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Today’s Apple presentation was no exception to "the Pixar rule."

It’s become somewhat of a tradition. Steve Jobs shows of his latest gadgets, and among other films, the latest from Pixar is used as an example of the product’s quality.

The new devices in question are the 2010 incarnations of the iPod touch and Apple TV. Toy Story 3 (now up for pre-order on the iTunes store) is seen above in publicity stills demonstrating features such as AirPlay and the Retina display.

Although it will be considerably less talked about, the most important innovation from today’s presentation (as far as Pixar is concerned) is the enhanced Apple TV. In my opinion, this is the future of how we rent movies. Just think about how many people can "discover" often overlooked films like A Bug’s Life with just a click of a button.

This kind of synergy proves once again that when you’ve got the best consumer electronics, you can’t settle for any less than Pixar perfect. After all, the company’s relationship with Jobs spans over two decades.

Note: This post is not meant to be proper coverage of Apple’s recent event. For more details on all of the latest products, don’t hesistate to visit Apple’s site.

Your thoughts?

By the end of the day, Toy Story 3 is set to cross the coveted $1 billion dollar mark at the worldwide box-office!

It’s safe to say that we’ve all been anticipating this moment since the film made its debut last June. Pixar’s 11th now joins an elite group of only seven films that have been able to achieve this kind of legendary status.

It goes without saying that Toy Story 3 is also the highest grossing animated film of all time and the first to surpass a billion dollars! Buzz and Woody currently claim about $404 million in North America and a little under $600 million internationally. With that said, we’re still counting!

The folks at corporate also have another great reason to celebrate… other than the insane amount of money. Because of Alice in Wonderland‘s recent success, The Walt Disney Studios is now the only entity with two films that have grossed over a billion dollars in the same year.

A huge congratulations goes out to Lee Unkrich and his uber talented team!

PBS recently aired a profile on Pixar animator Sanjay Patel including a special look inside the Emeryville campus.

During the interview, Patel demonstrates his work in (and out of) the studio — from Cars Toons to stylized retellings of Hindu folklore. His early struggle to find an artistic "voice" makes for an all around inspiring segment:



Sanjay Patel has been an animator at Pixar since the production of A Bug’s Life. His personal works, including the recently released Ramayana: Divine Loophole (which I highly recommend), are heavily influenced by Indian culture.

Your thoughts?

(via Cartoon Brew)

After almost four decades as a loyal sponsor, The Walt Disney Company has withdrawn from the Annie Awards and ASIFA, its parent organization.

Today’s announcement comes from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios President Ed Catmull: "We believe there is an issue with the way the Annies are judged, and have been seeking a mutually agreeable solution with the board."

Concerns arose due to ASIFA’s questionable policy; anyone can get a membership, and in turn, could skew the vote in what is meant to be a representation of the animation community’s views. In other words, the Annies are not truly an industry award because they can be easily bought out.

To avoid controversy, we won’t directly mention DreamWorks’ policies related to the Annies. This also means that we won’t be covering the 38th annual ceremony as it is unlikely that Toy Story 3 will be eligible to compete.

Should Disney/Pixar have withdrawn from the Annies?

(via Variety)

Directing Day & Night was only part of the job for Teddy Newton.

At the same time, the multi-talented Pixarian was sketching and planning for the accompanying storybook. Go behind the scenes and into Newton’s mind in the latest video from Chronicle Books:



Day & Night is available now from Chronicle Books. You can order your copy directly from the publisher or through Amazon.com for SRP $14.99.

Your thoughts?

Toy Story 3 keeps topping itself — even at the North American box office where its run is quickly coming to an end.

This week, Pixar’s 11th made it into another "exclusive club." After surpassing Transformers 2, Lee Unkrich’s latest was able to break into the top 10 highest grossing films in the US and Canada with $402,280,518!

Spider-Man, the #9 film domestically, is ahead by about $1 million dollars. Although Toy Story 3 is winding down, it shouldn’t have a problem surpassing the heroic web slinger. With that said, the #11 and #10 spots are only separated by about $100 thousand dollars.

As far as other "top tens" go, Buzz and Woody currently sit at #9 globally! Toy Story 3 is headed steadily towards $1 billion dollars. If the film hits this elusive total, it will become one of only six films (as of today) that have done so!

