Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Pixar

  • EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With The Creators Behind Disney’s New Dance Short Film, Us Again

    EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With The Creators Behind Disney’s New Dance Short Film, Us Again

    Disney’s latest experimental short titled Us Again is now available to watch on the House of Mouse’s streaming service, Disney+. The short chronicles an aging couple dealing with the growing pains of growing old with a fun musical twist. Murphy’s Multiverse got to speak with the short film’s brilliant creators, director Zach Parrish, producer Brad Simonsen, composer Pinar Toprak, and world-renowned choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid, who were generous enough to share some behind-the-scenes details.

    Zach Parrish is no stranger to directing experimental shorts, having done one for Disney+ called Puddles that premiered last year in their Short Circuits series. We asked Zach how he came up with such a fun new concept with Us Again and he revealed how his mother played a huge part in his conceptualizing.

    It started from a very real place. Moving into my 30s and realizing that my body was getting old. Gray hairs and bad knees. I had this emotional feeling of wishing I was young again but then talking my mom who was in her 60s; she was talking about what she was going to do when she grew older. I realized I had my perspective backwards and I was looking at life in the wrong direction. That core emotional place led me to think about this fountain of youth story with the rain and how we could do this neon dance thing with the music. All of that came together fairly quickly early on. Having that core emotion that I responded to and all the visual ideas I had in my head, I needed to get it all out.

    Prior to directing his own short films, Zach cut his teeth working as an animator on a couple of Disney hits. Big Hero 6 was his first stint as a department head as the Head of Animation and he spoke about his experience in that film helped shape Us Again.

    Big Hero 6 was my first time running a department. So we had 95 animators on that film.  Managing your time and making sure that you’re very crystal clear on what the point is and what the core emotion is, I learned a ton. Don Hall, the director of that film was my mentor in the making of Us Again. I learned from him how to communicate that emotion and where I wasn’t being clear. 

    Us Again is Walt Disney Animation’s first theatrical short in 5 years as it was attached to Raya and the Last Dragon. All of us grew up watching these shorts attached to their iconic films so we had to ask producer Brad Simonsen the pressure they felt coming up with a short that could honor the huge legacy of Walt Disney Animation.

    When you’re dealing with a legacy like Walt Disney Animation, there’s always a desire to honor the tradition and history that the building and people bring. Having got to work with Zach Parrish in Big Hero 6, I really knew that if given the opportunity, he would make a beautiful movie. We supported him the right way and we brought on a team that was a yes-team that really wanted to make the movie better at all times.

    Best known for her music for billion-dollar IPs like Fortnite and Captain Marvel, Pinar Toprak was tasked with the job of crafting a contemporary score for Us Again. Given how epic and grand her scores generally are, we had to ask Pinar what it was like to compose such a modern soundtrack.

    That was Zach’s vision. We talked about what genre we were going to play with. Was it jazz? Was it more disco? But then funk and soul really fell into that sweet spot for us. I personally love funk and soul so much. It was really fun to create that because it’s not really that common for a composer to get asked, “Hey, go write a funk score.”

    You can’t have a proper dance film without amazing dancers. In comes world-renowned choreographers Keoni Madrid and Mari Madrid, who pretty much defined the film’s essence with their magnetic choreography. The couple’s dance resume is nothing short of impressive, having choreographed for huge stars like BTS and Justin Beiber. When asked about whether choreographing for pop culture’s most famous company was a challenge, they had this to say:

    Honestly, it wasn’t. Brad and Zach gave us all the tools to make sure we had all the context as possible. That’s rare. Not all projects offer that much information. We got an almost final version of the music early on. Once we had all those tools, it went back to, “Let’s do what we do. Tell stories through dance.” We don’t get to do that for all projects. But for this one, it had all the things we’re passionate about. Once you strip all the Disneyness and scale from it, it boils down to the work.

     

  • REVIEW: ’22 vs. Earth’ is a Welcome Expansion of ‘Soul’

    REVIEW: ’22 vs. Earth’ is a Welcome Expansion of ‘Soul’

    One of the great things about this era of Pixar is that they’re no longer catering their content to just kids. Sure, all their films since Toy Story have been four-quadrant endeavors. If you remotely have an imagination and appreciation for good stories, all their offerings are bangs for your buck. In the past few years, something started to change with these films. They became deeper and deeper as they grew bolder with their storytelling choices. The themes became darker and the subject matter explored existential questions. Much of this is in due part to Pete Doctor, director of Inside Out, Up, and last year’s Soul.

