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Ratatouille On Disney+ Charts | Remy The Rat Chef Returns Globally ( Photo Credit – Facebook )

Disney’s animated film library keeps finding ways to stay fresh and this time it’s Ratatouille making waves again. This Pixar gem, years after it first landed in theatres, has quietly climbed back into the spotlight, reminding people why it is still one of the studio’s finest creations.

Originally released in 2007, the Paris-set story about a rat who loves fine food found both critical acclaim and commercial success when it first came out. Now, with its return on Disney+, it is enjoying a second round of global attention.

Ratatouille Enters Top Global Movies on Disney+

According to FlixPatrol, Ratatouille has moved up to the fifth spot on Disney+’s list of top films worldwide. Sitting right below Captain America: Brave New World and ahead of Lilo & Stitch: A Special Look, it is once again sharing...

One of Pixar’s best animations of all time has found success once more, years after it landed in theaters, and it’s a well-deserved one at that. Produced by the animation studio for Disney, Ratatouille was a critical and commercial hit upon its release in June 2007 and was a recipient of multiple accolades at major awards events. Now with the pic available on streaming, it's reminding fans and showing newcomers what a brilliant watch it is, as proven by its status on the global charts.

Per FlixPatrol, Ratatouille has entered the top 5 movies on Disney+ globally, taking the #5 spot, right below Elio and above 2005’s Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. At the same time, Snow White, Captain America: Brave New World, and Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory are in the first three spots. Brad Bird wrote and directed the animated comedy, with Brad Lewis producing from...

The Egyptian theater in Hollywood is continuing its monthly screening series in association with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. And March’s is a doozy.

On March 26, Brad Bird, who took home Lafca’s prize for Best Animation for his first three animated features as a director, will be on hand for a special double feature of “The Iron Giant” and Pixar’s “The Incredibles.” In between the movies, there will be a Q&a moderated by Lafca member and film critic Peter Debruge.

The screening is part of a celebration of Lafca’s 50th anniversary with “each film selected for this series in 2025 representing a unique choice made by the organization at its annual vote.” Often, these are chosen to highlight specific titles that “stand apart from the preordained frontrunners of awards season.”

Bird, of course, is one of the true visionaries of modern animation. He started his career at Walt Disney Animation,...

Hot off of the recording-breaking run of Inside Out 2, Pixar has revealed some behind-the-scenes changes for their next film, Elio. Elio follows an eleven-year-old boy who is mistaken by aliens as Earth's ambassador. The film's teaser debuted back in June 2023 ahead of Elemental's theatrical run when it was still planned to be Pixar's next release. In October 2023, the movie was delayed to March 2025. Now, some details about changes behind the scenes on the movie have been revealed.

Speaking with The Wrap, Pixar chief creative officer Pete Doctor revealed some of the behind-the-scenes changes for Elio. The movie will now be directed by Turning Red's Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, who directed the Pixar short Burrow. The project was originally set to be directed by Adrian Molina, the co-director of Coco, but Doctor says Molina has been moved off Elio and "was taken on to a priority project...

On October 16, 2023, Disney celebrated 100 years of magic, from movies, television shows, theme parks, and an improbable corporate identity that has become beloved all on its own. Disney's most significant impact is the cinematic canon that defined the company, and as is to be expected from such an iconic company, it has gone through a lot of changes in its century-long history.

Disney has had eight distinct eras that shaped the company and altered the course of its vaunted animation. Each generation has had highs and lows some more than others but each has had its clear place in the Disney timeline. Despite facing various hardships, Disney has continued to delight fans of all ages with its timeless takes on classic fairy tales and original stories that resonate just as deeply. Every Disney fan has their favorite film and era, but some rank better than others in performance and quality.

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The tension between following your own heart and obeying your sense of duty to your family has been the fuel to many stories over the centuries, from classics like William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to, well, classics like Brad Bird's and Jan Pinkava's Ratatouille. It is, after all, a universal feeling, that odd pull at our heartstrings whenever we are faced with the decision of walking the path that was laid out for us or creating our own place in the world. When the logical conclusion of one of these alternatives is certain death, the story becomes even more captivating, for who among us can claim to resist a good tragedy? In 2001's Behind the Sun, it is the duty of death itself that threatens the existence and the dreams of the film's protagonist, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), as he meets a woman that offers him a chance at a new life.

Stop-motion film The Inventor has a new trailer, featuring the voices of Star Wars' Daisy Ridley and The Sandman's Stephen Fry.

In a creative leap from the team that created the Academy Award-winning movie Ratatouille, a new stop-motion masterpiece is on the horizon. The spotlight shines on a real-life visionary, Leonardo Da Vinci, whose voice is supplied by veteran actor and comedian Fry. The trailer offers a glimpse into the essence of Da Vinci, not only showcasing his ingenious creations but also delving into the profound personal struggles that shaped his extraordinary journey.

Related: Exclusive: Neca Reveals Tmnt Cartoon Tokka & Rahzar Action Figures

The Inventor will focus on the latter years of Da Vinci's life, presenting him with a long beard and bald head, iconic symbols of his later days. The trailer opens with Da Vinci introducing himself, in his own unique way, as "a rather insightful inventor." This...

