Our friends over at The Pixar Times have put up these rather lovely new images from Disney’s annual animation exhibit where they give sneak peaks into the art of their upcoming movies. At the event is this exhibit for Pixar’s new movie, Brave and as we’ve seen with pretty much everything released so far, it’s looking pretty great! The source of the images is BanksLee‘s twitter account via Stitch Kingdom who found them.

I simply love the moulds they have of the characters in the movie and as I said in a post recently on the John Carter concept art, the attention to details never ceases to amaze me!

Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave is set for release 13th August here in the UK. Click here for the rest of our coverage.

Click the images below to enlarge.

Welcome to our new regular section in which members of the HeyUGuys family discuss a variety of topics concerning all things cinema.

We’ll pick a topic inspired by what’s happening in the world of film and invite our writers to voice their opinions, an invitation we extend to you. If you want to submit your own answer, or respond to an answer from one of our writers, then please do so.

This month sees the return of Kate Beckinsale as the gun-toting vampire warrior Selene in Underworld: Awakening. It’s a series which has managed to last for almost a decade now, despite a middling critical and audience response for each film (the domestic gross for previous instalment Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was the lowest out of the trilogy), yet that battle between those two warring tribes is back once more (it’s perhaps no surprise that the addition of 3D had been factored in this time around).

With this in mind, we asked our writers if there were any franchises out there which have more than outstayed their welcome, or alternatively, were there any films yet to be greenlighted for a sequel which could benefit from a continuation in the story.

Kelly Alyse

As much as they are ridiculous, predictable and far-fetched, I still find the Final Destination series very entertaining. The audience watching the films aren’t expecting ground-breaking performances, or storyline that will baffle them for hours after they leave the cinema – they are looking for something light-hearted, silly and fun. The film’s writers do a great job coming up with the different scenarios the teens can get themselves into, and each one comes packed with a gruesomely awesome punch.

One I believe should be put to rest is the Saw franchise. The first film was brilliantly thought out and truly intense to watch, but the films have slowly declined into a world of sadistic torture that’s pretty unbearable. Coming up with scenes that rip a person’s chest open or pull eyeballs out just isn’t entertaining.

I realise you could say the same about someone being burnt to death in a sun bed, but the difference between the two franchises is the fact that Final Destination is made to be laughed at. Saw is made to terrify and cause trauma. I know which one I’d rather watch…

Ones I’d watch time and time again are the Transformers, Paranormal Activity, X-Men and Iron Man franchises, even though I do class these films as guilty pleasures.

Tracy Ladd

Please, no more Transformers! I really hope this franchise has reached the end but with rumours about a 4th twirling about, I don’t think it’s dead yet. As cheesy and over-the-top as i

t was, I adored the first one. I just rewatched it recently and it still holds up pretty well. I did a complete 180 on the second one and had nothing but loathing for it. I went to see the third one to see if it was any better. While it was better than the second, it doesn’t compare to the first. Transformers needs to be put out to pasture.

Speak ill if you must, but I really dug The A-Team. Sure, it planted its foot firmly beyond the borders of ridiculous, but I didn’t care. I loved the action and thought the cast did a great job working off each other. I liked how the movie ended and wished that they continued on with at least a second one just to see where it went. Sadly, that won’t happen.

As much as I adored Pierce Brosnan in the Bond role in Goldeneye, his others were severely lacking and just seemed to get worse. Then Daniel Craig took over and Bond got dirty. The fact that the series went gritty is what drew me back in and even though Quantum of Solace wasn’t quite what Casino Royale was I’m still glad that this franchise is still kicking.

Kenji Lloyd

If I could pick one film to get a sequel it would be Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, hands down. The original is one of my all-time favourites, starring the likes of Gerard Butler, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Jeremy Piven, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, and of course, Toby Kebbell as the brilliant rocknrolla himself. At the end of the film, Ritchie threw in a genius nod announcing he’d be returning with a sequel, but sadly, it is yet to materialise.

