The Pixar Theory Explained

The Pixar Theory Explained

Jon Negroni, a Pixar fan, created the Pixar Theory back in 2013. This theory suggests that all Pixar films happen on the same planet, however when Pixar aren’t releasing them in the correct order so we, as Pixar fans, need to find out where and how they fit together on the new timeline. It’s hard to explain because it keeps on updating and changing with each new Pixar film but I will do my best to explain the order of Pixar films.

So for many, many years we believed that the first film in the timeline was “Brave”, but with the introduction of “The Good Dinosaur” this film has now taken the no.1 spot. “The Good Dinosaur” explains why the Pixar films are so similar to life on earth. The planet that the dinosaurs live in is an alternative earth, it’s similar in almost all other ways, except for the fact that an asteroid never collided with the planet. So why aren’t all following films about dinosaurs? Well, because they do end up dying out due to crazy weather which we see in the film. However what’s crucial is that we see that the dinosaurs advance enough to develop farming techniques which shows how animals on this planet have the ability to advance more than they do on earth.

The second film in the timeline is “Brave” which introduces magic to the Pixar world.  The film shows how animals and inanimate objects can and do on occasion behave differently from the way they are meant to. For example the Raven is able to talk and the knives and broom in the witches workshop acted of their own choice. You could say that it’s just the witch controlling them, but I don’t think that’s true because the knives do turn on the witch momentarily. 

The next film in chronological order is “The Incredibles” and this film shows the development of A.I which if you didn’t know is artificial intelligence. Syndrome creates a machine to try and defeat the Superheroes, but instead he makes a machine that ultimately leads to his demise.

Next we dive under the water with “Finding Nemo”. More and more animals are developing human traits like creating schools, transportation, day care services, real estate, traffic light systems and more. Marlin is so advanced that he can travel 1000’s of miles across the ocean to rescue his son. Nemo himself befriends intelligent fish in a fish tank that hatch a clever plan to escape the fish tank and return to the ocean.

Finding Nemo Poster

“Ratatouille” and “Up” are next which both show animals on land becoming more intelligent. “Ratatouille” introduces us to Remy who becomes one of the greatest chefs Paris has ever seen. Then in “Up” we hear from Charles Mintz that his dog, Epsilon, is also a great chef. However Charles dogs aren’t just chefs, they also become waiters and pilots. 

What’s also important in “Up” is that it introduces a faceless corporation that’s taking over everything. If you don’t know what I mean, I’m talking about the corporation that was buying up the real estate around Carls house and converting it into skyscrapers.

Next up are the Toy Story films and what’s important about these films is that the faceless corporation is given a name, and that name is Buy ‘N’ Large. They are the makers of Buzz Light-years batteries which we see in Toy Story 3.

The Toy Story films also show how inanimate objects have continued to act in ways they shouldn’t normally act and are actually becoming more human. For example they need someone to love, they can show a variety of emotions, they can communicate and move and they have dreams, hopes and desires. The Pixar world is a more advanced world.

At the end of Toy Story 3 the toys end up in a gigantic incinerator and although they luckily escape, it’s crucial in the Pixar Theory to show how the planet is becoming a lot more wasteful, and to combat the amount of waste they are producing they need to create these massive incinerators. This is showing how the world is heading towards a consume and throwaway society which will eventually lead to the events of “Wall-E”, but not just yet.

The next film is “Finding Dory”, where we see the oceans are becoming a dumping ground for waste, that people and companies are creating.

With a world that’s becoming more polluted by the day, the humans leave, they can’t survive on the planet and instead A.I steps up with Cars becoming sentient beings. However with all these cars that are on the planet, they’re producing so many more emissions and pollution the planets cars can’t cope on planet earth and they eventually become extinct. Luckily the Wall-E robots are there to compact them and clean them away.  

Next comes “Wall-E” where we see that Buy ‘N’ Large, and there awful effects on the planet means that mankind need to leave and spend 700 years on the Axiom. A.I developed on the Axiom, with some good machinery and some not so good machinery.

In the film Eve finds a tiny seed, takes it to the Axiom which eventually allows the humans to return to earth. They plant that seed and that plant grows into a tree which is the setting for “A Bugs Life”.

So where do the Monsters come from, well all that pollution didn’t disappear and it seeped into the humans skin and turned them into monsters. But I hear you say that humans exist in Monsters, Inc. Well let me remind you that you only see humans when they go through magical doors, the same technology from “Brave” might I add. However when you go through these doors, you’re actually going back in time and collecting screams, and then laughter, from the past.