Few people lived a life as bold and controversial as Leonardo da Vinci. It’s easy to forget sometimes he was also a human being with doubts who struggled with the same things that trouble just about all of us.

In animated feature “The Inventor,” writer/director Jim Capobianco, who shared an original screenplay Oscar nomination with Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava for “Ratatouille,” was always interested in the more personal side of the famed painter and inventor. “The Inventor” combines traditional 2D and stop-motion animation as well as original music and lyrics by Alex Mandel.

“I’m telling the story of [da Vinci] at the end of his life and years in France,” says Capobianco. “I knew he was going to die [at the end of the story] and I was asking what that means to a man like Leonardo da Vinci. Having researched him, I learned that he believed that he procrastinated a lot...

Photo: ‘Ratatouille’ The Different Flavors of French Cuisine “Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist comes from anywhere” the notorious Anton Ego (voiced by Peter O’Toole) states in a very despicable tone. A story-driven by criticism, artistry, and passion, ‘Ratatouille’ turns 15 years old this year. The film came out in 2007 and was Pixar’s eighth movie. Directed by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, ‘Ratatouille’ became one of many Pixar’s successful stories as it won a best-animated feature at the Oscars. The story became a staple in popular culture today with the movie being referenced in many box office hits such as the recent ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ where they alluded to the animated film in the movie. As absurd a story about a rat controlling a clumsy human can be, there is more beyond the surface level with its portrayal of an artist's commitment to their art.

Oscar winner John Kahrs (“Paperman”) has made the most ambitious Vr short yet from Google Spotlight with “Age of Sail,” which has been converted for Best Animated Short consideration. The great breakthrough was believably capturing the open ocean for this adventure in the North Atlantic about an old sailor (Ian McShane) who rescues a Victorian girl (Cathy Ang). (Watch the short below.)

“It’s very much like the Grand Canyon,” said Kahrs. “You go there

and your spatial perception is astounding. And then you can show a picture and it’s not the same. The open ocean can have that high stakes drama as vast as David Lean’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ But all the portrayals I’ve seen of the open ocean are nothing like it. So I thought it would be cool for Vr being in the waves.”

So Kahrs studied the pioneering Vr work at Google Spotlight,...

“Age of Sail,” Google Spotlight Stories’ latest and most ambitious immersive animated short, directed by Oscar-winning animator John Kahrs, launched on multiple platforms today.

The 12-minute animated short follows a lonely old sailor (voiced by Ian McShane) adrift at sea whose life is reinvigorated by a young girl he rescues after she falls from a passing ocean liner. It is the longest project by Google’s immersive storytelling-meets-tech division and is also the first short to feature dialogue.

“Age of Sail” had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and had an Academy-qualifying run in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Now the film will be available in multiple formats. The theatrical version of “Age of Sail” is available on the Google Spotlight Stories YouTube Channel and the 360-degree mobile version is available via Google Play and iTunes. Vr versions are available on Steam and Viveport.

“We were very careful...

Nora Twomey, Cartoon Saloon co-founder and director of the critically lauded animated feature “The Breadwinner,” has been awarded the inaugural View Visionary Award by the View Conference in Turin, Italy.

View Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez pointed to Twomey’s “exceptional artistry” for the reason she was given the award.

Twomey, who also co-directed Cartoon Saloon’s “The Secret of Kells” alongside fellow studio co-founder Tomm Moore and was head of story on the studio’s “Song of the Sea,” was nominated for an animated feature Oscar for “Breadwinner,” which won the 2017 Annie Award for best animated feature – independent.

“These three 2D animated films exemplify Nora Twomey’s exceptional artistry,” Gutierrez said. “With ‘The Breadwinner,’ Nora has created a story of a young Afghani girl’s struggle using stunning visuals that honestly portray real-life issues. The bravery and creativity [main character] Parvana shows is inspirational. Parvana and [‘Breadwinner’ director] Nora Twomey give everyone hope that we,...

“It never seemed quite right to me.” John Kahrs, the animator and director best known for his Academy Award-winning short film “Paperman,” always felt that something was off when he saw the ocean depicted in Hollywood movies. “My dad built a few sailboats,” he recently recalled in an interview with Variety. “I have a bit of a boating background.” And what he saw on the big screen just didn’t feel right. Too quiet. Too stormy. Too extreme. Not the waters he knew.

This week, Kahrs is showing off his own take on the ocean in a new short film that’s getting its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. “Age of Sail” is the latest virtual reality short film coming out of Google’s Spotlight Stories unit, and in many ways, the 12-minute short one of the most ambitious projects the search giant’s immersive storytelling unit has worked on to date.

Oscar-winning visual effects veteran Dennis Muren, known for his groundbreaking work on films in the “Star Wars” franchise (including the original trilogy), “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Abyss,” and “Terminator 2,” among others, will give a keynote talk at the View Conference in Turin, Italy.

Muren, senior visual effects supervisor and creative director of Industrial Light & Magic, will discuss “Visual Effects: Defining That Critical, Elusive & Final 5%” at the October event that celebrates computer graphics, interactive and immersive storytelling, animation, visual effects, games, Vr, Ar, and mixed reality.

