Behind the Music of Cars Land

We believe that it's not only the great animators at Pixar that make their films and shorts a hit, but the composers and collaborators who create such musical masterpieces that can fuel the emotion of a character.  Just think, if music was missing from the film Cars during the scene where Lighting McQueen and Sally drive through Radiator Springs.  Would you have felt that emotional connection between the two characters?

We can thank these fellow Pixar composers and collaborators for their great contribution to our beloved Pixar films and shorts; Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino, Thomas Newman, Riders in the Sky, Gipsy Kings and newly welcomed composer Patrick Doyle (Brave).

In this video from Disney Parks Blog, you'll see a great collaboration in the works as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies (a musical/variety group within Disneyland) record three variations of songs that will be used with the Cars Land expansion (Opening June 15, 2012).

Pixar Post - Julie

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Have You Placed Your Bids Yet?

Well, it looks like Pixar Post is out of the running for two of the items we were going to bid on.  The Toy Story 3 Crew Tiki Mug and the beautiful Original Watercolor by Enrico Casarosa for his La Luna storybook.  The price for these items are out of our reach.

But just because we're out now, doesn't mean you have to be!  Check out these great auctions here.

We're still keeping an eye on the 90 min. Pixar Studio Tour with Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi (Art Director Toy Story 3) - What a DREAM come TRUE that would be!

Pixar Post - Julie
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Toy Story Collection Toy Review

The Thinkway Toy Story Collection toys are certainly not newly released, but in order to continue to provide quality content on our site, we took a slew of original photos so you can check them out. In case you haven't heard about this collection before...there are a special set of Toy Story toys that are based on the original 3D renderings and pantone color accuracy as specified by Pixar (including a specialized box with certificate of authenticity).

There have been several releases of these toys, one set in 2008, an additional group in 2010 and a follow-up set in 2011. There have been many, many rumors about which characters are supposed to be released - but the one thing that's certain is that there isn't a good level of communication about these toys. In fact, Lee Unkrich's Twitter page was the first place I saw any of the 2011 set of toys.

Toys from the 2008 collection

• Aliens 3-pack - Shown below
• Bucket O Soldiers - Shown below
• Buzz - Shown below
• Woody - Shown below
• RC - Actively seeking
• Rex - Actively seeking

Toys from the 2010 collection

• Bullseye - Shown below
• Lotso - Shown below
• Buzz with utility belt - Actively seeking
• Jessie - Actively seeking
• Mr. Potato Head - Actively seeking

Toys from the 2011 collection

• Buttercup - Shown below
• Mr. Pricklepants - Shown below
• Dolly - Shown below

The rumors and samples that have been coming up for a while now are

• Big Baby
• Hamm
• Slinky Dog
• Twitch
• Zurg

Notes on the photos - The Toy Story Collection Buzz is placed next to the D23 Buzz for comparison purposes. There is absolutely no similarity of quality between the two versions of Buzz - most noticeably, on the D23 Buzz - his helmet is a cloudier plastic, his face is not as detailed and the voice quality is much lower.

For Mr. Pricklepants (who's had a long journey from London - along with Buttercup), I included the 6" Disney Store version ($8.50) for comparison. This really highlights the differences in the toys - most notably, his snout area seems more squished/undefined, his hair is all one color rather than shades of brown and his buckles are fabric on the Disney Store version.

 

Pixar Post - T.J.

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Artists Help Japan - Group 4 ebay Auction

Artists Help Japan have just released the Group 4 ebay auctions.  This is your chance to bid on great artwork and memorabilia by some of your favorite Pixar artists.

As predicted, Pixar Post correctly broke the news Monday March 26th of items within the Group 4 ebay auction.

These are one of a kind items and you only have one week to place your bids, click here to see these great auctions.

Pixar Post - Julie
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Hindu Stories Illustrated in Pixar Form

I happened to stumble across this incredible article about Pixar lead animator, Sanjay Patel (five Pixar feature films).  The article written by Shawn Saleme of VisualNews.com is filled with Sanjay's backstory and how he expresses himself creativly.

I hope you enjoy "Don't Worry, Ghee Happy: Hindu Stories in Pixar Form" as much as I did.



Hinduism is a fascinating religion that is full of rich stories, many of which have been depicted visually for hundreds of years throughout India. A large number of the Hindu population display pictures of these deities in their homes, such as Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva and Hanuman . Sanjay Patel grew up in a home like this. A lead animator at Pixar Animation studios, he decided to take these well known images and display them in a very different form using the most modern and best tools available. The result? Several successful book publications, good press, and opportunities to display his art in respected art museums.

