A Bug's Life: Art and Making of Book

Yesterday I was thrilled to get this in the mail..."A Bug's life: The Art and Making of an Epic of Miniature Proportions" hardcover book! 

If you're familiar with the "The Art of _________" books by Chronicle Books Publishing, you know that they are some of coolest, most informative books out there when it comes to the art and making of Pixar films. This book, however, came out before that series began so it is not connected with that line (which started with "The Art of Monsters Inc." in 2001). It is though, just as detailed and informative as the Chronicle "The Art of" books (if not more) and goes perfect with the rest of the collection.

This book (from Hyperion Publishing) was released in 1998 around the time of the film's release. It's written by Jeff Kurtti and includes over 300 beautiful, full color pages that include exactly what the book title says—lots of art and insights into the making of the movie. This book had a pretty standard price tag of $40.00 when it was released but can be found online now for much cheaper. You can find this book used (in good condition) for as low as about $10.00 on Amazon (and eBay periodically) but if you want brand new condition, be willing to fork out $50.00.

 

I was really impressed on how big this book was when it came! As you can see below in the comparison picture, it's quite a bit bigger than the more recent "The Art of" books. Also, something else I didn't expect is that it has a 3D lenticular cover! Very cool touch. 

 

Here I've included just a few pictures of some of the pages you'll find within the book. I feel like, now that I've actually thought about it, A Bug's Life is probably the Pixar film that I know the least about the art and making of! My knowledge doesn't go too far beyond the special features included on the DVD/Blu-Ray.

I just started reading it and have already learned and seen a ton I wasn't aware of! I'm looking forward to tackling this book from cover to cover and delving deeper into the making of this incredible, groundbreaking, classic film. 

 

As usual, I really can't recommend this book enough to you Disney/Pixar fans-especially if you collect the other "Art of" books. You won't be disappointed and you'll learn a ton!  

Below I tried to take a brief video to try and capture how cool the 3D cover is, but it didn't work too well. Either way, it gives you a better look at how cool and vibrant this book is:

 

If you're visiting my blog for the first time today, welcome and thank you for stopping by! Be sure to check back daily to see more posts of items from my Pixar collection. In addition, you can learn more about me and my love for Pixar by clicking on the pages above. See you soon!

Wall-E: InterAction Wall-E

How did I not get this "InterAction" (Interactive) Wall-E when it was first released in 2008? I thought I would be right on that...I mean having my own working mini Wall-E robot? Come on, that's too cool. So now, I'm finally lucky enough to have it thanks to my parents. This was such an awesome Christmas surprise! This Wall-E is made by Pixar's classic "go to" toy company, Thinkway Toys.

What's funny is, now that I think about it, I actually got this for my nephew Jack's 4th birthday back in June 2008! It's strange that I didn't get it for myself as well. Below is a picture I dug up (I wanted to confirm it was the same one, sure enough it is!) of me with him, giving him his Wall-E at his party:
 

June, 2008-Giving Wall-E to my nephew for his birthday

Anyway, moving on...I thought that was kind of an interesting side story (at least for me).

This Wall-E is just awesome. He's not remote controlled so he doesn't tread around on his own (you'd need the "U-Command Wall-E" for that) but he talks, lights up, moves his arms/head and responds to your voice. He also responds to the "InterAction Eve" toy (seen HERE).

Below on the back of the package is where you can read more about this Wall-E's features.
 

 I haven't taken him out of the box yet, so I don't have any pictures or video of him loose (I'm keeping him nice until I can give it to kids someday), but I do have this brief video of his "try me" features to give you a taste of how this Wall-E works:
 

 Of course, Wall-E's voice and sound effects are as movie accurate as you can get! 

 Thinkway Toys had a pretty extensive collection of Wall-E toys back when the film came out and for whatever reason, I didn't jump on really any of them then. Check out Thinkway's official Wall-E page to see a pretty definitive list of all the toys that were originally released in their line! Many the products can still be found pretty easily on eBay, so check it out to see if you're interested in any of them.

Again, thank you for visiting Dan the Pixar Fan and please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Be sure to come back daily to see even more from my Pixar collection or even explore past posts you may have missed (using either the labels or archives to the right of this page).

UPDATE: The Interaction Wall-E and Eve have now been officially re-released as Toy R Us exclusives! Get them while you can, this is a great opportunity.
 

Knick Knack: Ear Hat Ornament

In 1989, Pixar debuted their 5th short film, the hilarious Knick Knack, directed by John Lassester. The film premiered at the 1989 SIGGRAPH convention in Boston and was actually presented in early 3D! This has got to be one of my favorite shorts...totally classic.

Knick Knack became much more well known with its release in front of Finding Nemo in 2003—which was an edited/updated version of the film to make it more family friendly (i.e. the "swimsuits" of the Miami girl and the Mermaid). The film was released again in theaters in 2006 with the re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D.

For Christmas, I received this great collector's piece commemorating the classic film! There is very little merchandise out there for Pixar short films (especially this one) so when I saw this, I couldn't pass it up.
 

The Knick Knack ornament still all wrapped from Christmas- this was right after receiving it.

This was first available last July as an exclusive to the DisneyStore.com—limited edition of just 2,400 made! Naturally, this item has long since sold out and I could not find it anywhere available online. If you're looking for this though, keep you eyes open! It may just show up on eBay one of these days.
 