Muren’s talk will wrap up the conference on Oct. 26.

Muren joins a strong lineup of keynote speakers, including award-winning composer Hans Zimmer; Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria; senior VP, executive creative director, and head of Ilm Rob Bredow; SideFX president and CEO Kim Davidson; Google Spotlight Stories creative director Jan Pinkava; Cornell University professor Don Greenberg; Magic Leap senior VP...

Annecy, France — John Kahrs’ “Age Of Sail” and Jan Pinkava and Mark Oftedal’s “Piggy” are two of the four state-of-the art-animated Vr projects that Google Spotlight Stories (Gss) has brought this year to Annecy. For the third year running, Gss – a division of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (Atap) group – and Google Vr are partnering with Vr@Annecy, a non-competitive category of the official selection.

At a Studio Focus Session on Wednesday presented by Gss, titled “Animation Everywhere,” the projects’ creators discussed their shorts while exploring the storytelling capabilities of Vr, as well as the limitations and possibilities of 360 immersion. The panel was moderated by Gss’ executive producer Karen Dufilho and Pinkava, Gss’ creative director. Panelists included Kahrs, directors François-Xavier Goby and Hélène Leroux (“Back to the Moon”), and artist Céline Desrumaux, production designer in “Age.”

Kahrs took home the best animated short Oscar and an Annie Award in 2013 for his hybrid “Paperman.

San Diego Comic-Con 2015 has released their full schedule for Saturday, July 11. For your convenience, we have pulled out all of the movie, TV and DVD related panels and events below, but you can can visit Comic-Con.org to check out the full schedule including comic book and video game panels. Take a look at all of the movie, TV and DVD events that will take place during the first day of Comic Con.

10:00am - 11:00am SpongeBob SquarePants

The cast of SpongeBob is back! All your Bikini Bottom favorites are on hand to perform Idiot Box at a live table read as chosen by the fans online. Featuring Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), and Dee Bradley Baker (all other Biukini Bottomites.. Following the performance will be a Q&A with the cast and creative director, Vincent Waller. Plus, a sneak peek at a...

Disney Pixar's director of 3D production, John Hollander, revealed at the 3D Creative Summit in London that the studio is working on 3D conversions of The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Here's what John Hollander had to say at the summit about The Incredibles, though it isn't known when they may release this 3D version.

"Right now we're working on The Incredibles, which is a lot of fun in 3D. I'm not sure what the release strategy for it will be. It's been an interesting challenge to work on technology because - while the film was released 10 years ago - the technology is even older as it took four years to make."

He also spoke about the Ratatouille 3D conversion, which has already been completed.

"We have a version of Ratatouille, which works really well in 3D and we're trying to figure out exactly what the release strategy for that will be.

Pixar president Ed Catmull confirmed a report from earlier this week that director Bob Peterson has been removed from The Good Dinosaur. The studio is still planning on hitting the May 30, 2014 release date that is already in place. Here's what the studio president had to say in a brief statement.

"All directors get really deep in their films. Sometimes you just need a different perspective to get the idea out. Sometimes directors ... are so deeply embedded in their ideas it actually takes someone else to finish it up. I would go so far as to argue that a lot of live-action films would be better off with that same process."

The report from three days ago revealed that the studio removed the first-time director due to issues they were having with the story. Until a replacement director can be found, a number of Pixar filmmakers are overseeing certain aspects of the project,...

According to both Blue Sky Disney and The La Times, Pixar Animation has relieved Bob Peterson of directing duties on their 2014 release The Good Dinosaur. This isn’t anything new for Pixar as they’ve changed directors on three other films. Jan Pinkava was replaced by Brad Bird on 2007′s Ratatouille, resulting in drastic changes to the film […]

Read Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur loses its director on Filmonic.

It was rumored just last week that Pixar had removed director Bob Peterson from The Good Dinosaur, which would have been his first solo-directing gig after serving as co-director on Up. Today the Los Angeles Times confirms the news, quoting the studio's president, Ed Catmull: "All directors get really deep in their films... Sometimes you just need a different perspective to get the idea out. Sometimes directors ... are so deeply embedded in their ideas it actually takes someone else to finish it up. I would go so far as to argue that a lot of live-action films would be better off with that same process." This is the fourth time in eight movies as I mentioned with my last post the changes to recent Pixar films Brave and Cars 2 as well as John Lasseter taking over direction from Ash Brannon on Toy Story 2 and the removal of...

Trouble could possibly be brewing for yet another Pixar project. The studio famously goes through a rigorous development process on each of its films, and in the past some behind-the-scenes changes have worked out for the better: John Lasseter replaced Toy Story 2’s original director and reworked the entire film with just nine months to go before release, and Brad Bird replaced director Jan Pinkava on Ratatouille and made significant changes to that film. However, recently Pixar has had some production troubles on films that failed to live up to the studio’s previous Gold Standard. Now it appears that next year’s Pixar film, The Good Dinosaur, may have lost its director just nine months before its release. Hit the jump for more. Lasseter once again stepped in on Pixar’s 2011 film Cars 2, replacing previous director Brad Lewis and taking the pic’s story in a different direction.