Sanjay grew up in San Bernadino, California, the son of motel owners. Throughout his childhood, he would work as the front desk receptionist because, at the time, his English was simply better than his parents. While working the sometimes boring job, Sanjay liked to entertain himself by watching good doses of Looney Tunes and other cartoons that were on television. Naturally, while gaining a good amount of animated imagery in his head, he found joy in expressing his creativity through drawing and doodling. It was a solid beginning on his artistic journey, which later saw him being accepted to attend the well respected Cal Arts animation school. He clearly displayed exceptional talent: it was there during his final year that he landed a job working at Pixar Studios.

The highly creative Pixar culture uniquely encourages their employees to explore their own artistic projects. One project that intrigued Sanjay was to dig into his Indian/Hindu roots and show the world some of the vibrant stories through his animation style. His first work, The Little Book of Hindu Deities, was released in 2006, Ramayama-Divine Loophole in 2010 and most recently The Big Book of Hindu Deities was released late last year. All have received excellent reviews. Sanjay says working on these personal projects has helped realize his dreams. He identifies his work as an expression of his true voice and is confident he will continue to do this till the day he dies.

To learn more about Sanjay’s works, visit his website at GheeHappy, or see his latest exhibit in San Francisco: Deities, Demons, and Dudes with ‘Staches: Indian Avatars by Sanjay Patel (running November 11, 2011 – April 22, 2012)



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A big thank you to Shawne Saleme of VisualNews.com for allowing PixarPost.com to post this article. www.shawnsaleme.com  

Pixar Post - Julie
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Disney Brings Merida to the Parks

Merida, Pixar's first leading lady (Though don't let Mrs. Potato head hear that) is soon to be in the Disney parks!  Disney brings the magical Scottish Highlands alive in a new interactive meet and greet setting where guests of all ages will be able to meet this feisty strong willed princess, and who knows there may even be a few bear cubs to greet you there as well.

Disney Parks Blog has stated that Disney World's Magic Kingdom (Florida) will be relocating Rapunzel to Adventureland where she will be able to continue to meet guests as Merida will be moving into the Fairytale Garden.  Merida will invite guests to join her for an archery lesson as well as other fun activities.

In Disneyland (California), Merida will be moving into Fantasyland near "It's a Small World".  Guests will be able to join in some fun activities from the film as well as a meet and greet with Princess Merida.

Merida will debut in both parks in mid-May and I can't wait to meet this new Pixar Princess!

(Photos from Disney Parks Blog)

Pixar Post - Julie

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To the Smithsonian and BEYOND!

In 2008 Buzz Lightyear went somewhere very special - to the International Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.  After his 15 month long journey, Buzz landed safely back on Earth but his journey hasn't stopped there.  Today, that same Buzz toy that actually flew into the Space Station was donated to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum (Washington DC).

John Lasseter officially donated the Buzz at this afternoon's ceremony with a touching speech.

“I started crying when Discovery connected to the International Space Station. There’s a tube that the astronauts go through to get into the space station. They didn’t carry Buzz. They opened his wings, they put his arms out, and Buzz Lightyear flew, in space, himself, up that tube into the International Space Station.”  He later mentioned that, "Today  is, without questions, one of the greatest days of my life."

To read the whole story, head to the Smithsonian's blog.  

I couldn't imagine how amazing that must have been for John - I would have to think that for a moment John felt like he was in space himself.  Truly amazing - congratulations to John and the whole team who worked on Toy Story.

Full presentation video from the Air and Space Museum

Pixar Post - T.J.

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Cars Ultimate Chase Die Cast

Hey Die Cast fans,

Take5aDay has noted a new ultimate chase release die cast car - Memo Rojas Jr. At this point there isn't an official release date, but May seems to be a potential. Based on the comments on the Take5aDay site, the question can still be asked if anyone has actually obtained the first ultimate chase car - do you know anyone who has the first ultimate chase car (Jan "Flash" Nilsson)?

Pixar Post - T.J.
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Andrew Stanton: Clues to a Great Story

Andrew Stanton recently spoke at TED2012, there he explained his personal story in a very unique way.  This is a top Pixar artist/director/writer (a genius mind), and he showed us how to engage an audience, how to invoke emotions and how to tell stories that infuse wonder...we learned all of this, just by listening to his personal story.

