Pixar's UP! wins two Golden Globes Awards !

The U.S Awards season begins well for UP! as Pixar's animated movie won tonight two Golden Globes award at the 67th Golden Globes - the awards event of Hollywood foreign press association.

The first Golden Globe was for "best animated feature film" and the second one, for "best score", was won by Michael Giacchino for his music score for UP!

It's interesting to note that both Princess and the Frog, nominated for "best animated feature film", and James Horner in the "best score" section for his score for Avatar didn't won.

UP! on front pages !

Pixar's UP! is on the front page of two magazines! First one above is a full cover advertising on Variety and it's part of the Disney-Pixar campaign for a best picture and best animated picture nomination.

The second cover was for the recently released issue of the Hear the World Magazine, the magazine of hearing aid maker Phonak's hearing loss awareness initiative. Carl Fredricksen is the first fictional person to ever appear on the magazine's cover.



Pictures: copyright Disney-Pixar , variety and hear the World Magazine

New Pixar short animated " Dug's Special Mission "

"Dug's special mission" is the new Pixar short animated that you will find in the UP! DVD and Blu-Ray editions. The DVD was released last week in the U.S but in Europe or Asia, we'll have to wait at least three more months before its release.

The action of this new and funny short animated takes place in the movie, just before Carl and Russel meet Dug for the first time.

Internet being what it is, some people have already uploaded it on a kind of Youtube-from-another-planet and here is the link below. "Dug's special mission" is not my favorite Pixar short, but there is some fun parts in it, beginning of course by Dug himself. Have a look by yourself, you can watch it HERE.

Picture: copyright Disney-Pixar

UP! Video Game review

Designed by THQ the UP! video game is now available in a french version for MAC users - and it's of course also available in a Windows version. The game was released in May in the U.S but is now released in France as the movie open in french theatres last week. As i didn't talk about it before, this give me a good opportunity to do an article on this game with quite good graphics.



The Up video game will take players on an exotic adventure with Carl Fredricksen and his young sidekick, Wilderness Explorer Russell, as they set off on a wild journey through the undiscovered jungles of South America. Players will be able to experience all four main characters from the movie - Carl, Russell, Dug the lovable dog or Kevin the prehistoric bird - while playing as a single-player or with a friend cooperatively throughout the entire game. Players will encounter exciting, new environments as they navigate through treacherous jungle terrains, battle dangerous creatures and trek the slippery slopes of the Amazonian Tepuis. In addition, the game also features multi-player game modes, including an epic level that will allow up to four players to compete in aerial combat.



You'll see below a very good quality video review. One last thing: apparently, if you have kids, the game may be a little difficult for kids under 10. Price for European MAC or PC is version is 29.99 euros. Also available for Playstation, PSP, etc...




Pictures: copyright Pixar - THQ

John Lasseter answers to fans questions with videos

Pixar fans were asked what questions they would ask John Lasseter if they were able to attend Comic-Con. And a few lucky fans had their questions chosen and answered by John himself. New videos of John Lasseter answering questions of the fans appeared recently, and here they are.

This first video will delight Jungle Cruise fans as John answers to the question: "What was your favorite joke you told on the Jungle Cruise" (when he was a Jungle Cruise skipper).

What was your favorite original joke you told on the Jungle
envoyé par disneypixar. - Les dernières bandes annonces en ligne.

In this next video, John Lasseter explain "What's the secret to bring inanimate objects to life?".

John Lasseter Q&A Bringing inanimate objects to life
envoyé par disneypixar. - Rencontrez plus de personnalités du web.

In this third video, John answer the question: "Why did the movie UP! have such a serious beginning?"

John Lasseter Answers your questions: Why so serious?
envoyé par disneypixar. - Les dernières bandes annonces en ligne.

Apparently, new videos will be posted regularly, so keep a look at Pixar's page on Facebook or Daily Motion. And enjoy!


Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

Videos: copyright Pixar

UP! box-office is flying hiiiiigh !

Believe it or not, but UP! is on its way to become not only one of the highest grossing Pixar movie but ALSO one of the highest grossing Disney movie of all time!!!