In recent history we've seen John Lasseter step in and take away directorial reigns from Brad Lewis on Cars 2 and then Brenda Chapman was ousted from the director's chair on Brave and replaced by Mark Andrews with Steve Purcell given a co-director credit. Many would argue these are two of Pixar's worst films and in my opinion Brave is their worst film. Well, it seems there are some issues in the house of Pixar yet again. A couple weeks back Disney held their D23 Expo and featured new concept art and information for their upcoming film The Good Dinosaur, which was to be directed by Bob Petersen who was given a co-director credit alongside Pete Docter on Up. However, Petersen wasn't on hand to present the footage that was shown, instead a newly announced co-director, Peter Sohn, and producer Denise Ream handled those duties. The Good Dinosaur was originally...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – Mark Andrews, who makes his feature directorial debut this weekend on Pixar's heavily hyped, medieval girl-power romp "Brave" (taking duties over for Brenda Chapman, who parted ways with the film – more on that in a minute) was also an assistant director and co-writer on "John Carter," Disney's massively budgeted sci-fi spectacle that crashed and burned like an out-of-control Martian spaceship. Few filmmakers have been in the unenviable position of being involved in huge (and occasionally troubled) productions this close together. But anyone who has seen behind-the-scenes footage of Andrews knows that he is so excitable and energetic that he makes a rocket-powered cheetah look lazy by comparison. We talked to Andrews about the difficult process of making "Brave," what he wants to bring to the fairytale genre, and how he feels about the lackluster response to "John Carter.

[1] In 2009 Focus Features and Laika released Coraline, the great stop-motion animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's kids' book of the same name. Now the companies are teaming again for two more stop-motion 3D films. The first is ParaNorman, which will be released on August 17, 2012. The second is an unnamed project that will be released in 2014. The voice cast and plot for ParaNorman were sent out today via press release; check the details below. Chris Butler (Coraline storyboard supervisor) wrote ParaNorman, and he and Sam Fell (The Tale of Despereaux, Flushed Away) are co-directing. Focus describes the movie like so: In the comedy thriller, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Has Brenda Chapman left Pixar’s upcoming feature, Brave? And who will step into her shoes?

Given that the typical animated film is a three-year commitment at the very least, it's unsurprising that some directors don't make it to the end of production with their name still on the credits. Beauty And The Beast, co-helmed Gary Trousdale, for instance, was originally on the credits as co-director of DreamWorks' upcoming Megamind, and yet, his name is now nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Pixar replaced Jan Pinkava as director of Ratatouille less than two years before its release (with Brad Bird subsequently taking the reigns).

Thus, it's not uncommon - although it's hardly the norm - for a director to leave an animated project once it's been set into motion.

And that seems to be what's happened with one of Pixar's 2012 releases, Brave. The movie had been set to be directed by Brenda Chapman,...

Toy Story 3 looks certain to continue Pixar's 15-year flopless run. But what lies behind this uncanny success? And who are the men fighting to extend it?

Last month in the Us, Pixar Animation Studios debuted their latest release, Toy Story 3, to the tune of $110m (£72m) and glowing reviews from all corners of the media. It's a familiar refrain for the company. In 15 years of making movies, they've never had a flop. Their competitors have tried and failed to come close to their level of critical acclaim. And while the law of diminishing returns affects most sequels, Pixar's Toy Story follow-ups have only heightened the experience of the original. What is it about the Emeryville, California-based company that has allowed this unparalleled run of success?

With its grand atrium basking in Californian sun and decorated with giant canvases of colourful concept art, Pixar's HQ – across the bay from...

Rumours have been circulating Emeryville in California that all is not well on the good ship Pixar, to wit that work on Cars 2 is not going at all to plan.

First we heard word that the film's release date had slipped from next July back to December 2011, and then that John Lasseter - whose directorial successes include Toy Story and the original Cars - has flown up to Pixar HQ from his base in Southern California to fix a bunch of growing problems on the production.

Now it has emerged that the original release date is Not being changed but that Lasseter will get a co-directing credit for the film along with feature first-timer Brad Lewis.

The first thing to know is that this kind of 11th hour switcheroo is not uncommon at Pixar with - most notably - Brad Bird being brought in to co-direct (and some say...

Laika Entertainment, the animation studio responsible for last year’s brilliant Coraline, are to develop Little White Lie, from writers Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava. Chris McCoy does not yet have any filmic credits to his name, although he reportedly has two comedies set up at DreamWorks. Jan Pinkava on the other hand, is a Pixar veteran [...]...

When it was announced last October that Coraline director Henry Selick was leaving Laika, the Oregon-based animation house, fans of the art form and Selick's fantasy film were wondering if the writing was on the wall for the one picture company. Now we have our first evidence that there will be a future for Laika without Selick, and that the company has a new movie project in development.

The Hollywood Reporter is running a story today about Laika hiring writers Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava to pen the script for Little White Lie, a new animated film for Laika. Pinkava, who cut his toon teeth by directing the Pixar short Geri's Game back in 1997, will also direct the Little White Lie. He also worked on several earlier films in Pixar's repetoire including Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life and Monsters Inc.

