D23 Expo: Pixar’s Brave And Other Announcements
Saturday at Disney’s D23 Expo was a big day indeed, as I have already written about The Avengers, which is an event within itself. This whole film presentation was a part of the D23 Arena panel, titled “Building Worlds: Inside the Walt Disney Studios,” which was a way for Disney to bring out the various cast and crew members involved in all of their upcoming films and show new footage. Among those was a large look at what is next for Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar Chief John Lasseter was on hand during this portion to present all of the upcoming Pixar projects, with appearances by those involved as well as a special sneak peak at some of these upcoming titles. Hearing not only about what is the next Pixar film, but getting a look at projects up to 3 years away in advance was certainly something special. Read on to learn more about what is in the future for the films of Pixar.
The first presentation was all about Brave, the upcoming ancient adventure epic, featuring Pixar’s first female lead character as well as period setting. Directors Mark Andrews (wearing a kilt) and Brenda Chapman were on hand to present some new behind the scenes footage and a full scene (though not completely finished) from the film. The directors were then joined by stars Kelly Macdonald and Kevin McKidd on stage, who were proud to be a part of a new Pixar feature film. While I am already a huge Pixar fan, I was happy to see just a small peak at what looks to be a very strong and ambitious entry into their film catalogue.
Disney’s Synopsis of Brave:
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 (Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts. Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (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 (Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (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.
Brave was written by Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi and is directed by Chapman and Mark Andrews. The film is scheduled for release on June 22, 2012.
Next up was a very small look at the prequel to Monsters, Inc. Director Dan Scanlon was on hand to show off the new designs for Mike and Sulley in their college years, as well as announce some of the returning actors and newest additions for the voice cast. Audiences then got to see a video featuring John Goodman and Billy Crystal, explaining how thrilled they were to be returning as these characters, only to then have Crystal enter onto the actual stage and explain in person how excited he was. I know there are a lot of people who really fell in love with the original Monsters, Inc. and the characters in that film, so I can only hope that they will come to love this newest entry into that world as well.
News thus far about Monsters University:
Monsters University will be a prequel, which focuses on Sulley and Mike’s studies at the University of Fear, where they start off as rivals but soon become best friends. The feature will be directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae. It was also announced that John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi will be reprising their roles. New voice cast includes Dave Foley, Julia Sweeney, Joel Murray and Peter Sohn. Monsters University will be released June 21st, 2013.
The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs
Very little information was given about the Pixar film set to come out after Monsters University, but an intriguing enough setup was given:
What if that life-changing asteroid missed Earth? Director Bob Peterson’s hilarious tale depicts a world where dinosaurs never went extinct.
The film does not have a title yet, but it does have quite the interesting setup for a premise. The film is being directed by Bob Peterson and Peter Sohn, and is scheduled for release on November 27, 2013
The Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside the Mind
Just as little information was given about the 2014 Pixar film as well:
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 and 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. The film is scheduled for release on May 30, 2014.
While Brave was certainly the film I was anticipating to see new footage of, I was very pleased with this presentation of all the future Pixar films. There was a lot to chew on here, with some really interesting ideas and creative talent involved for their upcoming projects. As the presentation was ending, John Lasseter did have one more surprise as well. As Pixar is celebrating its 25th year as an animation studio, life-size Buzz and Woody characters appeared on stage with a large cake for all of the Pixar crew and directors who were currently on stage as well. Lasseter then proclaimed that he should always have enough for everyone, which was followed by the announcement, “Cupcakes for everyone!” Teams of people then entered the floor, with boxed of cupcakes for the massive D23 Arena audience. It was a nice and tasty way for Pixar to end their pretty spectacular presentation.
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