Pixar took some big chances from 2007-2009.  Ratatouille starred a rat (not a cuddly animal), WALL-E spent its first act in a quiet and abandoned Earth, and Up had a geriatric as an adventure hero.  They’re all great movies, and none of them came close to matching the $1 billion worldwide pulled in from Toy Story 3 (it’s worth noting that of the 2007-2009 movies, only Up was in 3D).  And while Cars 2 grossed only $559 million worldwide, its merchandising sales were probably through the roof.  These movies and have hopefully put enough into the company’s coffers that they can have the creative freedom to pursue the original features The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, and the Untitled Dia de Los Muertos movie.  The sequels will begin again in November 2015 with Finding Dory, and it looks like a sequel to another Pixar movie might be in the works.

Hit the jump for more.

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and the lovely folks over at Pixar are marking the occasion with a new Mother’s Day-centric promo for Monsters University that offers up some new footage from the college-set prequel.  The video shows a humorous and rather accurate look at how moms react when their children go away to college, and I’m really loving all the great character designs that we’ve seen from the film thus far.  If you missed any of Dave’s coverage from his visit to Pixar, be sure to check out his review of seeing 40 minutes of footage of the film, set visit recap, and interviews with director Dan Scanlon, supervising animator Scott Clark, and production designer Ricky Nierva and character animation director Jason Deamer.

Hit the jump to watch the new promo.  The film features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Nathan Fillion, Charlie Day and many more.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

Last night I had the opportunity to check out a late showing of Pain & Gain during which I encountered a few thoughts that I couldn’t shake: 1) I wish Michael Bay would make more films like this and less of the transforming car variety. 2) Why can’t Dwayne Johnson be in every movie? 3) This is probably the craziest “Based on a True Story” movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard Bay say that some of the most extreme elements of the plot are also the most true to the original story. This is good to know because had someone written a lot of what shows up in the film I would likely call it too farfetched for my suspended disbelief to withstand. Make no mistake, this is a wild, entertaining ride that utilizes layers of action, crime, comedy, sex, and even a touch of sadism to keep you invested from beginning to end.

My mini-review aside, this week’s Top 5 includes the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World, Pain & Gain interviews with Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg, and more, a recap of our visit to Pixar for Monsters University, news that Zack Snyder could take the helm of Justice League pending Man of Steel‘s success, and the first entry in a new interview series from Steve: “Breaking Down the Movie” with The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance. As is customary, a brief recap and link to each of the above is ready and waiting after the jump.

Disney has released a new trailer for the Monsters, Inc. prequel Monsters University.  The pic focuses on the college years of Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman), and this new full-length trailer reveals the film’s plot.  The Revenge of the Nerds-esque story finds Mike and Sully joining a fraternity of outcasts, as all of the Greek houses must compete against each other in the Scare Games, which carry dire consequences for the losers.  The film looks like it could be Pixar’s most purely fun movie yet, and early reactions from the screening at CinemaCon had many praising the pic’s heart.  If you missed any of Dave’s coverage from his visit to Pixar, be sure to check out his review from seeing 40 minutes of footage, 35 things to know about the film, and his interview with director Dan Scanlon.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also features the voices of Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, John Krasinski, Nathan Fillion, Bonnie Hunt, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger. Monsters University opens June 21, 2013.

As we stepped onto the campus of Monsters University, we were greeted by the school’s cheerleading squad who were accompanied by the drum section of their marching band.  Music and cheers filled the air as we walked to the center of campus where a huge tailgating party had been set up for the annual homecoming game against Fear Tech.  In the quad, all manner of student organizations were out in force trying to sign us up for the Yearbook Club, the Greek Council and the Art Club (or maybe it was just a guy named Art…).  As soon as we set foot inside the doors to the main hall, we knew we had arrived … at Pixar Animation Studios.

In what was too short a time at Pixar, our group was whisked on a whirlwind behind-the-scenes journey of their latest animated feature (and The Blue Umbrella, the short that will be preceding it in theaters).  Monsters University, the studio’s first prequel, will re-introduce fans of Monsters, Inc. to the college versions of Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman).  Hit the jump for 35 things you need to know about it!

Even though Monsters University is only a few months away, Pixar has been keeping the voice cast under wraps.  Today, EW is reporting that Nathan Fillion, John Krasinski, and Bonnie Hunt will be voicing new monsters in the upcoming prequel.  Fillion and Krasinski are newcomers to the Pixar world, but Hunt has been a longtime collaborator with the studio having voiced characters in A Bug’s Life, Cars, Toy Story 3, and Monsters, Inc. (although she’ll be voicing a new character).

Hit the jump for descriptions of Fillion, Krasinski, and Hunt’s characters, along with some new images.  The film also features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Joel Murray, Peter Sohn, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine, Bobby Moynihan, Julie Sweeney, Alfred Molina, Beth Behrs, and of course, John Ratzenberger.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

Disney/Pixar has released a number of nifty “class portraits” for its upcoming prequel Monsters University that introduce the film’s numerous fraternities and sororities.  The pic focuses on the college years of Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman), and as we’ve started to learn more about the film, it’s become clear that Greek Life figures heavily into the pic’s Revenge of the Nerds-esque plot.  These new images introduce the A-list frat Roar Omega Roar (RΩR), the jock frat Jaws Theta Chi (JOX), the “Mean Girls” sorority Python Nu Kappa (PNK), the Goth sorority Eta Hiss Hiss (HSS), the athletic sorority Slugma Slugma Kappa (EEK), and the misfit fraternity Oozma Kappa (OK), which boasts Mike and Sully as members.  We also get a look at the Greek Council members Claire (Aubrey Plaza) and Brock (Tyler Labine), and as a fellow Greek myself, I’m excited to see Pixar’s take on the interplay between fraternities and sororities.