    Soul was the encapsulation of all that. A wildly complex study on purpose, identity, and notions of what makes each of us whole. You know, all the kinds of ideas we’re terrified to examine as adults. But examine we did thanks to the mesmerizing pull of Soul. The movie was a hit critically, garnering numerous awards from multiple organizations, eventually winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The massive success amassed movie makes it all unsurprising that they decided further explore the Great Before in a brand new short titled 22 vs. Earth. 

     

    22 vs Earth': Pixar Follows up 'Soul' with a Prequel Short | IndieWire

     

    Directed by one of Pete Doctor‘s main collaborators, award-winning editor Kevin Nolting, 22 vs. Earth is a mini-examination of one of Soul’s main characters, 22, voiced by Tina Fey. We last saw 22 in the emotional ending of the film. She finds her elusive purpose after eons of waiting and makes her way to Earth, all thanks to her friendship with Joe Gardner. However, things are very different for 22 in this prequel. I’d argue even worse than when we meet her in Soul. She’s deeply bitter at all the souls finding their purpose like it’s no big deal. While that bitterness manifests in silly gags, her isolation is felt strongly here.

    The short film almost feels like a deleted scene in many ways, which is unsurprising given how they tried working in the short film’s premise in the development process of Soul. While the short film could have functionally existed in the final cut of the film, it being a short film makes it work regardless.

     

    22 vs Earth': Pixar Follows up 'Soul' with a Prequel Short | IndieWire

     

    But if there’s anything that 22 vs. Earth does better than Soul, it’s definitely the cute factor. I cannot stress how adorable the ensemble cast of souls they put together in this short. They all have adorable names (Macaroni is mine and will be everyone else’s favorite, no doubt) and wear domino masks to boot. 22 forms a coalition with them to stop souls from reaching Earth, dubbed as A.P.O.C.A.L.Y.P.S.E. which might give S.H.I.E.L.D. a run for its money as far as abbreviated organizations go. Their plan, of course, goes sideways in the most adorable ways possible. 

    22 vs. Earth doesn’t have the full emotional heft of Soul and I think that’s fine. This short film isn’t trying to replicate the tear-jerking moments of the film nor is it trying to explore the complexities and nuances of human identity. What it is: a charming vignette of what 22’s day-to-day life was like in the Great Before. We learn right away that she used to spend her days hatching adorable plans to stop fellow souls from finding their purpose. But despite the short film is a mostly cute affair, there is somewhat of an underlying emotion to the whole thing. A sadness that drives 22 to scheme as she does. She’s lonely and just wants to find someone lost like her. However, knowing 22’s eventual fate makes this period more striking.

     

    Pixar Debuts Clip from Its Soul Prequel Short, 22 vs Earth | CBR

     

    All in all, 22 vs. Earth does the job of telling the untold tale of 22’s origin. It’s concise, charming, and most importantly, fun. Seeing all these characters, new and old (the soul councilors are here!), makes me wish there was a sequel in the works. But even if there never will be, this short film fills that void nicely.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ’22 Vs. Earth’ Director Talks 22’s Origin Story and Why They Made a Prequel

    EXCLUSIVE: ’22 Vs. Earth’ Director Talks 22’s Origin Story and Why They Made a Prequel

    22 vs. Earth is Pixar’s latest offering in the mesmerizing world crafted by Pete Doctor in the critically acclaimed Soul. Set in the years before Joe Gardner’s fateful meeting with 22, the short film briefly tackles what life was for 22 in the Great Before. We got to interview the editor of Soul and director of the short, the award-winning Kevin Nolting, who gave us some fun tidbits about making the short.

    According to Nolting, the short film was conceptualized within the last 6 months, as a way to somewhat fill in the gaps the movie left with regards to 22’s origin story and why they opted for a prequel instead of a sequel.

    It could have been a sequel, I guess. But while we were making Soul, we talked about a lot what made 22 who she is. We never put it in the movie because it didn’t belong in the movie and so it never got fully developed. This was a perfect point to explore that question a little bit. 

