Pixar’s president, Jim Morris, was in town last week for an in-depth Q&A and too the opportunity to preview some of the studio’s upcoming works and also offer me a glimpse of my future’s financial status, and guess what? My bank balance couldn’t possibly get any lower.
(Any kind souls willing to fund my cinema outings feel free to contact me for donations!)
[Editor’s Note: We at JustSaying.Asia do not condone solicitation of any kind.]
Related: Pixar’s Inside Out Makes You Feel Them Feelings!
So anyway, I’ve picked out five reasons Pixar is going to leave me homeless.
[divider]The Good Dinosaur[/divider]
This movie will boost tissue sales with a dino-sized feels trip. In an alternate reality where dinosaurs never ended up extinct, the movie follows Arlo, an Apatosaurus, who is finding his way back to home in the Claw-Toothed mountains after an accident gets him lost in unknown territory. On his way back, he befriends Spot, a human boy from the wild. One of the previewed scenes explored the bond between Spot and Arlo, doing so with no more than five lines of dialogue.
And boy, oh boy! It was good! Really people, may the feels be with you!
On the note of visual storytelling, we were shown some of the final renders of the movie and it blew our minds. As much as we all can agree Toy Story had graphics way ahead of its time, technology has taken another step forward into creating even more realistic settings for animated movies. I am not kidding when I initially thought the renders were actually reference photographs they have been using. It’s just a while more before animation is going to look exactly like real life, but this is already amazingly close.
The Good Dinosaur opens in cinemas November 26 2015 in Singapore.
[divider]Finding Dory[/divider]
“Fish are friends, not food!” Well these friends sure took their time but they are back with the long awaited sequel to Finding Nemo (2003).
Six months after the events of Finding Nemo, Dory now lives with Marlin and his son. However, the ever-forgetful Dory has a sudden recollection of her childhood and sets of on an adventure, with the clownfish duo, to find her long-lost parents.
Ellen DeGeneres has reprises her role as Dory and so has Albert Brooks (Marlin). Unfortunately, due to nature’s ways, Alexander Gould’s post-pubescent voice wasn’t right for the role and Pixar reeled in (HA, pun!) Hayden Rolence as Nemo, who amazingly sounds just like his predecessor.
Along with them is a star-studded voice cast of Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy as Dory’s parents, Kaitlin Olson and even Idris Elba. Also, for you Modern Family fans out there, Ed O’Neill (Jay Pritchett) and Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy) voice Hank, the octopus, and Bailey, a beluga whale, respectively. (Can’t wait to see what modern chemistry that duo will bring to the film!)
Having watched some of the voice and animation tests of the characters, I am really, eager to watch the film and may end up re-watching Finding Nemo every month till the film is out. With such a strong cast and more than a decade of yearning, Finding Dory shows lots of promise and guarantees its place in the biggest releases of next year!
Finding Dory is scheduled for a June 17 2016 release.
[divider]Coco[/divider]
Pixar is looking to cross the border down south to Mexico for their upcoming project. Coco is the story of a young Mexican boy set in the midst of the Mexican festival Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos).
Dia de Muertos is a mid-autumn holiday for Mexicans to honour the dead. Rituals include decorating graves of loved ones with flowers, cooking their favourite food and building altars and shrines in their homes. Kinda like the Hungry Ghost Month but in Mexico.
We were shown an early animation test for the film, which on its own looks epic. The backdrop of the festival promises the contrast of an explosion of colours on something as dark as the topic of death and the afterlife. Even then, we see the traditional Pixar touch of humor, ensuring the film caters to the young and matured alike. The film also marks Pixar exploring other cultures, entering them into a bigger bowl of potential stories.
Let’s see where that brings us!
Coco is expected to be out November 22 2017.
[divider]Toy Story 4[/divider]
They are not done with this story yet, folks! You’ve still got a friend in them.
Pixar has announced that Toy Story 4 is indeed currently in the making. However, rather than being a direct sequel to Toy Story 3, they will be taking things in a slightly fresh direction by focusing on Woody’s and Bo Peep’s romantic relationship—a very side plot since the first movie.
Apparently, after Toy Story 3, the original creative team had made a vow not to make a sequel as they felt they had ended the toys’ story beautifully and were not looking to spoil it. So, they promised not to do another unless someone had a story idea that was irresistible. And it seems like they have found one with John Lasseter (Toy Story and Toy Story 2) returning to direct it, and Tim Allen and Tom Hanks following suit to reprise their roles as Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody respectively.
Add in the talent of Parks and Recreations‘ Rashida Jones on the writing team and I honestly cannot find one reason not to be excited for this film.
Toy Story 4 is expected to release mid-2017.
[divider]The Incredibles 2[/divider]
Okay! Okay! They did not mention much of this during the event but, hey, there is absolutely no way I would ignore this!
A decade after the family of superheroes teamed up to save a world that “did not need superheroes”, Pixar announced the commencement of production for the sequel. Forget Metroville, this Earth needs these superheroes and we need them NOW!
Director Brad Bird announced that he had begun writing the script for The Incredibles 2 earlier this year and confirmed that he was to direct this film after Tomorrowland. Sao Paulo Disney Expo slated the release of the film in 2019, 15 years after the original. Following the success of The Incredibles, I am super stoked to see who the new villain is and whether the family will discover Jack-Jack’s extraordinary powers. The Incredibles 2 is likely to be one of Pixar’s most awaited films.
With advancements in technology, the sequels to the classic hits, and new pastures to be explored, Pixar is proving that it is truly out-of-this-world.
Now, look through that list again and try telling me I’m not going to face a financial crisis. Thank you, Pixar.