Sunday, January 31, 2016
Cars: Studs McGirdle
From Disney·Pixar's Cars, here we have the brand new, never before released Mattel 1:55 scale diecast of Studs McGirdle! This "Deluxe" size character has just been released and is part of the 2016 "LA Speedway" sub-series (#9/11).
Studs is yet another diecast based on one of the many members of the press...you just can't have enough of those! They're great for scene building. As shown in the screenshot above, he's a cameraman seen very briefly during Chick Hick's pre-race interview (before the big three-way showdown near the end of the film).
Find Studs in stores now. Be sure to head to your local Target, Walmart or Toys R Us to check for availability! Or you could check out current eBay listings HERE or visit Amazon using the direct link below. Happy hunting!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Toy Story: Birthday Card (Target 2016)
Do you have a little Toy Story fan in your life with an upcoming birthday? Well then, do I have the card for you. This fantastically designed Toy Story birthday card, featuring Woody, Buzz Lightyear and a trio of Pizza Planet aliens, has just hit Target store shelves!
Normally I wouldn't be buying and posting about random Pixar greeting cards (since there are so many out there), but this one really stood out to me when I saw it. The illustrations of the characters are my absolute favorite style; so not only is this a great birthday card, but a great art/display piece too.
I was especially excited when I saw this, and knew I had to get it, because my nephew's Toy Story themed third birthday (he's a HUGE fan) is coming up in the spring. I got one of these for his birthday and one for me to put away (for one of our kid's birthdays someday- hoping that at least one will love Pixar).
The card folds out in a cool way and reads: "Now reach for the sky- to make sure those wishes are aimed extra-high! Have a Happy Birthday, Pardner!" You can't tell from the pictures, but the characters have a nice gloss to them, while the backgrounds are matte. It makes for a really nice look and feel! Retail is just $3.69.
A big thanks to Instagram account The Pixarist for letting me know of this! After searching three Targets, I was finally able to find it just a few days ago- so be sure to check yours soon if you're interested!
Friday, January 29, 2016
Cars 2: Brett Warnewagen
From Cars 2, here we have one the last Mattel 1:55 scale diecasts to be released last year... Brett Warnewagen! He is part of the 2015 "Ye Left Turn Inn" sub-series (#7/7).
As shown in the screen shot above, Brett is briefly seen in the London pub [Ye Left Turn Inn] when Acer and Grem crash through. He is ultimately the same exact delivery truck model as Paul Oilkley (only this one is red instead of blue).
I had a real hard time trying to track this one down, so I'm glad to have finally found him! Now I only have one more car to find in order to complete my 2015 collection.
If you still haven't been able to find Brett in stores yet, be sure to check out Amazon using the link below or view current eBay listings HERE. As usual, best of luck on the hunt!
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Finding Dory: Kellogg's Cereal
Pixar's next feature, the highly anticipated Finding Dory, doesn't swim into theaters until June 17th- but merchandise and tie-ins are already showing up a full five months before the film's release!
Food products are often one of the first things to hit shelves these days, especially when it comes to Disney·Pixar; last year it was Kellogg's Inside Out fruit snacks and this year we get Kellogg's Finding Dory cereal! Yum. If you like Lucky Charms, you'll enjoy this (since it's essentially the exact same cereal, but with different shaped marshmallows- Dory, Nemo, a white fish and a yellow fish). I don't usually go for the "sugar cereal", but when it comes to Pixar I make exceptions!
The shiny, iridescent box is actually really cool and features, as usual with these types of cereal, some games included on the back! Four to be exact. The back also gives us a few minor details about the film, such as the Marine Life Institute's (a key location in the movie) slogan: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Release. And what are all the pipes about? Could this be a key plot point? Like an escape from the institute since "all drains lead to the ocean"? Time will tell! Hank the "sectapus", a new seven armed octopus character (voiced by Ed O'Neil), is also featured.
If you're looking to grab a box of this, you can find it at most grocery stores. I picked it up at my local Walmart last night. Thanks to my good friends over at Pixar Post who informed me this was out there!
Additionally, some other Finding Dory products are already hitting the Disney Store's website. Be sure to check out their Dory kids beach towels, flip flops and swim suites available HERE! The full line will arrive in May and I cannot wait to see what's in store ...until then I'll just keep eating this cereal in anticipation.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The Good Dinosaur: Art of Book
Hey everyone! Sorry for delay. This was suppose to be yesterday's post, but due to internet technical difficulties, I had to push it off until today. Enjoy!