    Nolting further elaborated on what the conversations were like leading up to the greenlighting of 22 vs. Earth and how he approached it.

    When you’re making a movie, you play around with how much pre-story you need. Since Joe was the main character, that got the focus of our attention; building his world, his family, and what brought him to that place. With 22, it just didn’t belong because she wasn’t the main focus. But it was such a big conversation because you do need that biography to character to know how to make them play. But I approached [the short] as: if we were telling 22’s story, it would overlap with Soul and the short would be the midpoint of the story. It would be the point in the story where she crystallizes her ideas and moves in a certain direction. 

    Soul marked Nolting’s third collaboration with acclaimed director Pete Doctor in 15 years. Nolting talked briefly spoke on how that collaboration began and whether Doctor gave him tips on how to execute this short film.

    He was in development of Up and he was putting some scenes together and writing the movie. I was free at the time and hanging around development to help in whatever way I could and I ended up cutting 3 or 4 scenes. He was going to do a mini-screening for Up just to see how the ideas were going. We had the scene introducing the bird, the dog, and the house flying up. And we just clicked working together so I ended up staying on. He didn’t have to give me specific advice because I’ve been working with him for 15 years. Just through osmosis, I learned everything about directing from him. Yes, he did give me advice but in a span of 15 years (laughs). 

    22 vs. Earth is coming to Disney+ on April 30, 2021.

  • ‘Soul’ Animated Short Heading to Disney+

    ‘Soul’ Animated Short Heading to Disney+

    It looks like Pixar wasn’t quite done yet with the world of Soul, as an upcoming short titled 22 vs. Earth will revisit the character voiced by Tina Fey. It will be directed by the original film’s editor, Kevin Nolting. The short will act as a prequel to the event of the original film, as 22 remains skeptical about what Earth has to offer long before she meets Joe Gardner. It will revisit The Great Before where she recruits five new souls to join her little rebellion. Nolting shared his enthusiasm and what inspired him to revisit the character.

     

     

    While making Soul, we talked about the why of a new soul not wanting to live on Earth, but it didn’t ultimately belong in that movie. 22 vs. Earth was a chance to explore some of the unanswered questions we had about why 22 was so cynical. As a fairly cynical person myself, it felt like perfect material.

    Their excitement to explore the cynicism of 22 in contrast to the other soul’s naive outlook on the world. The Pixar veteran hopes to explore these blank slates and contrast them. After going through one mentor after another, maybe she sees herself as one of these young souls. I’ll be interesting to see if it may even directly build up to her first meeting with Jamie Foxx‘s Gardner and set off the events that will change her outlook on Earth.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Taking a Closer Look at Disney+’s Pixar Premier Access Strategy

    Taking a Closer Look at Disney+’s Pixar Premier Access Strategy

    Disney has entered the streaming market. It has been a resounding success and has already surpassed 100 million subscribers. It saw an impressive boost in subscribers after the release of Pixar’s Soul in December. As such, it had already passed 90 million, and Marvel Studios’ WandaVision was only around the corner. Sadly, it seems that the pandemic has no end in sight. So, Marvel Studios and Disney decided to drop Black Widow through their Premier Access service in July. It joins Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon, which could be purchased for an additional fee of $30 bucks to watch them three months early. The pricing has been questionable at times. It would at least make the films available for those still cautious about visiting cinemas.

     

    Black Widow' Super Bowl Trailer Shows Natasha's Superhero Family - Variety

     

    Now, it is understandable that Disney would want to make their cash back some way. It would seem that the streaming service won’t cover the costs of these massive blockbusters. Yet, Disney has also made some contradictory decision with their properties that makes the Premier Access debacle strange. The entertainment behemoth decided to release Soul for free on the service and is following-suit with Luca. Oddly, both Pixar productions get the same treatment, while Cruella gets the Premiere Access treatment. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Matthew Belloni, Pixar is feeling it.