Update: Well that was quick! As of Sunday, Toy Story 3 is now #9 domestic ($403.7M) and #7 worldwide ($984.3M)!

Your predictions?

(Numbers via Box Office Mojo)

It seems like everyone has been eagerly awaiting this announcement.

I’m talking about the Toy Story Trilogy Box Set! Amazon.com has just listed this 10-Disc mega-collection for a November 2nd release.

Here’s what you’ll find: Toy Story (BD, DVD, Digital Copy), Toy Story 2 (BD, DVD, Digital Copy) and Toy Story 3 (2-Disc BD, DVD, Digital Copy), all in one convenient package.

If you still haven’t bought the first two films in their March 2010 Blu-ray editions, then why not buy the whole series at once? Here’s hoping that they’ll create box art matching the aforementioned releases.

This deluxe collection is set to retail for $100 dollars, although Amazon lists it at a reduced $69.99. No artwork has been made available at the moment.

Is the Toy Story 3 Trilogy Box Set on your wish list?

(via Stitch Kingdom)

A cute little publication-
-deserves a cute little review.

Simply stated, Day & Night is a children’s book that’s appropriate for all ages. I have to agree with John Lasseter, "I love that it pulls you in with pure entertainment, but also has a special message — one that’s so appropriate for our time."

Although younger kids might not be able to translate Day & Night’s philosophy into deeper terms, Teddy Newton’s (author/director) storybook allows readers to break it down: we’re more alike than we are different, but our differences should be celebrated. For adults, this hardcover also serves as a collector’s item. Each page features crisp, glossy spreads with original artwork (not film stills) featuring the protagonists of the short.

I can’t say I have any complaints. Well, I would complain to USPS for totally disregarding common courtesy and folding the book in half so it would fit in my mail box… but hey, what can you do?

Day & Night is available now from Chronicle Books. You can order your copy directly from the publisher or through Amazon.

Your thoughts?

Two of the largest retail chains in America have offered up some tempting Toy Story 3 exclusives!

The Mouse has partnered up with Target to bring you the best in collector’s entertainment. Toy Story 3: To infinty and Beyond Ultimate Collector’s Combo Pack includes the equivalent of the previously announced four disc Blu-ray as well as a full sized Buzz Lightyear toy! [via Pixar Talk]

As expected, Wal-Mart also has its own Toy Story 3 exclusive. This three disc set will include one TS3 DVD, 7 short films, and a digital copy. If you still haven’t convereted to Blu-ray, this may be the set for you. [via The Pixar Times]

The most notable part of this news is the affordability of each bundle. Target’s exclusive will run you $34.99 while Wal-Mart’s set retails at $24.96!

Do any of these exclusives catch your eye? Why or why not?

We couldn’t help but get excited when the Blu-ray release of Mater’s Tall Tales was first announced —

— unfortunately, such a minimal number of reported special features was pretty underwhelming. Now, Stitch Kingdom has the full list of bonus content. Clearly there’s a lot more to look forward to other than the nine hilarious shorts:

• Paths To Pixar
• Studio Stories – McQueen Has No Hands
• Mater Bumper-to-Bumper
• Making Mater’s Tall Tales
• Unmade Tales - Intro by Rob Gibbs
• Cars Toons Story Reels
• Cars Land Sneak Peek
• Mater Private Eye Trailer

Highlights: Could "Mater Private Eye Trailer" be our first sneak peek at Cars 2? Maybe it’s directly tied in to one of the exclusive shorts, but you never know… New editions of "Paths to Pixar" and "Studio Stories" (first seen on the Toy Story Blu-ray releases) will also be included.

Related: A video game adaptation of the short series, also titled Mater’s Tall Tales, hits the Wii on September 14th. The shorts are also set to be collected into a storybook, Mater’s Treasury of Tall Tales, by January of 2011.  

Cars Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales hits store shelves on November 2nd, 2010. Two new shorts, Mater P.I. and Moon Mater, premiere in the Blu-ray + DVD release. Please check out our earlier post for further details.

What are you looking forward to the most from Mater’s Tall Tales on Blu-ray?