On November 10th of this past year, Chronicle Publishing released yet another anticipated Disney·Pixar "Art of" book...The Art of The Good Dinosaur! These books are always one of the first items on my list of things to buy whenever a new Pixar film hits theaters, so needless to say I was really looking forward to this one.
Given how absolutely beautiful the film is, I just knew the art would be just as captivating. I've mentioned this before, but there is something so soft yet so striking with the color palette of The Good Dinosaur. All the greens, browns, blues and other earth tones give both the film and the art a look unlike any other Pixar film to date. I love it!
I really enjoyed the foreword by John Lasseter. He always has a way with words and you can always feel his passion for each project he's involved with. The introduction by Peter Sohn is also really meaningful and gives you that much more appreciation for the film and all the heart that he and his team put into it.
Other than those two pages of text, there are no other behind the scenes insights. The rest of the 167 pages focus purely on the art itself. Though I would have liked a little more "making of" stuff, this is an "art of" book after all. The art itself does not disappoint...and there's a ton of it!
Lets take a look inside-
The art below is one of only a few pieces in the book that stems from the previous version of the Good Dino, before the film got completely reworked (you can see Arlo looks different; he's older and a bit bigger). I knew we wouldn't get much, if any, of the original version's art- but man do I want to see more of what it would have been like!
Ultimately, this is a gorgeous book full of vibrant digital paintings, pencil sketches, maquettes, color scripts, lighting/character studies, storyboards and so much more. It's a beautiful tribute to the talented artists who worked so hard at making the film what it is today, yet who too often go unnoticed.
If you loved the film, you won't want to miss out on this one. There are so many details in this book that you really could look through it for hours! If you're interested in adding this to your collection, you can pick it up online at Amazon using the direct link below.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Pixar Collection: "FUNNY!" Twenty-Five Years of Laughter from the Pixar Story Room
New from Chronicle Publishing, the folks behind your favorite "Art of" books, comes FUNNY! Twenty-Five Years of Laughter from the Pixar Story Room. Contained in this gem you'll find 165 pages of hilarious sketches and drawings from Pixar's best story artists, featuring many previously unreleased "gags" and funny ideas that never even made it past the cutting room floor (or past the walls of the story room for that matter- that is, until now).
After a heartfelt forward by John Lasseter and an insightful introduction by Jason Katz (a veteran at Pixar Studios in the art and animation departments), the book gets right into the art. From Toy Story though The Good Dinosaur, this book contains abandoned gags from all 16 of their feature films!
This book is made up almost entirely of visual jokes (that read very much like if you were reading the "funny" section of the newspaper) with very little text beyond who the artist behind each drawing is and a few behind the scenes tidbits. Many of the doodles are laughed out loud funny; some you wonder "how did they not put that in!?" While some...well, you understand why they didn't make the cut. To be fair, however, I'm sure many of the jokes were not ever meant to be serious candidates, but rather the story artists just kicking around some chuckle worthy ideas for their own fun.
Anyway- enough of me talking about it, it's time to show you some of the fantastic pages you can expect to find!
Toy Story
The Pizza Planet "Alien Slime" beverage machine (seen in the sketch above) is an example of a gag that you'll recognize from the final film.
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 3
A Bug's Life
Monsters Inc.
Finding Nemo
I found so many of the Finding Nemo gags to be pretty hilarious (such as the hermit crab and pearl oyster ones above)...I wonder if any of these old jokes will find their way into Finding Dory this year!
The Incredibles
The Mrs. Incredible turned boat gag above is another example of a concept that made it from story room to animation to final cut. The Frozone cooling the beers joke is an example of one that, while funny, was maybe deemed a little too edgy for the film.
Cars
Cars 2
Ratatouille
WALL·E
Up
Brave
Monsters University
Inside Out
The Good Dinosaur
As you can probably tell, this is an absolute must have for Pixar fans. I absolutely love what they did with this! What an incredible peek into the Pixar story process and the tremendous heart that is put into making the signature Pixar humor we know and love.
And of course, this book barely scratches the surface of the thousands of abandoned jokes gathering dust in the Pixar archives. Could we see a volume 2 in the future? Time will tell!
Be sure to snag your copy of Funny! on Amazon using the direct link below (currently on sale).
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