After RocknRolla he directed Sherlock Holmes, (which exploded for him and Warner Bros.) and followed that with last year’s awesome Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and the third film has already been announced, which is great news. But as a lover of RocknRolla, I’m really hoping that Johnny, Archy, and the Wild Bunch will be back in The Real RocknRolla after that, because I can’t wait for Ritchie and his cast and crew to return to that world. Ritchie’s said he’s written a script, and that Joel Silver will pay for him to do it, so it’s just a matter of figuring out when. Whenever that is, it’s going to be amazing.

Adam Lowes

In all honesty, I think Bond should have been retired many years ago. No matter how many do-overs and reinvigorations, it’s a series which always follows that same ridged narrative path, with little in the way of surprises or any interesting deviations. As solid an actor as Pierce Brosnan was in the part, I wasn’t a fan of any of the films from the series he appeared in, and each successive adventure seemed to promise much, but in reality, the series grew increasingly preposterous and tiring.

The makers managed to bring something interesting to the table for Casino Royale (it’s obvious ole’ Jason Bourne was somewhat of an influence), but ‘Quantum’ was a serious step backwards, and returned the franchise to that simplistic structure which Craig’s first outing deliberately tried to avoid. Even the idea of Bond extricating himself from the secret service and making it a personal vendetta was the basis for Licence to Kill nearly twenty years previous, highlighting the lack of originality after a promising return for the character.

No doubt Sam Mendes will be hoping to bring something fresh and exciting to the world of 007 once more, but even with the heavyweight cast he’s assembled (the addition of Javier Bardem alone is a very exciting prospect) he has his work cut out.

Click below for Indiana Jones, more Pooh and an intriguing idea concerning Inception…

After The Lion King 3D did tremendously well at the box office towards the end of last year, Disney and Pixar announced that they would be bringing back four from their collection – two each – to the big screen in 3D.

Kicking things off will be Beauty and the Beast, which the States are set to get this coming weekend – alas, I think we have to wait until May in the UK – and then following towards the end of the year will be Finding Nemo, and DisneyPixar’s YouTube have just put up the first trailer for the re-released film. After Finding Nemo is re-released, we can then look forward to seeing Monsters, Inc. and The Little Mermaid in all new dimensions next year.

“Nemo, an adventurous young clownfish, is unexpectedly taken to a dentist’s office aquarium. It’s up to Marlin (Albert Brooks), his worrisome father, and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly but forgetful Regal Blue Tang, to make the epic journey to bring Nemo home. Their adventure brings them face-to-face with vegetarian sharks, surfer dude turtles, hypnotic jellyfish, hungry seagulls, and more. Marlin discovers a bravery he never knew, but will he be able to find his son?”

Along with Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres, the film also found a supporting cast lending their voices to the animated family favourite that included Alexander Gould as the eponymous Nemo, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Stephen Root and his NewsRadio co-star Vicki Lewis (if you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend it), Geoffrey Rush, Eric Bana, and many more.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, Finding Nemo’s first run back in 2003 saw it take just under $900m., making it, unadjusted for inflation, the 26th-highest-grossing film of all time, going on to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Pretty impressive stuff.

I missed it when it was first released in the cinema, and am still yet to see it in the years since then – which I am frequently told is a crime whenever the film is mentioned – so I’m already quite looking forward to seeing this when it gets its re-release. The US are set to get it on 14th September this year, and hopefully we won’t have long to wait after that to see it here too. Here’s the new trailer to begin the excitement.

In adapting Mary Norton’s The Borrowers the talented hands of Studio Ghibli crafted a magnificent and moving film with Arrietty.

Pleasingly the film was very well received and marked a fine debut for director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who was a key member of the animation department under Miyazaki’s old and young with early work on Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away paving the way for a more senior animation role for Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and Ghibli’s latest Kokuriko-zaka kara (From Up on Poppy Hill).

Arrietty is released today on Blu-ray and DVD, and we’ve got a lovely (and lively) exclusive clip for you. Featuring the voices of Tom Holland (soon to be seen with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible) as Shô and Saoirse Ronan as the diminutive heroine Arrietty.

Here’s your clip,

With 2011 preparing to live happily ever after, Walt Disney Pictures has turned its attention to its current slate of upcoming releases, according to Coming Soon.

