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More than most people you know, Oscar-winning animator Pete Docter has marked generations of children for life. I first met him back in 1995, when Pixar launched “Toy Story” into the world. Animation was never the same. I toured the original Pixar compound in Richmond, near San Francisco, and watched over his shoulder as Docter showed me how animators used computers to create characters. That was just the beginning. “Toy Story” was a first step toward a new form of digital motion pictures, pioneered by then leader John Lasseter and the mighty Pixar Brain Trust.

Back in 2018, when Lasseter left the company, Docter moved up to Chief Creative Officer, as the Disney division tried to continue its unsullied record of major hits. It did not always succeed, and the pandemic did not help. But in 2024, “Inside Out 2” broke Pixar’s own box-office record ($1.7 billion worldwide).

For a time, the movie...

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series is the golden standard when it comes to modern superhero movies and trilogies. The two-time Oscar-winning director gave a series of Batman movies that offered deep narrative, realism, and character development.

He gave the audience the chance to witness a killer performance by Heath Ledger, bringing life to a chaotic character like the Joker, and making Batman more than just a man in a cape. The trilogy highlights Bruce Wayne’s emotional toll as he grapples with loss, betrayal, and the challenge of juggling his life as a billionaire by day and a vigilante by night.

A still from the Batman Dark Knight | Credits: Warner Bros

Despite the amazing storytelling and practical effects, some feel like the movie had uneven pacing, and the third installment did not live up to the prequels. While Nolan’s Batman series stands tall, it is not the only...

Wes Anderson has only made two animated films, both of which – Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs – would end up getting Oscar nominations. And while Anderson does find the process of making stop-motion films to be an exhausting one, he would absolutely do more.

Speaking at the Annecy Animation Film Festival last year (via Variety), Wes Anderson said that it took some time to come around on the format but it had to come organically. “I didn’t have any real ambition to do an animated movie until I’d made a few live-action movies. It was something I sort of found my way into…I definitely would like to do another…” He added, “The thing that happens is…by the time you finish a phase of what you’re doing, you’re very happy to move on. You don’t usually say, ‘I’d like to spend another year in the cutting room.

Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic The Shining is surrounded by rumors and myths, and one of them has recently been debunked, which is actually great for the movie. Stanley Kubrick is responsible for various classic movies across different genres, but he was also a very controversial filmmaker. Kubrick pushed boundaries in most of his movies and this wasn’t always well-received by the audience, but his biggest controversies came from behind-the-scenes stories, though not all of them have turned out to be true.

One of Kubrick’s most controversial movies is The Shining, based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name. The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, and he takes his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) with him. Once there, Danny’s “shine” is triggered by the ghostly presences at the hotel,...

An expert on The Shining debunks one of the biggest myths from the making of the Stanley Kubrick horror classic. Released in 1980, the Stephen King adaptation hasn't just become one of Kubrick's most iconic films, but one of the most iconic horror movies ever made. The Shining, which stars Jack Nicholson and the late Shelley Duvall, has become almost as well-known for what went on behind-the-scenes as what ended up on-screen, with tales of Kubrick's exacting directing style now the stuff of legend.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com to promote the release of his new two-volume book, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, author Lee Unkrich debunks a popular story about the film. The story claims that Kubrick had Duvall do 148 takes of the scene in which she walks up the stairs swinging a baseball bat as Jack advances toward her. Though the Guinness Book of World Records claims that...

Though they continue to be one of the most celebrated animation studios for a wide range of projects, the Toy Story franchise remains one of Pixar's most iconic, and Toy Story 2 is a prime reason why. The 1999 sequel served as the studio's third feature-length project after making their debut with the 1995 original, which was nominated for three Oscars, and 1998's A Bug's Life, one of Pixar's more underrated efforts. It also wouldn't be the end of the franchise, either, as two more sequels have been released and a Toy Story 5 is currently in production.

The sequel to Pixar's critically-acclaimed Toy Story, Toy Story 2 picks up the story of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) when the cowboy doll is stolen by a toy collector. Learning that he's actually a rare collectible, Woody considers joining the collection along with cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Stinky Pete...

