Toy Story 3 World Premiere at Taormina Film Festival + Toy Story Tidbits!

Today, the El Capitan Theatre was packed with celebrities and other distinguished guests for the Hollywood premiere of Toy Story 3!

But it was last night at the Taormina Film Festival that Lee Unkrich’s latest had its world premiere. The Cannes Festival Blog reports that Sicily’s ancient Greek Theatre was packed with 4,000 eager spectators ready to experience Pixar’s 11th.

In order for Toy Story 3 to kick off the festival, the 2,000 year old theatre had to go through an expensive renovation to equip the space with 3D technology. Although the blog’s author was indifferent about the stereoscopic effects, the movie "lived up to… high expectations" and was "very entertaining."

A somewhat spoiler-y account of the events along with pictures of the crowd and venue can be found over here.

—Toy Story Tidbits— 

Lee’s Home Town: He’s a big time filmmaker with a huge Hollywood premiere, but Lee Unkrich hasn’t forgotten his home town, Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Publications from around the area have interviews with the Toy Story 3 director. Here’s The Columbus Dispatcher’s take and a write-up from Cleveland.com for your enjoyment.

Tracking Down Andy: For the team at Pixar, staying true to the original Toy Story for part three meant rounding up the original cast members. Yes, even the voice of Andy, John Morris, needed to be back. But it had been years since he’d recorded lines, so the search was on. Beck/Smith Hollywood tells the story that may as well be called ‘Finding Andy’.

Countdown to Toy Story 3: Five More Days!

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