The person who ties the whole Pixar Theory together is Boo from “Monsters, Inc”. She loves Sulley so much that she makes it her goal in life to try and find him again so she grows up and turns into the witch from “Brave”. Which is why the witch has a carving of Sulley in her workshop and why she’s obsessed with bears.

With every Pixar film that is released it’s time for fans of the Pixar theory to find out how it fits into the Pixar Theory. Jon Negroni, who’s the creator of the Pixar Theory, has actually written a book about the theory but I can’t find it anywhere in the UK to buy, so I don’t know what it’s like.

Let me know what you think of the Pixar Theory in the comments bellow and come back next Monday for another Disney blog.

Disney Plant Pots D.I.Y

Disney Plant Pots D.I.Y

Recently I was gifted a set of 4 really awful looking ceramic plant pots. They were a little dirty, had splats of concrete stuck to them and weren’t very nice but I didn’t want to throw them away. I decided to invest a little bit of Disney magic into them.

I headed to B&Q and bought the cheapest sandpaper which for 4 piece cost under £2 pounds and I used this to sand down the pots after washing all the mud off them.

From B&Q I also bought a can of white spray paint and it cost roughly £5. When my plant pot was completely dry and it was a clear day outside I spray painted the outside of it white, with two coats and waited for it to dry. While I waited I  planned out the designs I wanted for my plant pots.

Because Toy Story 4 is coming out soon and Woody and Buzz are such iconic characters I decided that for my plant pot I would paint there outfits onto the pot. Buzz on one side and Woody on the other.

Continuing with the Pixar theme I decided to go for two iconic logos on the same plant pot. On one side is the Incredibles Logo which was super easy to paint and then on the other side is the Luxo Lamp.

For the final plant pot I couldn’t decide. I was considering a Beauty and the Beast themed pot, or Cinderella or Lilo and Stitch, but then I thought of the Disney Parks and I knew I had to do a “It’s a Small World” themed plant pot. I found the picture on Google Images to copy. It took me a long time to paint, it was definitely the trickiest but I’m so happy with how it turned out.

To make sure that the paint doesn’t chip or fade over time I painted two coats of an inexpensive top coat which gave it a glossy coat and I am really happy with how it turned out. It also made sure that the pots were waterproof so I wouldn’t have any trouble watering my flowers.

Over the Sumer months I’m sure these would be fine to go outside but I’m not going to risk it. Instead I have placed them on my windowsill and they definitely add some Disney magic to my kitchen.

I have one plant pot left but no plant to put in it yet. If you have any suggestions for what I could paint on it, I would appreciate any Disney or Pixar suggestions. 

Pixar in Concert Review

Pixar in Concert Review

A few days ago I had the pleasure of going to see Pixar in Concert at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham, this was a present from my mum that I received at Christmas. I have never been to anything like this before so I was very excited to go. I even designed an Up inspired top to wear to the event which my mum helped me make. You can see the top in the picture below. It says “Adventure is Out There”

I definitely wasn’t the only one to dress up, I saw some Disney Loungefly bags, people in spirit jerseys, someone was wearing a Woody top and there was a lot of other people wearing different Disney tops. It was a nice way to spot the big Disney/Pixar fans.

As I walked into the event there was a massive screen and in front of the screen was where the Novello Orchestra was with the conductor David Mahoney who was also the spokesperson for the event.

The concert focused on one Pixar film at a time, showing you clips and scenes of the film on the big screen, while a live orchestra plays music from that Pixar film below. For example they played Married Life from Up while scenes of Up played. They did Toy Story 1 and 3, Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, Monsters Inc and Monsters University, Incredibles 1 and 2, Cars 1 and 2, Up, Wall-E, Inside Out and Coco.

Some films showed whole clips and this was really lovely because it immersed you in the experience. The downside of this is that when you’re watching a sad scene, like the end of Toy Story 3 where all the toys are holding hands, looking like they’re about to be gone forever, it’s pretty hard to remind yourself you’re in public and that bawling isn’t acceptable.  

The most special part of the whole experience came right at the end when David, the conductor asked everyone to stand up and we all sang and danced to Toy Story “You Got a Friend in Me”, it was a really lovely moment and brought the audience together.

The only thing that did disappoint me about the experience was that there was no merchandise, no programme, no pin, no nothing. I have my ticket as a memento but I feel like it would have been nice to come away with something that will remind me of the experience.