Hit the jump to check out the class portrait images of each fraternity and sorority along with descriptions of each house.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

The marketing campaign for Pixar’s 2013 release Monsters University looks to be in high gear, and I’m loving the faux-college virals they’ve been putting out thus far.  Today another such video has landed online, as we’re treated to “A Message from the Dean,” which plays like all of those cheesy commercials that colleges put out year after year.  It does a great job of capturing the spirit of those spots, and it also gives us a look at some new footage from the film.  The monster designs look incredible, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the creatures the folks at Pixar have dreamed up.  Also, is that Helen Mirren’s voice as the film’s Dean?  The recent featurette for the film hints at a major role for that character, so the casting would make sense.

Hit the jump to watch the video, and click here to watch the recent full trailer.  The film also features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Dave Foley, Julia Sweeney, Joel Murray, and Peter Sohn.  Monsters University opens in 3D on June 21st.

This summer will see the return of some of the most famous characters from Pixar’s catalogue with the prequel Monsters University, but in a few years the studio is poised to revive its most popular film yet: Finding Nemo.  We learned last July that Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton had signed on to helm Finding Nemo 2 as the follow-up to his infamous live-action debut John Carter (it’s really a good movie!), and shortly thereafter Ellen Degeneres signed on to reprise the character of Dory.  Now, six months later, the other major piece of the puzzle has fallen into place as Albert Brooks has finally closed his deal to return.  Hit the jump for more, including the possibility of another live-action film from Stanton.

The first featurette for Pixar’s Monsters University has made its way online.  The film goes back to Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan’s (John Goodman) college days and shows how the two overcame their differences and became BFFs.  The studio is understandably secretive with regards to their upcoming projects, but in this featurette, director Dan Scanlon provides an extended preview of what fans can expect from the new film, including some pretty intricate story details.  I won’t get into the nitty gritty here on the front page for those that want to remain in the dark, suffice it to say that the film involves a heavy fraternity/sorority element and it certainly sounds like the folks at Pixar are drawing inspiration from classic college comedies.

Hit the jump to take a look at the featurette, which is included on the upcoming 3D Blu-ray release of Monsters Inc.  Monsters University opens on June 21st.

This time last week I was two movies into the triple feature I teased the last time we met. While I can’t say I was overly impressed by Gangster Squad, both Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained made their respective cases as qualified Best Picture nominees. Of the two, Zero Dark‘s unrelenting final act not only made it my top pick of the day but also provided some of the most sustained tension I can remember experiencing in a movie theater. Having now seen it for myself, I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with those who have voiced their disbelief at Kathryn Bigelow‘s Best Director Oscar snub.

Zero Dark Thirty praise aside, on tap in this week’s Top 5 are The Last Stand interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, and more, a live-action remake of Toy Story, a new trailer for Primer writer/director/star/almost literally everything else Shane Carruth‘s Upstream Color, Mama interviews with Guillermo del Toro and more, and all of our Sundance 2013 coverage to date. For your reading pleasure, a recap and link to each awaits after the jump.

As we stand at what looks like the end of Pixar’s extraordinary run of classics (though hopefully a new streak will start soon), it’s hard to focus on any single work as their best. The steady beat of the Toy Story films set the pace, The Incredibles helped the superhero movie mature, and the stunning triple punch of Ratatouille, WALL*E and Up proved that brilliant stories could be found far from Hollywood’s beaten paths. But if I had to pick one film of theirs as my favorite – one movie that summed up what so many of us love about this extraordinary studio – I’d probably pick Finding Nemo, their fish-out-of-water story that perfectly encapsulates everything we’ve come to expect from them. Hit the jump for my full review of the Finding Nemo Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray.

Toy Story was a landmark in the history of computer animated filmmaking even though it could have conceivably been made in any medium because the story was so good.  YouTube user jonasonsMovies decided to bring the Pixar classic into the real-world, and remaking a scene or two would have been a cute little thing.  But jonasonsMovies went the entire 80 minutes of the film’s runtime.  I hope that Disney’s lawyers don’t come rushing to take this thing down because it’s a wonderful tribute to a terrific movie.

Hit the jump to watch live-action Toy Story.

Pixar has always been pushing the edge when it comes to photorealism in their movies, but it’s always in the little things you may not notice such as water or a character’s hair.  However, the stunning animation will be difficult to ignore in their upcoming short film, The Blue Umbrella.  A brief clip has been released online, and it’s tough to believe that Pixar didn’t shoot live-action footage and then place animated faces on top of it.

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The Blue Umbrella will play in front of Monsters University, which opens June 21st.

A few years back, Pixar was working on a film called Newt.  The premise was about the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet who are forced together by science to save the species, but they can’t stand each other.  Sound familiar?  The film was scrapped after being too similar to Blue Sky Animation’s Rio.  I think Pixar could have done more with the premise, but I guess we’ll never know.  The best we’ll probably get are leaked pieces of concept art.  We saw some back in 2010, and now more has been released online.  It’s a great look, but sadly, most concept art for 3D movies tends to get watered down (remember how Tangled was supposed to resemble the artistic style of French Rococo artist Jean-Honore Fragonard’s painting “The Swing”?).  Either way, it’s an interesting look at a film that never was.

Hit the jump to check out the concept art.