Andrew Stanton on the Legacy of ‘Wall-E’ and Joining the Criterion Collection

November 22, 2022November 24, 2022 Michael Lee

The purpose of the Criterion Collection is to restore and distribute classic and contemporary films. In essence, it preserves films of cultural impact and importance. And while cinephiles can find an assortment of gems, there is almost no animation titles in its collection. That is until they announced that Wall•E would be a part of their November 2022 release slate.

Animation, Trailers

Pixar’s Romantic ‘Elemental’ Trailer Has Fiery Potential

November 18, 2022November 19, 2022 Michael Lee

Generally, the elements of fire and water do not mix, with the latter extinguishing the other. But such a dichotomous relationship could prove to be interesting. And Pixar director Peter Sohn wants to showcase that in Elemental. Now, after getting a small sneak peek at the D23Expo, the animation studio has revealed the first look at the upcoming film featuring the voices of Leah Lewis as the voice of Ember Lumen, and Mamoudou Athie as the water-based Wade Ripple.

Animation, Interview, Streaming

‘Cars on the Road’ Cast and Crew on Lightning McQueen and Mater’s Latest Adventures

September 6, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney•Pixar’s Cars on the Road follows Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) as they embark on an epic road trip and head east to attend a wedding for Mater’s sister.

Animation, Interview, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Cast Talk Pixar’s Relentless Pursuit of a Perfect Story

June 16, 2022June 16, 2022 Michael Lee

Buzz Lightyear has come a long way since Pixar introduced him first as a space ranger action figure in Toy Story. Voiced by Tim Allen, the character was the believable hero, but also served as comic relief throughout the films, sequels, shorts, and TV specials. However, Lightyear is different. Instead of telling another chapter of the long-running Toy Story film franchise, director Angus MacLane wanted fans to see the Buzz (Chris Evans) with a new perspective, one that shows nuances to his heroism, ambition, humor, bravery, and maturity.

Interview, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Composer Michael Giacchino on Storytelling Through Music

June 14, 2022June 14, 2022 Michael Lee

A movie score is one of the emotional hooks that draws audiences into that world. Whether the film is a sci-fi thriller or romantic comedy, it’s the kind of music that connects you with what’s going on within the frame. But for Lightyear composter Michael Giacchino, the score is much more than an assembly of notes that makes a movie sound good. It’s also something that tells a story.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: Decent ‘Lightyear’ Doesn’t Quite Reach Infinity and Beyond for Pixar

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022 Mike Manalo

At the beginning of this movie there’s a disclaimer briefly explaining that this was the movie Andy saw, loved, and became obsessed with when he got his first Buzz Lightyear action figure. Andy really needs to see more movies.

Animation, Interview, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Creative Team Discusses its Place within the ‘Toy Story’ Universe

June 10, 2022June 14, 2022 Michael Lee

Lightyear is not exactly what you’d call a prequel. Its opening exposition tells us it is based on the toy that Andy got as a gift for his birthday, and that it was from his favorite movie. So for the first time, audiences everywhere will get to see the title space ranger’s origins story.

Animation, Movies

Pixar Releasing ‘Elemental’ in Summer 2023

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 Michael Lee

Pixar’s success is built on its original storytelling. From their Toy Story flagship franchise all the way to Turning Red, audiences around the globe have seen the human experience through fantastical stories of the life of toys, monsters, and emotions. But the studio’s latest reveal teases they are going Elemental.

Animation, Movies

NOC Exclusive: Creating Panda Mei in BTS ‘Turning Red’ Clip

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red was a smashing hit on the studio’s exclusive streaming platform. I know I’m guilty of watching it more than a couple of times since its release. But now, the animated film is ready for its home entertainment release. And to celebrate its recent digital platform launch and its 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 3, The Nerds of Color partnered up with Disney and Pixar to share an exclusive one-minute behind-the-scenes featurette about Panda Mei.

Animation, Movies1 Comment

Subscribe on YouTube and Win a Digital Copy of ‘Turning Red’

April 29, 2022July 14, 2022 Keina C

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red debuted this week on all major digital platforms and will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 3, with never-before-seen bonus material including seven deleted scenes, three featurettes and audio commentary with Director Domee Shi. Plus, we’re giving subscribers to our YouTube channel a free digital copy of the movie!

Animation, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Cinematographer Talks Collaborating to Find Film’s Visual Language

April 22, 2022April 23, 2022 Michael Lee

In 1995, Andy, from the Toy Story films, received a Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday. It was from his favorite movie. And Lightyear is that movie. Directed by Angus MacLane, the spinoff is Buzz’s (Chris Evans) origins story. In the spinoff, the title character explores uncharted space for Star Command with his fellow space ranger Alicia Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) in the name of peace. However, when the evil Emperor Zurg threatens the universe’s safety, Buzz may be its only hope to save it.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s Approach to Making ‘Lightyear’ a Sci-Fi Epic

April 21, 2022April 19, 2022 Michael Lee

Pixar may be known for its originals, but the animation studio has also produced a few sequels and prequels for its unforgettable films. While the Toy Story films may have given us a glimpse at Woody’s history, Lightyear serves as the definitive origins story for the brave space ranger that we all know and love. But rather than follow the character as a toy, the spinoff is presented to us as one of Andy’s favorite Sci-Fi films. As such, director Angus MacLane assembled a group of talented artists to achieve that cinematic look and feel that one gets when watching a Sci-Fi movie like Star Wars and Aliens.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s NASA Research Trip Helped Influence the Look and Feel of ‘Lightyear’

April 21, 2022April 19, 2022 Michael Lee

In 1995, Disney•Pixar would release the first of four Toy Story films, not to mention countless other shorts and TV specials, making them the premier animation studio. And throughout these films, we’ve seen Woody and Buzz in all sorts of adventures. Though we’ve seen glimpses of “Woody’s Roundup,” the show that inspired the cowboy doll Andy played with, Buzz’s story remained untold. That is until Pixar decided to make Lightyear, an all-new Sci-Fi epic adventure that would be the movie Andy watched in 1995.

