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In her book Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song, Sara Bareilles proves to be just as candid and charming on the page as she is on stage. Whether it's talking about her grade school years, her anxieties, or the true story behind her hit Love Song, Sara is frank, funny, and open about her life, her career, her struggles, and her triumphs. Her very naturalistic, conversational writing style makes her comes across like a friend talking to you at the dinner table or over the phone, equal parts self-deprecating, hopeful, grateful, and humble.
Sara relates her stories in nine chapters - or essays, if you prefer - each bearing the title of a song she's written. (The section also begins with that song's lyrics, handwritten, which is a very nice touch.) As one might assume with a biography, the book begins with her childhood and ends with her current work on the musical Waitress and is lightly peppered with photographs. In-between, we get a glimpse into her early songs and shows, the year she spent in Italy in college, and her first love and heartbreak. Fellow performers will enjoy the details of life on the road, the gigs when she was just starting out as well as the times she performed in large arenas or on television shows, and so forth, but moreover, they will find connection and comfort in knowing the difficulties Sara faced breaking into the business (and the continued difficulties staying there) as well as the doubt, worry, and vulnerability she feels when writing new songs, collaborating with others, or trying to express her truest feelings in music and words.
Mid-way through the book, in the chapter Beautiful Girl, Sara writes letters to her younger self. This is possibly my favorite section of the book, and it serves as a reminder to be our own best friends, to stop putting ourselves down and to keep our chins up, because time and experience can truly make things better and clearer.
This book will be treasured by Sara Bareilles's fans. I also hope it reaches people who perhaps haven't heard her music, who find her through this book first, because what an amazing experience that would be, to be moved enough by this book and these words to go pick up her CDs. I only wish this book contained all of her albums - but, wait, I already have those. :)
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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, […]
0 Comments on D23 2015: The Official Disney Link Blog as of 8/17/2015 7:00:00 PM
Yesterday’s New York Times delivered a glowing profile of DreamWorks chief creative officer Bill Damaschke. The pieces describes how CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is relinquishing oversight of creative matters to Damaschke, who for his part is trying to make the studio more creator-friendly.
It reads like your typical puff piece until it gets to the part about Brenda Chapman. The article reveals that Chapman, who co-directed the first DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt before jumping to Pixar where she made Brave, has recently returned to DreamWorks. First, Chapman explains why she left DreamWorks:
“I left in part because I felt like I was being asked to do the same story over and over. I look at the movies DreamWorks is doing now, and I see the exact opposite happening.”
She was pushed out of Pixar after clashing with that studio’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter. Although she could have joined another studio, she said she chose to return to Glendale in part because of Mr. Damaschke, who started at DreamWorks Animation in 1995 as a production assistant on The Prince of Egypt.
“As Jeffrey has gained experience and age, and DreamWorks has grown, he has stepped back and allowed other people to run creative,” Ms. Chapman said. “At Pixar, it’s all John’s show.” She added of DreamWorks Animation, “you can butt heads here and not be punished for it, unlike at another place I could name.”
It’s not exactly news that there was some kind of a conflict between Lasseter and Chapman, but it begins a new chapter in the story when Chapman publicly claims that Lasseter’s micromanagement was the cause of her rift with Pixar. And on another note, who would have ever thought that directors like Chapman and Chris Sanders would begin migrating to DreamWorks for its liberal creative environment. In the animation world, the times they are a-changin.
I was sitting in the movie theater today, minding my own business, (and Captain Kirks!), when all of the sudden three words came to me. “Change Your Destiny”. I was so surprised that I dug down into my purse ( the black hole), looking for my notebook so i might them down.
Along with the words came a sudden rush of hope and direction for my future. Instead of watching the Star Trek movie I began thinking of things I could turn around in my life that would mean a different future, even 3 months from now.
How many times in our lives do we stay the course because it is easy or familiar? What would happen if we chose three things in each day, and purposed in our hearts to do them differently? Perhaps that wild mean venturing out to see a neighbor you hadn’t seen in a while? Or put down that cheese sandwich and opt for a salad? Why not carve out an hour of the day to work on your novel or write a letter to a relative? Maybe it’s time you tackle your To Do List?
I will think out loud here and list some different areas of interest to me.
God
Family
Friends
Job
Exercise
Diet
Home front
Hobbies
Inspiration
Gardening
Under each heading could be multiple topics.