As the notoriously slow animation process pushes new projects to the farthest reaches of 2013, the studio’s next conceivable release will now likely be Frozen, a long-gestating adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. Due for a 3D release on November 27, 2013, the film appears to have usurped the release date previously held by Pixar’s Untitled Dinosaur Project.

The Snow Queen, a seven part fairy tale often considered amongst Andersen’s best work (but no doubt subject to change by Disney), follows the exploits of Kai and Gerda, who are forced apart when a shard of glass from the devil’s magic mirror gets caught in his eye. Unable to see the beauty and happiness around him, Kai’s personality changes, leaving him angry and spiteful, and causing him to run away from his home and family which he now views as hateful and ugly. Finding solace in The Snow Queen, an entity able to somehow bypass the mirror’s curse, Kai soon finds himself trapped, and reliant on the ingenuity and dedication of Gerda to escape The Snow Queen’s grasp. Or something.

Frozen, touted as a potential Disney release since 2002, has had a very troubled production. Recent reports, however, indicate that the project is to receive a new lease of life, as it re-enters production.

Over the course of the year, we’ve been seeing some terrific things from Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Pixar’s Brave, both of which will be getting their big-screen release in the year to come.

For Brave, we got our first look at the trailer back in the summer, and have seen plenty of other wonderful things from the film before and after that. And from Frankenweenie, we’ve most recently been treated to a handful of images, both official and from the set, in the past few months.

We’ve now got a new image from each of the films, courtesy of Stitch Kingdom via The Playlist, and they both look excellent.

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie is a remake of his own 1984 short film of the same name, and the images we’ve seen so far have been very impressive. This new image shows us the lead character of Victor Frankenstein lying up in bed, looking down at his dog Sparky who’s set up shop beneath it.

“A heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life — with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new ‘leash on life’ can be monstrous.”

With Pixar’s Brave, we similarly get an image of the lead character with Merida drawing back her bow, her sights clearly and determinedly set on something.

“Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring intoMerida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).”

The attention to detail in both of the images is of course impressive, and you’d expect nothing less from the likes of Tim Burton and Pixar. Both films are being distributed by Disney (which is no doubt why we’re getting them together), and both will be released in 3D. Brave will be the first one out the gate next year on 17^th August here in the UK, followed a few months later by Frankenweenie on 5^th October. Without further ado, here are the terrific new images. As usual, click to enlarge.

Pixar are responsible for most of the top-drawer animation coming into the market place these days. How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda have shown that Dreamworks are gradually upping their game and of course Studio Ghibli remains a formidable force.

What is now becoming increasingly evident is that the directors of Pixar’s animation films are as adept with live action as they are with CG work. With the promotional material for Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille)’s live action debut Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol looking promising indeed, Andrew Stanton (A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Wall•E) is hard at work on John Carter and what we are starting to see at the very least gives evidence of imaginative and creative set and alien design and should make us cautiously optimistic of the quality and immersive detail of the final film.

SFX have a wonderful gallery of landscapes, flying craft and alien critters and we’ve got them all for you below. Taking into account the weird white gorilla thing we showed you last week, this is shaping up very nicely indeed.

Source: SFX Magazine.

With the list of the eighteen candidates in the Best Animated Feature category surfacing two weeks ago, the race (pun unintended) is on, and Pixar are the first out the gate with their campaign for Cars 2.

UpcomingPixar have got the first two posters for the film’s Oscar campaign, with Pixar setting their sights on the Best Animated Feature category for the John Lasseter-directed film, as well as Best Original Song and Best Original Score, for Michael Giacchino’s work scoring the film.

The summer film did expectedly well at the box office, taking just over $550m. at the box office from its $200m. budget, which is impressive work. The response from the critics was more mixed, so which side of the line the Academy will fall is anyone’s guess.

I think given some of the other candidates from this year – including Rango, The Adventures of Tintin, and Winnie the Pooh – Pixar might be about to break their four-year winning streak. But of course, only time will tell. The nominations will be announced on 24th January next year, followed by the awards ceremony on 26th February. So expect more For Your Consideration ad campaigns in the coming months, in the Best Animated Feature category as well as all the others. Without further ado, here are the new posters Pixar would like to present for your consideration. As usual with the second poster, click to enlarge.

