Pixar’s Brave Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2011 in Animation
Victorian Star Wars Portraits
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 22, 2011 in Star Wars
These wonderful Victorian styled portraits of Star Wars characters were done Greg Peltz whom works at Pixar. And if you’d like to hang these in your parlor you can purchase prints at acmearchivesdirect.com. Read more…
A Look at Bard Sculpture Studio
The other week I stumbled across the works of Damon Bard. While many of you might not recognize his name, you’ll definitely recognize his work. Damon’s been involved with a number of Hollywood productions over the course of his career, with his sculptures and character designs having graced such films Revenge of the Sith, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek 2, and more. While his website might seem a tad unassuming, his online portfolio is filled with a plethora of beautiful sculptures, Marquettes and models he’s crafted over the years. While he might not be responsible for bringing these models to life on the big screen, Bards creations have likely fueled the creativity of animators who have. To find out more about Damon and his craft, check out his official website, portfolio and blog.
To Legos and Beyond!
I just love the level of detail on this recreation of Andy’s room from Toy Story which was made using lego bricks! The talented artist behind this effort is Matt De Lanoy who will be showing it off at the 9th Annual Lego Train Show at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois. Read more…
Coffee Table Books That Lift Your Spirits: The Art of UP
Posted by Guest Author on Sep 21, 2010 in Animation
The Art of UP by Tim Hauser
You are only old once, so why don’t you have an adventure before you loose mobility and energy to do so. That is what Carl Fredricksen did, as he escaped with his flying home. The plot of Up is clearly as seen in the movie version, and what better way to relive the movie again than with reading The Art of UP. Though there are some differences in the book, even the behind the scenes program that they have on the DVD won’t get as in depth as this book did. Read more…
Opinion: Why Don’t They Just Name it the Pixar Trophy?
Posted by Joe Strike on Mar 9, 2010 in Animation
All props due to Pete Docter, he was long overdue an Oscar & yeah Up’s a great film… but why do I get the feeling Academy voters see ‘Pixar’ & check off that box without even thinking about the other nominees it? Who knows the Oscar rules around here? People in the animation field pick the final five, but does the entire Academy vote for the winner? If that’s the case, maybe nobody should bother submitting their films the same year Pixar has one in the running… then again, I’m sure those other producers will happily settle for “OSCAR NOMINATED BEST ANIMATED FEATURE” on their movie’s DVD box. Read more…
Yoda, Hello Kitty and Buzz Lightyear Will Be Joining Us for Lunch Today: Toy Fair 2010
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2010 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
The Tin Box Company may claim that these lunch boxes are just for kids, but I know better! As any art student can tell you a lunch box makes a fashionable accessory that can be used as a mini-briefcase. Shown here are lunchboxes from Star Wars, Hello Kitty and Toy Story — however Tin Box’s full line up also includes Bakugan, Strawberry Shortcake, Disney characters, Sesame Street and Spider-man. Read more…
Star Wars Lego: Toy Fair 2010
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2010 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars
Lego embraced The Force with a full line of Star Wars kits. The variety of the kits is quite wonderful — above is the Hoth Wampa set and below is Boba Fett: Read more…
The Fine Art of the Thankless Task of Licensed Comics
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 3, 2009 in Comic Books
Licensed comics never quite get the limelight that their original cousins always grab: There’s a cool factor to working on a Spiderman comic which may inspire a film, but there’s just no love for a comic book that’s based upon a toy or a pre-existing film or TV show. Yet while fandom looks down upon these books, they serve as an important “gateway drug” of sorts — attracting young and new readers into being the next generation of comic books fans. Recently I found myself guilty of this snobby fanboy mindset while looking at the work being produced by Boom! Studios — so I decided to give them a second chance and give them a serious look: And lo and behold I think they’re doing a rather decent job with their Finding Nemo and Muppets books! Read more…
Pixar Taking 3D to Another Dimension
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 29, 2009 in Animation
Only Pixar could get away with making fun of their own medium — I love how in this promo they’ve literally broken the third wall! It’s this sense of humor (i.e. understanding of storytelling) that makes their animation so brilliant in my book. Toy Story 3-D (which is Toy Story 1 & 2) will hit theaters on October 2nd, 2009.