With $264 Millions UP! box-office rise above the B.O of: A Bug's life ($162 M), Toy Story ($191 M), Ratatouille ($206 M), Wall-E ($223 M), Cars ($244 M), Toy Story 2 ($245 M), Monsters Inc ($255 M) and The Incredibles ($261 M)! The only Pixar movie with a bigger box-office is Finding Nemo with $339 millions.

Also, UP! already did better than ANY Disney movie of the "new animation era", i.e since The Little Mermaid. Yep, better than Aladdin, Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, and all the others except the Lion King who did $312 M.

Incredible, isn't it! And, considering that UP! was released only five weeks ago, we can reasonably think that UP! may do better than Nemo or The Lion King. With $339 M and all the upcoming summer blockbusters (Harry Potter, etc...) Nemo record may be hard to beat, but i wouldn't be surprised if UP! finally beat the $312 M of The Lion King.

Now, remember all these "prophets" who keep saying some weeks ago that with such a story (old man, etc...) UP! could be Pixar first failure? And not to mention toy manufacturer Thinkway who decided to don't produce ANY toy inspired by UP!
What a clear vision these guys have! Congratulations, folks! Next year, please keep for you any prophecy to avoid being ridiculous!

Anyway, i'm curious to see how long UP! will keep flying high, and of course i send my best congratulations (and without irony, this time) to Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, John Lasseter, and everybody at Pixar who worked on this wonderful movie!

Picture: copyright Disney Pixar

UP! Review !

I know you've all read UP! reviews on any Disney fan web site, but in France the movie won't be released before July 29. I had the opportunity to see it two days ago, and so here is my review. And also a rare picture above, not from the movie.



Almost all the reviews of the movie are good, and there is a good reason for that: UP! is a new Pixar wonder! It's a wonderful movie, really. Pete Docter said recently that he was proud of the editing at the beginning of the movie of the scenes showing the meeting and the life of Carl and Ellie, and he can indeed be proud as it is simply perfect...



All the movie is perfect, in fact. Great characters and story telling, and the movie goes from one kind of emotion to another. The animals characters whether it's Kevin the female bird or the talking dogs are simply hilarious. And the action scenes are brilliantly edited. I don't want to tell too much about the story itself to my Europeans readers as the movie is not released yet in most European countries, but all i can say is this: expect something different than the others Pixar animated movies and you won't be disappointed.



You know that Pixar animators are huge fans of the work of Hayao Miyazaki, and after i saw UP! i thought that, of all the Pixar movies, UP! was the closer of Miyazaki's world. I won't be surprised if it was an unofficial tribute to him. By the way, John Lasseter himself was in Japan last week, for a visit at Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli...



Just before UP!, i saw "Partly Cloudy" the short animated movie, and it's also wonderful. There, too, it's totally different from the previous one, "Presto", but it's a delightful little short, now available in HD on the U.S ITunes Store...or see it eventually on Youtube.



Finally, i want to add that i saw UP! in 2D, not in 3D so i can't make any comments on the 3D effects, but, from what i've heard the 3D effects are subtle. Anyway, whether you can see it in 2D or 3D , don't miss it as, really, frankly, UP! is a wonderful movie and i won't be surprised if UP! receives next year the Best Animated Picture Academy Award, as it fully deserves it!

All pictures: copyright Disney-Pixar

High-Res Pictures of " Partly Cloudy "

Pixar released a series of high-res pictures of the awaited "Partly Cloudy".

I remember you the synopsis of this lovely short animated film : "Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the babies from? The answer lies up in the stratosphere, where cloud people sculpt babies from clouds and bring them to life. Gus, a lonely and insecure grey cloud, is a master at creating ‘dangerous’ babies. Crocodiles, porcupines, rams and more—Gus’s beloved creations are works of art, but more than a handful for his loyal delivery stork partner, Peck. As Gus’s creations become more and more rambunctious, Peck’s job gets harder and harder. How will Peck manage to handle both his hazardous cargo and his friend’s fiery temperament?"








All pictures: copyright Disney-Pixar

UP! Production Featurette !

A very interesting "behind the scenes" UP! Production featurette has been released. From concept-art to storyboards to animation, voice acting and music, the featurette show different stages of UP! production.

