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Bob Sabiston was offered a job three times by Steve Jobs, including two gigs at Pixar. Here's what he did.

The post ‘Waking Life’ Animation Director Bob Sabiston: It’s OK To Not Work in the Animation Industry appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Adusted for inflation, "The Good Dinosaur" is Pixar's weakest launch ever at the box office.

The post ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Underperforms At Holiday Box Office appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

"The Good Dinosaur" isn't the greatest Pixar film ever made, according to reviewers -- but its painstaking replication of the Real World is astounding.

The post Review Roundup: ‘The Good Dinosaur’ is Good, Not Great, Pixar appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

We review Pixar's second feature of 2015

Of the studio's 16 films to date, no Pixar film has had a solo woman director, but Ed Catmull thinks that will change soon.

Last night Pixar’s new film The Good Dinosaur had its premiere in Los Angeles. We invited a Pixar mega-fan to send us his personal report from the premiere:

“The premiere was wonderful, and it was a memorable evening for the film’s director Pete Sohn.”

“But it was an even more memorable evening for me…John Lasseter.”

“It was fun to see intimate conversations, like this one that Pete is having with ‘Good Dino’ voice actors A. J. Buckley and Raymond Ochoa.”

“Guys, is there room for me in here?”

“Let’s get a photo, A. J.”

“O.K., can I have a hug, too?”

“Hey Pete, let’s get a photo of us with your film’s producer Denise Ream!”

“That was fun, but now let’s just get one of me by myself.”

“OMIGOD….GROUP PHOTO…GROUP PHOTO!”

“Thanks for letting me be in this one, guys!

“Come closer, little Raymond!”

“All my favorite celebrities were there, like the legendary actor Sam Elliott.”

“…and Anna Paquin.”

“The governor of the great state of Wyoming, Matt Mead, even asked to take his photo with me.”

“These guys said they worked for the Disney Company, but I never heard of them.”

“It was a fun night until my wife Nancy said we had to leave. Ugh!”

“But I had a great time! I can’t wait until the premiere of Pixar’s next film!”

(All photos © 2015 Getty Images. Photos by Alberto E. Rodriguez and Jesse Grant.)

The October doldrums are past (where The Martian was the #1 movie for four of the past five weeks?!). Last weekend saw the double whammy of James Bond and Charlie Brown gain 76% of the weekend box office, and the total take of all movies to be 148% over the previous weekend’s cumulatives and 6% over this time last […]

Can Pixar release two great films in one year?

Watch the trailer for a new hand-drawn animated feature that debuts this week in Span.

Women don't receive the same opportunities as men do in animation, and they're finally speaking out about it.

Launched yesterday with the non-profit education platform Khan Academy, Pixar in a Box is the most in-depth look ever offered at the studio's creative process.

A judge rule that animation artists can continue a case against studios which allegedly suppressed wages for decades through fraud.

Pixar's latest short is getting its very own art-of book.

Mexican-American cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz has often criticized the Disney company; now he is on their payroll.

D23, the big Disney fanfest, just concluded three days of programming at the Anaheim Convention Center. There was a lot of news! New movies announced! New theme parks and attractions! Music! New versions of old favorites! And, yes, even a new emoji! (No, not of Uncle Walt…) All of the headlines below have embedded links, […]

Pixar will finally answer the question, What if a Mexican boy named Miguel could meet his long-dead Mexican family members?

After directing Pixar's "Blue Umbrella," Saschka Unseld has moved into the world of VR filmmaking.

Challenges and lessons learned from interactive animation storytelling.

Interactive, immersive animation experiences are now a reality.

The show will explore the studio's iterative and collaborative design process.

"The Autobots" was a flop with Chinese audiences, but Disney lawyers are watching it closely.

So, we all know that Marvel didn’t present anything in Hall H during Comic-Con.

Was it because they didn’t have anything to show, just like Sony and Paramount?

Or were they saving their big announcements for the D23 Expo, Disney’s biennial fanfest scheduled for August 14-16? 

Well, we know a little bit more, as Disney has published the show schedule, and released PR about some of the bigger events, taking place in “Hall D23″.  Disney hasn’t published any maps yet for the Expo, but it will be located in Hall D of the Anaheim Convention Center, which has a theater capacity of … 15,000! (The attached Arena seats “only” 7500.) Disney isn’t using the entire space. just 7500 seats. So get there early!

So, what’s scheduled?

Friday

10:00 AM – Noon   Disney Legends Awards

This is the Disney “Hall of Fame”. This year, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger will induct:

GEORGE BODENHEIMER, who retired from his role as Executive Chairman of ESPN in May 2014, enjoyed a remarkable 33-year career that began in the company’s mailroom in 1981. Working his way through the ranks, he became executive vice president of sales and marketing in 1996, before being named the network’s fifth president in 1998. He held that role until 2012, when he stepped down from day-to-day operations.

ANDREAS DEJA is a link to Disney’s past and one of the greatest animators of its modern era. Deja is known for his rich portraits of villainy, having animated Gaston for Beauty and the Beast, Jafar for Aladdin, and Scar for The Lion King. He has also brought life to heroes such as mighty Hercules, the precocious Lilo (Lilo & Stitch), regal King Triton (The Little Mermaid), wise Mama Odie (The Princess and the Frog), and loveable Tigger (Winnie the Pooh). In 2007, he was awarded the prestigious Winsor McCay Award for his contributions to the art of animation.