The Muppets is in US cinemas today and we have to wait flippin ages until February 2012 to see it. No, we are NOT happy! Another reason that we are not happy is that the short film which will sit in front of The Muppets is a new one from Pixar using Toy Story and has the name Small Fry. We’ve seen a couple of images and a clip already but I think this one might be my favourite as it shows Mini Buzz getting to meet Mini Zurg. I guess if he met normal-sized Zurg it would be an unfair fight!

The voice cast is comprised of Tom Hanks​, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger​, Wallace Shawn​, Joan Cusack​, Estelle Harris​,Don Rickles, Jane Lynch, Teddy Newton, Emily Hahn, Angus MacLane, Lori Alan​, Josh Cooley, Jess Harnell​, Bret Parker, Emily Forbes, Kitt Hirasaki, Peter Sohn, Carlos Alazraqui​, Bob Bergen​, Timothy Dalton, Jason Topolski, Jim Ward with Angus MacLane helming the short.

Buzz Lightyear is left behind at a fast food restaurant when a kids’ meal toy version of Buzz takes his place. While Bonnie’s toys are stuck with the annoying three-inch-tall Buzz impersonator, the real Buzz is trapped in the restaurant at a support group for discarded toys. As Woody and the gang devise a way to rescue their friend, Buzz tries to escape the toy psychotherapy meeting.

This image comes from the Toy Story official Facebook page.

Anything new from Pixar is guaranteed to be worth watching but this new trailer for their forthcoming film Brave is just a joy to behold.

There’s an excellent cast lending their voices to the film with Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald with Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane along for the ride.

Here’s  a synopsis to tickle your fancy and look below for the new trailer,

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

The trailer comes to us from the film’s Facebook page.

It’s all go here today at HeyUGuys HQ! It’s been trailer-tastic with The Hunger Games, Carnage, The Iron Lady and Pixar have even given us the first clip from their new Toy Story Short, Small Fry but they are the studio that just keep on giving as now we have some new images from their new Feature Length Animation, Brave.

Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012 (2 months after the US – BOOOOO!)

Disney Pixar have just sent over the first clip from Small Fry, the Short that will sit in front of The Muppets when it’s released next year on 10th February. Last week we got to see the first two images it and now we get our first clip which is just as awesome as every other Toy Story movie that we’ve seen! In it, we get to see Buzz trying to escape the fast food restaurant and ending up in a support group for ‘Discarded Fun Meal Toys’.

The voice cast is comprised of Tom Hanks​, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger​, Wallace Shawn​, Joan Cusack​, Estelle Harris​,Don Rickles, Jane Lynch, Teddy Newton, Emily Hahn, Angus MacLane, Lori Alan​, Josh Cooley, Jess Harnell​, Bret Parker, Emily Forbes, Kitt Hirasaki, Peter Sohn, Carlos Alazraqui​, Bob Bergen​, Timothy Dalton, Jason Topolski, Jim Ward with Angus MacLane helming the short.

Buzz Lightyear is left behind at a fast food restaurant when a kids’ meal toy version of Buzz takes his place. While Bonnie’s toys are stuck with the annoying three-inch-tall Buzz impersonator, the real Buzz is trapped in the restaurant at a support group for discarded toys. As Woody and the gang devise a way to rescue their friend, Buzz tries to escape the toy psychotherapy meeting.

Disney Pixar have just sent over the first image (and Stitch Kingdom provided the second) and some new details about the brand new Toy Story short, ‘Small Fry’ which will sit in front of The Muppets when it’s released February 10th in the UK.

Buzz Lightyear is left behind at a fast food restaurant when a kids’ meal toy version of Buzz takes his place. While Bonnie’s toys are stuck with the annoying three-inch-tall Buzz impersonator, the real Buzz is trapped in the restaurant at a support group for discarded toys. As Woody and the gang devise a way to rescue their friend, Buzz tries to escape the toy psychotherapy meeting.