"Keep your eyes peeled for anything dangerous." Another fun new animated Lego creation to enjoy. Pixar has debuted an official trailer for a mini-series featuring Lego versions of a few of their best movies. Lego Pixar: Bricktoons is a brand-new series of shorts with fan-favorite Pixar characters. BrickToons catches up with Marlin and Dory from Finding Nemo (2003), Jack-Jack and his super siblings Dash and Violet from The Incredibles (2004), Lightning McQueen and Mater from the original Cars (2006), Merida and her rambunctious baby brothers from Brave (2012), and both Miguel & Hector from Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina's Coco (2017) in an entertaining series of Lego-styled animated adventures for which no assembly is required. All five episodes begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ in two weeks. Will these be any good? // Continue Reading ›...

“Coco” is coming to Disney California Adventure.

“We are bringing our skeleton cast to life via the latest in audio-animatronic technology. Work is underway and we are breaking ground in 2026. And if you haven’t guessed, music will play an important role in this attraction,” Josh D’Amaro, head of Disney Experiences, announced.

D’Amaro said that the attraction was inspired by the immersive Disney theme park masterpieces like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion and the concept art (see above) featured a boat-type ride vehicle, traveling through iconic moments from the Pixar film directed by Lee Unkrich.

A “Coco”-themed attraction was long-rumored for the Mexico pavilion at Epcot, part of the Walt Disney World resort complex outside of Orlando, Florida. That attraction would have taken over a boat ride, which was originally just themed to Mexico tourism before getting an overlay featuring the Three Caballeros.

More to...

The official announcement at D23 of Pixar’s Andrew Stanton writing and directing “Toy Story 5” is a big deal. Stanton has co-written the previous four “Toy Story” films, receiving Oscar nominations for the original and the third film.

But now as a director, he finally gets to be in total control of the franchise he helped establish. So if there was going to be a fifth “Toy Story,” he’s the perfect director for a couple of reasons.

The first is that, since “Wall-e,” Stanton has been fascinated with science fiction and the dangers of ubiquitous technology. The story for the fifth “Toy Story” allows him to double down on that fascination.

“Let’s be real,” Stanton told the packed Honda Center in Anaheim on Friday night. “Toys have some serious competition these days with phones, tablets, and technology everywhere. So, this time around, it’s toys vs. tech.

Few movie sets in Hollywood history have generated more interest than the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” The fictional Colorado hotel provides the backdrop for Jack Torrance’s (Jack Nicholson) descent into madness, and Kubrick devotees have spent countless hours analyzing symbolism in the production design and the disorienting effects created by the hotel’s impossible floor plan. The hotel sets, hailed by many as some of the defining craftsmanship of Kubrick’s filmmaking career, now get their moment in the spotlight in a new documentary set to be released on the late director’s birthday.

Produced in partnership with the Stanley Kubrick Film Archive and the director’s estate, “Shine On — The Forgotten ‘Shining’ Location” dives into Kubrick’s process of scouting locations for the film and working with his design team to bring his vision to life. Narrated by Martin Sheen and directed by Paul King,...

“Inside Out 2” roared into cinema in June, becoming Pixar’s highest-grossing film in a debut weekend of all time, while its current worldwide haul at this time of writing stands at just over one billion.

The first movie — one of the most ingenious films of this century — took audiences inside the head of young Riley as she navigated a move to a new city while her emotions tried to guide her through the move in her head. This second film brings back those emotions as Riley goes through her teenage years. But Joy and Sadness and the gang have to deal with several new emotions in headquarters, including Anxiety, Embarrassment, and Ennui.

But while the film marches towards $1 billion at the box office, could it also be marching towards awards glory? Well, animated flicks don’t get the justice they deserve when it comes to the Academy Awards. So often,...

Hollywood was on tenterhooks before this make-or-break box office weekend. But Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” delivered and then some, with a rousing $155 million domestic gross plus $140 million international, the best opening of the year so far, and since last year’s “Barbie.” Screenwriter Meg LeFauve, nominated in 2016 for writing the Oscar-winning animated original, rejoined Pixar for the sequel, starting before the pandemic pushed animated releases onto streaming. Now, Disney and Pixar are luring audiences back into theaters.

“We didn’t know what was coming,” LeFauve said on Zoom. “The only pressure was it had to be sequel-worthy Pixar. You have to explain why. Can we go to new places and discover new things in this world? And can we dig into something personal and emotional and vulnerable to share?”

At Pixar, the writing process for an animated feature is radically different than live-action movies. First, there’s the Brain Trust.