EYVIND EARLE, one of the greatest of Disney artists, brought his unique style to a number of memorable projects but perhaps the purest realization of his vision remains the visual styling and backgrounds for the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty. Earle’s career with Disney began in 1951, working on background artwork for Peter Pan. He created the look of the 1953 animated short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won an Academy Award^® for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1954. His most noticeable contribution, however, remains his work on Sleeping Beauty. The film’s eye-catching look, in its design and backgrounds, are the perfect representation of his unique style.

DANNY ELFMAN provided the songs and score for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, for which he also provided the singing voice of Jack Skellington. He also scored several Disney films including Alice in Wonderland, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Dick Tracy, Dead Presidents, Flubber, Good Will Hunting (Oscar^® Nomination: Best Score), A Civil Action, Instinct, Frankenweenie, and Oz the Great and Powerful. Elfman also wrote the theme for ABC’s Desperate Housewives and penned the music for the Mystic Manor attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland. His music is featured in Disneyland’s annual Haunted Mansion Holiday. His upcoming Disney projects include Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.

GEORGE LUCAS, whose Star Wars films made him one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, is also a longtime Disney fan who has left an indelible impression on Disney parks. His first project with Disney was Captain EO, the 1986 3-D spectacular starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, as well as Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril in Disneyland Paris, and two blockbuster Indiana Jones Adventure attractions at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, round out Lucas’ timeless work in conjunction with Disney.

SUSAN LUCCI portrayed Erica Kane on ABC’s fabled soap opera All My Children for 41 years, a role that TV Guide deemed unequivocally the most famous character in the history of daytime television, earning Lucci 21 Daytime Emmy^® nominations to which she won the prestigious Emmy for Best Actress to an industry-wide standing ovation on her 19th nomination. Shortly thereafter, she received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, presented to her by Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. The iconic actress has also appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Hope & Faith, as well as Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. Lucci currently stars in the international hit Lifetime series, Devious Maids, produced by ABC Studios, as the wealthy and effervescent socialite, Genevieve Delatour.

JULIE REIHM CASALETTO, who began her Disney career as a tour guide, became Disneyland’s first Ambassador in 1965—a role created to help Walt, who found it increasingly difficult to attend all the events to which he was invited. As Disneyland’s first Ambassador, she was chosen “as a personification of Disneyland’s world-famous spirit of friendliness and happiness.” She became the template upon which decades of Ambassadors would pattern themselves.

CARSON VAN OSTEN helped bring Disney characters to life in a variety of media, all around the world, for three decades. During Van Osten’s tenure, he oversaw creative content for motion picture tie-in advertising, many Disney publications, and also established some of the first licensing style guides for Disney Consumer Products. The talented artist designed logos for Mickey Mouse’s 50th and 60th birthdays, the Walt Disney Studios logo and water tower design, and the Disneyland Hotel clock tower “Mickey” logo in Paris.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM   Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films, Hosted by John Lasseter

After meeting the Emotions inside the mind of an 11-year-old, taking a trip to San Fransokyo, where a boy genius and his robot save the world, and falling in love with a queen with icy powers who wants to “let it go,” come see where Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios plan to take you next. In what has become a D23 EXPO must-see, host John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, presents this in-depth look at the animation studios’ slate. Filmmakers will unveil never-before-seen footage from Pixar’s upcoming The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory and Disney Animation’s Zootopia and Moana. The event will include surprise announcements, musical performances, and appearances by the films’ star voice talent.

Saturday

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM   Worlds, Galaxies, and Universes: Live Action at The Walt Disney Studios

Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm are home to some of the planet’s best storytellers, immersing audiences fully in the world of each film from beginning to end and beyond. In this exclusive Hall D23 presentation, join Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn for a tour of upcoming live-action projects from these legendary film studios. A bevy of special guests will be on hand to offer a look at an unparalleled slate that includes Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars: The Force Awakens—and much, much more.

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM   Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

No description yet, but Parks chairman Bob Chapek will reveal what’s new! I would expect more info on the new Shanghai Disneyland! As well as info on Disney Springs and [Disney’s Hollywood Studios]! Maybe some information on the $1 Billion expansion at Disneyland?

Sunday

11:00 AM – Noon   It’s Game Time: Disney Interactive Takes The Stage

No idea…  I would expect more information about Disney Infinity 3.0 (now with more Wookies). Also, since it launches in October, there’d better be some hands-on demos for Playmation. (Hollee… Iron Skrull?!?!? You had me at MODOK!)

Ahem… getting back on track…  sorry… I’ll try not to think about the Star Wars or Frozen sets…

3:00 – 4:30 PM   Frozen FANdemonium: A Musical Celebration!

Join host Chris Montan, president, Walt Disney Music, and the Oscar^®-winning songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez as they take you on a once-in-a-lifetime musical journey through the world of Frozen. This one-day-only performance features your favorite friends from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film—including Anna and Elsa––with sing-along experiences and fascinating stories behind some of your favorite Frozen songs.

Disney and Triggerfish are launching an animation development program exclusively for African directors and writers.

Our first extended look at the world of Pixar's "Good Dinosaur."

The Chinese box office made a bold statement this weekend.