Imagine if you took a new course of action for each heading, each day. How might that change your life by this time next year? Just think! You could come to the end of the year a new person. Or perhaps you might become the person you were meant to be? What area might you work on this week?
Heaven! The final frontier! But what will you do before that??? I LOVE the thought of CHA CHA CHANGE!!!
First of all I would like to say excellent blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Kudos!
Leslie Ann Clark said, on 5/19/2013 7:38:00 PM
Why thank you. I enjoy writing too. If it’s a subject I really love, it comes out easy. It nearly pours out on to the page. If I am writing a story book, I find that going for a walk helps me to get my thoughts together. Then, when I get home, I write quickly and edit later. I wrote two children’s books that way. The other two books were written in the mountains when I was alone. I like quiet so I can concentrate. Noises distract me, except for the hum of the washer and dryer! ha! That is only the way it works for me. Some folks like music playing. Blog posts I can write anywhere. It’s like talking to friends. But working on stories is a little more complicated. Coffee shop writing is also fun, but best if you don’t know anyone in the coffee shop to distract you. Hope that helps! Happy writing!!!
dpualumni45 said, on 6/6/2013 10:27:00 AM
Excellent, excellent…did I say EXCELLENT!!! Les, I LOVE the title of this one! I’m still learning to ‘LIVE ON MY TIPPY TOES!’ I also do some blogging, but like your reader above, when I decide to do my writing, I have so many thoughts running through my head that I can’t seem to untangle them. I’m gonna keep plugging at though! Keep em comin’ Les!
Leslie Ann Clark said, on 6/6/2013 7:38:00 PM
oh sweet friend! I think of you often! Life gets so busy at times! We keep moving on! We keep following our dreams. Those dreams that are placed in us by God! Please do give me the link to your blog! I would love to read what you are thinking! … and to hear about Patryke too!!
The confetti from Merida’s Royal Coronation at Cinderella’s castle in Walt Disney World has barely been swept up and she’s already learning what it means to be a real Princess. When it was announced that the star of 2012’s Brave would be crowned Disney’s 11th Princess on the morning of May 11th, they unveiled her new look for the product line.
The makeover, which apparently happened to all the Disney princesses when no one was looking, involved dropping 20 pounds, caking on some mascara and giving Merida a Keratin hair treatment. “There’s the hot hair, the coy expression,” wrote Peggy Orenstein, author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter. “Also the obligatory exposed shoulders, slimmer waist, and the bow and arrow replaced by… what is that, a low-slung belt?…Because, in the end, it wasn’t about being brave after all. It was about being pretty.”
The new look has caused such an uproar with the female empowerment website, A Mighty Girl, that they started a petition on Change.org to “Keep Merida Brave!” The appeal, which has already picked up over 100,000 signatures, states:
“The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls’ capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value — to be recognized as true princesses — they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty.”
The film’s original director, Brenda Chapman, has also blasted the makeover, telling the Marin Independent Journal that it is “a blatantly sexist marketing move based on money.” Chapman continued:
“There is an irresponsibility to this decision that is appalling for women and young girls. Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves. I think it’s atrocious what they have done to Merida. When little girls say they like it because it’s more sparkly, that’s all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy ‘come hither’ look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It’s horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance.”
Have you ever started a new chapter in your life? Have you ever dared to do something you never did before? Did you feel launched into it and found yourself in free fall? You are not alone. It happens all the time! Anyone who wants to do something worthwhile in life has to take risks and sometimes those risks lead to even more risks!
When my art career began, I was imagining all the possibilities. I dreamed of success. I created many fun little cartoons and talked about what I wanted to do with them. Then one day, I ran into a friend who was DOING what I wanted to do. She shook me! She said, “Les, you have to go to the N.Y. Stationary Show and you have to go NOW!
I had heard of this show. I had many of my friends online talking about going. This was back in the late 90′s. There was something in her voice. It was more like a command from heaven than a gentle nudging from a friend. I made up my mind to go!
This was huge for me. I had only been on an airplane once for a 45 minute flight. I practically sat on the lap of the man sitting next to me… asking him what this bump was and what THAT bump was! I decided I better pray about this trip. I told the Lord that if HE wanted me to do this then he would have to make the way for me. A few days later someone had put an envelope in my mailbox. It was $300.00. Enough for my flight! It was not long until I was flying across America to New York City. I met up with my girlfriend and stayed with her uncle and aunt. We took buses, rode trains and cabs. Once at the show we had to pedal our portfolios. I am NOT a sales person. … but there I was asking people where their art director was and if I might have a minute with them. Over and over. Hmmm…. it became a little easier each time.
