Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Pixar

  • D23: New Pixar Movie ‘Elio’ to Explore Kids Contact With Aliens

    D23: New Pixar Movie ‘Elio’ to Explore Kids Contact With Aliens

    While we’ve been hearing a lot about projects we’ve already known something about, it seems that a brand new project has been shared by Pixar. Elemental may be the next film to release,e but it seems they are already working on their next film titled Elio, which will explore the story of an 11-year-old that ends up being the first to make contact with aliens.

    As a result, he is beamed into a spaceship and meets various aliens while accidentally being nominated to be Eart’s ambassador. Have we mentioned that he is 11 years? America Ferrera has been cast as Olga, who is Elio’s mom in the upcoming movie.

  • D23: First Story Details on Pixar’s Disney+ Series ‘Win or Lose’, Will Forte Joins the Cast

    D23: First Story Details on Pixar’s Disney+ Series ‘Win or Lose’, Will Forte Joins the Cast

    We’ve heard quite some time ago that Pixar is working on their first truly full-length Disney+ series titled Win or Lose; though Cars on the Road could technically count if it didn’t have a shorter episode runtime. We haven’t known much about the project but luckily during the Pixar Showcase at D23, we got a bit more information on what to expect.

    As it turns out, the project will explore the story of a softball game. Each episode focuses on a different member of a team that offers a unique perspective on the events that unfolded in this big game. A rather unique idea fitting for Pixar that also makes great use of the TV format. It’ll explore bad calls made by the coach of the team. Will Forte has also joined the cast as the coach.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter

  • D23: First Look at ‘Elemental’s Main Duo and First Story Details

    D23: First Look at ‘Elemental’s Main Duo and First Story Details

    We’ve long waited for an update on how exactly Pixar is approaching its next project, Elemental. It seems like the most out-there concept they’ve attempted in a while and exploring living elements could also give them a unique challenge when it comes to the animation. Well, D23 Expo is the place to be as we finally got our first look at the leads Ember and Wade. The story will explore an unlikely romance between two elements that can’t even touch. Ember will be voiced by Leah Lewis while Mamoudou Athie is taking on Wade.

    Source: Twitter

  • D23: New Artwork Spotted for Pixar’s ‘Elemental’

    D23: New Artwork Spotted for Pixar’s ‘Elemental’

    Pixar is going to take the stage later today during the D23 Expo and it seems they have already prepared some new key art for their next cinematic entry, Elemental. The exploration of two types of elements that normally wouldn’t get along sounds just about right for Pixar’s usual yet unusual storytelling ideas and here’s hoping we get a trailer later today. For now, it seems we have a great visual teasing the world that we’ll be introduced to in Elemental, as shared by @DiscussingFilm.

  • REPORT: Pixar May Reveal an ‘Inside Out’ Sequel During D23

    REPORT: Pixar May Reveal an ‘Inside Out’ Sequel During D23

    D23 is finally here and as per usual, it seems that some news is hitting the web shortly before the event starts to get people’s gears turning on what exactly the future has in store. While Marvel Studios was quite the victim of this trend in the past, especially shortly before their panel during San Diego Comic-Con a few months ago, it seems Pixar is hit this time around. In a new piece by Puck’s Matthew Belloni, he reveals that a sequel to Inside Out is set to be announced at D23.

    It’s unclear exactly what the story might be or how it continues the original, but he does highlight that Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling are not set to return for the sequel. They took on the role of Fear and Disgust, but it would seem strange not to include the same emotions s the original did. Of course, we don’t know if this will stick to the original storyline and continue exploring the story of Kaitlyn Dias’ Riley growing up. There’s a chance they might take the concept and explore someone else’s life to mix things up. We did see the emotions of her parents also have their own voices.

    Still, Inside Out was quite a popular release and used a rather creative concept to tell a story about how we all try to handle our own emotions. It’s definitely an idea that opens up to many more possibilities and it does seem fitting that they’d potentially explore this part of their Pixar universe again. Who knows, perhaps it ends up as a Disney+ series that tells different stories from many different perspectives, as everyone tries to handle their own emotions.