The voice cast is extensive and includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Joan Cusack, Estelle Harris,Don Rickles, Jane Lynch, Teddy Newton, Emily Hahn, Angus MacLane, Lori Alan, Josh Cooley, Jess Harnell, Bret Parker, Emily Forbes, Kitt Hirasaki, Peter Sohn, Carlos Alazraqui, Bob Bergen, Timothy Dalton, Jason Topolski, Jim Ward with Angus MacLane helming the short.

We CANNOT WAIT to see it and it feels so good to be writing about Toy Story again!

Love this image, click it below to enlarge.

On the off chance you haven’t been to a cinema recently or seen any of the advertising for it elsewhere, you may not have heard the fantastic news that the 1994 classic Disney film, The Lion King, has just been re-released in cinemas in 3D.

I was too young to see it as a child in the cinemas, but I naturally loved it when it came out on VHS, and have of course loved it ever since. And getting to see it on the big screen for the first time was such a great experience.

Over in the States, the film’s 3D re-release exceeded all expectations, making more than $30m. in its opening weekend alone, ahead of its 3D Blu-Ray release, which comes out here in the UK on 7th November.

With such a fantastic reception for the 3D re-release, Disney and Pixar are now planning to re-release at least four other classics in cinemas in 3D, Upcoming Pixar report.

From Disney we’ll be getting Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and from Pixar we’ll be getting Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. All such excellent movies, and such great news that they’ll be getting a re-release. The current release dates are only for the States so far, but since The Lion King 3D has come out in the UK, albeit a few weeks after its release in the States, we can hopefully look forward to similar release dates like these:

Beauty and the Beast will be playing from 13th January, 2012. Finding Nemo will be playing from 14th September, 2012. Monsters, Inc. will be playing from 18th January, 2013. And The Little Mermaid will be playing from 13th September, 2013.

And with their re-releases, all of these films will likely see their 3D Blu-Ray release too. Beauty and the Beast, in fact, has just had its 3D Blu-Ray release last week, but I imagine that it will still do tremendously well in the cinemas when it comes out early next year.

And to celebrate Finding Nemo’s upcoming Blu-Ray release, which doesn’t yet have a scheduled release date, Disney have put out this fantastic new trailer to get us all excited. I must confess that I’m still yet to see Finding Nemo, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the film, and I’m already looking forward to seeing it both in stunning HD and on the big screen in 3D. Without further ado, here’s the new trailer. Enjoy.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder and face of Apple, has died at the young age of just 56. Truly a visionary, this incredibly saddening news has been felt across the globe, with politicians and CEOs in Jobs’ rival technology companies sending out heartfelt statements lamenting the tragic loss of such a brilliant man at such a young age.

Decades ago, when he was just twenty years old, Jobs and two of his friends, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, started what would come to be one of the most profitable and market-leading companies in the world, Apple, Inc.

Starting something not just life-changing but world-changing too at the age of just twenty is truly a remarkable feat. His hard work over the thirty-six years since has led to the creation of the Macintosh, the iMac, the iPod, the iPad, the iPhone, and a company with an estimated market value of $351bn, the most valuable and visible technology company in the world.

But Apple was not the only thing that we have to thank him for. In 1986, having recently been removed from Apple after an internal power struggle that Jobs has since stated was the best thing to ever happen to him, Jobs went on to become one of the co-founders of another of the world’s most recognisable companies in the entertainment industry, Pixar. Less than a decade later, Pixar brought us the world’s first feature film entirely created by computer animation, Toy Story, a film that Jobs was producer on, and which went on to be nominated for three Academy Awards at a time when the Oscars didn’t even have a category for Best Animated Feature Film.

A year after Toy Story’s release saw Jobs’ return to Apple in 1996 that would see him take the leading role of Chief Executive Officer, making him top man of two major companies,  Pixar and Apple.

Sadly, in 2004 came the tragic news that Jobs had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Five years later, he had a successful liver transplant, but in January back at the start of this year, Jobs announced that he would be taking more medical leave, leaving Tim Cook, who had taken the role of CEO previously during Jobs’ earlier medical leave, in charge of the running of Apple. In August, we then got the news that Jobs was resigning from his role as Apple’s CEO, and it is with great sadness that news has now come today that Jobs has died.

