The Perfection of Pixar

Written by Writer Dad on October 21, 2008 - View Comments
Categories: Movies

“Personally, I would sooner have written Alice in Wonderland than the whole Encyclopedia Britannica.”

~Stephen Leacock

Last week’s Deja Vuesday presented no decisive winner, though several posts swung single votes.  Tara chose A Billion Pixels and None of Them Wasted, and I’m going with her selection because it also has a tiebreaker which ties nicely to yesterday’s post.

A Billion Pixels was the first time my father commented on my writing for Writer Dad.

He said:

I thought your wall-e blog entry was by far your best post.  Love, Pop

We spoke later that day.  He said it was the first time he could hear me speaking as he read.

I love/adore/worship Pixar; their creative process is a bottomless well for my inspiration.  They have a few projects on the horizon, giddy with possibility.  Before I send you back, allow me to drool.  Here’s a thumbnail on a few.

Up:  This coming summer’s release.

All we know: It’s the story of an old man who finds adventure in the dusk of his life.  From what I understand, this is Pixar tipping their hat to Anime God, Hiyao Miyazaki.

1906:  Pixar’s first live action movie.

All we know: It’s a disaster flick about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  But, Writer Dad, disaster flicks suck.  Why would Pixar want to make that? Because Pixar is digitally recreating San Francisco circa 1906, so that we may fall in love with memories that are not ours.

John Carter of Mars:  Studios were trying to get this on the big screen back when Walt Disney abandoned it in 1937 in favor of the far simpler Snow White.  I can’t  imagine the direction animation would have gone had this had the green light instead.  Plenty have tried since, from Cameron to Spielberg, but Pixar will render a classic.

All we know: John Carter, a soldier in the Civil War, is caught in a crossfire.  He slips inside a canyon, ambles to the other side, and ends up on Mars.  This is uber cool, grown up sci-fi.  Pixar purchased the film rights from the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate and are planning a trilogy based on the series.  No word on whether it’ll be live action or CGI.  My money’s on a combination of both.  Honestly, I don’t care.  If they make it with sock puppets, I’ll still be sitting in my seat with a smile on my face.

Enjoy Deja Vuesday.  This post might have been the first to squeak with the voice of adolescence.

Writer Dad

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  • Writer Dad, the lineup will be announced Monday. Here's a link:

    http://www.denverfilm.org/festival/prelaunch.aspx?FID=43

    <abbr>beths last blog post..Vary My Own Sandwich</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Denguy: I'm laughing/crying inside.

    Lori: Thanks. I'll read one, and then send you an email in gratitude for all the hours saved.
  • Writer Dad -- Yes, as a pre-teen I loved the adventure in all of the Burrough's books, but then I realized his plot lines were all the same after awhile -- be they on earth, inside the earth, or on another planet -- and I moved on to Asimov, Heinlein, and Tolkien.

    <abbr>SpaceAgeSage -- Loris last blog post..Tears of the aged — do you hear them fall?</abbr>
  • Wow, I'm just impressed that your dad can use the word "love."

    <abbr>Denguys last blog post..Nudge Me In the Morning</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Chris: No kidding. I'd give up my writing dreams to mop their floors. I'd probably get enlightenment through osmosis.

    Tara: Finding Nemo is a PERFECT film, and memento fish is an amazing character.

    Lori: I've never actually read the John Carter books. I know about them, and have followed the film's development for the last several years, but I knew that when it was finally made, it would be monumental, so I think I'm going to stay away from the books until I see the film. Did you enjoy them?

    Michael: I'm sure whatever we think we can imagine, it will be nothing like it. Have you heard anything about Cameron's Avatar?

    Orlund: No one. Their movies are close to perfect; their worst, better than most.

    Jannie: I'm with you on that. Nemo is an absolute classic, and it was the kind of film where we knew it as it was unfolding in front of us.