And Little White Lie isn't the only new Laika movie in development.

Thanks to Pixar's Up, which is a guaranteed lock for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards (the Best Picture nod was a hint), many have forgotten about one of last year's early surprises: Coraline. Made in a completely different style of animation and receiving a much smaller release, the film won over critics and audiences alike, with a great story that mixed in the perfect amount of adult content and was occasionally an effective piece of horror. The film was the the first feature put out by Laika, Inc., and now it looks like they are ready for round two. THR is reporting that writers Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava have been hired to pen the next project for the small animation company. Titled Little White Lie, little is known about the project other than it is based on an idea by Pinkava, who will also direct the...

With "Up" nominated for the Best Picture award at the Oscars this year and an almost certain victory in the Best Animated Feature category, Pixar is clearly at the top of its game — which is exactly why a Pixar alumnus is looking to tip the scale by spinning a "Little White Lie."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava are teaming together to co-write "Little White Lie" for Laika Entertainment, the same company responsible for "Coraline."

Details of the film's story are currently under wraps, though the plot for "Lie" stems from "an original idea" by Pinkava. In addition to his work on the screenplay, Pinkava will direct the film.

Neither McCoy nor Pinkava are exactly household names, but the latter talent's work has been seen across a variety of Pixar movies including "Monsters, Inc.," "Toy Story 2" and "A Bug's Life." He also co-directed "Ratatouille" and...

It was a little gem of a film that unfortunately went unnoticed by a lot of film fans.  The animated feature film "Coraline" was a magical piece of simple storytelling with a lot of wonder, imagination and a small does of horror along the way.

Well, it didn't go completely unnoticed... it has been nominated for the "Best Animated Feature" Oscar at the Academy Awards this year and pulled in just over $120 million at the world wide box office

It is now being reported that the group behind "Coraline" is prepping for another animated film.  Laika Inc has brought on writers Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava to draft the script for "Little White Lie" based on an original idea by  Pinkava.

No word yet on when such a project would actually go into production or what release dates they are hoping for.

Source: Cinema Blend  

Image: IMPAwards  ...

Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava are writing the animated film Little White Lie for Laika Entertainment, the company behind the Oscar-nominated Coraline . Pinkava will direct as well. The Hollywood Reporter says the project comes from an original idea by Pinkava, who won an Oscar for the animated short film "Geri's Game" and has also worked on the Pixar movies Ratatouille , Monsters, Inc. , Toy Story 2 and A Bug's Life . Laika has an adaptation of Alan Snow's Here Be Monsters! in development along with the original feature Paranorman .

In 1993, Jan Pinkava came to the Us to work at a little known animation company named Pixar. Four years later, his short "Geri's Game" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short and he was part of the venerated Pixar braintrust that included John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and the late Joe Ranft. He would have been one of only a handful of directors to lead a Pixar animated film with Ratatouille. But that all changed in 2005. Pinkava was replaced as director of the film...

Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava are set to pen the animated feature "Little White Lie" for Laika Entertainment says The Hollywood Reporter.

Oscar-winning short filmmaker and Pixar animator Pinkava ("Geri's Game") will direct the story but plot details are being kept under wraps.

Laika, who produced last year's "Coraline", is also developing an adaptation of Alan Snow's "Here Be Monsters!".

Laika Entertainment enjoyed reasonable success with their first feature, Henry Selick's stop-motion adaptation Coraline, but more recently the animation studio has had its fair share of bad news with Selick leaving the studio last October just after the shut-down of their computer animation division, which meant lost jobs for over 120 employees. However, with a focus solely on stop-motion animation, THR says they finally decided their next project will be Little White Lie based on an original idea by former Pixar writer and director Jan Pinkava, which he'll write with Chris McCoy who had a script on last year's Black List. Pinkava previously worked as an animator/story artist on Pixar's A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Monsters Inc. He was then supposed to direct Ratatouille, which was actually based on his own original idea he had developed for five years (coming up with the sets, character designs and...

Ever since Laika Entertainment released the stop-motion aniamted 3D adaptation of Coraline, everyone has been wondering what the studio might be up to next. Coraline director Henry Selick's departure from the company, made a lot of animation fans uneasy about the Portland-based stop-motion animation studio's future. Laika also recently cut their computer animation division (128 employees), deciding to focus strictly on stop-motion animation for future projects. We now have some new information about a new project in development by a Oscar-winning former Pixar writer/director, details after the jump. THR is now reporting that Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava are writing a new project for the studio titled Little White Lie", which Pinkava will direct. Czech-born Pinkava got his start writing and directing the 1997 Pixar animated short film Geri's Game, which I absolutely loved, and went on to win an Oscar. He served as an animator and story artist on...

Jan Pinkava, the director behind Pixar's Geri's Game and almost the director of Ratatouille, has signed on to direct and write Little White Lie for Laika Entertainment, the mini-studio that brought us the brilliant Coraline. He'll be writing with 2009 'Black List' writer Chris McCoy.The Black List, in case you've forgotten, is the list of best as-yet unproduced screenplays, and in 2009 included McCoy's Good Looking, a sci-fi tale about a future where a computer chooses your perfect match - only for one man to reject the computer's choice.We're giving you those details because we don't have any on Little White Lie itself, except that it's based on an original idea by Pinkava. Let's hope it turns out as brilliant as Geri's Game (or brillianter) but a good bit longer.

