduled to be located near Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It will be a smoke-free Resort; smoking will be permitted only in designated outdoor smoking locations.

The Block Party Is Over, So What’s “UP”?

WDWNT on September 15, 2010