Orion and the Dark parodies Toy Story 3's incinerator scene in a clever and subtle way. Netflix's 2024 animated film features the same "What if anthropomorphic things had feelings?" trope as Toy Story 3. The movie Orion and the Dark references one of Pixar's most devastating moments, showcasing its impact and legacy.

Toy Story 3 includes several iconic and memorable moments, one of which was sneakily (and cleverly) parodied in a 2024 animated movie that sadly slipped under the radar. The 2010 Pixar animated comedy-drama film, directed by Lee Unkrich and written by Michael Arndt, serves as the third installment in the Toy Story movie series and takes place right before Andy is supposed to leave for college. Consequently, Toy Story 3's main conflict revolves around what happens to Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys when Andy grows up.

Pixar plans to release Toy Story 5, starring...

Toy Story 5 will be reportedly be directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton. Stanton has been with the franchise since the original movie, being part of the Senior Creative Team for all four previous movies and co-writing the 1999 and 2019 sequels. With Stanton leading the charge on the new movie, Toy Story 5 can make up for Lightyear's disappointments.

With the franchise gearing up for its return, Toy Story 5 has reportedly found its director with a major franchise veteran. Development on a fifth installment in the Toy Story franchise was first announced in early 2023 by Disney CEO Bob Iger, with Tim Allen confirmed to be reprising his role as Buzz Lightyear for the sequel, though Tom Hanks has yet to be officially confirmed to be back as Woody. Save for teases from Allen and Pixar exec Pete Docter about the sequel being "surprising" and landing a June 19, 2026 release date, no...

The USC School of Cinematic Arts has announced that Miky Lee will deliver the 20024 Commencement address.

James Gray, director, writer, and Sca alumnus, will receive the Mary Pickford Alumni Award at the graduation ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium on Friday, May 10, 2024.

“Miky Lee is a true pioneer and ambassador of collaborative global filmmaking, and we are so happy to have her share her insight and expertise with our graduating students,” Elizabeth M. Daley, Dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, said in a statement. “Miky works across borders, cultures, and genres, and champions the kinds of projects our students aspire to creating. We are so pleased she agreed to be this year’s graduation speaker.”

Sca alumnus Jon M. Chu, who graduated in 2003 with a Bfa in film & television production, will speak at this year’s main, university-wide commencement ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Alumni Park.

As Commencement Speaker,...

Robin Williams was one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, who was known more for his comedic roles. Films such as Jumanji, Dead Poets Society, and Mrs. Doubtfire have featured the actor and Williams’ presence has made them certified classics. The late actor was also known for his dramatic roles in films such as Good Will Hunting, for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

While Williams initially started his career with comedic roles, a rumor made the rounds that the actor was considered for the sinister role of Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. While Jack Nicholson ended up playing the role, Williams was rumored to have been considered by Kubrick before seeing him in Mork & Mindy. However, Lee Unkrich’s new book on the film reportedly debunked the rumor and mentioned that Williams had no chance.

Robin Williams Was Rumored To Be...

It’s that time of year again. While some directors annually share their favorite films of the year, Steven Soderbergh lists everything he consumed, media-wise. For 2023––another year in which he not only Magic Mike’s Last Dance Review: Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum Take a Familiar, Gentle Bow”>released a new film, but dropped two TV series (Full Circle and Command Z“>Command Z) and shot another film (the Sundance-bound Presence)––he still got plenty of watching in.

Along with catching up on 2023’s new releases, Ferrari, Anatomy of a Fall, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Air, Reality, Dead Reckoning, among others), he took in plenty of classics, including Eyes Wide Shut, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Casablanca, Out of the Past, The Shining, the epic War and Peace, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, following Tom Wilkinson’s passing, Michael Clayton. He also got an early look at Pussy Island,...

Plot twists can be game changers in storytelling, catching audiences off guard and demanding their attention for what's coming next. Films like Toy Story 3, Your Name, and Black Swan use multiple twists that challenge, provoke, and leave a lasting impression on the audience. Whether it's a heartwarming finale, a shocking revelation, or a morally ambiguous ending, plot twists can alter viewers' perception and create a memorable cinematic experience.

Over the years, numerous movies across genres have used multiple big plot twists, shifting their narratives more than once and reshaping themselves in an instant. In the world of storytelling, there are many methods a writer turns to when crafting a screenplay. A plot twist is one such narrative device that manages to catch audiences off guard and demand their attention for what's coming next. Although good stories don't entirely hinge on plot twists, they can be game changers if executed effectively.