Chris McCoy and Jan Pinkava are writing the animated film "Little White Lie" for Laika Entertainment, the company behind the Oscar-nominated "Coraline."

"Lie" stems from an original idea by Pinkava, who has a story credit on Pixar's "Ratatouille," which he co-directed. Pinkava also will direct "White Lie."

Mary Sandell is overseeing for Laika.

McCoy, repped by CAA and manager Shawn Simon, has two comedies set up with producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg at DreamWorks: "Good Looking" and an untitled college-set comedy.

Pinkava, who won an Oscar for the animated short film "Geri's Game" in 1997, also has worked on the Pixar movies "Monsters, Inc.," "Toy Story 2" and "A Bug's Life."

Laika has an adaptation of Alan Snow's "Here Be Monsters!" in development along with the original feature "Paranorman," about a 13-year-old protecting his small town from a zombie attack.

"Coraline," which was written and directed by Henry Selick,...

We're doing this a little different than we did the male and female performances... but we're still skipping the 2009 films -- we'll get to those soon

the list #100-76, #75-51, #50-31, #30-16 and #15-1.

Awards for 2009 begin tomorrow or thereabouts.

***

***

*****

***

**

Here we go again...

75 The Fountain dir. Darren Aronofsky (2006)

Who needs drugs when you can snort Aronofsky movies?

74 thirteen dir Catherine Hardwicke (2003)

I still maintain that this was a stunning debut, deeply felt and ferociously performed. I'm still confused about what followed with Hardwicke.

73 Monsoon Wedding dir. Mira Nair (2001, released 2002)

For its color, energy and beauty and for one of my all-time favorite portraits of extended family love. Naseeruddin Shah and Shefali Shetty jerk my tears every time. Plus a great soundtrack.

72 Kings and Queen (Kings and Queen) dir. Arnaud Desplechin (2004, released in 2005)

Anchored by two of the most important French actors of the decade (Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos...

My affection for fictional characters knows no sexual orientation — but I do have a queer sixth sense when I watch TV and movies: I see gay people.

It was no surprise, then, that Drew Barrymore's grrrl-powered roller derby flick, Whip It, played itself out on two levels in my mind when I saw it last weekend. The first was Bliss Cavendar's (Ellen Page) coming-of-age story. The second was Bliss Cavendar's subversively sexual coming out story.

What is surprising is that Jeremy Clyman, a columnist at Psychology Today, agrees with me. He wrote an article about Whip It on Psychology Today's Side Reel blog entitled "Lesbian Fantasy, Disguised."

In it he says:

[Whip It] purports to be the story of a small town adolescent who rebels and finds her genuine identity as roller derby star athlete. But I think this film is also a secret communication to closeted lesbians living in hostile...

tuesday thursday top ten: for the listmaker in me and the listlover in you

What follows is a reworking of a post originally published in 2007. It's two years later and you know what that means: Pixar has given us two more classics. Up brings their feature film count to ten. You know what Ten means: Top Ten Time!

Pixar by Preference

Cars (John Lasseter, 2006) 117 min.

Pixar's only dud. Chief among its problems: the anthropomorphics were forced. Let me get this straight: Cars as bugs on windshields of cars as cars who act like humans and they even sleep in hotels for cars -- What? What? It's not quite Shark Tale in the realm of painful "they're just like us!" pandering but it's not 'good' either. I would give it a second chance except it's also Pixar's longest feature... too long by about 23 minutes. Thankfully, they seem to have reversed their bloated running time trending.

Pixar's next offering will be Up, a "coming of old age story" with a retired hero (Edward Asner), who somehow or other fights bad guys around the world in his house, which is transported by tons of balloons.

I like the premise, although I haven't seen enough to really know where it's going. Right now, we're just at the flying house part. But Pixar has always done good things with old characters - remember Jan Pinkava's classic short, Geri's Game - and they're Pixar, so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Asner is joined in the cast by Christopher Plummer, which should be tremendous, and John Ratzenberger, naturally.

This trailer brought to you by Trailer Addict

Up takes off on May 29, 2009.

• Michael Clayton and Juno might not have 8 nominations like my favorite two pictures of the year each have (No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood) but Jason Reitman and Tony Gilroy are the true winners with today's announcements becoming the dark horse selections to beat out The Diving Bell and the Butterfly among others. Completing the fivesome is the depleted Atonement - a film that comes in with less clout than it had with the Golden Globes. Here is the complete list below.....: Best Picture:         Best ACTRESSCate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"Julie Christie, "Away From Her" Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose" Laura Linney, "The Savages" Ellen Page, "Juno" Best ACTORGeorge Clooney, "Michael Clayton" Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood" Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd" Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises" Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah" Best Supporting ACTRESSCate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" Ruby Dee,

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This review was written for the theatrical release of "Ratatouille".Brad Bird and Pixar Animation Studios are proving to be an unbeatable combination. Bird, the cartoon writer-director with delightfully off-kilter sensibilities, and Pixar, the cutting-edge computer-animation company that places so very much emphasis on character, have their second hit together in "Ratatouille", a follow-up to the universally popular "The Incredibles". Who would think a rat in a restaurant's kitchen would induce anything other than comic slapstick involving knives and cleavers flying in all directions? Yet Bird builds a comic world in which a rat can become a chef and food can take on an almost unbearable sensuality.