    This is funny. I went to my plugins page to find the name of the plugin... stared, scrolled, stared, scrolled - squared- then realized it's a widget. It's called recent comments and it's awesome. It's like two days old. Thanks for noticing.
  • P.S What a shame that Lord Of The Rings was up for all those Oscars the same year Nemo was. Nemo I could lay down in a muddy ditch and die for. Pretty-much.

    <abbr>Jannies last blog post..Font sizing troubles…help?</abbr>
  • Shit, I missed a contest?

    And I'd rather have written "Blowin' In The Wind" than every song since then.

    P.S. What's that neat plug-in that shows what a commenter's last post was?

    THANKS!! Jannie

    <abbr>Jannies last blog post..Font sizing troubles…help?</abbr>
  • oops, last comment was a mistake. I meant to say:
    I'm not a big animation fan but who can resist Pixar? I love there little animations before/after the show even more than the show it's self.

    <abbr>orlunds last blog post..Blood Curling Scream</abbr>
  • orlund
    Pixar
  • Love the boundary-pushing into the live realm. Movies have already been doing this with a lot of success. Pixar is all about the story, and the technology only carries the story. I'm sure 1906 will be mind-blowing.

    <abbr>Michael Martine - Remarkabloggers last blog post..The Recession Post</abbr>
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs -- I grew up in love with Tarzan because of a hardcover book I found called The Beasts of Tarzan (1914), which I guess was my mom's or uncle's. From there I read the Pellucidar stories of Burroughs and John Carter on Mars. What adventures!

    <abbr>SpaceAgeSage -- Loris last blog post..Tears of the aged — do you hear them fall?</abbr>
  • Gotta agree with Ari on the merits of Finding Nemo.
    It's our 'feel good' movie in this house. Whenever we need cheering up, in that goes in the machine.
    Dory is just the best character and her relationship with Marlin is just wonderful.

    And BruceQ - I actually used to 'borrow' friend's children before I had my own so I could see children's films at the cinema!

    <abbr>Tara@From Dawn Till Rusks last blog post..We used to have a sense of humour in this house</abbr>
  • Some people have the best jobs in the world and people at Pixars are those kind of lucky people!

    <abbr>Chriss last blog post..Opportunity Amidst Economic Distress</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Blogger Dad: I cannot even imagine the cool that will be unleashed on the world when John Carter drops. I'm sure that by the time E's old enough to watch a movie in the theater, you'll be so hungry for the experience, you'll gladly take the pounding.

    Tara: I got the DVD of their shorts for Father's Day. It's awesome, even if you've seen them all before... it's still awesome. My first experience with Pixar was at an animation festival when I was a kid. We used to go every year. Pixar was showing their second short, the one with the lamp. I remember thinking it was cool, but I was also confused about why everyone else thought it was so amazing. I didn't realize the technological leap behind it.

    Danny: Daisy and I looked forward to the Pixar movies, long before we had children. I'm sure we'll see up while they're both in school, then again when they're out.

    Beth: Ooh, I want to read about the Denver Film Festival. Is there a lineup yet?

    Mom/Mum: I second that emotion.

    Marelisa: Don't feel bad about not seeing Wall-E yet, at least you have plenty of cheap bananas. : > )

    Rita: "To me, it had all of the makings of Writer Dad in it!" That's what I meant. Not adolescent about my interests, just the squeak of a changing voice.

    Bamboo: I totally agree. I saw a demo running on the PS3 the other day. Truly mind blowing. I can't fathom the next generation. I hope the gameplay evolves a bit.

    Ari: Finding Nemo is a perfect movie. I've spoken with a few people who say that WALL-E didn't work for them. For me, visually, it was stunning, though I do see what you're saying about the amount of motion. All of their DVDs have fantastic extras which explore their creative process. Well worth it, if you're interested.

    BruceQ: I love Monsters Inc. I don't think that Pixar has yet crafted a film that is only a kid's movie, and I think WALL-E was their most grown up to date.
  • Couldn't agree more! Haven't seen Wall-e, yet, but I'll buy anything Pixar makes. My favorite is Monsters Inc. I don't have kids, but that's one of my top 5 all-time favorite movies.