Animated flicks don’t get the justice they deserve when it comes to the Academy Awards. So often, animated movies are some of the most original, memorable, and well-told stories of the entire year yet they are, more often than not, confined to the category of Best Animated Picture.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” “Fantasia,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “The Lion King,” “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “Wall-e,” “Shrek,” and last year’s Best Animated Picture winner, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” are just a handful of all-time classic movies that aren’t great animated movies, they are great movies period. Despite this, however, we have only had three animated movies in Oscars history that have been nominated for Best Picture.

“Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated movie to do so, landing a Best Picture bid in 1991. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, “Beauty and the Beast...

Clockwise from top left: The Lion King (Disney), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.), Toy Story 3 (Disney), The Muppet Movie (Disney) Illustration: AVClub It’s hard to imagine a world without G-rated movies, but we’re getting there. Since the rating system was instituted in 1968, beloved films like Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,...

Clockwise from top left: The Lion King (Disney), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Warner Bros.), Toy Story 3 (Disney), The Muppet Movie (Disney)Illustration: AVClub

It’s hard to imagine a world without G-rated movies, but we’re getting there. Since the rating system was instituted in 1968, beloved films like Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,...

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, now available from Taschen Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film of Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining is one of the most written about, most celebrated, most loved, most hated, and most misunderstood motion pictures in the history of the medium. Its hypnotic effect is undeniable, and countless books and articles have been …

The post Oscar-Winning Film Director & Author Interview: Lee Unkrich appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Jaw-dropping Coco cosplay remembers Hector through the stunning use of body paint art. Directed by Lee Unkrich, the 2017 Pixar animated movie centered on Miguel, a 12-year-old who aspires to become a famous musician. After he is cursed by famous musician Ernesto's guitar, Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead, where he meets a homeless skeleton named Héctor. With the help of his mysterious new friend, Miguel attempts to reconnect with his deceased great-great-grandfather and travel back to the Land of the Living.

Uriel Flores recently posted on Instagram to share his extraordinary Coco body paint cosplay of Héctor.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uriel Flores (@uurielfloress)

The artist uses their entire body as a canvas to recreate Héctor's skeleton and tattered clothing. Topped with a straw hat, all Flores needs is Héctor's beloved guitar to complete a near-perfect cosplay.

Why Coco Is One of...

What happens when six Hollywood Reporter film critics get together to pick their 50 favorite movies of the 21st century so far? Debating, deliberating, voting, the devising of a nerdy point system, second-guessing, fine-tuning, re-deliberating, re-second-guessing, re-fine-tuning — you get the picture.

But now the list is published, and below are things we thought readers might find interesting about our selections. Some of these things surprised us, too.

18 films not in English: 4 French, 3 Japanese, 2 Korean, 2 Romanian, 2 Mexican, 1 Spanish, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Hong Kong, 1 Russian, 1 Mauritanian 11 films directed by women 9 films directed by Black filmmakers 6 documentaries 2 animated films 4 first films 5 directors with multiple films on the list: Jane Campion (2), the Coen brothers (2), Alfonso Cuarón (2), David Fincher (2), Richard Linklater (2) 2 best picture Oscar winners (Moonlight and Parasite) 3 Cannes Palme d’Or winners (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Shoplifters; Parasite) 2 Venice Golden Lion winners (The Return and Brokeback Mountain) Years with the most films represented: 2016 and 2018 (4 each) Actors with...

“I’m not gonna hurt you.” When the increasingly unhinged Jack Torrence says those words to his wife Wendy midway through The Shining, we don’t believe him. We might believe that Jack’s actor Jack Nicholson has no intention of hurting Wendy’s actor Shelley Duvall, but we’re not sure that the man behind the scenes has her best interests in mind. No, not author Stephen King, who published The Shining in 1977. Rather, the man directing: Stanley Kubrick.

Even before his death in 1999, Kubrick achieved mythological status, helming some of the most influential and popular movies of all time, including 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. Part of that mythology drew from his public persona as a reserved intellectual, a cold and calculating technician who treated his actors as just another part of the set, there for him to move around.

According to the legend, that...

Heeeeere’s Monterey Jack! Shelley Duvall isn’t the only one who faced the brunt of Stanley Kubrick’s torture during the making of The Shining, as it has come out that the director used dairy products to make Jack Nicholson miserable.