One last company sat down with me. They looked through my whole portfolio and asked if I had anything more? I pulled out one last picture of a little baby. That was it! That was the one the art director liked. She asked me if I had any more and I told her I would email them to her when I got home. You better believe I was sketching babies on the airplane!
This was one of my first “be brave” moments. Over and over the good Lord has taken my by the hand and shown me what to do next. Some would say, “you are weak if you need help for everything.” But I say, I am smart for asking.
I have a few more adventures I am yearning for. There will come that day, when the dreaming is over, and the bags all packed and ready to GO!
Your story is so inspiring. It is such a good reminder to be ready to do something brave when the opportunity shows up! I’ve been thinking along these lines, so this is good to read.
lisartist said, on 3/15/2013 3:32:00 PM
I’m in this story!!! What a good memory for me. We had so much fun and it turned into an eternal friendship. Loved the inspirational message.
Leslie Ann Clark said, on 3/15/2013 4:05:00 PM
I wondered if you would see that!! Oh what fun we had! Fell in love with your aunt and uncle too! God was so good to us! Two complete novices in the Big Apple!
A writer couldn’t have scripted a more Hollywood ending to the saga of Brenda Chapman, Pixar’s first female director. Cartoon Brew broke the story when Chapman was unceremoniously dumped from her film Brave back in October 2010. Last night, Brenda made history after becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a prize shared with co-director Mark Andrews.
It took only twelve years of the Best Animated Feature award before the Academy recognized a film directed by a woman. By comparison, it took 82 years before the Academy awarded an Oscar to a live-action film directed by a woman. That happened in 2009, when Kathryn Bigelow won both Best Picture and Best Director for The Hurt Locker. Let us hope that Hollywood continues to embrace diversity and encourage fresh perspectives on storytelling.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts presented their awards today in London. Pixar’s Brave took home the BAFTA award for Best Animated Film; it was up against ParaNorman and Frankenweenie.
Interesting note: Brenda Chapman, the original director of Brave, accepted the award with the film’s second director, Mark Andrews:
Life of Pi was the winner in the category of Special Visual Effects.
The award for Best Animated Short went to The Making Of Longbird, a mockumentary by Will Anderson, 23, produced at the Edinburgh College of Art. Ainslie Henderson (I Am Tom Moody), who co-wrote the film, shared the award with Anderson. This is the trailer for the short:
The winners of the 11th Annual VES Awards were announced yesterday in Los Angeles. The two most honored films were Brave and Life of Pi, each with four awards, while Game of Thrones was the most-honored TV project, also with four awards.
Presented by the Visual Effects Society, the award recognizes outstanding visual effects work across a broad spectrum of the entertainment industry including film, animation, television, commercials and video games. In addition to the awards below, director Ang Lee was honored with the VES Visionary Award (presented by Dennis Muren) and ILM veteran Richard Edlund with the Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by Harrison Ford).
The following is the complete list of winners of The 11th Annual VES Awards:
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture Life of Pi
Donald R. Elliott, Susan Macleod, Guillaume Rocheron, Bill Westenhofer
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture The Impossible
Felix Bergés,Sandra Hermida,Pau Costa Moeller
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Brave
Mark Andrews, Steve May, Katherine Sarafian, Bill Wise
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program Game of Thrones: Volar Morghulis
Rainer Gombos, Steve Kullback, Sven Martin, Juri Stanossek
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program Boardwalk Empire: Episode 308
John Bair, Parker Chehak, Paul Graff, Lesley Robson-Foster
Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Jason Blundell, Barry Whitney, Colin Whitney
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial Nike: Biomorph
Rafael Colon, Aladino Debert, David Liu, Nicola Wiseman
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
Heather Drummons, Joel Friesch, Brooke Breton, Chris Bailey
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture Life of Pi: Richard Parker
Erik De Boer, Sean Comer, Betsy Asher Hall, Kai-Hua Lan
Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Brave: Merida
Travis Hathaway, Olivier Soares, Peter Sumanaseni, Brian Tindall
Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial or Broadcast Program Game of Thrones: Training the Dragons
Irfan Celik, Florian Friedmann, Ingo Schachner, Chris Stenner
Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture The Avengers: Midtown Manhattan
Richard Bluff, Barry Williams, David Meny, Andy Proctor
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Brave: The Forest
Tim Best, Steve Pilcher, Inigo Quilez, Andrew Whittock
Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial or Broadcast Program Game of Thrones: Pyke
Rene Borst, Thilo Ewers, Adam Figielski, Jonas Stuckenbrock
