The Accessible Director: Lee Unkrich
Twitter has been infiltrated by celebrities. Oprah has welcomed it with open, very public arms. Ashton Kutcher held a charity race against CNN to up his follower counts. And let’s not forget poor Wil Wheaton, who was one of the first of their kind to join Twitter. This surge of celebrity attention has been great to add further validity to Twitter in the eyes the more mainstream masses. Celebrities express that they love being able to cut out the middleman (executives and publicists) and have that direct conversation with the public. But Twitter has also opened doors beyond the actors to the as yet untapped production studio back rooms. Never before Twitter, has the general public been able to gain such insight into the workings and development of the major Hollywood blockbusters.
Today you can follow your favorite blockbuster film from budget- to casting room- to release- with the aid of the writers, cameramen, animators, set designers, producers and directors who are taking time out to provide us with tweets. Director Lee Unkrich is a perfect example: Lee, avid twitterer, who previously co-directed Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc and is currently working on Pixar’s Toy Story 3 has been giving adoring Toy Story fans updates on the progress of this film in production; something which would have been unreal in the past. Most recently Lee tweeted:
@leeunkrich Editing TS3 at 36,000 feet. http://twitpic.com/75bx6
@leeunkrich Finally cast the last new character in TS3.
Lee’s messages were instantly re-tweeted all over twitterland in mass! This form of broadcast is obviously a marketer’s dream and yet this is being driven, not by marketing but by an accessible director (wonders out loud if Lee should be collecting two pay checks). Bottom line: the value that Lee is providing cannot be calculated but is certainly appreciated by the adoring Pixar public. Keep on tweeting Lee!
June 15, 2009 2 Comments
Toy Story Forum
Is your pullstring stuck on a branch? Surf over to the Toy Story Forum and let them know about it. Great discussions about Toy Story 1 and 2 as well as the not-yet-released Toy Story 3 (they’re just as excited about 2010 as we are).
You can share your thoughts on Pixar’s other blockbuster films: A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up as well as all the short films: The Adventures of André & Wally B., Luxo Jr., Tin Toy, Red’s Dream, Geri’s Game, Knick Knack, For the Birds, Mike’s New Car, Boundin’, Jack Jack Attack, One Man Band, Mater and the Ghost Light, Lifted, Your Friend the Rat, Presto, BURN•E, Partly Cloudy, and Dug’s Special Mission.
There is also a great little discussion on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (the spin-off to Toy Story).
Here’s the link: Toy Story Forum
June 15, 2009 1 Comment
New Toy Story 3 Character Unveiled in Up?
We’ve seen it before in Toy Story 2 with Gerry – from the animated short – Gerry’s Game as the restoration artist; the toy fish seen in Monster, Inc – which was actually Nemo – from ‘Finding Nemo’. In Pixar’s latest movie there is a new character, an “Up” bonus: A first peek at a never-before-seen character who will be featured in 2010’s “Toy Story 3.” Read the complete article here: Pixar Unveils New ‘Toy Story 3’ Character in ‘Up’.
Now that Up is out and in theaters, have you discovered who that mystery character might be?
June 9, 2009 No Comments