Lee Unkrich, who edited Taschen’s upcoming book, “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining”, put a lot of work into combing through the fact and fiction surrounding the movie’s production. And one of the most peculiar stories he confirmed was Kubrick’s use of cheese to torment Nicholson while making The Shining. “I’ve been researching this movie so long that I’ve seen these incorrect or exaggerated stories appear, and then I’ve watched them become more and more exaggerated over the years. And a lot of times it’s harmless. Like Stanley Kubrick found out that Jack Nicholson didn’t like cheese sandwiches, and so he...

“The Shining” has obsessed Oscar-winning Pixar director Lee Unkrich since he saw it in theaters at the age of 12. After years of “The Shining” Easter eggs popping up in Pixar films, Unkrich’s fascination with Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror cult classic culminates in his monumental making-of book: “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining” (Taschen), currently available in a Collector’s Edition of 1,000 copies. (A smaller standard edition has not yet been announced.) The three-volume collection includes hundreds of never-before-seen production photographs from the Stanley Kubrick Archive in London, interviews with cast and crew, and a deluxe set of facsimile reproductions of ephemera from “the masterpiece of modern horror.”

The Kubrick film’s sense of the uncanny and bravura filmmaking (including the innovative use of Garrett Brown’s Steadicam) possessed Unkrich from his first viewing at an Ohio movie theater and ultimately led to decades of rewatching the story of the Torrance...

When Lee Unkrich was 12, he saw “The Shining” for the first time. He remembers less from the screening than what happened shortly afterward, which set in motion a lifelong obsession with Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece of horror.

On his way to summer camp, Unkrich bought the movie tie-in edition of Stephen King’s novel. “There were photos of Wendy cooking breakfast in the kitchen,” he tells Variety. “I realized that wasn’t a scene that was in the movie. And that got a bug in my head — I wanted to know more about that world.”

For Unkrich, a 25-year Pixar veteran, that deleted scene would beget decades of collecting Kubrick ephemera, a stream of Easter eggs in his work from “Toy Story 2” to “Coco,” a website cataloguing his findings, and now, “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining,” a 12-years-in-the-making, 2,200-page account of the creation of Kubrick’s film that Taschen...

Toy Story 5 needs to finally explain how death works in its universe. Over the course of four movies, several toys have been put through the winger, with many losing parts and enduring damage that'll never be fixed. However, death has thus far been avoided.

Buzz and Woody have found themselves in perilous situations in every Toy Story movie to date. For that reason, it makes sense that they'll be in danger once more when the franchise continues with a fifth installment. It's been confirmed that Toy Story 5 is currently in development at Disney. Presumably, the upcoming Pixar film will find more shenanigans for Buzz, Woody, Slinky, Rex, Hamm, and all the others to get themselves into when they return to the big screen. But for now, details about the next challenge that awaits them remain under wraps.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Toy Story 5 Is Happening (Despite Two Perfect Endings)

Toy Story...

What is it about "The Shining" that induces such obsession? In the 43 years since its release, Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of the book by Stephen King has inspired conspiratorial documentaries, tribute songs, countless fan theories, countless books, sequels both failed and succesful, and more. You're looking at someone who's always stuck by King's side in thinking the movie is an inferior rendering of the deep, psychological morass contained inside his chilling novel. But even I can't deny that there's something irresistible about Kubrick's film, something that beckons in the brief flashes of bizarre art hanging on the walls, the labyrinthine pattern of the hotel carpet, and the actual labyrinth outside the Overlook -- the beguiling hedge maze.

It seems "The Shining" will never be fully plumbed of its mysteries, but lifelong Kubrick obsessive and noted animated film director Lee Unkrich has given it the best try in years. Luxury...

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“Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining” is a 2,000-page collection claiming to be an “unprecedented look at the 1980 cult classic.” With only 1,000 copies available, this collector’s item details the laborious re-writes from director Kubrick, a breakdown of the inner workings of blood elevator, first-hand accounts of the fire at Elstree Studios and hundreds of never-before-seen production photographs curated from the Kubrick archive.

The “definitive compendium” to Stanley Kubrick’s film was authored by J. W. Rinzler (the creator of The Overlook Hotel website), edited by Oscar-winning director Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3” and “Coco”) and designed by M/M (Paris) agency (known for their collaborations with Björk and Vogue Paris).