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Matt Aitken, Victor Huang, Christian Rivers, R. Christopher White
Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Commercial or Broadcast Program ZombiU
Dominique Boidin, Léon Bérelle, Rémi Kozyra, Maxime Luère
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture The Avengers: Helicarrier
Rene Garcia, Bruce Holcomb, Polly Ing, Aaron Wilson
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture Life of Pi: Storm of God
Harry Mukhopadhyay, David Stopford, Mark Williams, Derek Wolfe
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Brave
Chris Chapman, Dave Hale, Michael K. O’Brien, Bill Watral
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program Guinness: Cloud
Tom Bussell, Neil Davies
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture Life of Pi: Storm of God
Ryan Clarke, Jose Fernandez, Sean Oharas, Hamish Schumacher
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program Game of Thrones, Episode 210: White Walker Army
Falk Boje, Esther Engel, Alexey Kuchinsky, Klaus Wuchta
Outstanding Compositing in a Commercial Chevy 2012 Silverado
Dominik Bauch, Nicholas Kim, Benjamin Walsh
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project Natalis
Daniel Brkovic, David Kirchner, Jan-Marcel Kuehn, Tom Ferstl
The LA Times conducted an hour-loung roundtable with the directors of five recent animated features: Mark Andrews (Brave), Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians), Chris Butler (ParaNorman), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania).
Typically, a cheesy low-budget animated feature would be lucky to get one major Hollywood name involved with it. Not so in the case of Sir Billi, a film that continues to fascinate for its sheer grotesquery. As it turns out, Sean Connery and Alan Cumming aren’t the only significant names involved with Scotland’s first (and one can only hope, last) CG feature. The film’s score was composed by Patrick Doyle, who scored another Scottish-themed CG feature as well—Pixar’s Brave.
In the first video below, you can hear Patrick Doyle and Sean Connery speak about Sir Billi in a way that makes them appear totally disconnected from reality. You can also hear some of Sir Billi‘s title song, which is performed by another legend who somehow became involved with the film, vocalist Shirley Bassey:
In the second video, we hear from Tessa Hartmann, who wrote the script and produced the film with her husband.
Here's a watercolour and ink drawing I did to help promote my sale but it seems I didn't need it as I sold out od commissions before I could properly post this. If you are interested in this drawing please let me know, like the others it's 25 plus 10 USD for shipping.
Seth MacFarlane’s Ted, featuring a cute animated teddy bear in the title role, exploded past expectations and grossed an estimated $54.1 million in its first weekend, which is the highest opening ever for an original R-rated comedy. The live-action/CG-animation Ted could be a watershed moment for the animation art form—the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of R-rated animation—and proves conclusively that there is a huge market for original adult animation. Prior to this, the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time was the TV adaptation South Park—Bigger, Longer and Uncut which earned $52 million in 1999.
While I don’t expect that Hollywood will start greenlighting mature animated films tomorrow, the industry’s more enlightened executives will hopefully recognize that a massive audience for animation exists beyond the limited range of fare that studios produce nowadays. Ted is the clearest indication yet that audiences are hungry for different kinds of characters, different stories, and different styles of animated filmmaking than the safe family-friendly fare they’ve been force-fed for decades.
In its second weekend, Pixar’s Brave dropped to third place with an estimated $34 million, bringing its cumulative domestic grosses to $131.7 million. The 48.7% week-to-week drop was better than Cars 2’s second weekend plummet (60.3%), similar to Toy Story 3 (46.2%) and WALL•E (48.5%), but not as strong as Up (35.2%) or Ratatouille (38.3%).
DreamWorks’ Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted continued to show legs in its fourth weekend. The film’s estimated gross of $11.8 million was good enough for 5th place and a total of $180 million domestically. It will soon become the highest grossing entry in the series. Madagascar 3’s worldwide total stands at $424.2 million. It remains to be seen if it can eclipse the global franchise-high of $600.3 million set by Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
Oh, I fell in love this past weekend. I went to see Brave, in 3D. Well, done Pixar! I loved that the lead characters were both female. I loved that the princess was not pining away for some guy to rescue her. I loved that she was strong willed, independent, and yes, brave. She was a perfect character in that she was smart, yet sometimes fool hardy and also remorseful when she made mistakes. The film really touched me. Not just the storyline, but the fantastic animation also. I had not seen a Pixar 3D film before. This did not disappoint! The hairs on the bear alone made me shed a tear at their beauty. The scenes with Merida and her horse galloping through the forest were incredible. It was just so real feeling. It was a pure visual pleasure to watch!
