Continuing with the previous article, we will explore 20 fascinating details about the world-renowned 3D animation company animated films – Pixar:
1. Although Pixar started producing “A Bug’s Life” quite a while ago, Dreamworks’ “Antz” was released over a month earlier. There was speculation that the head of Dreamworks, Jeffrey Katzenberg, had “encouraged” his staff to work harder to outpace Pixar, as he had previously pitched the idea for “Antz” to Pixar before the release of “A Bug’s Life” coincided with the release of Dreamworks’ first animated film – “The Prince of Egypt,” but Pixar remained unphased and continued on their path.
2. Billy Crystal, the voice of Mike in “Monsters, Inc.” (2001), was originally approached for the role of Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story” but turned it down, later expressing regret over his decision. Additionally, there are at least 100 different monsters in “Monsters, Inc.,” and nearly 90% of them resemble Mike.
3. Andrew Stanton, the director and writer of “Finding Nemo” (2003), voiced the sea turtle Crush, inspired by his own experiences with surfing in Hawaii. He even noted that sea turtles can live up to 200 years and migrate from Hawaii to Australia.
4. The entire production team of “Finding Nemo” had to travel to Hawaii and Monterey to conduct research, including studying Pixar’s 25-gallon fish tank, while listening to lectures from a marine biologist. National Geographic reported that sales of Ocellaris clownfish surged by 25% after the film was released.
5. After its release in 2003, “Finding Nemo” became the highest-grossing animated film in North America and was the first film to surpass “The Lion King” (1994) within the decade. According to the Associated Press, a company even released a statement warning people not to flush their fish down the toilet, leading to a situation where “Finding Nemo” might have been retitled “Grinding Nemo” if the trend continued.
6. Brad Bird, the director of “The Incredibles” (2004), created a character whose traits were entirely based on his own experiences balancing work and family life. His son also voiced the character Squirt, a baby sea turtle in “Finding Nemo.” “The Incredibles” was also the first Pixar film to feature an entirely human cast. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was chosen for the role of Frozone because director Brad Bird wanted the character to have a voice that sounded cool.
7. During the preparation for the film “Ratatouille” (2007), director Brad Bird sought to learn from three-star Michelin chef Thomas Keller at the French Laundry in Yountville, California. They had to spend a year at Pixar observing the chefs’ movements for the film. “Ratatouille” also broke records for the most extravagant opening for an animated film in France, where the film’s main setting is located.
8. Chef Anthony Bourdain remarked that “Ratatouille” is the best film about food ever made, with specific details, like the motions of a chef preparing a meal, captured perfectly. The film faced many challenges during its marketing phase because no food industry wanted to be associated with rats.
9. Charlie Muntz, the antagonist in “Up” (2009), was named after a Universal Pictures executive who secured rights to produce the animated series “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” for Walt Disney in 1928. When Carl and Ellie went on a picnic in “Up,” they chose a spot under a tree that looks just like one from “A Bug’s Life.” Coincidentally, this was also the first animated film and 3D film to open the Cannes Film Festival.
10. Russell in “Up” is the first Asian character in a Pixar film, voiced by an Asian-American actor – Jordan Nagai.
11. “Up” was the first Pixar film to be nominated for an Academy Award in the “Best Picture” category. Interestingly, it was the second animated film to receive this nomination after “Beauty and the Beast.”
12. The name Wall-E of the main character in the film is a play on the acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth, which translates to “Robot specializing in waste disposal on Earth.”
13. The robots in “Wall-E” adhere to the three laws of robotics established by Isaac Asimov, which state:
– No robot is allowed to harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
– Robots must obey the orders given them by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
– Robots must protect their own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
14. When director Pete Docter pitched the idea for “Inside Out” to Pixar, he stated: “It would be interesting to see a character representing emotions to the extent of having a voice actor like Lewis Black for the character Anger!” And indeed, when production began, Lewis Black accepted the role.
15. In “Inside Out,” the original script aimed to include up to 27 different emotions instead of just 5. Among these emotions were Surprise and Trust. Director Pete drew inspiration for the film from the experiences of his daughter as she transitioned into her teenage years.
16. A painting of Bing-Bong by a 7-year-old girl, daughter of the director, appeared in the film. A total of 45 designers contributed to the making of “Inside Out,” which is significantly fewer compared to other films produced by the studio.
17. The scenes involving child psychologists in “Inside Out” were designed to illustrate basic emotions. One psychologist noted: “You can feel both happy and sad at the same time. There are times when you might feel joy and sadness simultaneously. However, these emotions are often hard for children to understand.”
18. The film “The Good Dinosaur” faced considerable difficulties, resulting in Pixar laying off 60 employees and delaying the film’s release from May to November 2015. The film “Finding Dory,” a sequel to “Finding Nemo,” also had its release pushed from November 2015 to 2016 due to production delays caused by “The Good Dinosaur.”
19. Dory is Pixar’s most liked character on Facebook, with over 25 million likes, while Nemo, the clownfish, only received 22 million likes. The marketing campaign for “Finding Dory” was shifted from a theme park to an aquarium following the production team’s viewing of the documentary “Blackfish” (2013).
20. “Sanjay’s Super Team” is a short animated film produced by director Sanjay Patel. This short was screened alongside “The Good Dinosaur” and is the first Pixar film to feature a main character of Indian descent.
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