This is just too cool not to share with you all, and I hope you pardon my indulgence. I know I should look at this cynically as yet another piece of ridiculous movie marketing, but I don't want to. My grasp on reality is officially slipping (or I've regressed into a five-year-old), because my cynicism has melted, and I am now convinced Wall-E exists. There is video proof. He is real.
My life will be forever incomplete because I want one for my very own. I want him to wheel around my house and chirp at me. Thanks, Disney/Pixar -- I will never be happy again. (It does make you wonder what happens to things like this. Seriously, Disney, if you need a home for one, call me. I will treasure him forever.)
Maybe you're completely sick of all things Wall·E, but I'm not. He's like candy, only without the bad side effects. Every video clip that comes across the Internet, I watch it. And post it. I like that they are just bits of character work and giving nothing away.
I think this one is better than the magnet one posted last week, if only for the blissful shot of Wall·E wheeling away in the hula hoop, whistling like Artoo the whole time.
After a weekend of reading and writing things New York ComicCon, I can't help but think "Hooray! Pixar!" with this. If you're craving some Wall-E, Disney has you covered this week with a little clip entitled "Wall-E vs the Magnet." No plot spoilers, no extra details, it's just Wall-E in all his adorableness. Watch the clip here.
I wish I could understand how Pixar managed to make a character so instantly endearing. The movie could completely let me down, but I will still be all melty and sniffly at the sight of his limpid eyes. He just strikes such pity -- and in this new clip, it is because he seems so high strung. Life seems very dramatic for this robot -- and he's definitely the brother of R2-D2. Listen to his beeps! (They share the same father, Ben Burtt, or at least in the sound effect sense.)
Incidentally, I didn't realize what a voice cast this had. I knew Fred Willard was in it, but Sigourney Weaver? Wouldnit be cool if this movie was full of sci-fi nods? It probably isn't but seeing Ripley pop up in anything outer space related is always cool.
There are spies everywhere! There was a Pixar: 20 Years of Animation exhibit in Finland, and it was chock full of pictures from the upcoming Wall·E. They are all collected over at ComingSoon.net, and the only reason I picked this one is that fantastic photo of Wall·E's eyes in the middle, on the far right.
Even Finland has better film exhibits than my home town. What the hell? I'd love to see a Pixar exhibit.
Anyway, enjoy all the photos of Wall·E's world. There's no spoilers as far as I can tell, just a glimpse of the incredible detail that we expect from our favorite animation studio. I cannot wait to see this movie, and there isn't a soul I know who isn't bewitched by it. Wall· E opens on June 27th, at which point we will enjoy world peace as we all bond together in our love for a robot. It could happen!
I am almost totally caught up on the films of 2007. The only major awards contender I haven't seen yet is Pixar's Ratatouille. Damn you Netflix and your "Very Long Wait" status! I've heard great things though, and now I've got an added reason to check out the DVD. Over at JimHillmedia, a Disney-focused news site, a reader wrote in: "Can you please help me win a bet at work? A co-worker of mine says that WALL-E makes a brief cameo appearance in Ratatouille. More importantly, this guy has bet me $100 that I'll never ever be able to find that robot in this movie." (WALL-E is the title character of Pixar's next film -- WALL-E.) The post answers that question and adds a really neat compilation of lots of the "cameos," in-jokes, and easter eggs in Pixar shorts and features.
It seems there are all kinds of callbacks and interconnections in the Pixar universe, and you fans of the films should definitely check out the site. It will help you watch the movies with fresh eyes. Some of the crossovers are very fast and will require a pause button. For example, the birds from the Pixar short "For the Birds" appear in Cars...for a tenth of a second. Others are much easier to spot. Look carefully at those toys in Monsters, Inc. and you'll see some old friends. A boy at the dentist in Finding Nemo is reading an Incredibles comic. And did you know that a "Pizza Planet" truck drives through each and every Pixar feature? Oh, and by the way, it sounds like that guy who wrote in to the site was duped. if you want to find WALL-E, he's not in Ratatouille, just the disc's special features. Rats!