The short before Brave, la Luna, was oh so sweet! Yes, I cried during that too. What a unique concept for a short! A beautifully, touching film. Loved it!
Since watching Brave, Merida has been on my mind a lot. In discussions with friends about the merits of the film, in debates with other friends on the film concept as a whole, and visually. Her hair is just so fantastic to draw. Sketching her expressions was so fun! Here are a few sketches I did today of her. It was a lot of fun. I plan on doing a full fan art piece very soon when I have time, maybe with her horse!
Animated films ruled the US box office last weekend, capturing the top two places. Brave, directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, grossed $66.3 million in its debut. That figure is virtually identical to last summer’s Cars 2, slightly better than WALL•E and slightly lower than Up. The real test will be in the weeks ahead, as we’ll watch to see whether it has box office legs like Toy Story 3 and Up or plummets quickly like Cars 2.
DreamWorks’ Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, which debuted with $60.3 million three weekends ago, beat out newcomers like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and captured $19.7 million for a strong second place showing. With $157 million in the bank already, the film is on a pace to beat the domestic grosses of the first two entries in the Madagascar series.
The new official website of animation legend Thornton (T.) Hee is frustatingly difficult to navigate, but those who make the effort will be rewarded with never-before-seen caricatures of Hee’s Disney colleagues and examples of his Cartoon Modern-styled Christmas cards.
2Day in Animation is an Onion-esque take on the animation industry, and it’s often quite funny. Article highlights include “3,800 Really Cool Animation Jobs Posted in April, Though Only 17 Are For Pay,” “Big Studios Promise to Start Making Films with Cage-Free Animators,” “Digital Domain Creates Holograms of Nine Old Men to Helm New Animated Feature,” and “Teletoon Gives Series to Mediocre Animator Just To Shut Him Up.”
I’m in Anaheim for the annual American Library Association conference, but had the day to wander around. Since Disneyland is right across the street from the convention center, since Disney/Pixar’s ‘Brave” is opening this weekend, since I’m still a bit on New York time, I thought it would be apropos to take a nap and then attend the midnight screening at the AMC theater located in Downtown Disney (Disneyland’s shopping mall).
The theater was well packed… I’d say about 80% full. I usually avoid midnight screenings, as the “true fans” tend to spoil my enjoyment. Fortunately, Pixar fans are a somewhat respectable bunch, and were fairly quiet during the movie. There was a little girl sitting behind me who was a bit chatty during the first few minutes, but her mother gave her some gentle guidance, and then she was enraptured like the rest of the audience. (What a lucky girl… her first Disney movie is “Brave”, probably the most “unprincess” of all Disney princesses. I hope it inspires her.)
The movie was quite good, even with usual predictability. (Hey, it’s a Disney movie. The theme and tropes have to be front and center, although it’s always the Hero’s journey, not the destination, which matters.) I do wonder what sort of influence “The Secret of Kells” had on this movie, and if there were any “Brother Bear” in-jokes.
Afterwards, while waiting for the credit cookie (there is one, right before the Disney and Pixar logos), I realized:
A reference to the next Pixar movie (in this case, “Monsters University”)
But how do they appear in Brave, set in medieval Scotland? I’ll let others list them, as I was too engaged in the movie to watch. I suspect the Pizza Planet truck was shown in the woodcarver’s shop, but that was so crowded and hectic, it will probably have to wait for either the “Art of” book, or a freeze frame of the DVD. That would also be a good place to place any “Monsters University” characters (which had a trailer before the movie).
John Ratzenberger plays a guard in this movie, and is listed last on the credits. Since it’s an accent, it might jinx the good luck charm a bit, but I suspect the streak will continue, even if critics are less than thrilled about the movie.