Animation, Interview, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Artisans on Film’s Themes and Achieving the IMAX Experience

April 21, 2022April 20, 2022 Michael Lee

Time is a construct of which we are all familiar. It’s the universal truth that there is simply never enough of it. Which makes it the perfect theme for Pixar’s Lightyear. Billed as their first Sci-Fi epic, the Toy Story spinoff is an origins story — and film that Andy watched as a kid — for the title character who accidentally maroon’s his entire crew on an uninhabited planet.

Animation, Movies

‘Lightyear’ Footage Goes “To Infinity and Beyond”

April 21, 2022April 21, 2022 Michael Lee

It’s been 27 years since Pixar released the first Toy Story in 1995. Since then, the animation studio has told us stories about innovative bugs, family fish, a lonely geriatric man and his flying house, not-so-scary monsters, romantic robots, our inner emotions, and 13-year-old Chinese Canadians who turn into red pandas. Audiences everywhere have connected with each title emotionally while being wowed at the incredible visuals. So with Lightyear hitting theaters later in June, we will get to see the man that made the beloved toy.

Animation, Interview, Movies

All Grown Up with ‘Turning Red’ Stars Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh

March 8, 2022March 8, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney•Pixar’s Turning Red draws much of its inspiration from director Domee Shi’s experiences as a Chinese Canadian teenager growing up in Toronto, Canada. The coming-of-age film centers on Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a confident, albeit dorky, 13-year-old navigating the chaos of adolescence. As she figures out how to strike a balance between being herself around her best friends and revering her overprotective mother, Ming Lee (Sandra Oh), Meilin is shocked to learn that she becomes a giant red panda whenever she gets too stressed or excited.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘Turning Red’ Finds Heart and Humor in the Messiness of Growing Up

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Michael Lee

Coming-of-age films are defined by what it means for their young characters to grow up. And, like the experience itself, no one story about growing up is the same as the next. It takes a special kind of film to capture the growing pains of a young person as they transition into adulthood. Turning Red, Pixar’s heartfelt and hilarious film, examines that journey through the lens of a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who finds out that growing up may be a smelly beast — literally.

Animation, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Cast Gets Real about Friendships, Concerts, and Growing Pains

March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 Michael Lee

Unlike some of the one-dimensional female friendship and coming of age films of the past, Disney•Pixar’s Turning Red takes an honest look at the connections we have with our friends. What’s more, the film does it through the lens of a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old.

Animation, Movies, Music

Billie Eilish and Finneas Release Original Song for ‘Turning Red’

February 26, 2022February 28, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney•Pixar has released their first new single, “Nobody Like U,” and an accompanying lyric video for Turning Red. was written by sibling musical duo Billie Eilish and Finneas; the song is reminiscent of the boy bands of the early 2000s in terms of musical stylings and lyrics.

Animation, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Posters Get Very Emotional

February 16, 2022 Michael Lee

Pixar’s Turning Red is a little under a month away from launching on Disney+. And to celebrate, the studio has unveiled a collection of, well, we’ll just call them emotional posters since they reflect the emotions of Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang).

Animation, Interview, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Animators Talk Overcoming Production Challenges and Delicious Food

February 8, 2022February 4, 2022 Michael Lee

Domee Shi’s Bao was praised for its poignancy and beautiful portrayal of the Asian immigrant experience. While the story captured the hearts of many, production designer Rona Liu was responsible for the finished look of the entire short. And we know the end result. Now Liu reunites with Shi for Turning Red. As one could imagine, the responsibilities increase ten-fold now that the two are working on a feature-length film.

Animation, Movies1 Comment

‘Lightyear’ Trailer is Not Pretending to Go to Infinity and Beyond

February 8, 2022 Michael Lee

It all started with a cowboy and a space ranger in Pixar’s Toy Story. Nearly 30 years later, the studio will be releasing Lightyear, its first spinoff film based on the Toy Story film franchise, that follows the man that inspired the Buzz Lightyear space ranger toy. While previous trailer slightly teased a journey to the unknown, We are getting a better sense of the story in a brand new action-packed trailer that mixes high-stakes space exploration with futuristic humor.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s First Animated Boy Band will Steal Hearts and Bring Nostalgia in ‘Turning Red’

February 8, 2022February 4, 2022 Michael Lee

The late ’90s and early 2000s pop culture scene were full of jelly bracelets, Tamagotchis, music CDs, flip phones, and, of course, boy bands. And Pixar’s Turning Red captures the spirit of that time by weaving in nostalgia with cultural specificity and a profoundly resonating coming-of-age story.