I went to the last show of this touring production but I’m sure that there will be another Pixar in Concert experience again. Although I loved the experience and really enjoyed myself, I don’t think I would repeat the experience, I 100% would if it was Disney songs, but now that I’ve done it once, I don’t feel like I need to do it again. However  I would recommend the experience to everyone else of all ages.

If you went to see Pixar in Concert, please let me know in the comments below what you thought and come back on Friday 26th for my review of the Disney Cafe in the new Primark in Birmingham.

Incredibles 2 Review

Incredibles 2 Review

 

A spoiler free review of Bao and The Incredibles 2.

 

Bao

Before we can dive into the film we must first discuss Bao, the short that featured before the film. I had seen the advert for the cartoon and I was intrigued but when I saw it in the cinema, it was nothing like what I was expecting and I loved that. Without giving anything away I will say that it focuses on a Chinese family which is something I enjoyed. I like film and TV that portray different people’s lives.

Just as a warning, and without spoiling anything, bear in mind that this cartoon if very symbolic, everything is not what it seems. This made it intriguing but also a little confusing. I was left at the end thinking, “Umm, okay? what?” Hopefully you understand it better than I do.

Overall I loved this cartoon, it was adorable and heart-warming but it was also really sad and a little bit shocking.

The Incredibles 2

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of the original film the first time I watched it, which meant that I didn’t re-watch the film until a couple of weeks ago to prepare me for watching this film. I ended up liking it a lot more the second time around. I didn’t have this problem watching Incredibles 2 though because I love it, a lot. When watching the film I was never bored or thinking “When’s it going to end?” The film is on the longer side, but it’s so action packed that you don’t really realise.

 

One of the problems I had with the first film is that it focused too much on Mr Incredible. In Incredibles 2 however they make sure all the family members have a good amount of screen time. You get to see more of Violet and her boyfriend troubles, Mrs. Incredible is off fighting crime, Mr. Incredible is keeping the family together, Jack Jack is trying out all of his powers and Dash, well Dash is the exception. In the original film he had more of a character arc with his struggles about not using his powers in public, but in this film he does math.

 

Now although there is an equal amount of time for each character I think we can all agree that Jack Jack is the unexpected star of the film. He is such a scene stealer. I loved seeing all of his powers, especially when he turns to goo as I know that this was something they wanted to do in the first film, but they didn’t have the time or the money. Jack Jack also helps to push the story forward and helps give some comic relief for what I would call one of the more tense Pixar films. Jack Jack was one of the highlights of the film for me.

I couldn’t talk about characters and not mention Edna Mode, who was without a doubt the most iconic character of the first film. There was a concern that because the audience loved her so much that they would try and over use her, but I think the Pixar team did a good job in not overusing her. She is still the same old feisty and empowering Edna and I loved her.

In the first film Pixar had a really tough time animating hair and now in this film, they have brushed out all of the problems and you can tell they have nailed the problem right on the head. But in all seriousness, you can tell that they have really stepped up their animation game with the super powers, explosions, characters facial expressions and all the unseen details.

The first film started with interviews, which was exactly how this film started and this was something I appreciated. Sequels can often lose the feel that is created during the first film, but having the opening be interviews brings back nostalgia for the first film.

 

One of the things that surprised me was just how violent the film was. Although I don’t believe that there was any blood there was a ridiculous amount of fighting, threats and even death. I know that Pixar doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects but it was quite a violent film. However, as well as being violent, the film is also quite comical, there are some really laugh out loud moments from a lot of the characters. It’s definitely got a good balance.

 

One of the things that can’t be overlooked in this film is that it ignored gender stereotypes. It is normally assumed that the mother will stay at home with the children while the father goes out to work for his family. In this film it’s the other way around. The Incredibles showed that woman could be kick ass, but in Incredibles 2 it showed that woman could be more kick ass than men. It’s not what you always see and I appreciate that.

Being the big Pixar fan I am, I am aware of the Easter eggs in the films so I was constantly on the lookout for the Luxo ball or the pizza planet truck but I couldn’t spot either. Let me know in the comments below if you spotted either of these Easter eggs. I did however spot the A113 sign right at the end of the film and a hidden Mickey symbol in the credits.

The other Easter egg that was easy to spot, or I should say hear, was John Ratzenberger. He has voiced a character in every single Pixar film to date and he voiced the same character he did in the first film, the Underminer.

 

 

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Spoilers

Disney has been getting really good at creating unexpected villains, like Hans in Frozen, however from the moment that Winston and his sister Evelyn came on screen, I knew that one of them would be the villain. It was just that little predictable. Maybe if they made it Frozone or Mr. Dicker it would have been a lot more shocking. However I have to say that making the villain a woman was another way they eliminated gender stereotypes.