    Source: Puck

  • REVIEW: ‘Cars on the Road’ Has Something for Everyone

    REVIEW: ‘Cars on the Road’ Has Something for Everyone

    The Cars franchise has varied in quality throughout its three cinematic releases, but there’s always been something quite charming about the friendship between Owen Wilson‘s Lightning McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater. Pixar knew what the film’s strengths were and with each project kept that at the base of its hard; no matter where the story leads it. That very same thing can be said with Pixar’s true first animated series, Cars on the Road.

    Across the various episodes, the duo is on the road for a few days to take part in the wedding of Mater’s sister. Besides the surprise revelation of Mater’s family background–which has quite a fun twist that doesn’t overstay its welcome–and some more fun between the leading pair, there’s something quite special with the Pixar series. Each episode is its own little storyline that offers something quite fun and a great time.

    Steve Purcell and his team tried to offer something fun with each episode, such as playing around with different genres, film tributes, and generally just taking these iconic characters and putting them into surprising scenarios. While one episode explores the pre-historic history of the Cars universe with a Ray Harryhausen animation twist, another will give us The Shining with a vehicular twist.

    The series doesn’t revolutionize anything and there’s no real need for it to do so. From the opening, the show knows exactly what it’s about and doesn’t try to be anything else. What helps with that aspect is that these episodes are pretty digestible. You’ll get through an episode in just around seven to eight minutes, which includes credits and it helps give each episode a quick pace.

    The show goes by fast and still has its memorable moments. McQueen goes through quite a bit of hell this time around, as the poor guy has to live through a haunted mansion and even face his fear of clowns; a highlight of the season. Mater is as enjoyable as he’s always been and the show doesn’t change their characters much; mostly just sees how their personalities would work or even clash depending on the situation.

    We also get some new additions this season with characters like Quinta Bruson‘s Ivy and Dana Powell‘s Mato. They are fun additions but don’t really take much of the focus away from our leading duo. There is a point in the story where they make it seem like they’ll have someone joining them for the road but that storyline is swiftly scrapped. In a way, it did make you wonder why they included it besides for a few gags and it was a shame not to explore how their dynamic would change with a new friend tagging along.

    The animation is great and everyone looks the way you’d expect them to. As stated earlier, there is an episode that pays tribute to claymation that highlights the attention to detail. A lot of this series feels like a love letter to the many genres and films where the franchise started. There aren’t any major twists and turns but a simple joyful ride with two close friends.

    Cars on the Road is just a great time and has something for everyone. Kids will just have a blast with Mater and McQueen’s usual dynamic while also enjoying how these two play off of each other. In the meantime, adults will get a blast out of Easter eggs from Mad Max, The Shining, and more sprinkled throughout the series. In a way, it could be the perfect jumping-off point for anyone wanting to spark their kid’s curiosities about some classic films when they start asking why a bunch of cars are driving through the desert challenging strangers to survive the Thundercone.

  • Initial ‘Cars on the Road’ Pitch Included “Twice as Many Stops”

    Initial ‘Cars on the Road’ Pitch Included “Twice as Many Stops”

    Productions change a lot from when they are initially pitched. While some pitches tend to focus on the overarching storyline and feeling the series is going for, others tend to have a stricter outline. In the case of Cars on the Road, it seems that they had quite a few episodes already mapped out as revealed by writer Steve Purcell, who pitched the series initially.

    In the official press conference for the series, he reveals that the biggest change was the number of episodes that made it into the final release. Purcell initially pitched twice as many stops before they started cutting down on what fits the story best. He doesn’t give away what they would’ve consisted of but it seems that they wanted to focus on finding a nice balance when bringing the series to life.

    Yeah. When I first pitched the idea, we had twice as many stops. And so we’ve sort of arrived at an order that we felt was working. And sometimes we would pull one out and put another one in, a different idea. Looking for just the right selection and the kind of, you know, alternating between day scenes and night scenes and kind of, you know, out in the desert opposed to in a forest or something like that. So it was really trying to structure it so it felt like a nice variety of places and it felt like you were going from one place to another along the way.

    Steve Purcell

    He does highlight that perhaps there’s more to come and teases that he has “10 more ideas sitting out there” that could be a part of another road trip for Mater and Lightning McQueen.

    But there’s still, you know, 10 more ideas sitting out there that we hadn’t used.

