Pete Docter, director and co-writer of Pixar’s “Soul,” appraised his co-workers by saying, “This team is crazy good.”
The film entailed four years of production and hundreds of workers. “I think most of the team were excited to stretch outside the box of what people might expect from an animated movie. Subjects like why are we alive? What are we doing with our time on Earth?” Docter says. He notes that the film, a hot contender during the long Oscar season, owes a lot to “individual contributors and these great leaders who help shape and direct the work.”
Ren Klyce, supervising sound editor
“We knew sound would be crucial. Ren created sounds and we auditioned them; the sound started to influence the way we visualized it. We hadn’t started building the Great Before and asked Ren, ‘What’s the ambience of the place?’ He brought in elements of nature sounds,...
The film entailed four years of production and hundreds of workers. “I think most of the team were excited to stretch outside the box of what people might expect from an animated movie. Subjects like why are we alive? What are we doing with our time on Earth?” Docter says. He notes that the film, a hot contender during the long Oscar season, owes a lot to “individual contributors and these great leaders who help shape and direct the work.”
Ren Klyce, supervising sound editor
“We knew sound would be crucial. Ren created sounds and we auditioned them; the sound started to influence the way we visualized it. We hadn’t started building the Great Before and asked Ren, ‘What’s the ambience of the place?’ He brought in elements of nature sounds,...
- 3/4/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
It takes two (or more) to create a performance in an animated film. The actor who records the dialogue and the artists who put together the character’s physical performance. And because the dialogue is recorded first, it can not only influence the script, but also the way a character looks or moves. In fact, during recording sessions, even though a script has been written, actors are often encouraged to improvise.
“The animation medium is ideal for vocal improvisation,” says veteran animator Ron Clements, who co-directed several Disney films with John Musker, including 1992’s “Aladdin,” which starred Robin Williams, a master of improv, as the Genie. “Because the voices are recorded and edited together first, and the animation is done to fit the prerecorded soundtrack, there’s a lot of freedom to experiment and explore multiple variations of line readings. If something doesn’t work, you don’t need to use it.
“The animation medium is ideal for vocal improvisation,” says veteran animator Ron Clements, who co-directed several Disney films with John Musker, including 1992’s “Aladdin,” which starred Robin Williams, a master of improv, as the Genie. “Because the voices are recorded and edited together first, and the animation is done to fit the prerecorded soundtrack, there’s a lot of freedom to experiment and explore multiple variations of line readings. If something doesn’t work, you don’t need to use it.
- 1/28/2021
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Pete Docter was at his most inquisitive on “Soul.” That’s because, unlike the Emoji-like personalities that embodied “Inside Out,” the animated characters that inhabit Pixar’s celestial fantasy are more abstract. “What do souls look like? What are they made of? Where do they come from?,” asked director and chief creative officer Docter. “There must’ve been something before we were born that somehow infused us with the essence of who we are.”
And so Pixar went on its most ambitious exploration yet to solve the problem of creating these ethereal characters of The Great Before. That’s the pre-birth training center where aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) finds himself after eluding death in The Great Beyond. He teams up with risk averse new soul, 22 (Tina Fey), on a journey to discover the meaning of life in Pixar’s first Black-led feature. “Fundamentals that came through again...
And so Pixar went on its most ambitious exploration yet to solve the problem of creating these ethereal characters of The Great Before. That’s the pre-birth training center where aspiring jazz pianist Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) finds himself after eluding death in The Great Beyond. He teams up with risk averse new soul, 22 (Tina Fey), on a journey to discover the meaning of life in Pixar’s first Black-led feature. “Fundamentals that came through again...
- 12/1/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With “Cars 3,” Pixar leans into female empowerment. First, high-tech trainer and wannabe racer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) helps Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) mount a comeback after a near-fatal crash. Their cross-generational relationship deepens when McQueen teaches Ramirez about real racing, as Paul Newman’s late, great Doc Hudson taught him.