The critics are probably right, about how the story seems to peter out towards the end. I feel that’s a weakness for Pixar: lack of story discipline. While Brenda Chapman is credited with the story and directing, there are four screenwriters listed. On a live-action movie, that’s almost always a warning sign. In animation, it’s not uncommon. Disney learned that lesson the hard way in the 198os, when some spectacular flops convinced them to start using screenplays. Pixar was called in to help fix the story of “John Carter” (why? it&r
15 Comments on Some Thoughts on “Brave”, last added: 6/23/2012
I enjoyed it as well, but I agree with you. It was a Disney movie. Actually it felt like a major step backwards for Pixar…in regards to story anyway. And I agree there was hardly any tension. (Which is a shame since the opening scene was handled so well and was nearly as strong as the opening to Finding Nemo).
john layman said, on 6/22/2012 6:28:00 AM
Second major misstep then, after Cars 2, which was godawful.
Kevin said, on 6/22/2012 6:34:00 AM
Forgot about Cars 2 which I still haven’t seen…guess I shouldn’t bother?
mk said, on 6/22/2012 6:53:00 AM
It seems there’s a bit of a reversal going on between Disney and Pixar this time. Pixar making a ‘princess finding herself’ movie while Disney making Wreck-It Ralph in the “what if X were real” mode. (Video games being the X in this case.)
Jeff Bonivert said, on 6/22/2012 7:32:00 AM
I agree. As much as I love PIXAR, from the very first trailer, this looked and felt like a Disney movie. Which, back not too long ago was not a bad thing.
Katie said, on 6/22/2012 8:49:00 AM
Kevin – Don’t bother. Cars 2 was absolute rubbish. The only nice thing I can bring myself to say about it is that the Toy Story short preceding it was alright, but even that’s being far too generous.
Edward Liu said, on 6/22/2012 9:00:00 AM
The Hollywood Reporter was the only place where I saw anybody talking about the specific problems that led to Mark Andrews replacing Brenda Chapman as the director:
“The problem, according to Andrews, was that the story wasn’t where it needed to be when the movie was 18 months away from its release date. It tried attempted [sic] to accomplish too much with too many characters, producers said, and even with the Pixar brain trust of John Lasseter, Pete Doctor and Andrew Stanton helping, the project was stuck.”
Chapman hasn’t said much publicly about the film at all (only comments about Merida’s character design and inspiration in something at the NY Times), although she was at the premiere. No clue yet whether she’s planning to stay at the studio or if she’ll depart, as Jan Pinkava did after he lost “Ratatouille,” but she doesn’t seem to be moving immediately or doing anything that might sabotage “Brave.”
I think if this is your first experience with a Disney Princess, then “Brave” will be a whole lot more impressive. It looks a lot more derivative if you’ve seen any Disney Princess story, though. And I liked “Cars 2″ because, unlike almost every Pixar film since “The Incredibles,” “Cars 2″ knew exactly what it wanted to be and was exactly that the whole way through. Not as bracingly original or daring as any of their other movies, but I thought it was good stupid fun and a much better spy movie than “Quantum of Solace.”
The Beat said, on 6/22/2012 10:17:00 AM
Just from the trailer the problem is that Pixar had to do a movie about a girl…so they made a traditional princess picture. Too bad they couldn’t tell a story as transforming and original as Finding Nemo, Ratattoule, Wall*E and UP that happened to have a girl as the main character. Guess it doesn’t work like that.
scott said, on 6/22/2012 12:15:00 PM
Disney and Pixar are basically the same. Lassie runs both. But yeah, this does not appeal to me. I’m sick of the strong female story.
scott said, on 6/22/2012 12:18:00 PM
Seems they’ve done their passion projects and should let in new writers. I knew guys working on Monsters 2, and their script got trashed as soon as Pixar made their Disney deal. Lassie and the guys have to have complete control.
Martha Thomases said, on 6/22/2012 5:06:00 PM
I have to disagree. I thought BRAVE was an excellent film. The challenge facing our heroine — dealing with her mom — resonated with me a lot. Maybe it seems less important because it didn’t involve a man nor a true love. Still, it worked for me.
Also, bears.
Chris Hero said, on 6/22/2012 8:15:00 PM
I am not sick of the “strong female story,” but I have no interest in Brave. It just looks boring and while it might end up being phenomenal, a movie ticket is a lot of disposable cash to gamble. I’ll just wait until it’s on Blu ray and I can borrow it.