 

In this film they introduced a whole new bunch a superheroes and I really enjoyed this, especially Void, mainly because she is the superhero, out of the bunch, that has the most screen time but also because she is voiced by Sophia Bush who I love from One Tree Hill which was a TV programme from my teenage years. They all have such cool superpowers and I loved to see them in use. If they did an Incredibles 3 or a show on the Disney channel, I would love to see more of them.

 

Screensaver was a creepy villain and he was most certainly powerful, but, I don’t entirely understand her, Evelyn’s, ultimate plan. I mean, her parents were murdered by villains and now she is okay with murdering a whole bunch of civilians by crashing a boat into the land. There is no logic. If she really wanted revenge, wouldn’t you target it at the villains, not at the people who are trying to help. I think Syndrome, from the first film, was a better villain.

Leaving the cinema after seeing this film, I was really happy, it was such a good film. I would 100% recommend anyone going to see it. I am also not against the idea of an Incredibles 3 film. It would be interesting to see Violet, Dash and Jack Jack grown up, some with partners, some with kids and see how they deal with having superhero children. The idea of goodies and baddies will always be interesting and there are so many possibilities. I’m sure someone could think of a worthwhile storyline.

What Films to Watch in 2018

What to watch in 2018

 

In 2018 there are a lot of Disney and Pixar films coming out that you may not be aware of and there is definitely some stuff to get excited about so in this blog I am going to be showing you the Disney and Pixar releases coming out in 2018, however please do be aware that I will not be including any superhero, marvel or Star Wars movies because I have never watched any of those movies (it’s on my bucket list to change that this year) and so it would be hard to talk about upcoming films.

Another thing to be aware of is I am not an expert on these films, I have no inside person giving me these details, this is just what I have found out from watching interviews and looking online.

I hope what I am telling you will be accurate but I will admit that there are some details that may be wrong and I apologise for that now.

The last thing to know about is there will be little to no spoilers. Where possible I will be talking about the plot of the film, but obviously I’m not going to be giving too much of the film away.

 

Coco 

By the time you read this blog Coco will be out in the UK so hopefully most of you have seen it by now, but if you haven’t, you need to. It is the latest Pixar release, and in my opinion Pixar doesn’t disappoint. The story follows a young boy, Miguel who is passionate about music. This passion leads him to the Land of the Dead where he meets his great-great-grandfather who shares Miguel’s passion for music and that is all I’m going to say. In most places, including the USA is was released in November so the majority of the world have seen it before and it already has an 8.7 rating on IMDB.

One thing I will say is if you tend to cry at movies, bring tissues because this is a tear jerker film.

A Wrinkle in Time

The next upcoming film is A Wrinkle in Time which is the first live action movie on this list. In America the film is being released on March 9^th and in the UK it’s March 23^rd. Currently there are trailers which to me are reminiscent of the film Tommorrowland. It has a star studded cast which includes Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde, Oprah Winfrey from the Oprah Winfrey show, Chris Pine from the Star Wars films, Mindy Kaling from The Office and Inside Out, Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover and so many more.

If you want to know the complete story you can read the book by Madeleine L Engle which the film is based on. Personally I have never heard of this book before, but I believe in America it is a lot more well known, it is actually one of the most regularly banned in America due to the story. Talking of its story, from what I have discovered the main character Meg (played by Storm Reid) scientist father (Chris Pine) is presumed dead but then Mrs. Whatsit arrives and reveals to Meg that her father may not actually be dead so Meg, her brother and her friend then travel through a new and different kind of space to find him.

The Incredibles 2

The second Pixar film to look forward to in 2018 is The Incredibles 2 which I believe in America and the UK is going to be released on the 15^th June, however this is all subject to change, but the teaser trailer is out now.

Mr and Mrs Incredible, Violet and Frozone are all voiced by the same actors in the first film; the only voice actor that has been replaced changed is for Dash. Originally he was voiced by Spencer Fox, but as the years since the first film went by, Spencer Fox’s voice has deepened so he was replaced by Huck Milner.

Not much about the plot of the film has been released, however we do know, according to John Lassiter, that the film starts only minutes after the end of the previous film. Holly Hunter who plays Elastigirl, has said that the film will focus on her character fighting crime while Mr. Incredible is at home looking after Jack-Jack. Fighting stereotypes, woo!

A portion of the film will also focus of Jack-Jack gaining powers and the audience being aware of it but not his family.

