Andrew Stanton @ the Wall-E World Premiere

The Pixar Studio & People
#1

Well there hasn’t been much coverage of this event and I think half of this post will actually belong in the ‘Wall-E’ forum but because I’m putting more of an Andrew slant on this, I’ll put it here for now. Anyway, I thought a lot of California Pixar fans would be lining up for this event! Instead, my friend and I were probably the first people to the premiere site on the 21st and I think we were still the ONLY real ‘nerds’ that attended. Most of the viewers were there for the Disney Channel stars… and one girl kept yelling for David Archuletta an hour after he’d already walked the carpet. Anyways, I’m telling this story because it was at the Wall-E World Premiere that I finally got to meet Andrew Stanton.

My friend Diego and I had been standing around waiting for hours when the ‘VIP’ trucks finally started unloading and the ‘stars’ started walking the carpet. Only a few were coming way out to the viewer area though, most were just getting out and walking straight down the press walk. Most of the guests were Disney Channel stars or other famous people I didn’t recognize. Diego kept asking ‘Anyone you know?’ And after another lull of stars I didn’t know passed, all of a sudden there was Andrew and his family!

I freaked out and yelled “DIEGO THE GUY WITH THE GLASSES, GUY WITH THE GLASSES TAKE HIS PICTURE!!!” and Diego yelled “WHO IS IT?!” and I was too excited to say much more than “IT’S HIM! IT’S ANDREW STANTON!” What happened next is all a little fuzzy… but I just looked down for a second and the next thing I knew Andrew was running directly towards me. WHUT?

Diego had suggested I make a sign earlier, so I did. We found a random piece of Styrofoam lying around and I drew Wall-E, Eve and MO on it and in big letters I wrote: “SUPAH GENIUS” (And I’m sure most of you get the joke!)

And apparently Andrew got it too, like I had hoped he would! He ran over and yelled “That’s AWESOME!” and I smiled and he looked at it closer and said “Oh, look what you did! (the drawings)” and signed the sign and my Nemo DVD booklet! Sadly, the whole time I was speechless. There was a split second where the thoughts ‘SAY THANK YOU’ sparked in my mind but they never made it through to delivery. I was LITERALLY speechless and now I feel bad because HE WAS SO EXCITED and I COULD have said something but… you know, hind sight is always 20/20… Still, it’s so embarrassing to go star-struck.

After he ran back I burst into tears. It was pretty funny… the people around me must have thought me pretty silly, crying over meeting this guy that none of them knew. But, after he signed my DVD for me a few people caught on and AFTER he was already back on the carpet a few people started yelling “ANDREW ANDREW!”

The lady standing next to me took a video of part of it, and my friend took a picture with me, Andrew and the sign.

Running over to me (motion-shot picture, not the best…)
[url]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z70/icthyopook/WallE%20Premiere%202008/P1000513.jpg[/url]

Signing my sign
[url]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z70/icthyopook/WallE%20Premiere%202008/P1000514.jpg[/url]

Me holding my sign (excuse my hazed and dazed look… you guys have NO IDEA how hot it was that day… or, well, how hot it was for me- a girl used to cloudy skies and nonstop rain!)
[url]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z70/icthyopook/WallE%20Premiere%202008/P1000553.jpg[/url]

And finally, the video:
[url]- YouTube
*note how you hear nothing out of me…

And that was that! I’m still a little in disbelief that it really happened! I was really there, I really got to see Andrew and John and so many other amazing people… it was a very cool experience.

PS- Does anyone know Andrew’s middle name? He signs by ‘A L S’…

#2

That’s a great story right there!

Btw, don’t feel bad for having moments of sheer ‘geeking out’ and not saying anything.

It happened to me at the CARS premiere. Lasseter’s ‘handler’ told me I could only ask John one question, as I was part of the press for an online media site. I did, and John gave me this smile like, 'Is that all? Don’t you have some more? Come on, man!" And I just froze on the spot, before I could stammer if I could get a picture (which is in my avatar).

Though love the ‘Supah-Genius’ sign. I still hope to one day tell that to Stanton in person.

#3

ALS? I have no clue about that.

#4

WOW! that sounded like a fun day. I wonder how I’d react if I met Andrew Stanton, probably like this : :open_mouth: :smiley: :sunglasses: … faints.

#5

Congratulations, indeed, Hog-Hug!
That is a really cool poster and Ashley and I really like your hair. :smiley:
I’m glad you got to meet him! Thanks for sharing!

Sheila and Ashley

#6

What a cool story! It’s great that Andrew and the others find time for the fans. I like how he signs the poster and says “AWESOME!” in his Crush voice, and then when he goes away you jump up and down - that’s cute. With any luck he might read this thread - he says he visits the Pixar blogs, so maybe he visits here, too.

If I met him (or any Pixarian) I’d be like: smiles, geeks out, faints

#7

You reacted just like a Pixar fan would! :smiley: That was so cool, HH! :astonished:

“SUPAH-GENIUS” :wink:

#8

That’s incredible, Hog-Hug! You’re so lucky! And it’s great that he spotted the ‘SUPAH GENIOUS!’ joke- he sounds like an awesome guy.

#9

Wow, that was awesome, really good drawings of WALL-E M-O and EVE.

Too bad you froze up, but hey, who wouldn’t?

P.S. You’re really pretty.

#10

Dang, congrats for meeting him! I wish I could. Mr. Stanton is my hero! I wonder if he’d look at a quick fanfic I wrote. I can’t draw. Nah, probably too busy. XD

#11

Ohmygods, you are so lucky!! x) It sounds so amazing! xD Must’ve been like you were in a dream-like state, lol, that’s just so unreal.

And I like your hair. :smiley:

#12

haha, thanks everyone for the compliments on my hair and such! It’s actually fading too so cool that people still like how it looks.

I’m going to make a point to go to premieres whenever I can now because I’ve discovered that if you really make an effort and make your hero a sign, they’ll pick you out of the crowd and I think it’s very fun for them to be recognized by fans- just like it is for the fan to be recognized by their hero. It’s like a big mutual coolness that I wish happened to me more often. I think I’ve just had a stroke of extremely good luck here too.

Andrew really is as nice a guy as we all think he is when we watch the special features of Pixar movies. I’m really crossing my fingers here hoping I’ll eventually meet him again… perhaps in school for animation or… hopefully at Pixar.

#13

Ha-ha! Man, I had a serious case of the giggles while reading your review and watching the video – your story is just too cute. (snigger)

Congratulations on meeting one of the men behind the magic! That was really nice of him to run over to you guys and sign your poster. All of the Pixarians seem to have this amiable air to them. Heheh.

Congratulations, again! And yeah, your hair does rock. :wink:

– Mitch

#14

yay lol ty for sharing where did you put the signed material lol

#15

I’m going to put it up in my room. :slight_smile:

#16

Oooo, so now I know what letter his sur or middle name starts with

It’s nice that you were able to meet the man behind ‘Bluey’s Movie’ and Wall-E.

That had to be fun doing for him and also signing the sign and your Finding Nemo DVD.

But am quite sure, before he came to you and saw your Wall-E sign,

Andrew was thinking: <img src=“{SMILIES_PATH}/youwhaaa.gif” alt=“o_0;;” title="You

Whaaa…" /> !

#17

Alright, now I feel like an idiot.

What does SUPAH-GENIUS mean?

#18

If you watch the special features on the Bug’s Life DVD, Andrew calls it the SUPAH GENIUS edition. It’s just a silly inside quote thing that I knew no one else at the premiere would get.

#19

you are so lucky i wish that could have happened to me but i guess it doesnt happen to everybody