The 15 minutes long video is here in three parts, and please beware of possible spoilers!
















Hat Tip to IESB.

Video: copyright Disney-Pixar

New UP! clip " Pursuit " !

And one more clip from UP!, one! As you will see the UP! scene of this one is not as contemplative as yesterday's clip... Okay, action!



Picture and video: copyright Pixar

UP! Characters now at Disney's Hollywood Studios !

At WDW, UP!Characters made a surprise visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios yesterday. The three characters Russell, Carl Fredricksen, and Dug the dog pose in front of the park's Sorcerer Hat icon but beginning May 15, they will will make regular meet-and-greet appearances for guests inside DHS "Magic of Disney Animation" attraction!



Pictures: copyright Disney

New UP! UPisode : " Snipe Trap "

Disney-Pixar released a new "UPisode" of UP! called "Snipe Trap", and it's a VERY funny one!

Enjoy it!



Youtube video: copyright Disney Pixar

New UP! " Discovering a new world " featurette

A new UP! featurette was released by Pixar, and this is one is very interesting as it shows Pixar animators on their trip to South america - on the REAL location that inspired the South american scenes in the movie - where they did sketches and find inspiration to recreate this jungle and "table mountains" universe in UP!

Have a look below - there is plenty of new shots from the movie - and enjoy it!

The new UP! web site is now on line...and is great !

The new UP! web site is on line, and the different sections are great. Each of them begin with a few seconds of animation, beginning by the home page with Carl's house flying over South America mountains and Carl and Russell walking in the jungle...



The characters page introduce all the main characters on a "panoramic" view...



And then each of them - always with a few seconds of animation - have his own bio introducing the character, whether it's Carl or Russell...




Or Dug the dog and Kevin the bird...




Or the three dangerous dogs Alpha, Gamma and Beta.




In the video section you can of course watch trailers, tv-ads, clips, etc...all this in high-def. And the private screening is inside Carl Fredricksen home!



The "about the film" section is pretty cool too as the story line is written inside an "old book"...



There is many other sections:"Videos", "Downloads" , "Gallery" or "Games" where you can play to Kevin's "Chocogobble"...



...and more with a "wallpaper" section with wallpapers for each UP! character.



Have a look to this great UP! web site, it's on Disney.com right HERE !

All pictures: copyright Disney-Pixar

Pixar release three new posters for UP !

UP! will be in theatres in three months and new posters were released recently showing the two main characters and also Dug the dog. Here they are!





Pictures: copyright Pixar

" Art of UP ! " book cover reveals new " UP ! " characters

The new "Art of UP!" book is now on sale on Amazon.com. The coffee table book written by Tim Hauser will be released only on May 13 by Chronicle Books, but the book cover who was put on line on Chronicle Books web site last week reveals a bit more about this Pixar "mystery movie".

I say "mystery movie" because we must admit that we don't know a lot about it, except this synopsis from the official "UP!" web site...




...or this sneak-peek video presented by UP! director Pete Docter.



And until know, that's all what we knew about the storyline and "UP!" characters. And then arrived this "Art of" book and its cover - which, by the way, was removed from both Chronicle Books and Amazon web sites ( the cover only, the book is still on pre-order sale ). And what can we see on it, if we have a closer look? Two others "UP!" characters! A dog and a bird. Well, let me introduce them by their names as they are called Dug the talking dog and Kevin the female bird. We also know that the villain's name is Muntz, but no image of him available yet.



What Dug the dog and Kevin the bird are exactly doing in the movie is another story that we don't know yet, but be sure i'll let you know as soon as I know more...although this may take some months as the secret around this movie is well kept by Pixar.

The "Art of UP!" book includes 250 full color illustrations from production and development and a foreword from Pete Docter.
You can order it now at special price - $26.40 instead of $40 - on the Disney and more Amazon store



Talking about "UP!", Disney released last month a new clip from the movie. For those of you who may have missed it, here it is below!



Let's end with two other images. The first one was previously released by Entertainment Weekly...



And this next one showing also Carl and Russell in South America on the Empire web site.



Artwork and videos: copyright Disney-Pixar

Book cover: copyright Chronicle Books and Pixar