This nearly 20 minute video is such a wonderful insight into one of the greatest storytellers at Pixar (and of all time, in our opinion).  With that being said, you must first know that Andrew Stanton is our personal hero, a legend of sorts.  Both Finding Nemo and Wall-e are in heavy rotation in our Blu-Ray (though we're patiently waiting for the Blu-Ray version of Finding Nemo), to us Andrew Stanton is a true artist.

His amazing story telling abilities have made a lasting impression on our hearts, through his seamless animation, character development and flawless lighting/shading techniques , we are captured and left wanting more.  We hope you are too.

Pixar Post - Julie
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Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure

Microsoft and Disney/Pixar have just released a new controller free gaming experience on Xbox Kinect 360.  Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure allows players to enter five Pixar films, which include Toy Story, UP, Ratatouille, The Incredibles and Cars.

Xbox Kinect 360 scans yourself right into the action.  You can become a super spy in Cars, be a robot hero in Toy Story, go on an adventure through Paris in Ratatouille, stop the Omnidroid in The Incredibles and assist Carl as a wilderness explorer in UP.

Since we bought the Nintendo Wii solely for Pixar's Toy Story Mania game, looks like we'll be headed back to the store to buy Xbox Kinect 360 so we too can be immersed into the world of Pixar right from the comfort of our living room.

Here is a video clip of this very innovative game.

Pixar Post - Julie

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Did Someone Say Neon?

Disney Land's addition of Cars Land, not only brings us three great new attractions (Radiator Springs Racers, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree & Luigi's Flying Tires) but it also brings the magic of Radiator Springs to life at night.

Disney has outdone themselves with the recreation of neon signs within Radiator Springs.  It's as if you have just stepped into the Cars film itself.  The imagineers at Disney are truly dedicated to making this Cars Land addition an experience like no other.  In this video, from Disney Parks Blog you will see two of the lead graphics designers explain how their research along the actual Route 66 led to this amazing night time display.

Pixar Post - Julie
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Don't Let Frank Get Yeh!

My favorite place in the entire world is Disney World, with that being said, I've never been to Disney Land.  However, I now might have to change my favorite to Disney Land after the much anticipated Cars Land addition.

I LOVE PIXAR and it seems that Disney Land is really on the ball with adding great Pixar attractions.  Can you believe that on June 15th, we will actually be able to walk down Route 66 into Radiator Springs!  We can have a bite a Flo's V8 cafe, shop at Sarge's and the best part of all, ride on Radiator Springs Racers.

Take a look at this sneak peek video from the Disney Parks Blog.

Pixar Post - Julie

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Monsters University "Imagined" Posters

Pixar fan, Luis Saguar, saw a photo of storyboard artist Jeff Pidgeon wearing a Monsters University shirt on the Pixar Corner blog http://pxrpst.co/GXogpe and decided to do some extra work for Pixar fans. He re-drew the logo and pulled together what he imagined the Monsters University teaser posters would look like. I must say, I think these look great. You can read his full post on his blog here - http://pxrpst.co/HbCHKX, but in case you can't read Portuguese, the translated text is below.

"Almost everyone who knows me knows I'm a fan of Pixar movies and the studio have a particular fondness for Monsters Inc.

Two weeks ago, visiting the Pixar Corner blog, I came across a picture where a staff member wore a T-shirt California studio's production team of Monsters University. As an exercise I decided to redraw the symbol printed on the shirt and make a series ofthree teaser posters for animated film.
The illustrations of the faces of Sully and Mike, realized when Pixar announced the first images of movie production in D23 Expo, held in August 2011.

The result of this exercise, I decided to post here. Hope you enjoy.

Take this opportunity to thank the dear Melissa Mattos (hermana battle) and DanielaJost who helped me with the correct translation of the slogan that I decided to adapt the first film. =) Gracias, chicas! =]
I would like to emphasize that this is just an exercise of a fan of the movie and the studio and that this work has no commercial character. The brands and charactersdepicted herein are the property of estúcios Disney / Pixar.

Hugs to all! And that 2013 will come soon! And along with it Monsters University!"


T.J. - Pixar Post
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Congratulations Pixarians

Pixar Post would like to congratulate all the amazingly talented individuals at Pixar who were recently recognized this month for their dedication of work for 10-plus to 20-plus years.  We as consumers and fans of your work realize the time that you must give up from your personal lives to produce such works of art...and for that we thank you.

Employees or Pixarians who have been with the company for 10-plus years receive a bronze Buzz statue and employees who have been with Pixar for 20-plus years receive a bronze Woody statue. 