Various statements have been released from prominent people across the globe, and they are all a testament to the impact that Jobs has had not just in America, but throughout the world. The Washington Post has reprinted US President Barack Obama’s statement in reaction to this saddening news,

“Steve was among the greatest of American innovators — brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it.

By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grown-ups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: He changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

Wired have done a brilliant job dedicating their home page to Jobs today, printing more tributes to the great man from people as various as Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, film critic Roger Ebert, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, and Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, too, have spoken out on the death of a good friend:

“Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.’ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.”

At a graduation ceremony at Stanford University back in 2005, Jobs gave a speech that has since become well known, and though this extract from his speech from Stanford’s own website may well sound familiar to you, and may well surface many times in the coming days and weeks, there is a lot of truth and inspiration to be found in his words and it feels appropriate to reprint them now:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

He will truly be missed.

We got a fantastic first look at Pixar’s upcoming short, La Luna, a few months ago, getting to see a few brilliant images from the seven-minute film as well as a thirty-second clip.

Pixar Times have now got a lovely hi-res look at the young boy, the short’s main character. It’s a close-up we’ve seen in the clip, but it’s always nice to see it in high resolution on its own.

Enrico Casarosa, who’s worked on Cars, Ratatouille, Up, and Cars 2, has written and directed the short, which he has said is in part inspired by his own upbringings, and in part inspired by the works of the incredibly popular Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki.

La Luna tells,

“the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?”

The short has been touring film festivals across the world, with its next stop being the Ottawa International Animation Festival on 25^th September (if anyone happens to be in the area), and I’m pretty jealous of anyone who’s had the chance to see it already, because it looks fantastic. Pixar are well known for creating some of the best animated shorts, and this should be no exception. It will be playing in front of Brave next year, which comes out on 17^th August here, giving us a fantastic feature film and an awesome short to look forward to next summer. Without further ado, here’s the great new hi-res look at the young boy. As usual, click to enlarge.

We’re slowly getting to see more from Pixar’s movie, Brave with our friends from PixarPlanet.comproviding us with this new full length synopsis. Brave follows the story of Princess Merida voiced by Kelly Macdonald and has a cast which also includes Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. This is one that we’re very excited about, especially as they’re bringing out so many great images for the movie.

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave which we can expect to see 17th August 2012.

If you’ve missed our coverage including the first teaser trailer, you can check it all out here.

Synopsis: 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 Witch (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.

Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and the signature Pixar humor enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The film takes aim at theaters on June 22, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

A grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor, “Brave” uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the impetuous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.

As if you didn’t already have a good enough reason to go see the new Muppets movie when it opens in U.S. cinemas on November 23rd and in the UK (rather frustratingly) three months later on February 17th 2012, here’s another one: Disney announced at the recent D23 Expo that they’re attaching a new Toy Story short film to it.

Entitled Toy Story: Small Fry and directed by Angus MacLane, the new short will apparently see Buzz Lightyear left in a fast food restaurant and replaced by a three-inch-tall impersonator, with the real Buzz then having to face a support group for discarded toys while his friends work out how to rescue him.

The Toy Story gang are no strangers to short films – Hawaiian Vacation played before Cars 2 this summer – and with unconfirmed reports of a fourth full-length adventure for Woody and co. continuing to swirl, it certainly looks like we haven’t heard the last of Pixar’s most famous characters.

(via MovieWeb)

Honestly, no one does it better than Pixar. However, over the last few years I’ve found myself slipping out of love with the studio.  I just chalked it up to me getting older and out of touch. The fact is I think the films the studio has been focusing on have been mediocre at best.  Going into the Walt Disney Studios Panel at D23, Pixar had a lot of ground to cover.  Let’s start out with the easy stuff.  Up until Friday the D23 Expo had been sort of a bust in the terms of any real newsworthy stories or announcements.  So I was afraid Saturday would bring about more info on projects already announced.  That was not the case once the Pixar segment of the presentation concluded.  Rockstar COO John Lasseter was on hand to whip the crowd into frenzy the only way he knows how. He discussed a couple of current projects, including “Brave” and “Monsters University”, which I’ll detail in a bit. I’ll actually work backwards starting with the last part of the presentation.