Inspired by the 2005 book, “The Stanley Kubrick Archives,” Rinzler and editor Lee Unkrich embarked on a journey to uncover even...

Toy Story 4 grossed a cool 1 billion during the summer of 2019. This was achieved after a nearly decade-long hiatus following the previous film in the Buzz and Woody franchise, Toy Story 3 (2010), which also earned 1 billion. The lack of box office fall-off between installments was remarkable. So this week’s news from rechristened Disney CEO Bob Iger wasn’t exactly a shock: Toy Story 5 is on the way. Apparently with both Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear, if Allen’s social media posts are anything to go by. Still…

Is this a good thing?

In what feels like the increasingly distant past, there was a time when Disney was reluctant to make “official” sequels to their works—which is to say theatrically released films produced by either Walt Disney Animation Studios or the company’s live-action film department. The company certainly spent the ‘90s exploiting the financial appeal of follow-ups,...

According to new information, Stanley Kubrick never actually considered the late Robin Williams for the role of Jack Torrance in The Shining. Released in 1980, The Shining is widely regarded as one of the best movies ever made. Kubrick's film is based on a novel of the same name by Stephen King and stars Jack Nicholson as Jack, Shelley Duvall as Wendy, Danny Lloyd as Danny, and Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann. Much has been written about the production of The Shining in the years since its release, and it was widely reported several years ago that Williams was a top contender for the role of Jack, the main character who slowly goes mad and later attempts to kill his family.

As shared by fact-checking website Snopes, Lee Unkrich, co-author of Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining', an exhaustive book about the making of the film, reveals that Williams was not...

Got your Pym particles ready? Then prepare to journey into the Quantum Realm for Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania – the MCU threequel that takes Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne and pitches them into the biggest, wildest adventure yet. The new issue of Empire presents the ultimate look at Marvel’s cosmic jamboree, going subatomic with the cast and creators of a so-tiny-it’s-gigantic sequel.

You can find the issue on newsstands from Thursday 19 January – with online orders available here – but in the meantime here’s a sneak peek inside its pages.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

Phase 5 of the MCU is about to go off with a bang – or, more accurately, a Kang, since Paul Rudd’s diminutive hero is about to face Jonathan Majors’ maniacal despot. In a major world-exclusive, Empire speaks to Rudd, Majors, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, director Peyton Reed, Marvel boss...

In the broad spectrum of Marvel Cinematic Universe’ major new villain, Kang The Conqueror – a guy who (along with his many maniacal variants) would have Thanos quaking in his gold-toed boots. Marvel’s most miniature hero is about to face the MCU’s biggest bad yet.

The upcoming issue of Empire takes a world-exclusive journey to the centre of Ant-Man’s epic new adventure – exploring why the smallest Avenger is getting a bigger, bolder, and more bonkers outing this time around; peeking into the personal stakes for the wider Pym, Lang, and Van Dyne families; unveiling the eyeball-sizzling environments of the Quantum Realm; and discovering just why Kang The Conqueror is going to shake up the MCU so substantially. Inside, we speak to Marvel boss Kevin Feige and more to investigate Quantumania’s biggest quandaries – and there are more never-before-seen images than you can shake a tube of Pym particles at.

With 2010's "Toy Story 3," Pixar and director Lee Unkrich were faced with punishingly high expectations. Besides the first two entries in the series being certified modern animated classics, there was also the question of purpose. For Pixar, a production company known at the time for its refusal to do sequels unless there was a story to justify one, to do a sequel over a decade after the previous entry, something good must have been in store.

The original "Toy Story," which was released in 1995, changed animation forever. Its 1999 sequel -- a moving allegory for the stages of life -- managed somehow to be even better. A follow-up couldn't simply take viewers back to the world of toy cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) and toy astronaut Buzz (Tim Allen). Nor could it take the eventual route of "The Incredibles 2," which ignored the gap in time between movies. The series was always surprisingly deep,...

Christmas is coming, folks, and that means that the Empire Podcast's sack is simply heaving with guests this week. First, Toy Story 3 and Coco director, Lee Unkrich, pops into the booth for a bit to talk about his new, definitive book about the making of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and tackle this week's listener question (about Christmas songs in movies). Then Chris Hewitt chats with Resurrection star Rebecca Hall and Emancipation director Antoine Fuqua, and Amon Warmann gets to the heart of The Silent Twins' silent twins, Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. And yes, he asks about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about the week's movie news, including the possible demise of Wonder Woman 3, and review Emancipation, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and Resurrection. Bumper-sized! Jam-packed! Ho ho ho! Enjoy!