At the same time, Pixar promoted animator Jude Brownbill to directing animator on “Cars 3.” She fine-tuned Ramirez and also oversaw major sequences. Brownbill previously worked on “The Good Dinosaur,” “Inside Out,” “Monsters University,” “Brave,” and “Cars 2,” and joined Louise Smythe (a lead story artist) and Ana Lacaze (shading technical director) in the latest display of female empowerment at the studio.
Crashing a Male-Dominated Profession
Just as Ramirez fights to assert herself in a male-dominated profession, so does the soft-spoken, British-born Brownbill. “It does sometimes feel like the female voices aren’t as loud as the men’s...
At the same time, Pixar promoted animator Jude Brownbill to directing animator on “Cars 3.” She fine-tuned Ramirez and also oversaw major sequences. Brownbill previously worked on “The Good Dinosaur,” “Inside Out,” “Monsters University,” “Brave,” and “Cars 2,” and joined Louise Smythe (a lead story artist) and Ana Lacaze (shading technical director) in the latest display of female empowerment at the studio.
Crashing a Male-Dominated Profession
Just as Ramirez fights to assert herself in a male-dominated profession, so does the soft-spoken, British-born Brownbill. “It does sometimes feel like the female voices aren’t as loud as the men’s...
- 6/1/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Cars 2 is out in cinema’s now and a few weeks back our very own Rob Beames was invited by Disney to fly out to the U.S. and have a tour around Pixar offices and speak to the talent behind their latest film.
We’ve posted all of these already in individual articles but in case you missed them, I wanted to give you guys a second chance to pick up on them today. All these interviews are a really fascinating look into how Pixar operate and really are worth your time if you have ever loved any of their movies.
Also do make sure to check out our Cars 2 review and also our review of the latest video game.
Watch our exclusive interview with John Lasseter;
Actress Emily Mortimer;
Producer Dennis Ream;
First assistant editor Kevin Rose-Williams;
Character animator Jude Brownbill;...
We’ve posted all of these already in individual articles but in case you missed them, I wanted to give you guys a second chance to pick up on them today. All these interviews are a really fascinating look into how Pixar operate and really are worth your time if you have ever loved any of their movies.
Also do make sure to check out our Cars 2 review and also our review of the latest video game.
Watch our exclusive interview with John Lasseter;
Actress Emily Mortimer;
Producer Dennis Ream;
First assistant editor Kevin Rose-Williams;
Character animator Jude Brownbill;...
- 7/25/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
“Out of gas”, “running on fumes” and “in need of an oil change” are just a few of the painfully unfunny puns that nevertheless serve as relevant judgements on Pixar’s latest film – and first real dud – Cars 2.
The original Cars, released in 2006, is the studio’s most underestimated concoction to date, yet during the interim, Pixar’s three most sophisticated pictures – Wall-e, Up and Toy Story 3 – have been released, causing this light, thoroughly mediocre sequel to feel utterly piecemeal by comparison. It unquestionably sparkles visually and the very youngest kids will still enjoy it, but between Cars 2 and particularly Pixar’s three previous features stands a wide chasm of quality.
On the face of things, Cars 2 is little different from its predecessor, aside from shifting the focus from hotshot race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) to his dappy tow truck friend Mater...
“Out of gas”, “running on fumes” and “in need of an oil change” are just a few of the painfully unfunny puns that nevertheless serve as relevant judgements on Pixar’s latest film – and first real dud – Cars 2.
The original Cars, released in 2006, is the studio’s most underestimated concoction to date, yet during the interim, Pixar’s three most sophisticated pictures – Wall-e, Up and Toy Story 3 – have been released, causing this light, thoroughly mediocre sequel to feel utterly piecemeal by comparison. It unquestionably sparkles visually and the very youngest kids will still enjoy it, but between Cars 2 and particularly Pixar’s three previous features stands a wide chasm of quality.
On the face of things, Cars 2 is little different from its predecessor, aside from shifting the focus from hotshot race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) to his dappy tow truck friend Mater...