Yes, there's something in the kitchen for everyone in "Ratatouille", so the Mouse House should clear a wing in its hall of fame for Cousin Rat. "Ratatouille" might not reach the international boxoffice heights of "The Incredibles" -- then again, maybe it will -- but the film does rep another huge leap in CGI technique and imagination by the Pixar folks.

Heroes with impossible dreams are the stuff movies are made of. But "Ratatouille" gives us two seemingly hapless protagonists battling impossible odds. The first is Remy (voiced by comic Patton Oswalt), an uncommon French rat who refuses to nibble on garbage. Mais non, he prefers haute cuisine delicacies out of human kitchens. Indeed, his hero is Paris' culinary superstar Auguste Gusteau, whose motto -- and best-selling book -- is "Anybody Can Cook". But did Gusteau have Remy in mind?

The second hard case is Linguini (Lou Romano), a garbage boy at Gusteau's eponymous restaurant. In a way, his is the more desperate case because he loves the world of food but can't cook worth a lick. When Remy, momentarily stranded in Gusteau's, sees the mess Linguini has made of a soup when no one was watching, he quickly hurls ingredients in from all over the kitchen, turning the soup into the best thing that kitchen has produced in ages.

It seems old Gusteau has passed on to that kitchen in the sky. His sous chef, Skinner (Ian Holm), drawn to look like an evil and miniaturized Cantinflas, is content to coast on the restaurant's name while crassly expanding into frozen food. When Linguini receives credit for Remy's artistry, Skinner is forced to hire him as a cook. But Skinner challenges him to repeat his "accidental" soup recipe. When Linguini comes to the startling realization that a rat actually created the soup, he knows his goose, you should excuse the expression, is cooked.

But wait! Linguini and Remy develop a means to communicate. Through trial and much error (meaning much slapstick), Remy learns that by perching on the top of Linguini's head under his chef's hat and pulling tuffs of thick hair to manipulate limbs, he can pilot Linguini through his food-prep station. Soon, Linguini/Remy have the old magic back in Gusteau's kitchen, light a romantic fire underneath its sole female cook, Colette (Janeane Garofalo), has Skinner doing a slow burn and attracted the unwanted attention of the town's haughtiest critic, Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole at his most imperial and majestic self).

Cartoon food certainly has come a long way from the spaghetti-by-candlelight scene in Walt Disney's "Lady and the Tramp". In Bird's kitchen, sauces steam and bubble over brilliant flames, red wine shimmers in crystal glasses, vegetables slice, grate and chop in a frenzy of tiny flying objects, and the camera and cooks are in constant motion in a choreographed ballet with swift, tuxedoed waiters. Everything is so realistic in its textures, colors and smells -- yes, you'll swear you can smell the food -- that the next time you switch on the Food Channel will bring disappointment: It doesn't look like Gusteau's!

The movement of all the characters from the rats, right down to their hairs and tail, to the humans flying this way and that has an authentic precision that adds to the comic action immeasurably. But trumping even the photorealism of this Parisian fantasia is the utter charm of it all.

The parallel rat world is rendered in equally imaginative details so that Remy becomes an outsider in his own community by his insistence that food is art. The symbiotic friendship between Remy and Linguini carries genuine sympathy and caring. An engaging chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett) appears to Remy frequently as "a figment of your imagination" to offer advice and support to Remy. And the ratatouille dish that breaks the great critic's heart is a reminder that all great food takes you back to mama's kitchen.

Bon appetit!

RATATOUILLE

Buena Vista Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures presents a Pixar Animation Studios film

Credits:

Director: Brad Bird

Screenwriters: Jan Pinkava, Brad Bird

Producer: Brad Lewis

Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Supervising technical director: Michael Fong

Production designer: Harley Jessup

Director of photography/lighting: Sharon Calahan

Music: Michael Giacchino

Story supervisor: Mark Andrews

Editor: Darren Holmes

Cast:

Remy: Patton Oswalt

Skinner: Ian Holm

Linguini: Lou Romano

Django: Brian Dennehy

Emile: Peter Sohn

Anton Ego: Peter O'Toole

Auguste Gusteau: Brad Garrett

Colette: Janeane Garofalo

Horst: Will Arnett

Running time -- 111 minutes

MPAA rating: G...

Brad Bird and Pixar Animation Studios are proving to be an unbeatable combination. Bird, the cartoon writer-director with delightfully off-kilter sensibilities, and Pixar, the cutting-edge computer-animation company that places so very much emphasis on character, have their second hit together in "Ratatouille", a follow-up to the universally popular "The Incredibles". Who would think a rat in a restaurant's kitchen would induce anything other than comic slapstick involving knives and cleavers flying in all directions? Yet Bird builds a comic world in which a rat can become a chef and food can take on an almost unbearable sensuality.