A couple of weeks back Disney announced arbitrary release dates for a few new film projects. A Fall 2013 date and a Summer 2014 release date have now been filled.  It was announced today that Pixar would be filling those spots with a Dinosaur film and a movie based around the mind. Here are the press releases for both films

Untitled Pixar Film about Dinosaurs
U.S. Release Date:            November 27, 2013
Director:                        Bob Peterson
Co-Director:                        Peter Sohn
Producer:                        John Walker

What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? This hilarious, heartfelt and original tale is directed by Bob Peterson (co-director/writer, “Up;” writer, “Finding Nemo”) and produced by John Walker (“The Incredibles,” “The Iron Giant”).

Untitled Pixar Film about The Mind
U.S. Release Date:            May 30, 2014
Director:                        Pete Docter
Co-Director:                        Ronnie del Carmen
Producer:                        Jonas Rivera

Pixar takes audiences on incredible journeys into extraordinary worlds: from the darkest depths of the ocean to the top of the tepui mountains in South America; from the fictional metropolis of Monstropolis to a futuristic fantasy of outer space. From director Pete Docter (“Up,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and producer Jonas Rivera (“Up”), the inventive new film will take you to a place that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen: the world inside the human mind.

“Monster University” is also right smack dap in the middle of production so we were able to catch a glimpse of some cool concept art and were given a few choice details.  First and foremost, I think it’s important to note that Mike Wazowski and and James Sullivan will once again be voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman.  Today it was announced that Steve Buscemi would also return as Randall Boggs.  Here is the official synopsis from Disney-Pixar

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

Screaming with laughter and fun, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”) and produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”). The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2013, and will be shown in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

As much fun as it sounds, it seems like a pretty straightforward prequel.  However, it gets better when you see what Mike and Sully looked like when they were college dudes.  Images are from Alex Billingtons Twitter page during the Monsters University panel. The first is the side by side of each character and the second set is close-ups.

How about that retainer? It also important to note that Mike and Sully initially didn’t get along because, since grade school, they both wanted to be scarers.  When they discover they are both enrolled at Monsters University, things get super heated. Billy Crystal stole the show when, during the middle of a pre-recorded message from John and Bill pretending they couldn’t make it, Billy walked off camera and on to the D23 stage.  The crowd went crazy and Lasseter and Billy showed us some images of Mike and Sully in their early years.  I loved “Monsters Inc.” so I think, like most people, I’m looking forward to that brand of comedy again.

That brings me to “Brave”, which opened the Pixar segment but I went ahead to save the best for last.  “Brave” is next years Pixar entry and it looks beautiful.

We were treated to a brief intro of “Brave” that finds Merida (Kelly Macdonald) right in the middle of horseback archery practice.  She rides through the woods hitting targets while riding.  As her horse approaches a fallen tree he stops short and Merida flies off.  When she pulls her face from the mud she throws it back on to the horses nose who then blows it right back on her.  The chuckling subsides when the horse picks up the scent of a bear.

After that opening tease, the directing/producing team of Mark Andrews and Katherine Sarafian arrived on stage to show us a few more things most audiences will never get to see.  We were treated to early pre-vis storyboards and animatics of the film.  First and foremost the film looks beautiful.  A lot of people have compared the look to “How to Train Your Dragon.” However, the fact is that is exists during the same time period so things will look similar, but I feel like they a very different in tone.  The official plot synopsis is as follows;

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 Witch (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.

Headstrong Merida is basically being forced to choose a suitor to marry.  She feels doesn’t need a suitor and makes it very well known that she doesn’t agree with the idea of arranged marriages.  The highlight of the Pixar presentation came in the form of an entire sequence from “Brave.” Below is a brief description and reaction.

Lord MacGuffin(Kevin McKidd), Dingwall(Robbie Coltrane) and Macintosh(Craig Ferguson) all arrive with their suitor sons to claim Merida’s hand in marriage.  They are to take part in the Highland Games, a series of physical challenges to test their strength and worthiness.  Merida decides that they must compete in an archery contest, a skill at which she more than excels in.  They each take their time and struggle to hit their targets.  The first two suitors aren’t even close to the target while the third mistakenly hits the bulls’ eye, which marks the end of the competition.  However, at that moment, a new suitor arrives cloaked and forcefully plants his family’s flag in the ground announcing his intent to participate.  As the crowd gasps at this 11^th hour challenger, the mystery man pulls back his cloak to reveal, in fact, to be Merida who claims,  “I’ll be competing for my own hand!”