Listen to the episode...

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining has legions of admirers the world over – not the least Lee Unkrich, director of Pixar classics including Toy Story 3 and Coco. Unkrich spent years collecting pictures, artefacts and stories about the making of the film, uncovering deleted scenes and getting to grips with its most obscure details. Here are a collection of unseen photographs from his forthcoming book about the 1980 horror classic

‘I got a bit drunk with the twins’: Toy Story 3’s Lee Unkrich on his obsession with The ShiningThe Collector’s Edition of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is published by Taschen...

Director Lee Unkrich has disputed a longstanding perception of his 2017 Pixar movie, Coco. Unkrich is a regularly featured name for Pixar movie credits, having previously co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo before spearheading Toy Story 3 solo. Coco was a major commercial and critical success for the animation studio, with the movie praised especially for its representation of Mexican culture and themes of familial bonds.

Pixar director alum Lee Unkrich has spoken out against the misconception that his 2017 Best Animated Feature winner is a kid's movie. In a series of Twitter exchanges, Unkrich diplomatically argues that his work and animated films are more broadly distinct from stories intended primarily for children. While his stance is unequivocal and resolute, he handles the subject politely and in good faith with those he's directly engaging and users following the discourse.

"This is a very hot-button topic for me. There is...

Pixar's Toy Story movies are inundated with Easter eggs referring to The Shining. From the original Toy Story in 1995 to 2019's Toy Story 4, the animation studio's brilliant franchise is peppered with visual nods and winking allusions to Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece. Lee Unkrich is an influential figure behind their existence. As a film editor on Toy Story, co-director on Toy Story 2, director on Toy Story 3, and then executive producer on Toy Story 4, Unkrich has added a treasure trove of Overlook references that are easy to overlook.

Unkrich, who left Pixar in 2019, has previously spoken about his obsession with Kubrick's movie, especially The Shining's woman in room 237. In an interview with Empire in 2012, Unkrich explained, "I think it was because it was the first film I saw that so pervasively had a specific mood to it. I'd never seen a movie that had made me...

Like all Pixar movies, Coco is packed with small details that enhance the viewing experience and also foreshadowed some of the movie’s most important moments, and there’s one that reveals the truth about Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt). Pixar has explored different cultures in its movies, and in 2017, it took the audience to Santa Cecilia, México, and to Land of the Dead to celebrate the Day of the Dead with Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina.

Coco introduced viewers to Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz – however, music has been forbidden in his family. On the Day of the Dead, as the family sets up their "ofrenda", Miguel makes a big discovery about his family tree, triggering an argument with his family and prompting him to break into Ernesto’s mausoleum.

Fans of Pixar's Toy Story may be surprised to know that Bo Peep's origins stem from more than a nursery rhyme. Bo's inclusion in Toy Story was an obvious Little Bo-Peep allusion, but she also references an old fairy tale. Pixar's first feature explores the concept of toys coming to life. However, it was not the first piece of media to explore the topic. Toy Story has origins that can actually be tied to a short story by one of history's most prolific fairy tale writers.

One of the inspirations for Toy Story was Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 fairy tale The Shepherdess and The Chimney Sweep​​​​​, about porcelain figurines and wood carvings that come to life. And it was Bo Peep's inclusion in the first of the Toy Story movies that connected the two. The fairy tale involves a forbidden love story between the title characters.

Pixar may have started as a small computer graphics company that made a few innovative short films in its early years, but it has since gone on to produce some of the most financially successful and critically acclaimed films of all time. The crown jewel of Pixar is undoubtedly its "Toy Story" series, which consists of four films. Not only does each film tell a hilarious yet heartfelt story about toys that come to life and go on adventures of their own, but it was the very first "Toy Story," released in 1995, that turned Pixar into a household name.

Clever writing and inside jokes abound in Pixar's films, and the "Toy Story" series is no exception. In every "Toy Story" movie, there are many Easter eggs that reference other Pixar movies and even nods to the lives of cast and crew members. While we could easily dedicate multiple articles to...

Leon Vitali, an actor in Barry Lyndon who went on to become director Stanley Kubrick’s right-hand man, died Friday in Los Angeles at age 74. His family confirmed his death to Associated Press, but no cause was given.

