Pete Docter is the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation, so he already has his hands full. Combine that with the fact that he’s directing the animation studio’s latest movie Soul, and he’s one of the busiest people in Hollywood. But thankfully, he had co-director/writer Kemp Powers, and producer Dana Murray to help him out, not to mention all the talented people at Pixar making his job a little easier.
/Film was lucky enough to be invited to speak with all three of these filmmakers to talk about the process of making Soul, including the challenges of creating a world that they couldn’t really research, some of the different story iterations that evolved throughout the development process, and a small update on the forthcoming Monsters Inc. animated series Monsters at Work that will be coming to Disney+. This interview is spoiler-free, so you can read before you’ve seen Soul and not have to worry about ruining the movie for yourself. Read More »
It’s here. When the clock struck midnight on December 1, something stirred over at the Freeform offices, where they readied themselves for another 25 days of their now-iconic Christmas marathon. It happens every year, and they play (mostly) the same movies every year, but there’s something especially comforting about the Freeform 25 Days of Christmas Marathon, which offers us the respite of sentimental classics and beloved cartoons. It kicks off today, with a jam-packed slate that includes Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34h Street, the two Home Alone movies, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Deck the Halls. And there will plenty more Christmas classics to come.
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The Price Is Right is one of the most beloved long-running game shows in TV history. The series began back in 1956 with a much different format than the one today’s audiences are used to seeing. But the most famous version of The Price Is Right began in 1972 with host Bob Barker, and starting today, the free TV streaming service Pluto TV is offering an entire channel dedicated to The Price Is Right episodes hosted by Happy Gilmore’s most formidable opponent. Read More »
Quibi is dead, RIP Quibi. Jeffrey Katzenberg‘s Icarus, his streaming service that flew too close to the sun and totally misjudged what audiences are looking for right now, has officially shut down operations less than a year after it launched. Its little life flew by…in a Quibi.
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His Dark Materials is only getting better with each episode of its second season, with the third episode, “Theft,” finally bringing an end to the sluggish witches vs. Magisterium plot and getting to the real action. And by real action, I mean Will and Lyra sitting down in a movie theater to watch Paddington.
No, I don’t really mean that. But that scene is a pivotal example of how His Dark Materials is letting loose its dour, epic fantasy trappings to embrace some of the awe and whimsy that was mostly absent from its first season. Pairing that quiet moment of connection with Will and Lyra in the crowded movie theater (along with the quiet comedy of Lyra being introduced to popcorn for the first time) with the escalating stakes of a stranger stealing Lyra’s alethiometer and Lyra’s mother getting closer to finding her makes for a thoroughly exciting episode of His Dark Materials.
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One of the biggest revelations to come out of last weekend’s episode of The Mandalorian was the real name of Baby Yoda. His name is Grogu, and executive producer Jon Favreau has known that since the first season, but it was fellow executive producer Dave Filoni who figured out how to finally reveal it with the debut of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano.
Speaking of which, do you remember back when everyone was freaking out about Jon Favreau snapping a photo of Star Wars creator George Lucas holding Baby Yoda way back at the beginning of the year? It just so happens that Rosario Dawson was in full wardrobe and make-up as Ahsoka Tano that day, and she was there for that viral moment. Read More »
Pixar’s Soul is coming to Disney+ on Christmas Day, and as with any movie from the acclaimed animation studio, it’s been a long road to get there. With production lasting several years and a creative workflow that allows for constant changes to be made in order to deliver the best story possible, there were several different iterations of the movie that evolved throughout development. In fact, director Pete Docter said the movie actually started off as a heist movie.
/Film was lucky enough to chat with director Docter and co-director/writer Kemp Powers about their work on Soul, and we wanted to know about some of the major changes that the movie went through in order to give us the story you’ll see when the movie hits Disney+ later this month. Read More »
Peter Dinklage is the new Toxic Avenger. The Game of Thrones star has signed onto his next big project: a Legendary-produced remake of the cult classic exploitation movie The Toxic Avenger, which Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore) is set to direct.
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When it comes to Francis Ford Coppola‘s Godfather trilogy, everyone seems to be in agreement: the first two movies are full-blown masterpieces, and the less said about the third film the better. We shouldn’t cry too hard for The Godfather Part III – despite its modern-day reputation of being a dud, it was actually well-received at the box office and even netted itself seven Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture!). But over the years, Coppola’s swan song for the Corleone family has become the red-headed stepchild of the trilogy.
Now, in the spirit of his multiple cuts of Apocalypse Now and the more recent Cotton Club Encore, Coppola has gone back and reworked the film into the awkwardly-titled The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. This is what he and Godfather creator Mario Puzo wanted audiences to experience – not the third entry in a trilogy, but rather an epilogue to what came before. But is this new version really all that different?
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It’s officially December, and that means this month you get to see Pixar’s new movie Soul when it arrives exclusively on Disney+ starting on Christmas Day. To better acquaint you with the story, the film’s star Jamie Foxx took the time to introduce his character Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher who has dreamed of being a professional jazz musician his entire life. Joe finally gets his big shot when a big jazz act needs a piano player at the last minute, but there’s just one problem. He’s about to die.
That might seem kind of dark for a children’s movie, but it’s not quite so depressing. There’s a lot of life in this movie, and that’s because in order to get back to Earth, Joe has to convince a jaded, unborn soul called 22 (voiced by Tina Fey) that life is worth living. Watch the Soul featurette below for a taste of what’s to come. Read More »