Just then her mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) begs for her daughter to stop what she is about to do, without a reaction from her daughter.  Merida readies herself and in one move walks in front of each man, walking as she fires 2 arrows directly at her target. As she approaches the third target she takes a moment to ready herself. As her mother races to stop her she releases the third arrow.  The scene plays out in slow motion and we get a shot very reminiscent of the bow work of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood”. The arrow wobbles slowly out of the bow and rights itself in the air.  Her arrow proceeds to split the young mans arrow in half as it punctures the bulls eye.

I wish I were a better writer to describe how amazing that scene actually is on screen. It’s both humorous and very dramatic.  That alone leaves me wanting more. Simply put, I cannot wait to see “Brave” next year.

Animation, Art, and Technology.

Vancouver, BC – Hey U Guys had a chance to attend SIGGRAPH 2011 (Aug 7 – 11), a computer graphics conference that encompassed a wide array of topics relating to the entertainment, and graphic design industry. A celebration of technology and the digital art community, everything from advances in software, to videogames development, animated film screenings, and more.

Having been previously held in cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Boston, this is the first time the conference has been hosted north of the border in Vancouver,Canada.

Divided into workshops, production sessions, an exhibition hall and the world renowned Computer Animation Festival, the five-day conference is one of the biggest in the world. One part educational, another part entertaining. Representatives from major studios Disney, Dreamworks, ILM, Digital Domain, Weta, gave panels, and talks to discuss their technology.

 Vancouver Convention Centre

Siggraph networking reception

Cory Doctorow co-editor of Boing Boing, and author, kicked off the conference with a fitting keynote about copyright in the digital age, Digital Rights Management (DRM), and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The entire keynote is available online below.

Pixar’s ‘La Luna’ directed by Enrico Casarosa, was one of the highly anticipated short films screened at Siggraph. The story of a boy on a boating trip with his father, and grandfather unfolds into something humorous and inspiring, with childlike wonder akin to a Miyazaki film. This was also accompanied by a production session in which Casarosa discussed in detail the long production,  which took place over the course of two years.

‘Skinny Steve’ the underfed version of the brawny Steve Rogers, in Captain America: The First Avenger, required special attention, and a variety of effects in post-production to achieve the skinny look in the film. One such method of transformation included filming a skinny actor to match the motions of Chris Evans which would be combined, to achieve a seamless look. Chris Evans’ face would then be manipulated and sculpted into something that would match the Skinny Steve body.

One of the the last panels at Siggraph was a panel on Killzone 3, from the folks at Amsterdam based Guerrilla Games. The art director, and crew talked about the evolution of the game franchise over the past ten years, on the Sony console platform. One of the impressive aspects of the talk, involved the use of Autodesk Maya working directly in the software, and in the game engine at the same time. For artists working in the game industry, this is a big deal offering a streamlined approach to development.

The computer animation festival in its 38^th year, highlights the best in student, indie and industry animation. From music videos, commercials, shorts and feature films, the festival took place daily with a large turnout of viewers in the theater.

Notable films include: Paths of Hate, Le Royaume, Mr. Choco in Love The Experience of Fliehkraft, Flamingo Pride, Sweater Dog.

Tele-present wind by artist David Bowen, University of Minnesota

The Garden of Error and Decay by Michael Bielicky, HFG/ZKM Karlsruhe and Kamila B. Richter, HFG/ZKM Karlsruhe

Recompose: Direct and Gestural Interaction With an Actuated Surface

Overall, Siggraph was a pretty busy and informative conference, with lots of technical learning opportunities and films to see.

http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/
http://www.dneg.com/
http://www.d2.com/
http://www.wetafx.co.nz/
http://www.whiskytree.com/
http://www.ilm.com/
http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/
http://www.guerrilla-games.com/