Sure, exploring bold new frontiers of cinema is important , but there's a lot to be said for seeking solace in a known quantity. That's why after a long day I'll throw Clerks into the DVD player for the umpteenth time, or maybe give Superman another spin. Sometimes you just want to deal with something you know, know what I'm saying? This week's quintet of trailerly goodness takes a peek at films with a comforting sense of familiarity.
Saw IV Hey, it's another Saw sequel! Personally, I do not get a warm sense of recognition from this, but obviously some people do since there's been a new entry in the franchise every Halloween since it all started back in 2004. There's a new trailer (in glorious HD!) that shows off a little more footage than the domestic theatrical teaser I mentioned a few weeks ago. The villainous Jigsaw does the voice over, despite looking pretty dead when he's seen onscreen. There's also a cluster of quick cuts that will leave your head spinning. This one's not for me, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it.
Semi-Pro Hey, it's that guy from Elf, Talledega Nights and Blades of Glory, and -- holy crap -- he's naked. Will Ferrell bares nearly all in this teaser for his new movie about pro basketball in the 1970s. It's hard to form an opinion based on less than a minute of footage that doesn't look like it will even be in the final film, but it looks like Ferrell is doing what he's become known for, and that usually makes me laugh.
When you're dealing with a lovable robot, aimed to woo kids and adults alike, you might as well tug on the hearts of nostalgia as well. Pixar's upcoming robot movie, Wall•E ("Wally") has now got a teaser poster, which Upcoming Pixar has shared. Does it look familiar? There's definitely a little Short Circuit going on there, and something else, which I can't, for the life of me, think of right now. But aside from just the look of the new teaser poster, there's also Wall•E himself, who looks like a smushed version of Number 5.
According to the teaser trailer, which is mostly exposition with only a little peek at the robot, the idea came together during a brainstorming session years ago, when the creators came up with A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc., and Finding Nemo. (They best get brainstorming again if this is their last!) So, it seems this little flick is about a robot who has been working for many years, but discovers his true calling much later in his metal life. Considering the fact that this is a robot romance, and he meets a cute robot named Eve, do they learn how to get it on and make robot babies -- the next form of evolution? Who knows? Whatever the case might be, we'll find out next year. Wall•E is scheduled to hit theaters on June 27, 2008.
Its still Saturday and I'm still in the spacious and oddly cold Hall H. I have to say that in all my years coming to the Con I have never had the experience of being cold. Walking from the hotel to the Con, waiting in line at the bathroom, to wondering the exhibit hall, I've usually been hot, sometimes sweaty, but never cold. New one on me and a trend I don't mind continuing. I don't like being hot.
Anyway, this time around I'm in Hall H or the Disney / Pixar presentation where they are going to talk about two of their biggest upcoming projects. No, its not another Pirate's film. Instead, the folks from the Mouse house are here to showcase The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and a Pixar film called Wall E.
Regarding Narnia, Kevin already let you know one of the big announcements from today. But in case you didn't see it or don't feel like clicking, I'll tell you again. Disney and Walden Media announced they intend to make all seven books of the Chronicles as films and release one each May for your viewing pleasure. So, if you're a fan of the books and films that's gotta be pretty great news. That announcement, although pretty exciting, didn't come at the beginning of the presentation, so let's back up and start there.
First up was some of the creative team from the film, including effects supervisor Richard Taylor from WETA Workshop and creature effects creator Howard Berger. They were also joined, via satellite from Prague, by director Andrew Adamson, who proclaimed "Welcome back to Narnia" and Prince Caspian himself, actor Ben Barnes. Then, it was on to a clip showing a pre-viz animatic from the movie.
After a weekend of reading and writing things New York ComicCon, I can't help but think "Hooray! Pixar!" with this. If you're craving some Wall-E, Disney has you covered this week with a little clip entitled "Wall-E vs the Magnet." No plot spoilers, no extra details, it's just Wall-E in all his adorableness. _thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
I am almost totally caught up on the films of 2007. The only major awards contender I haven't seen yet is Pixar's 
When you're dealing with a lovable robot, aimed to woo kids and adults alike, you might as well tug on the hearts of nostalgia as well. Pixar's upcoming robot movie, 
Insert Caption: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian_thumbnail.jpg)
SCOOP: Spider-Man 4 and 5 Might be Shot at the Same Time!
Cinematical Seven: Disney's Awesome Live-Action Kid Adventures
