Pixarpedia: A Guide to Pixar... and Beyond!

DK Publishing is planning to release the definitive Pixar Encyclopedia… Pixarpedia!

I’m surprised no major publisher has thought of this before, I’ve wanted a book like this for a very long time. It seems Pixarpedia is packed with facts about everything from the studio, to the characters (shorts and features), to inside-jokes. If it turns out like I think it should, this could be another must have for any Pixar fan and a great reference like Disney A to Z!

As you can see from the cover, Pixarpedia will be an Up to date publication. The 300 page hardcover is set for August 17th, 2009 in the US (Amazon), September 1st in the UK (DK) and September 28th in Australia (Penguin). SRP for this brand new publication is $40.00 but you can pre-order for much less at the previous links. Don’t forget about the other exciting new release, The Pixar Treasures from Chronicle Books also coming later this year.

Carl Lands in Downtown Disney

With all of Up’s success, Carl decided he’d take a little Walt Disney World vacation.

The house has landed at Downtown Disney where it can be seen by any tourist in the Orlando area who drops by. It is, of course, inflatable just like last year’s WALL•E. That giant version of our favorite little robot ended up at Pixar, so who knows, maybe Carl’s house will too! Check out Jeff Lange’s / Mouse Steps’ video below:

Box Office Buzz: Up Soars to #1 of 2009

If you thought Up was done breaking records, you were way wrong!

Pixar’s 10th feature just broke through a huge barrier: the $250 million mark! That means it has surpassed Cars, Toy Story 2 and Star Trek this weekend. "Star Trek?" you say. Yes, that means that Up is not only the highest grossing 3D movie ever but also the highest grossing movie of 2009 in the US! Even more impressive, it’s only been 4 weeks into release!

What a milestone! Unfortunately, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is right on its heels, grossing $200 million in just 5 days. The good thing is that we know it’s not all about the money (up there with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes) and 250+ million is more than enough to keep the Mouse happy with John Lasseter and company. That is, considering it’s the 8th highest grossing animated movie and 7th highest grossing CGI movie ever…

Now let’s come into perspective with the highly successful Pixar instead of competitors which have hits here and bombs there. Right now Up is hovering around the number 4 spot in the studio’s canon. Better yet, it’s about $10 million away from the #2 spot which is claimed by The Incredibles.

Even though Up kept going strong, it did get hit harder than usual by the big robot sequel. Here’s the breakdown: Friday and Sunday both brought in an estimated $4 million with a $5 million Saturday bringing in an estimated $13 million weekend. If the week keeps up how I think it will, Up should surpass Monsters, Inc. by next Friday.

3ds London This Wednesday

3ds Max London User Group Meeting
This Wednesday 1st July

Upstairs at The Black Horse Pub in Central London
6 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1HL


18:30 Doors Open

19:00 Intro and Announcements. Following times approx.

19:15 Show and Tell. There were lots of brilliant presentations last month, everyone enjoys this part of the evening so bring along your USB keys and DVDs etc.

19:45 Jamie Gwilliam (Autodesk 3D App Specialist) has some great stuff to show everyone this month, including an overview of CAT and Mental Mill. Jamie is also presenting (different stuff!) at the Autodesk 3D Technology Roadshow the day after, along with 3ds London regular Mike Owen (Burrows Nvisage) and Blitz Games Studios (details at BlueGFX).

20:30 Wrap up, subject to Jamie!

All welcome, come along for a drink, Simon