    Steve Purcell

    Given the Cars franchise’s success, it seems unlikely to expect this to be the last we see of them. So, we’ll have to see if the series’ upcoming Disney+ Day release will signal a second season renewal. Who knows if they might even have it planned and are just trying to build up the momentum once the series hits Disney+?

  • Tim Allen Shares Thought on Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ Spinoff ‘Lightyear’ Was Live-Action

    Tim Allen Shares Thought on Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ Spinoff ‘Lightyear’ Was Live-Action

    Tim Allen has been busy with a new Disney+ original series acting as the continuation of his merry Santa Clause franchise. Having made his name with the Home Improvement series, he also became a household name for many kids when he took on the voice of Buzz Lightyear. There has been a surprising controversy surrounding Pixar’s new film, Lightyear, which takes a look at the film that would inspire Andy to buy Allen‘s Buzz toy. Chris Evans took over the voice of the character.

    While promoting his new series More Power for the History Channel, which sees him reunite with his Home Improvement co-stars Richard Karn and April Wilkerson, he got a chance to share his thoughts on the new Pixar film where he simply highlights that it’s very much its own thing, especially as Woody isn’t involved in any way.

    This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies. There’s really no ‘Toy Story,’ Buzz without Woody. It just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy.

    Tim Allen

    It kind of would’ve been fun to see Woody and Buzz in a hyper-realistic take on the original Toy Story. Allen even went on to highlight that he originally expected it to be a live-action story which would’ve been an interesting direction to take the project. Still, it’s a unique story told with a different team behind it and is the inspiration for the popular Buzz Lightyear toy line. So, it’s no wonder that they’d also have a different voice for the character.

    Source: ExtraTV

  • ‘Lightyear’ Currently Underperforming, May Not Dethrone ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

    ‘Lightyear’ Currently Underperforming, May Not Dethrone ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

    It looks like Lightyear is struggling a bit to catch its legs at the box office, as the latest Pixar film may not beat Jurassic World: Dominion at the box office this weekend. Going in, the Pixar film was eyeing a potential $85M+ opening weekend but after a lukewarm Friday, it does seem like Dominion may keep its dominion (pun fully intended) over the box office domestically. The film opened to $20.7M on Friday, which includes the decent $5.2M preview screenings, yet the film is very likely to end at around $52M.

    There are many theories online on what exactly led to this opening. The biggest aspect is definitely the pandemic, as while Top Gun Maverick pulled audiences back into seats they likely haven’t visited in a long time, families are still a bit uncertain. They also released the last three films exclusively on Disney+ to push subscriptions but it may have shown its fangs on dragging that out while letting Marvel Studios roam free as of late.

    Luckily, the numbers would put it as one of the strongest family films since the pandemic started, but a $200M budgeted spinoff based on a toy from a film franchise is not an easy sell. It did get an A- CinemaScore, which hints at word-of-mouth being strong for the Pixar release. Lightyear may just not have the same selling effect that Pixar hoped for, as it doesn’t have the Toy Story branding, and outside of its main character, has no connection to the original.

    So, it’s a spinoff that is also an original film based on pre-existing characters without the original voice. Toy Story 4 opened to a powerful $120.9M in 2019, which was already a powerhouse year, but simply highlights that this is more a case of Solo: A Star Wars Story than

    Source: Variety

  • Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Eyeing a $135M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Eyeing a $135M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    With Lightyear releasing in theaters in the near future, it seems that we’re finally getting some projects in on where exactly the film will perform. First estimates are giving the Toy Story spinoff a smaller estimate going into the theater due to not being a direct sequel and is potentially eyeing a $70M to $85M opening stateside. The film will make good use of Father’s day to pull in a Sunday audience plus Juneteenth is on Monday.

    Internationally, the film is going to release in 43 markets, as it has been banned in specific markets. UK and Mexico are frontrunners for the market but the estimates are at around $50M+ opening internationally. As of such, the film will likely play around $135M worldwide in total by the end of the weekend.

    Though it should not be underestimated that Top Gun and Doctor Strange kicked off an overall strong summer blockbuster, which is showing some of the best numbers we’ve seen since the pandemic started. So, the film may surprise us and pull in quite the audience given its legacy status. Sonic the Hedgehog left quite an impression with younger audiences that may motivate them to visit the theater again more often.

    Source: Deadline