The detail of this little ornament is just fantastic. It has everything from the film: The snowman (of course), the igloo, the "snow" (no water, however), "Nome Sweet Nome, Alaska" on the outside and, yup, even the escape hatch on the bottom (seen below)! The door's just for decoration and does not open, but it's such a great touch! Without the Mickey ears, this would look exactly like the snow globe from the short.

 

This will absolutely be going on our tree next Christmas and on display with the rest of my collection during the rest of the year. I absolutely love it and a big thanks again to my parents for snagging this for me for Christmas before it sold out.

Thank you for visiting the blog today and be sure to come back daily to see more items from my Pixar collection. Stay tuned!

Toy Story 2: D23 Exlusive Woody's Roundup Television

Here is the 2011 D23 convention exclusive Woody's Roundup Budtone Television set! I absolutely love this one, it's such an awesome Toy Story 2 collector's/display piece! I never even knew about it (somehow) until last Spring.

The box itself is fantastic and the retro style is what makes it really neat. This item is for "adult collector's" (as seen on the box) and is made by Mattel. 

 

When you open it up, you find a vintage style TV (like the one seen in the film) made out of sturdy cardboard materials with a thin plastic screen. The frame around the TV is just held down by velcro and can be easily lifted up to adjust Woody and the backgrounds (more about this below) as needed. Inside is a real black and white marionette Woody (made from plastic) that you can control from the handle on the top! 

 

As mentioned, there are different backgrounds included with this set (three total). I thought this was a really cool touch! 

 

The two backgrounds above are removable and the third background below is printed on the actual inside of the box.

 Below is a brief video showing how this set works:

If you've never seen this or never had a chance to get it, you're in luck! These sell on eBay still for very cheap prices. We're talking like $15-$25 usually, so head there if you want to snag one of these awesome collector's sets! If you're a Toy Story fan, this is a must have.

A BIG thanks to my wife Brita for getting me this for Christmas! She's always very supportive of my collection and I really appreciate it.

Pixar Collection: Art and Autographs From Pixar

 Yesterday I was absolutely astonished to receive a letter from Pixar!! I opened the mailbox (expecting either nothing or junk mail) to see Heimlich the Caterpillar and Pixar's logo! I couldn't believe it.

I had heard that many people who write a letter to Pixar will receive a letter back so 2 weeks ago I did just that. I wrote them a page of my appreciation to them and told them about me, my hobby in collecting, this blog and my love for their films. 

From what I heard, it sometimes would take up to 3 months to hear back from Pixar (if at all). Being that it had only been a couple of weeks since I had sent my letter, I was shocked this response had come to quickly. 

 

 

Many of you have had a similar experience in getting a letter from Pixar (of course I know I'm not the only one or special in any way), but this was my first time so I was (and still) just extra pumped about it!  You know I won't be throwing away even the envelope this letter came in. It's too awesome.

 

 What really made this experience special for me is that I can tell from their letter that it wasn't just their generic response that most people get. They specifically mention my collection and gave me some things to add to it...so I know they actually took the time to read my letter and write something personal, even if it is just brief. It means a lot!

 

 Along with the letter, they sent this 4 cut outs of Monsters Inc. (or perhaps University?) concept art!
SO COOL!

What really stood out though was that they sent me not 1 or 2...but 4 signed prints! How nice was that?! They didn't need to send me anything like this, but they really went the extra mile. Of course I know these weren't signed personally for me, but hey, they're definitely "a welcome addition to my growing collection!" : )

 

 The photos are printed on high quality, glossy paper and the colors are stunning. You know I'm getting these framed ASAP! They will look so awesome matted and hung on the wall in my future Pixar themed study. 

This A Bug's Life one has got to be my favorite as literally the ENTIRE bug cast is together! Seriously, I've looked at it a lot and keep on seeing more characters I hadn't noticed before... Even down to the bum grasshoppers and the mime in the city! Name a bug, they're in this picture. : )

 

Toy Story 2-Fantastic! One of my favorites of the main toys together.  

 Ratatouille, also with director Brad Bird's signature. So cool!!
 

 And then we have Cars 2-great shot, great colors! I love the selections of prints they chose to send me.
 

 A HUGE thanks to Pixar (I'm assuming the PR department) for doing this...and responding so quickly! It goes to show what kind of company/studio they run that they would do this. They really do care about their fans and it really shows here. Pixar, you're the best! 

Pixar Collection: Note Card Set

Man, when I saw this Pixar Note Card set revealed as a D23 convention exclusive, I knew I had to get it somehow. I checked eBay and everywhere I could think of online but couldn't find this anywhere. Luckily, not long after D23 was over, this (and the rest of the collection it's from) was available on the Disney Store's website! I was so happy.

This Note Card Set was part of the "Disney/Pixar Line" of products which also includes a mug set, a second mug set, a notebook, an iPhone case, a Sticky Note Set, a pencil/eraser set and stickers).

 

top of the box

bottom of the box-Disney Store Certified!

I just absolutely love this simplistic, minimalist style. 

 Comes with two sheets of stickers!  

And below we have all the note cards together! There are three of each design included for a total of 24 cards. Which one is your favorite?

 

 There 24 envelopes included as well:

A big thanks to my in-laws for this great Christmas present! I'm so happy I got it when I did. 

Unfortunately, these have since sold out everywhere online. If you missed them, you may have a hard time tracking them down now (I haven't seen them anywhere). As always though, good luck on the hunt! Thanks for visiting today's post and be sure to come back daily for more from my Pixar collection.