Yes, there's something in the kitchen for everyone in "Ratatouille", so the Mouse House should clear a wing in its hall of fame for Cousin Rat. "Ratatouille" might not reach the international boxoffice heights of "The Incredibles" -- then again, maybe it will -- but the film does rep another huge leap in CGI technique and imagination by the Pixar folks.

Heroes with impossible dreams are the stuff movies are made of. But "Ratatouille" gives us two seemingly hapless protagonists battling impossible odds. The first is Remy (voiced by comic Patton Oswalt), an uncommon French rat who refuses to nibble on garbage. Mais non, he prefers haute cuisine delicacies out of human kitchens. Indeed, his hero is Paris' culinary superstar Auguste Gusteau, whose motto -- and best-selling book -- is "Anybody Can Cook". But did Gusteau have Remy in mind?

The second hard case is Linguini (Lou Romano), a garbage boy at Gusteau's eponymous restaurant. In a way, his is the more desperate case because he loves the world of food but can't cook worth a lick. When Remy, momentarily stranded in Gusteau's, sees the mess Linguini has made of a soup when no one was watching, he quickly hurls ingredients in from all over the kitchen, turning the soup into the best thing that kitchen has produced in ages.

It seems old Gusteau has passed on to that kitchen in the sky. His sous chef, Skinner (Ian Holm), drawn to look like an evil and miniaturized Cantinflas, is content to coast on the restaurant's name while crassly expanding into frozen food. When Linguini receives credit for Remy's artistry, Skinner is forced to hire him as a cook. But Skinner challenges him to repeat his "accidental" soup recipe. When Linguini comes to the startling realization that a rat actually created the soup, he knows his goose, you should excuse the expression, is cooked.

But wait! Linguini and Remy develop a means to communicate. Through trial and much error (meaning much slapstick), Remy learns that by perching on the top of Linguini's head under his chef's hat and pulling tuffs of thick hair to manipulate limbs, he can pilot Linguini through his food-prep station. Soon, Linguini/Remy have the old magic back in Gusteau's kitchen, light a romantic fire underneath its sole female cook, Colette (Janeane Garofalo), has Skinner doing a slow burn and attracted the unwanted attention of the town's haughtiest critic, Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole at his most imperial and majestic self).

Cartoon food certainly has come a long way from the spaghetti-by-candlelight scene in Walt Disney's "Lady and the Tramp". In Bird's kitchen, sauces steam and bubble over brilliant flames, red wine shimmers in crystal glasses, vegetables slice, grate and chop in a frenzy of tiny flying objects, and the camera and cooks are in constant motion in a choreographed ballet with swift, tuxedoed waiters. Everything is so realistic in its textures, colors and smells -- yes, you'll swear you can smell the food -- that the next time you switch on the Food Channel will bring disappointment: It doesn't look like Gusteau's!

The movement of all the characters from the rats, right down to their hairs and tail, to the humans flying this way and that has an authentic precision that adds to the comic action immeasurably. But trumping even the photorealism of this Parisian fantasia is the utter charm of it all.

The parallel rat world is rendered in equally imaginative details so that Remy becomes an outsider in his own community by his insistence that food is art. The symbiotic friendship between Remy and Linguini carries genuine sympathy and caring. An engaging chef Gusteau (Brad Garrett) appears to Remy frequently as "a figment of your imagination" to offer advice and support to Remy. And the ratatouille dish that breaks the great critic's heart is a reminder that all great food takes you back to mama's kitchen.

Bon appetit!

RATATOUILLE

Buena Vista Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures presents a Pixar Animation Studios film

Credits:

Director: Brad Bird

Screenwriters: Jan Pinkava, Brad Bird

Producer: Brad Lewis

Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Supervising technical director: Michael Fong

Production designer: Harley Jessup

Director of photography/lighting: Sharon Calahan

Music: Michael Giacchino

Story supervisor: Mark Andrews

Editor: Darren Holmes

Cast:

Remy: Patton Oswalt

Skinner: Ian Holm

Linguini: Lou Romano

Django: Brian Dennehy

Emile: Peter Sohn

Anton Ego: Peter O'Toole

Auguste Gusteau: Brad Garrett

Colette: Janeane Garofalo

Horst: Will Arnett

Running time -- 111 minutes

MPAA rating: G...

Pixar Animation Studios' Brad Bird will direct Ratatouille, the computer-animated mouse tale that was developed in-house by the studio's Oscar-winning short-film director Jan Pinkava (Geri's Game). The deal was confirmed Friday at the Disney shareholders meeting in Anaheim. The story centers on a skinny rodent who fancies himself a gourmand and lives in a Parisian restaurant. A sneak peek of the film, with fully rendered CG characters, was introduced by John Lasseter and shown to attendees at Friday's meeting. It was expected that Pinkava would direct the project, and Bird was said to be developing a sequel to his 2004 Oscar-winning film The Incredibles. Execs also confirmed at the meeting that Glen Keane's directorial debut, Rapunzel, remains in the early stages of production utilizing a combination of 2-D and 3-D processes. Ratatouille is the eighth animated feature film produced by Pixar. It is scheduled for release June 29, 2007.