With Pixar's 30th Anniversary looming just around the corner, albeit a few years, I can only imagine what that statue might look like.  I'm picturing a gilded Pizza Planet truck statue! 

Pixar Post - Julie

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One of Pixar’s Great Visionaries

John Lasseter is to Pixar as milk is to cookies; they are one in the same.  John Lasseter and his creative genius team at Pixar have carved a path of their own in the animation world, a path to me, that’s one worth taking.

John Lasseter is not only an animator, film director and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, but he is also the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.  In other words, my dream job!

After being an animator with The Walt Disney Company, John next joined Lucasfilm where he worked on what was then groundbreaking CGI animation.  Once Lucasfilm was sold to Steve Jobs in 1986, now becoming Pixar, John was in charge of overseeing all of Pixar’s films as well as associated projects becoming an executive producer as well as director.

Pixar would not be the same without the visionary that is John Lasseter. 

Pixar Post - Julie

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La Luna clip

I can't seem to hide my excitement regarding this Pixar short, "La Luna".  After watching this short, yet engaging clip, I am already attached to the character Bambino.   Writer and Director Enrico Casarosa and his team have already exceeding my expectations with this clip and cannot wait to see "La Luna" in it's entirety. 

Pixar Post - Julie

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BREAKING - Artists Help Japan Early Auction Preview

Breaking news from Pixar Post - we believe we have found a sneak peak of the next round of Pixar exclusive merchandise and art that will be posted to eBay in support of Artists Help Japan (http://pxrpst.co/GRt15j) - AND it includes an auction to tour Pixar Studios in California.  Since the last two weeks of auctions have started on Wednesday evening, we could assume that this weeks auctions will also start this Wednesday on 03/26.  Below is a screenshot of what we believe will be the next round of posts on eBay.

Click the image to expand it full-size.  Obviously the most anticipated auction will be the first one on the list would be the tour of Pixar Studios in California lead by non-other than the amazing Dice Tsutsumi.  Don't forget to watch these auctions on eBay and good luck bidding.  In case you haven't paid attention, the last round of auctions ended with very successful number (as they should have since this supports a charity).  Below is a screenshot (click to enlarge) of the first round (not a complete list) of auctions and what the final prices were.

So if this list does come true and lists on Wednesday - what would you bid on - enter your thoughts below. 

For more up to date Pixar news, please Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Bookmark this website page to follow our posts as we release more great Pixar info!

Pixar Post - T.J.

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Artists Help Japan

Have you ever wanted to own your own piece of Pixar?  If so, check out Artists Help Japan on ebay, pxrpst.co/GRt15j

You can find great Pixar memorabilia autographed by your favorite Pixar artists, directors and writers.  With new items each week.

Speaking of new items, Pixar writer/director Enrico Casarosa of "La Luna" tweeted on March 24: @sketchcrawl- "A 'meeting sketch', done while working yesterday...will be auctioned for Artists Help Japan this coming week."

Enrico Casarosa's sketches are highly sought after, click here to see one of his latest sketches that recently sold on ebay.  I'm just excited that we all have another chance at a great piece of art from a talented Pixar artist.

Artists Help Japan states that all auctions end April 3rd, 2012.  Happy Bidding!

Pixar Post - Julie

To the Moon

Of all the Pixar shorts that have been released in the past, I am most excited about the release of "La Luna".  From the still images, sketches and clips I've seen of this magical Pixar short, "La Luna" will not disappoint.

As IMDB reports, La Luna is a fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances.  His Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work for the first time.  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.  

"La Luna" will be released with Pixar's 13th Feature Film "Brave" on June 22nd, 2012 and I can guarantee that I'll be the first in line!

Pixar Post - Julie
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Welcome

Welcome to Pixar Post, a new website/blog geared towards the latest happenings, reviews, Imagineering ideas and more - presented by the husband and wife team of T.J. & Julie.

We hope you come to enjoy our clean layout and the information we present.  We'll keep this a positive environment to read all about the greatest (in our opinion) animation studio.  So, please come back often and read about a wealth of topics, including:

• Pixar happenings
• Reviews of books, toys, movies, shorts and more
• Special section on the die cast cars of Pixar (since T.J. is an avid collector)
• Special section for Julie's Imagineering ideas within the Disney World / Land theme parks (she has some great ideas to integrate Pixar even more)
• Plus, many more ideas to expand our ideas as our audience grows

Thank you again for coming and we will talk with you soon - drop us a line with any questions or comments you may have.

Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie