Contributor

Cars, Ratatouille & Short Film Collection Press Releases

Blu-Ray Cars DVD Merchandise News Pixar Short Films Collection Ratatouille


RATATOUILLE– From the award-winning team that thrilled audiences with Cars and The Incredibles comes the best-reviewed film of the year! Disney•Pixar’s Ratatouille is an incredible adventure with something for everyone. It is the perfect recipe of comedy, heartfelt storytelling, and breathtaking animation. Experience Paris from the unique perspective of a rat named Remy, who dares to dream the impossible dream of becoming a gourmet chef in a five-star French restaurant. Bubbling over with bonus features, including an original animated short starring Remy and his brother, Emile, deleted scenes, and much more, Ratatouille is a treat you’ll want to enjoy again and again on DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi Def November 6, 2007.

Click here to keep reading all three press releases.

From Academy Award®winning director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and the amazing storytellers at Pixar Animation Studios (Finding Nemo, Cars) comes RATATOUILLE, this year’s most original comedy about one of the most unlikely friendship’s imaginable. The film’s protagonist is a rat named Remy (Patton Oswalt) who dares to dream the impossible dream of becoming a gourmet chef in a five-star French restaurant. Undeterred by the obvious problem of trying to make it in the world’s most rodent-phobic profession, not to mention his family’s urgings to be satisfied with the usual trash-heap lifestyle, Remy’s fantasies are filled with flambés and sautés. When circumstances literally drop Remy into the Parisian restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), Remy finds the one thing he needs, a friend to believe in him: the restaurant’s shy, outcast garbage boy named Linguini (Lou Romano). Remy and Linguini form the most improbable partnership that will turn Paris upside down, leading them both on an incredible journey of comical twists, emotional turns and the most unlikely of triumphs, which they could never have imagined without each other.

Disney•Pixar presents RATATOUILLE, written and directed by Brad Bird, the film is produced by Brad Lewis and executive produced by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. Bringing to life a wide-ranging roster of memorable characters is a voice cast that includes popular stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt, Golden Globe® Award winner Brian Dennehy, Emmy® Award winner Brad Garrett, comic star and Emmy® nominee Janeane Garofalo, Academy Award® nominee Ian Holm (1981 Nominee for Best Supporting Actor) and the legendary 8-time Academy Award® nominee Peter O’Toole (1962 Nominee for Best Actor, 2007 Nominee for Best Actor).

PIXAR SHORT FILMS COLLECTION, VOLUME 1 – For the first time ever, 13 Pixar Animation Studios short films that transformed animation are available together when The Pixar Short Films Collection Vol. 1 comes to DVD and high definition only on Disney Blu-ray on November 6. Three Academy Award® winners and five additional nominees are included in this must-have anthology of animated wonders. Pixar’s revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and original characters light up the screen,. Viewers go behind the scenes in never before seen bonus material with top creative minds including John Lasseter, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, and much more! Viewers of all ages, from serious animation buffs to people who just love to laugh, will delight as familiar faces from Pixar classics like Cars, Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles join a host of unique and wonderful characters in these groundbreaking short films coming to DVD and high definition Disney Blu-ray from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

THE PIXAR SHORT FILM COLLECTION VOL. 1

• The Adventures of André & Wally B. – From the legendary Lucas Films, a delightful look at thelightning-fast in-flight antics of a mischievous bumble bee (Wally B.) and his even faster-moving target (André).
• Luxo Jr. – A baby lamp finds a ball to play with and it’s all fun and games until the ball bursts. Just when the elder Luxo thinks his kid will settle down for a bit, Luxo Jr. finds another ball – ten times larger.
• Tin Toy – Babies are hardly monster-like, unless you’re a toy. After escaping a drooling baby, Tinny realizes that he wants to be played with after all. But in the amount of time it takes him to discover this, the baby’s attention moves on to other things only an infant could find interesting. (1988 Academy Award® Winner for Best Animated Short Film)
• Red’s Dream – Life as the sole sale item in the clearance corner of Eben’s Bikes can get lonely. So Red, a unicycle, dreams up a clown owner and his own juggling act that steals the show. But all too soon, the applause turns into the sound of rainfall, as reality rushes back. Red must resign himself to sitting in the corner and await his fate.
• Knick Knack – Life on a shelf as a snowman trapped in a snow-globe blizzard can become wearing, especially when you’re surrounded by knickknacks from sunnier locales. When the jaded snowman finally breaks free of his glass home, his vacation plans are cut short. (Music by Bobby McFerrin)
• Geri’s Game – An aging codger named Geri plays a daylong game of chess in the park against himself. Somehow, he begins losing to his livelier opponent. But just when the game’s nearly over, Geri manages to turn the tables. (1997 Academy Award® Winner for Best Animated Short Film)
• For The Birds -One by one, a flock of small birds perches on a telephone wire. Sitting close together has problems enough, and then comes along a large dopey bird who tries to join them. The birds of a feather can’t help but make fun of him – and the clique mentality proves embarrassing in the end. (2001 Academy Award® Winner for Best Animated Short Film)
• Mike’s New Car – When Mike shows off his new car to his Monsters, Inc. co-star Sulley, everything that can go wrong does, and they are left with only their own two feet for transportation. (2002 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Short Film)
• Boundin’ – On a high mountain plain lives a lamb with a wool coat of such remarkable sheen that he breaks into high-steppin’ dance. But there comes a day when he loses his lustrous coat and, along with it, his pride. It takes a wise jackalope – a horn-adorned rabbit – to teach the moping lamb that woolly or not, it’s what’s inside that’ll help him rebound from life’s troubles. (2003 Academy Award Nominee® for Best Animated Short Film)
• Jack-Jack Attack – When babysitter Kari McKean tries to entertain Jack-Jack Parr (of The Incredibles) with some “brainy baby” music, she triggers an unusual reaction.
• Mater and the Ghostlight – Cars favorite Mater is "haunted" by a mysterious blue light that teaches him not to play pranks on the other cars in Radiator Springs.
• One Man Band – One Man Band tells the humorously captivating tale of a peasant girl who, with one coin to make a wish at a piazza fountain, encounters two competing street musicians who’d prefer the coin find its way into their tip jars. As the rivalry crescendos, the two overly eager performers vie to win the little girl’s attention. (2005 Academy Award Nominee® for Best Animated Short Film)
• Lifted – A young alien student bungles his first lesson in elementary abduction as an increasingly weary instructor looks on. (2006 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Short Film)

DISNEY/PIXAR’S CARS – Experience Disney/Pixar’s CARS like never before on Blu-ray Disc®, the ultimate in high-definition video & audio and BD-Java enhanced interactivity. From Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and the acclaimed creators of Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo comes the number one animated film of 2006 for the first time in high-definition. Directed by Academy Award®-Winner John Lasseter (Best Short Film, Animated for “Tin Toy”, 1989) and exploding with fast-paced humor and high-powered thrills, CARS speeds into overdrive with an astonishing new presentation on November 6th!

The Blu-ray Disc® high-definition feature film presentation was created from the original digital source files, delivering an unequaled, demo-worthy home viewing experience. Presented in crystal clear 1080p and dynamic 24-bit uncompressed 5.1 channel surround sound, you will experience every bass-filled engine rev and tire screech as though you were racing right alongside Lightning McQueen. The CARS Blu-ray Disc is the Piston Cup of the high-definition format!

DISNEY/PIXAR’S CARS Blu-ray Disc features all new bonus materials created in high-definition exclusively for this release using the latest BD-Java enhanced technology. When users arrive at the title menu they have the option of touring “Radiator Springs” or “Emeryville.” Radiator Springs allows users to go deeper into the world of CARS through the interactive “Car Finder Game,” while Emeryville gives users the opportunity to pull back the curtains at Pixar for an exhaustive look at their unique creative process in “Cine-Explore.”

From the acclaimed creators of Toy Story, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo comes a high-octane adventure comedy that shows life is about the journey, not the finish line. Hot shot rookie race car Lightning McQueen is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66, he meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there’s more to life than trophies and fame.

After taking moviegoers magically into the realm of toys, bugs, monsters, fish, and superheroes, the masterful storytellers and technical wizards at Pixar Animation Studios and Academy Award®-winning director John Lasseter, hit the road with this fast-paced comedy adventure set inside the world of cars. In addition to Owen Wilson and Paul Newman, CARS includes an all-star vocal cast including Bonnie Hunt (as Sally, a snazzy Porsche), Larry The Cable Guy (as Mater, a wise-cracking, rusty but trusty tow truck), George Carlin (as Fillmore, the town’s resident hippie van, Paul Dooley (as Sarge, the no-nonsense Army Jeep) and Cheech Marin (as Ramone, the low-riding, car painting Impala). As well, the fast-action film favorite includes the voice of Jenifer Lewis (as Flo, the sassy, no-nonsense 50’s big-fin show car), Tony Shalhoub (as Luigi, the excitable, tire-brokering Italian import), Michael Wallis (as Sheriff, the Mercury Police Cruiser), Michael Keaton (as Chick Hicks, Lightning McQueen’s nemesis), Richard Petty (as The King, the classiest champ on the race-car circuit) and John Ratzenberger (as Mack, the big-hearted Super-liner who ferries McQueen across the country). Ratzenberger is the only actor to appear in all of Pixar’s feature films.

Supercharging CARS is a fantastic soundtrack, including tracks from many of the top acts in music today. For the project, director John Lasseter enlisted his longtime collaborator and Academy Award® winner Randy Newman (Best Song “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. 2002). Melding perfectly with Newman’s score are performances from Sheryl Crow, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, James Taylor, John Mayer, and more. The songs range from originals such as the heartfelt “Our Town” (written by Randy Newman and performed by James Taylor) to rousing renditions of the famous tune “Route 66.” The Disney/Pixar Cars Original Motion Picture Soundtrack debuted at #8, making it the first Pixar soundtrack to enter the Billboard Top 10 and to ship gold.

CARS Blu-ray Disc Bonus Materials
NEW AND AVAILABLE ONLY ON BLURAY:
• Cine-Explore
• Car Finder Game
• Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scene
• Radiator Springs Featurettes
• Movie Showcase – Instant access to select movie scenes that showcase the ultimate in high-definition picture and sound

PLUS ALL DVD FEATURES:
• Animated Shorts
Mater And The Ghostlight
– One Man Band
• Deleted Scenes
• And More!

Last modified: November 1, 2007