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Woody's News Round-Up! (4/5/14)

Behind The Scenes Disney Parks News Ratatouille Round-Ups The Incredibles The Incredibles 2

Not much could possibly top last month’s exciting sequel news, but enjoy a summary of the latest Pixar stories, including a small Incredibles 2 update, below:

Samuel L. Jackson Talks Incredibles 2:
Samuel L. Jackson’s Frozone quickly became a fan-favorite upon the release of The Incredibles, so it’s no surprise to hear that Brad Bird is looking to bring him back in the recently-announced sequel. Speaking with Digital Spy (via Pixar Times), Samuel L. Jackson hinted that we haven’t seen the last of his ice-powered hero:

“Every time I run into Brad [Bird, director] he always tells me Frozone is part of what’s going on, so I have to believe that […] I guess they could be the Incredibles without Frozone, but I think Frozone would be a wonderful addition to what’s already there.”

Ratatouille 3D Blu-ray Coming Soon?: When Pixar’s Josh Hollander shared news on Incredibles 3D and Ratatouille 3D last month, many assumed that the studio was prepping these conversions for theatrical re-releases. However, a report from Disney Next claims that Ratatouille 3D will be released on Blu-ray in Europe this July, accompanying Disneyland Paris’ new Ratatouille attraction. No official announcement has been made.
Ratatouille Ride Update: Meanwhile, construction on the aforementioned Ratatouille ride continues to move along. Disney and More has some great photos of the work-in-progress area, which may open up for annual passholders as soon as late June. Check out the image gallery here.
Pixar Demos Its Latest Animation Software: Since its earliest years, Pixar has mostly relied on in-house software to animate their films. The studio recently rewrote their animation system from the ground up, replacing their original Marionette software with the far more optimized Presto. At this year’s GPU Technology Conference, Pixar’s Dirk Van Gelder and Danny Nahmias shared a detailed look at this new system, which aims to give animators a clearer idea of how their work will appear in fully-rendered frames. Take a look at the fascinating demo below, and for more, watch the full presentation on Ustream.

Last modified: April 5, 2014