Directed by the award winning team of Pete Docter (”Monsters, Inc.”) and Bob Peterson; ‘Up’ is extremely funny and often poignant and is an animated tale that will lift the most down at heart.

Pixar’s Up hits theaters on May 29th 2009.

About Pixar:
Pixar Animation Studios is an Academy Award winning computer animation studio with the technical, creative and production capabilities to create a new generation of animated feature films. Pixar combine proprietary technology and world-class creative talent to develop computer-animated feature films with memorable characters and heart warming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages.

Pixar & Disney
In May 1991, Pixar entered into the Feature Film Agreement with Walt Disney Pictures for the development and production of up to three computer animated feature films to be marketed and distributed by Disney. It was pursuant to the Feature Film Agreement that Toy Story was developed, produced, and distributed. In February 1997, Pixar entered into the Co-Production Agreement (which superseded the Feature Film Agreement) with Disney pursuant to which Pixar, on an exclusive basis, agreed to produce five original computer-animated feature-length theatrical motion pictures for distribution by Disney. The five original Pictures under the Co-Production Agreement were A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Cars. Toy Story 2, the theatrical sequel to Toy Story, was released in November 1999, and is also governed by the Co-Production Agreement.

CREDITS:
Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Produced by: Jonas Rivera
Written by: Bob Peterson, Ronnie del Carmen
music by: Michael Giacchino
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures

CAST:
Edward Asner
Christopher Plummer
John Ratzenberger
Jordan Nagai

Updated Trailers:

Race to Witch Mountain is a sci-fi adventure about two alien visitors and their search for their lost spacecraft. For the main title sequence, yU+co.’s concept was to tell the story of UFO’s from early sightings in the U.S. to present day, using archival newspaper headlines, film footage, photos and eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings. Set to a pulsating orchestral score, the tension-filled sequence immediately pulls viewers into this mysterious world with fast-paced editing of astonishing UFO imagery coupled with a subtle, yet powerful type design that animates on and off as if emanating from an extraterrestrial transmission signal.

For example, yU+co treated some of the clips with film scratches and burns to simulate aging film stock from the 50’s. They also added microfiche animations on the sections that covered the1980’s, and overlaid TV scan-lines to many of the clips that belonged in the 1990’s and later.

”Race To Witch Mountain represents the third time we worked with director Andy Fickman,” says Yu, who previously worked with Fickman on The Game Plan and She’s the Man. ”I’m proud of the fact that so many top directors like Andy, Zack Snyder, Ang Lee and many others continue to come back to us for titles. It says a lot about both the creativity we bring to each project and the collaborative nature between yU+co. and the director. This project was especially challenging, but we’re proud we could bring Andy’s vision for the titles to life.”

”The main title sequence started in the editing room by researching hundreds of pieces of archival UFO footage that would help us tell the story,” says Synderela Peng, yU+co.’s Art Director. ”We delineated decades of UFO discoveries, beginning with the 1950’s to the present day. We also spent a lot of time on details like treating the headlines and the film footage so they reflect the time period they were supposed to be from.”

”The main title went through several transformations,” Peng adds. ”Andy [Fickman, the director] was very specific about what he wanted in the final. He asked for a title sequence that built the mystique and the history of UFO’s and uses the wealth of footage that have been captured throughout time, mixing it with newspaper and magazine headlines to help inform the viewers on seminal UFO sightings. Typographically, we went with a classic font that was reminiscent of what you would see in 1920’s tabloid newspaper headlines.”

While the creative challenges were many, for David Garber, yU+co.’s Executive Producer, the approval process for using the archival footage proved to be extremely complex, requiring a coordinated effort with Disney’s legal team.

”There were some incidents where we had fallen in love with a piece of footage and how it fit into the whole piece only to find out Disney couldn’t secure the rights and we had go back and find something different,” Garber says. ”There was a lot intricate legal footwork happening. In the end everyone was happy with the way it came out and I think audiences are going to be struck by it.”