Paul Sizer said, on 6/22/2012 9:19:00 PM
Just saw it; visually amazing, but it didn’t have the emotional gut punch that I got from TOY STORY 3, UP and THE INCREDIBLES. Each of those films made me sit up during the film and think “WOW, I didn’t see THAT coming!”, either plot-wise or storytelling-wise. Granted, it’s a different film from those three, but I’ve really gotten hooked on Pixar films kind of catching me off guard; this one I saw each move coming. They were stunning, well animated moves, mind you…
LEG+JCB said, on 6/23/2012 4:52:00 PM
[...] As discussed in this Comics Beat piece on , it's an odd year when it seems like there's been a role-reversal between Disney Animation Studios [...]
Flick-fil-A: Brave « LEG+JCB said, on 6/23/2012 4:55:00 PM
[...] As discussed in this Comics Beat piece on , it's an odd year when it seems like there's been a role-reversal between Disney Animation Studios [...]
Less than one month to go before the release of the next Pixar “original” and the publicity is certainly heating up. Billboards are up all over Los Angeles and tie-in merchandise is hitting the stores. Two traditional indicators of the film’s quality have now shown up on my desk – and the good news is they do not disappoint. Chronicle’s The Art of Brave, written by Dreamworks’ story artist Jenny Lerew, is as usual a visual feast. I’ve become a real fan of these Art-Of books – even more so as the digital age threatens to do away with print. The artwork preserved here, perfectly printed on sumptuous glossy paper, is glorious to behold. The book presents hand drawn pre-vis by such notable talents as Tony Fucile, Matt Nolte, Peter Sohn, Steve Pilcher, Carter Goodrich and others – as well as Brenda Chapman (who contributes a Foreword, along with a separate one by co-director Mark Andrews). No controversies here – this is gorgeous stuff. Plentiful story sketch and color keys, sculpts and character designs. I can spend 20 minutes on each page. If the movie is half as good the art in here, it’ll be another classic.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Brave Little Golden Book is out. I bought one today at Ralph’s supermarket. For $3.99. Long time readers know I love the Pixar Little Golden Books, as they are executed in the lush, classic tradition of the series – which dates back to the 1940s. They usually choose one of the best artists – either from Pixar itself, or the Disney Publishing pool of talent – and this time Disney’s Lori Tyminski got the opportunity to show off her delightful style on this material. Bright and lively – and oh so appealing. Highly recommended! Now bring on the movie – I’m ready to see it all in action.
Here’s what I believe to be the final, all-encompassing, mega trailer for Brave. It reminds us that Pixar created Wall-E, Toy Story 3 and Up (so as not to confuse this pic with any DreamWorks/Blue Sky/Illumination film), and includes several gorgeous new shots we haven’t seen before. Looks good, sez I…
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about seeing an original Pixar film again. Just like old times – no more Cars, no more Mater, no more Toys. The It’s Art blog has scored these new pix from Brave (click here to see them in hi-def) and they look refreshing. I don’t intend to post everything they release from the film, but these images certainly bode well for the studio – and us.
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First of all I would like to say excellent blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Kudos!
Why thank you. I enjoy writing too. If it’s a subject I really love, it comes out easy. It nearly pours out on to the page. If I am writing a story book, I find that going for a walk helps me to get my thoughts together. Then, when I get home, I write quickly and edit later. I wrote two children’s books that way. The other two books were written in the mountains when I was alone. I like quiet so I can concentrate. Noises distract me, except for the hum of the washer and dryer! ha! That is only the way it works for me. Some folks like music playing. Blog posts I can write anywhere. It’s like talking to friends. But working on stories is a little more complicated. Coffee shop writing is also fun, but best if you don’t know anyone in the coffee shop to distract you. Hope that helps! Happy writing!!!
Excellent, excellent…did I say EXCELLENT!!! Les, I LOVE the title of this one! I’m still learning to ‘LIVE ON MY TIPPY TOES!’ I also do some blogging, but like your reader above, when I decide to do my writing, I have so many thoughts running through my head that I can’t seem to untangle them. I’m gonna keep plugging at though! Keep em comin’ Les!
oh sweet friend! I think of you often! Life gets so busy at times! We keep moving on! We keep following our dreams. Those dreams that are placed in us by God! Please do give me the link to your blog! I would love to read what you are thinking! … and to hear about Patryke too!!
Reblogged this on I have Lupus & CIDP — they don't have me! and commented:
What a great way to begin your day! Had to reblog this post! Thanks Les!
Just remember this, when you’ve reached the top of you toes, God can take you higher!
I am teaching a class tomorrow at church on prayer. COME! I will pay your way! You could sit with me at my crazy table for lunch! Mt guest!