We also don’t know who the villain of the film is going to be but we do know that the Underminer will be in the film because he is voiced by John Ratzenberger and John has voiced a character in every single Pixar film, he is there good luck charm.

The film is written by Brad Bird, who if you didn’t know is very well known in the Pixar and Disney world having also worked on The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Tommorrowland, among others.

Christopher Robin

This is the second live action film to be released in 2018. In America this film will be released on 3^rd August under the name Winnie the Pooh and in the UK it will be released on 17^th August under the name Christopher Robin. I have to say, being a big Winnie the Pooh fan, I am very excited for the release of this film.

Christopher Robin, who will be played by Ewan McGregor, is now grown up and struggling with his life and so with his wife Evelyn, played by Hayley Atwell he returns home to visit the 100 acre wood, and finds a few old palls including Winnie the Pooh, voice by Jim Cummings who has voiced him since 1988, Piglet, Eeyore who is voiced by Brad Garrett, Kanga, Roo and Tigger who is voiced by Alan Tudyk, who seems to be turning into the good luck charm for Disney.

The film will also star Mark Gatiss, who you may know from Dr Who or Sherlock, and he will play Giles, Christopher’s boss, my guess is he’s not going to be a likeable character.

One fact that I found very cool is that for one of the filming location, they went to the actual 100 acre wood in Dover, Kent.

Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet

Wreck it Ralph 2 will be released on 21^st November and it will take place 6 years after the end of the previous film. All is well in arcade world until the games begin to break, to save the arcade Vanellope and Ralph once again team up and head into internet to recover pieces of their game.

At the 2017 D23 there was a scene shown where Ralph and Vanellope meet the Disney princesses, this sounds utterly amazing. All of the original voices of the princess have reprised their roles accept for Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora. Mary Costa, who voiced Aurora is still alive, but due to her age and therefore change of voice, she is unable to voice Aurora.

On the IMDB it gives credits to several actors saying they will voice actors for C-3PO, R2D2, Yoda, Princess Leia from Star Wars and Iron Man and Gamora from Marvel. The website also hints that Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia, Pluto, voiced by Bill Farmer and Manny, Scrat, Sid and Diego from the Ice Age films with cameo.

Overall I think this is definitely a film that’s going to include a lot of surprise characters and Easter eggs.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The third live action Disney film to be released is The Nutcracker and the Four Realms which will be sometime in October.

From what I can work out the plot is quite complex, but I will do my best to simplify the story. Clara, played by Mackenzie Foy really wants to find this key that her late mother has given her. Clara discovers this golden piece of thread at her godfather, Drosselmeyer’s party, he is played by Morgan Freeman. Upon finding the key it vanishes and reveals a parallel universe which of course she enters through. From here Clara visits many different world and people including the Sugar Plum Fairy, played by Keira Knightley, Mother Ginger played by Helen Mirren and the Dew Drop Fairy played by Miranda Hart.

If you want to know more about the plot, the film is based on the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”

There is already a trailer that has been released for this film and it looks visually stunning, the costume designs and attention to detail looks like a step up from the live action Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast films and they were very visual films.

Mary Poppins Returns

The film that has probably got the most hype is Mary Poppins Returns which is a sequel, not a remake which I think is important to point out. It will be coming on 21st December in the UK and 25th December in the USA.

The film will be set in London in the depression era and from the research I have done the film’s story will focus on a loss either personal to Mary Poppins (played by Emily Blunt) or Michael Banks (played by Ben Wishaw), I’m guessing Michael Bank’s wife will pass away, but that is only my personal theory. This then prompts the return of Mary and will also introduce her cousin Topsy who will be played by Meryl Streep (Mama Mia) and Jack a street lamplighter who will be played by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton).

Jane, played by Emily Banks, and Ellen, played by Julie Walters, will also make an appearance along with a new character William Weatherall Wilkins, who will be played by Colin Firth, who is Michaels boss in the film.

Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts from the original Beauty and the Beast) will make an appearance as the Balloon Lady and Dick Van Dyke will be the only returning character from the original film but will be playing Mr. Dawes Jr, a character who in the original film Dick Van Dyke played his father.

Julie Andrew, the original Mary Poppins was offered a cameo role but turned it down as she didn’t want to steal the limelight from Emily.

That is some of the upcoming films of 2018. I am personally so excited for all of them and will be heading to the cinema to see each one. Please do let me know in the comments bellow which your most excited for and if you liked this post please give it a like and subscribe for more Disney and Pixar posts.