In addition to Race to Witch Mountain, other yU+co. projects include the re-teaming with director Zack Snyder (300) for the main title sequence of Warner Bros.’ Watchmen, and the overall visual design and motion graphics applied as visual effects for Lakeshore Entertainment/Lionsgate’s upcoming futuristic thriller, Game. yU+co. also created the cinematics for Capcom’s new release of the popular video game franchise, Resident Evil 5.

About yU+co:
Recognized as an industry leader in visual design and motion graphics with offices in Hollywood, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, yU+co specializes in digital content for all media platforms as well as for title design for film and television, visual effects and animation, theatrical logos, game cinematics and commercials. For more information, contact: Dianna Costello (feature film and television); or Michael Bennett (gaming/game cinematics and commercials) at 323-606-5050.

Web Resources:
Click here to view Race To Witch Mountain titles.
Click here for more info about yU+co.

Click here for more info about Race To Witch Mountain.

Creative Credits:
Project:“Race To Witch Mountain” main title sequence
Client: Disney

Design/Animation: yU+Co., Hollywood, CA
Creative Director: Garson Yu
Executive Producer: David Garber
Art Director: Synderela Peng
Production Coordinator: Annie Chen
Title Editor: Nikita Kleverov
Editorial Assistant: Brandon Muse
Layout Artist: Edwin Baker
Animator: Gary Garza
Animator: Alex Yoon
Animator: Danielle Leiser
Shake Artist: Alan Boucek
Roto Artist: Merlin Carrol
Roto Artist: Miljohn Ruperto

In Anthem we see balloons emblazoned with Mickey Mouse’s face take on a life of their own as they comically trail blissful moments. The balloons carry an invitation, from Mickey himself and Disney to celebrate attendees’ birthdays at the place where dreams come true.

Accomplishment once again features the bulbous Mickey balloons as the spots moves from shining moments-a boy’s first touchdown-to great achievements-a kindergarten class’s graduation.

Classroom takes us back to the days of dreadful boredom in grade school as a young boy slouches over his textbook. While mindlessly flipping the pages he discovers an envelope stamped with a birthday message for him. As he slowly lifts the flap, the boy releases an explosion of fireworks and balloons beckoning an appropriate birthday celebration.

Bolt is the latest Disney CGI which is due for release on both regular and digital 3_D on 26 November 2006. Formerly known as American Dog, the film came from an original concept by Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch), about a pampered pooch who ends up in the Nevada desert. The film was eventually directed by Chris Williams.

During a 2008 investor conference, Walt Disney’s Animation chief creative officer John Lasseter explained the synopsis: “Bolt is owned by a little girl whose father is this incredible scientist. Now, to protect the little girl, he gives the dog superpowers, but the dad is kidnapped by these bad guys . . . and the dog is protecting her by fighting off the bad guys with his superpowers, and for 10 years they search for the father and battle the bad guys.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaaF9MShlRQ&start=30

“Lasseter continued: “But all this is actually a TV show. You see, Bolt is a star of the most popular television show . . . but he thinks this is real. He lives on the soundstage and that’s all he knows, so all of this is real to him. In one unfortunate incident, he falls into a box and he’s shipped from his home on the soundstage to New York City and he comes out of it and he thinks it’s all part of his life, where he has superpowers.”

“But he is in the real world and nothing works like he thinks . . . he’s trying to figure out what the heck is going on with the help of this crazy alley cat and this super fan hamster who is always in his hamster ball . . . he realizes that he is just an actor on a TV show, that his entire life, 10 years of his short life, has been spent being a fake, that he is not really what he thinks he is. It crushes him, but, really, he learns what it is to be a true dog.” said Lasseter.

Main Character Voices:
Bolt : John Travolta
Penny : Miley Cyrus
Mittens : Susie Essman
Rhino : Mark Walton

Additional voice overs include Woody Harrelson, Bruce Greenwood and Thomas Haden Church.

Walt Disney’s Bolt is due for release on 26 November 2008.

(Article by: CGnews.com)