- 7/22/2011
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
There is no convincing argument against the statement that John Lasseter - founder of Pixar Animation Studios, director of the seminal Toy Story and currently Chief Creative Officer of all Disney animation – is a living legend. Under his direction, Pixar have spent the last two decades redefining the way animated movies are made in the Us and, to some extent, who they are made for. He has even managed to resurrect Disney Animation Studios after a decade of irrelevance to rival the 1980s, overseeing the production of The Princess and the Frog and, recently, Tangled.
But the original Cars, released in 2006, has divided people – with the film widely cited as Pixar’s one artistic misstep. With that in mind it’d be easy to dismiss Cars 2 as a cynical cash-in (certainly Disney have made no secret of the brand’s ability to shift huge amounts of merchandise), yet, as...
But the original Cars, released in 2006, has divided people – with the film widely cited as Pixar’s one artistic misstep. With that in mind it’d be easy to dismiss Cars 2 as a cynical cash-in (certainly Disney have made no secret of the brand’s ability to shift huge amounts of merchandise), yet, as...
- 7/21/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
With roles in such films as Match Point, Redbelt and Shutter Island, Emily Mortimer can certainly lay claim to having worked with some of the most acclaimed living American auteurs. Whilst performances in the Steve Martin Pink Panther movies and hard-edged revenge thriller Harry Brown (not to mention a memorable turn on TV comedy 30 Rock) ensure she is widely recognised by audiences. However, it was her experience working with John Lassester and Pixar, as the voice of the elegant heroine Holly Shiftwell (above) in Cars 2, that was the topic of conversation when I spoke to with her at Pixar Animation Studios last month.
Against the backdrop of a giant replica Luxo lamp and bouncy ball, Mortimer discussed how working with the best of live-action compares to working with the best of the animation world, and you can hear what she had to say on the subject by watching the...
Against the backdrop of a giant replica Luxo lamp and bouncy ball, Mortimer discussed how working with the best of live-action compares to working with the best of the animation world, and you can hear what she had to say on the subject by watching the...
- 7/20/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
If being a producer is a misunderstood, even maligned, profession then being an animation producer is perhaps doubly so. I’ll admit, I didn’t know what a producer’s role in the making of a Pixar movie would entail, especially in an environment of unparalleled creative freedom in which Wall-e director Andrew Stanton likened artists to “free range chicken”. Though it turns out that, even at the Berkeley-based animation studio, the producer’s role is that of a tight hand on the reins, ensuring budgets are adhered to and deadlines are met – a job that often involves telling people “no”. One person with such a responsibility is Denise Ream - producer of Cars 2.
Another of the many Pixar employees to have worked at Industrial Light & Magic, she served as visual effects producer on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith before...
Another of the many Pixar employees to have worked at Industrial Light & Magic, she served as visual effects producer on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith before...
- 7/19/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
Last month What Culture – then still Obsessed With Film – was invited to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit the airy, concept art covered halls of legendary animation studio Pixar, with the company eager to promote upcoming sequel Cars 2. Over the course of this week we’ll be letting you in on our conversations with producer Denise Ream, actress Emily Mortimer and the film’s director (and all round modern animation legend) John Lasseter. First up though, we had the pleasure of speaking to character animator Jude Brownbill and first assistant editor Kevin Rose-Williams, both of whom hail from the UK.
For aspiring animators on these shores, the prospect of getting a job at Pixar might seem like the stuff of wildest fantasy, with the Berekely-based studio an ocean (and then an entire continent) away. Yet Kevin Rose-Williams, originally of Bristol, just got done with working as first assistant...
For aspiring animators on these shores, the prospect of getting a job at Pixar might seem like the stuff of wildest fantasy, with the Berekely-based studio an ocean (and then an entire continent) away. Yet Kevin Rose-Williams, originally of Bristol, just got done with working as first assistant...
- 7/18/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
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