“Leon was a special and lovely man driven by his curiosity, who spread love and warmth wherever he went,” his children said in a statement provided by his daughter, Masha Vitali. “He will be remembered with love and be hugely missed by the many people he touched.”

Vitali was profiled in the 2017 documentary Filmworker, which spotlighted his contributions to Kubrick’ work. Filmmaker Tony Zierra’s noted that Vitali did everything from casting and coaching actors to overseeing restorations.

His duties went so far as to once setting up a video monitor so that Kubrick could keep an eye on his dying cat.

Matthew Modine, who starred in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket,...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective

Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub

Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive

Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub

2022 Oscars Predictions:

Best Animated Feature

Updated: Feb 17, 2022

Awards Prediction Commentary:

Walt Disney Pictures’ “Encanto,” directed by Jared Bush...

Across the worlds of Hollywood, media, politics and even sports, the praises for actor Ned Beatty were universal.

The Oscar nominee, known for turns in Network, Deliverance and much more, passed away at his home today, aged 83, of natural causes.

Among the most recent to respond to news of his death was director Lee Unkrich, who cast the actor as the villainous Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear in 2010’s Toy Story 3. “Just heard that Ned Beatty passed away in his sleep. It was a joy and and an incredible honor to work with him,” Unkrich tweeted. “Thanks, Ned, for bringing Lotso to life — both his good side and his not-so-good side. We’ll miss you.”

Of course, there were also many other fans, friends and film geeks who took to social media to offer their remembrances of a kind man who transformed every role into something special.

Along the way, Beatty...

"Sully, what about everything we ever worked for, does that matter?" This wonderful tribute was made to celebrate the release of Pixar's 24th feature film, Luca (watch the trailer), arriving this summer. It features footage from all of their films, including a few of their shorts and their excellent SparkShorts series, edited together and it's just beautiful. It's hard not to get watery watching this. For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of Pixar. I've been lucky to visit the studio a few times, befriend a few animators, and purchase some of their merch. But most of all, I love their movies with all my heart. They're not only made for kids, they're magical and moving adventures that we can never forget, that touch us and change us. "In honour of Luca coming out next week here is my tribute to the wonderful folks at Pixar.

We’re not big on saying “told you so,” but we told you not to bet against Pixar at the Oscars, and we were right. The popular computer animation studio, which has received 15 nominations for Best Animated Feature since the inception of the category 19 years ago, took home another Oscar in the category when “Soul” triumphed over the competition during Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards.

The film, which is Pixar’s first to feature a Black protagonist, was sitting in first place in Gold Derby’s combined odds heading into the ceremony. With 27 Experts predicting it to win, the movie had 3/1 odds of taking home the award and was miles ahead of the rest of the pack, which also included “Onward,” another Pixar film that was released right before the pandemic shut down theaters around the world. Rounding out the rest of the category were “Wolfwalkers,” “Over the Moon” and “Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmaggedon.

If there is one rule to follow when filling out your Oscar predictions it is this: Do not bet against Pixar unless Sony’s “Spider-Man” is also in the running. While the popular computer animation studio doesn’t have a perfect record at the Academy Awards, it is the most decorated studio as the recipient of 10 Best Animated Feature awards. This year, Pixar actually has two films in the running for the first time — “Onward” and “Soul” — with the latter poised to become the company’s 11th animated feature winner out of 15 total nominations.

“Soul,” which is Pixar’s first film to feature a Black protagonist, tells a moving story about a middle school music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who goes on an enlightening journey to reunite his soul with his body after they become separated just before he’s about to have the biggest break of his jazz career.

There are moments, watching Disney-Pixar’s latest release Soul, in which the ambition of the Emeryville-based animation house astounds in ways it hasn’t quite achieved in years. Moments of abstract expression that feel entirely unique to its new film, and yet wholly in keeping with the DNA that has made Pixar the standard bearer for family animation. The movie, which makes its world premiere bow this evening at a socially distanced London Film Festival screening, tackles existential themes without ever disregarding its core, family audience. And when it’s at its best, Soul is a joy to behold.

What is it that defines us? Director Pete Docter’s new movie imagines a plane of existence called The Great Before, in which our personalities are determined before we’re ever sent to Earth to be born. A plane of existence in which every soul must find its spark of particular...