    When my older brother (who does have kids) was visiting, he spotted Finding Nemo on the end of my DVD rack and said "Finding Nemo? Isn't that a kids movie?" So of course I put it in. The answer is Yes, AND it's a grown-ups movie!
  • Finding Nemo is among my all-time faves, possibly even the best. I cannot recall another movie that is as funny, thrilling yet profoundly moving all at the same time. I had high hopes for Wall-E because it's by the same director, but it didn't come close.

    In fact, I got a little motion sick watching it in the theaters. That's the only movie I've seen it in theater this year. I'm afraid I've become too sensitive for modern-day cinema experience.

    But Pixar, like Studio Ghibli of Japan, is definitely a genius studio, whose every movie I have seen so far, even if not in theaters. I'd love to learn how they run their business and operation.

    ari

    <abbr>Ari Koinumas last blog post..What I Force My Children to Learn, or Not (Digest)</abbr>
  • I get this very strange feeling I've commented on this post before! Ah well, me being superstitious again...

    Some day video games are going to reach the graphic perfection that is pixar.

    <abbr>Bamboo Forests last blog post..Top 7 Fun U.S. Presidential Names</abbr>
  • Writer Dad,
    I'm not quite certain that showing enthusiasm for a beautiful and fun technology is "speaking as an adolescent." To me, it had all of the makings of Writer Dad in it!

    This was a lot of fun to read - and allows me some anticipation for the release of some REALLY cool sounding Pixar films!

    Thanks,
    Rita

    <abbr>Ritas last blog post..Average Children, Mean Parents</abbr>
  • You sound like a little kid giddy with anticipation :-) I'm like that when it comes to Harry Potter movies. I have to admit that I haven't seen Wall-e yet but as soon as it gets to the Blockbuster here in Panama I'm renting it.

    <abbr>Marelisas last blog post..Eradicating Poverty Through Human Ingenuity - Blog Action Day 2008</abbr>
  • God bless Pixar say I!
  • Recreating San Francisco--that made my hair stand on end with delight! (What's left of it, anyway. Thinning isn't just for men.)

    I love movies too. I saw hardly any this summer, though. The possibilities just weren't that interesting. I'm looking forward to the Denver Film Festival. I'll be blogging about that in November.

    <abbr>Beth Partins last blog post..Love in Uptown, but Not at First Sight</abbr>
  • Unlike most who took their kids to see Wall-E, I took my girlfriend. It's that damn good!

    On a side note, this art compliments your picture nicely. http://gizmodo.com/5064159/beautifully-detailed-wooden-wall+e-sculpture-fills-pinocchio-with-jealous-rage

    <abbr>Danny Coopers last blog post..A Lesson in Comment Etiquette</abbr>
  • I ADORE going to the cinema and now my son ADORES going to the cinema. We are a nerdy match made in heaven! I even love the superhero stuff he loves (shut up Dave, before you start).
    I totally heart Pixar too. "If they make it with sock puppets, I’ll still be sitting in my seat with a smile on my face." I am so with you Writer Dad. I love everything Pixar do. Even the not so good stuff stands head and shoulders above their competitors.
    I notice you can now even buy a DVD of their shorts - that has to be on our Christmas list!

    <abbr>Taras last blog post..We used to have a sense of humour in this house</abbr>
  • John Carter sounds like all kinds of awesome.
    I have yet to see Wall-e. I cannot enjoy a children's movie in a theater filled with children. I went with my niece to see Madagascar (for the penguins) and when I left the movie, I felt like 12,000 angry monkeys had been pounding on my head with mallets for 94 minutes.

    My son is still too young for movies. I'm sure if "Jack's Big Music Show: The Movie" came out, we'd be the first in line.

    <abbr>Blogger Dads last blog post..Our baby story - Part Two : I’m not ready!</abbr>
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