The Princess and the Frog AWNtv Featurette

Animation World Network has a featurette up now about Disney's The Princess and the Frog. The thing I like about it (or one thing I like about it) is that it shows that even though John Lasseter created CGI films at Pixar that in no way meant that he didn't like hand-drawn animation.

UPDATE: Here's some other featurettes from the Disney Channel:

Little Mermaid Ride

Stopped by Disneyland today briefly (basically just for lunch) and saw this announcement for the Little Mermaid ride that is coming to California Adventure in 2011:



This entry of mine at Animated News shows screen shots from the virtual ride-through that appeared on the Little Mermaid DVD that came out in 2006. At the time the DVD came out there were no plans anymore to actually build the ride but sometime later they decided to go through with it. I'm sure it's all because I said in my Animated News article, "I'm casting my vote for the ride to still be made sometime," . . . yeah, right; but it's nice to know that the once scrapped plans for it have been given new life.

UPDATE: Actually, I just found this YouTube video that shows the virtual ride-through:



And for extra kicks here's a video somebody made that I guess is their own take on what a Little Mermaid ride should look like:

Kites Clip

Here's a clip of a short film made by the students of BYU's animation department:



Read full story here. Also, click here to see another award-winning BYU short, Pajama Gladiator. Apparently several prior BYU student animators joined Pixar and helped on UP.

Round "UP" UPdated

I hope everyone got to see Disney•Pixar's UP today or that you'll get to soon. Here's links to a couple new articles/reviews about it:

1. Disney Insider: Main Attraction ("Up, Up, and Away with Director
   Pete Docter")
2. Chuck Oberleitner's Review at o-meon
3. The Orange County Register
4. How Pixar's Up House Could Really Fly (from Wired)
5. Lou Romano: Art of Up
6. 'Up' flies high at weekend box office
7. Well-Rounded Boy, Meet Old Square
8. Pixar has found its lucky charm in John Ratzenberger
9. The Korean Face of Pixar's Latest Star
10. Easter Eggs in Pixar's Up
11. 'UP' with Dogs - The Reporter
12. Pixar grants girl's dying wish (OC Register)
13. Readers worldwide respond to Pixar's granting dying girl's wish
14. Mastering the Art of Vocals
15. Man takes cue from 'UP,' floats across English Channel

Here's some links to stories about talking dog collars (real ones) that probably inspired the ones used in UP:

16. Bowlingual Info
17. BowLingual on Wikipedia
18. What's Fido saying? 'Bowlingual' will translate
19. Japan goes barking mad for dog toy
20. Tech lite: At home with Bowlingual, the dog bark analyzer

John Carter of Utah?

From the Animation Flash newsletter:

STANTON'S JOHN CARTER OF MARS STARTS FILMING IN NOVEMBER.
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE is reporting that Disney/Pixar's first live-action
feature will begin filming in Utah in November. Andrew Stanton's
adaptation of JOHN CARTER OF MARS is a project that has been developed
and shelved in Hollywood for decades. Previous filmmakers who have tried
to bring the story to the screen include Bob Clampett, Ray Harryhausen,
John McTiernan, Jon Favreau, Robert Rodriguez and SKY CAPTAIN helmer
Kerry Conran.

Like STAR TREK, JOHN CARTER will utilize Utah's unique terrains for its Mars locations. Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi series, the story finds an American Civil War vet transported to Mars where he encounters strange adventures.

Monsters, Inc. 2: Electric Boo-Galoo

Slashfilm has broken the news that Pixar is planning a sequel to Monsters, Inc. Click the link for more info; not a lot more, but a little more. I wonder what the storyline could be? On a side note, I like that when Pete Docter pronounces the name of his film he actually says "Incorporated" rather than "Ink." I told him one time that I liked that he said the whole thing rather than the shortened version like everyone else does and he said, "I'm just glad when people call it anything rather than forgetting about it."

Disneyland Quick Stop

Made a quick stop by Disneyland earlier today (in and out of the parking lot in exactly an hour and forty-five minutes). In the big courtyard area between Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure they had Carl's house from UP:

And in the animation building at DCA they had a three dimensional poster from The Princess and the Frog:

Click here to see the whole photo album on flickr including more of these same two pictures from different angles or here for the complete photo album from my quick trip.

UPDATE: Here's a video somebody made of the inflatable UP house:

Walt Stanchfield's "Drawn To Life" Event

ASIFA Hollywood and Woodbury Universitys School of Media, Culture and Design invite you to a special book signing of...



Walt Stanchfields Drawn to Life
20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Fletcher Jones Foundation Auditorium
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA

Join Don Hahn and a panel of distinguished guests for a discussion Walt Stanchfields Drawn to Life series

Drawn to Life is a two volume collection of the legendary lectures from long-time Disney animator Walt Stanchfield. Edited by Don Hahn, all of Walt Stanchfields handout notes and lectures have been assembled into a two volume collection titled, Drawn to Life - 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes. Walt was an animator, trainer, mentor and coach for decades at Disney and helped breathe life into the new golden age of animation with his teachings. He influenced such talented artists as Tim Burton, Brad Bird, John Musker, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja and John Lasseter.

Following the panel discussion, Don Hahn will sign copies of Drawn to Life. A limited number of copies of this two volume collection will be available for purchase at the event.

Reservations are not required for this program. Admission is free. Parking is free and available on the Woodbury University campus.

Astro Boy Theatrical Trailer