    It’s a strange decision that these properties are the only ones getting this type of treatment. There is probably a financial reason for it, but, understandably, Pixar employees aren’t thrilled by this. Soul was an emotionally gripping tale that would’ve left quite the impression in theaters worldwide. Luca would be sure to do the same, but there is no mention of a simultaneous release in theaters. Pixar is, by far, one of the biggest players in the animation market. So, the release of Raya and the Last Dragon but not Luca through Premier Access seems odd without this decision getting clarified by Disney.

    So, why would they decide to do this? Well, it probably is connected to two factors. On the one hand, Soul got released after the first attempt with Mulan seemed to falter. They decided to bite the bullet and hope that it would raise the overall subscription numbers. As we learned, it did manage to do that. Now, they must’ve believed that they can make up the production costs through the increase in subscribers. Yet, if Raya proved that the service could be profitable after all, it seems strange to sideline one of the most recognizable brands in the market.

     

    Watch the first trailer for Pixar's Luca - The Verge

     

    There is probably a reason for this decision, but only Disney can offer the complete picture. As it is now, it seems an odd choice to push the Premier Access brand as a showcase of their most-valued productions. If things “normalize,” we might never see this branding again. It was created as a reactionary option during the pandemic until theaters could open again. Godzilla vs. Kong has shown that some international markets have seen a resurgence in the Box Office, but it will still take some time before we’re talking about what we’ve seen before the pandemic started. Either way, it feels like a disservice to Pixar’s hard work and standing in the industry to not put it on their Premier Access selection. No matter why they took this route, the bigger question remains: what could be the fallout of this business decision? There is a possibility that the demoralized employees are just the first cracks to appear in the relationship between Pixar and Disney moving forward.

    Source: Twitter, The Verge, Digital TV

  • Disney Unveils Its Disney+ Releases for ‘Cruella’ and ‘Luca’

    Disney Unveils Its Disney+ Releases for ‘Cruella’ and ‘Luca’

    It looks like Disney is facing a long list of delays with the recent news that Black Widow won’t premiere in May. It has been pushed back into July taking over Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings’ spot, which will now release in September. Of course, this also affects the rest of Disney’s upcoming film slate, which has been pushed back into the second half of the year. There is one exception, as Emma Stone‘s Cruella is sticking to its May 28th release date. It will also become a Disney+ Premier Access offering while also airing in theaters.

    That isn’t all, as Pixar’s upcoming film Luca will be available on Disney+. Strangely, the second Pixar entry is getting this treatment by being made available directly without any Premier Access offering. There are plenty of other delays, such as Ryan Reynolds‘ Free Guy releasing in August, The King’s Man being pushed into late December while Deep Water and Death on the Nile being pushed into 2022.

    Disney has been very keen on pushing Disney+, which has offered them some flexibility in the current pandemic-affected market. It is uncertain if the other releases mentioned above may face a similar fate, but anything can change. It was already a major surprise to see Black Widow get a simultaneous release, as Disney has been very focused on ensuring its theatrical release. They have pushed out this decision for quite some time, which is also the reason why it had to be delayed. They want to advertise it far in advance to ensure they can get people informed it will be available through both sources. It’s going to be an interesting year moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes

  • Disney+ Passes 100 Million Subscribers Worldwide

    Disney+ Passes 100 Million Subscribers Worldwide

    Disney has always been a powerhouse in the entertainment market. It seemed like they were unstoppable. So, many were curious how well they would perform once they enter the streaming market with Disney+. With a nice boost through the release of Soul, they already reached a subscription number of 94.9 million by January. That was before WandaVision was even released on the streaming platform. Now, it seems that within the last month they finally managed to surpass the 100 million thresholds. In the latest shareholder meeting, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announce the milestone with the following words:

    The enormous success of Disney Plus has inspired us to be even more ambitious, and to significantly increase our investment in the development of high-quality content. In fact, we set a target of 100-plus new titles per year, and this includes Disney Animation, Disney Live Action, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Our direct-to-consumer business is the Company’s top priority, and our robust pipeline of content will continue to fuel its growth.

    Even in these uncertain times, the rapid growth of their streaming service has been able to keep their stock price soaring. The recent launch of India’s STAR platform has also added a lot of content that would draw in a new audience. Disney+’s biggest restriction was focusing purely on family-content, so this new direction will help it grow in Canada, European, and Asian markets. In the United States, Hulu remains bundled with the streaming service.

    Speaking of, it will be embedded with ESPN Plus, so you can access different services through one app. There is a good chance the same might happen for Disney+ as well with Hulu as the main hub. It is an amazing landmark for the young streaming service, and it will be interesting to see how it will further develop in the coming years.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Monsters at Work’ to Release on Disney+ in July

    ‘Monsters at Work’ to Release on Disney+ in July

    It is quite the day for Disney+. We just got the release date for Loki confirmed, which will not premiere a month later than originally announced. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is going to arrive on May 4th. Now, Well, it looks like one more upcoming Disney+ series just got an official release date, as it was revealed that Disney’s animated series Monsters At Work is going to premiere July 2nd on the streaming platform.

    The series will work as a sequel to the original Pixar series Monsters Inc. and will continue to flesh out the franchise. The last time we visited Monstropolis, it was Monsters University, which explored Mike Wazowkis and James P. Sullivan’s college years. This series will feature the return of Billy Crystal and John Godman in the iconic roles, but will mainly focus on brand new monsters. Now that the power plant is run by children’s laughter rather than screams, a young scarer Tylor Tuskmon, who is played by Ben Feldman, will be in for a rude awakening with the company’s new direction.

    Source: Twitter, Decider

  • Disney+ Surpassed 90 Million Subscribers Even Before ‘WandaVision’ Released

    Disney+ Surpassed 90 Million Subscribers Even Before ‘WandaVision’ Released

    Disney+ has proven to be quite the powerhouse in the streaming wars. As of January 2nd, the subscription service has reached a new record high subscription number with 94.9 million. It has risen by 8 million in just one month, as it was at around 86.8 million the last time we got an update on it. As such, its growth already surpassed the service’s original prediction of 90 million in four years. It is a massive win after Disney has announced a slew of brand new originals heading to the service throughout 2021. The release of The Mandalorian’s second season and Pixar’s Soul were essential boosters in the last months. Especially the latter, which dominated streaming numbers during Christmas. These numbers also don’t include the subscribers gained after they released the first Marvel Studios original series, WandaVision.

    The streaming service has seen substantial growth that is not going to slow down anytime soon. Variety does point out that 30% of its subscribers are through India and Indonesia’s Disney+ Hotstar subscription model, which comes at a lower price. They are also about to launch the STAR brand in selected markets. So, the service will see a slight increase in the pricing in those regions. Still, In the latest financial meeting, they stated that they aren’t expecting profitability until 2024, but the current increase is still impressive. It’ll be interesting to see if WandaVision managed to push the subscription beyond the milestone of 100 million. Marvel Studios plans to release around six shows this year, so they will certainly see an increase over the coming months. December will also kick-off with the first The Mandalorian spin-off that is certain to draw in some attention. 2021 is going to be a big year for the service and an indicator how fast its growth will continue in its second year.

    Source: Variety, Forbes

  • Official Trailer Released for Disney+ Mini-Series ‘Pixar Popcorn’

    Official Trailer Released for Disney+ Mini-Series ‘Pixar Popcorn’

    Pixar’s latest film Soul was a huge success for the company. It was a critical darling and even managed to add 2.3 million installations for Disney+. Now, they are getting ready for their next project, as they just released a trailer for Pixar Popcorn. It is a brand new collection of mini-shorts that feature characters from their various films. So, unlike their Sparkshorts, these take place within the individual films. It seems the stories will revisit some of our favorite characters no matter what small of a role they had in the original. It is great that even their latest releases aren’t excluded. Check out the trailer for the collection right here:

    It looks like a wholesome treat to those that just wanted a bit more from Pixar. This isn’t their first series on the streaming service, as they did have some fun with the Pixar in Real Life series, which offered some fun pranks with our familiar characters. Now, this mini-series collection isn’t our first true long-form story from the animation studio. That will be Win or Lose, which won’t release for some time. It is still great that they are adding some smaller series to still provide some content from their library. Animation isn’t an easy task and takes a lot of time, so it is natural they won’t be releasing one series after another in short succession. It is also completely new territory for the studio, so they might be trying to make sure they get it just right. So, let’s enjoy this new mini-series as we revisit some of our favorite Pixar worlds on January 22.

     

     

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Bloomberg, Twitter, Twitter (Poster)