WDW Daily News

Buzz Lightyear will welcome visitors to D23 EXPO 2015 as Pixar Animation Studios celebrates the 20-year anniversary of Toy Story, among a host of exciting presentations, demonstrations and panels that pay homage to Pixar’s past while looking ahead to its roster of exciting new films. The fearless space ranger, who appeared in Pixar’s groundbreaking CG-animated feature-film debut Toy Story in 1995, as well as Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010), has taken flight in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade^® six times as a giant character helium balloon, measuring 67.7-feet long, 39.9-feet wide and 34.3-feet tall. This summer, the Disney•Pixar Buzz Lightyear balloon travels to the West Coast for the first time ever, welcoming guests to D23 EXPO 2015 as it soars outside the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. D23 EXPO 2015 takes place through August 16.

CALENDAR OF KEY PRESENTATIONS/ PANELS/ EVENTS:

Every Story Is a Journey: The Upcoming Films of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
Friday, August 14, 3:00 pm – Hall D23
After meeting the Emotions inside the mind of an 11-year-old, taking a trip to San Fransokyo where a boy genius and his robot save the world, and falling in love with a queen with icy powers who wants to “let it go,” come see where Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios plan to take you next. In what has become a D23 EXPO must-see, host John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, presents “Every Story is a Journey.” Filmmakers will unveil never-before-seen footage from Pixar’s upcoming The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory and Disney Animation’s Zootopia and Moana. The event will include surprise announcements, musical performances, and appearances by the films’ star voice talent. Cell phones, cameras and all recording devices will be checked for this presentation.

In Conversation with the Filmmakers and the Emotions Behind Inside Out
Friday, August 14, 2015, 11:30 am – Stage 28
Get the inside story on the making of Pixar’s latest summer release Inside Out. Hear from Academy Award^®-winning director Pete Docter (Up, Monsters, Inc.) and producer Jonas Rivera (Up) as they reminisce and share their personal stories of creating a world that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen.

Pixar Secrets Revealed! Hear the Stories They Didn’t Want You to Know!
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 3:00 pm – Stage 28
Ever wonder where your favorite Pixar stories began? Hear the stories you don’t know about the classic films that you love. Pixar senior development executive Mary Coleman hosts this experience, welcoming the storytellers behind some of Pixar’s most successful films, including Darla K. Anderson (A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story 3), Mark Andrews (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Brave), Ronnie del Carmen (Up, Inside Out) and Dan Scanlon (Cars, Toy Story 3, Monsters University), as they talk about the twists and turns of crafting a narrative and share some of the crazy story ideas that didn’t make the final cut.

Toy Story: 20 Years Later, the Original Crew Looks Back
Saturday, August 15, 2015, 4:30 pm – Stage 23
From flipbooks to feature films, animation has taken audiences to fantastical new worlds, far beyond the limits of any real-world setting. Pixar Animation Studios has been at the forefront of this evolution, blurring the line between art and technology and bringing beloved characters to life with heart and humor. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of 1995’s Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature film, join members of the original crew, including filmmakers John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Galyn Susman, Ralph Eggleston, Sharon Calahan, Eben Ostby, Bob Pauley and Bill Reeves as they share their stories and the challenges they faced along the way.

ON THE EXPO SHOW FLOOR:

Animation – Show Floor Exhibition
For the first time ever, Pixar Animation Studios is creating a show-floor experience at D23 EXPO. Pixar teams up with Walt Disney Animation Studios for an unforgettable adventure that showcases magic from both animation studios, featuring live demonstrations, presentations and autograph signings with top filmmakers, free giveaways and interactive displays. With highlights from films like Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Zootopia, Finding Dory and Moana, animation fans will get the inside scoop on their favorite films and characters.

Say Aloha to John Lasseter’s Film-Themed Hawaiian Shirts
Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios John Lasseter takes Disney and Pixar animation to heart—literally. For nearly every film—from Finding Nemo and Wreck-It Ralph to Frozen and Inside Out, Lasseter has commissioned an exclusive movie-themed Hawaiian shirt. And those who know the Oscar^®-winning storyteller know that he loves his Hawaiian shirts—and dons one for almost every occasion. Animation fans will see their favorite film characters “materialize” before their eyes in this colorful collection, which will be exhibited on the show floor.

Fans can take home their own shirt, thanks to Disney Store at D23 EXPO. This D23-exclusive Reyn Spooner-design features characters from all the feature films produced under the creative guidance of Lasseter. The simple, appealing collage joins many of Disney’s and Pixar’s most beloved recent characters on one wearable canvas. The shirt will retail for $99.95.

Tickets for D23 EXPO 2015 are available at a discounted price for a limited time. Through June 30, 2015, tickets are $67 for a one-day adult admission and $48 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $58 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available. D23 Members can save as much as $188 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for D23 Members and general admission, visit D23EXPO.com.

If you don’t love Pixar then it’s likely you’re already beyond hope. For the past twenty years (yes, Toy Story really is that old), the studio’s been producing some of the best films that cinema has to offer, animated or otherwise, expertly blending wryly observed humour with incredibly potent emotional beats.

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Even before Pixar’s animated film Inside Out hit theaters this weekend with a record opening, the machinery inside parent company Walt Disney began milking what is shaping up as the media giant’s latest mega-million dollar franchise.

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The feeling over at Disney this morning is one of unmitigated joy.

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Villains are staples of stories for kids. Making them bigger, meaner, madder, more impossible to defeat — that’s how you build the ideas of fear and then, inevitably, of courage.

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Inside Out hits theaters this weekend, and we already know it’s going to make us feel all the feels. (Translation: We will cry.) Because the trailer is full of adorable hijinx that are sure to lead to touching family moments. But mostly, because Disney and Pixar movies always make us cry.

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Take a look at some posters around Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Disney-Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’.

Why do songs get stuck in your head? Where did that weird dream come from last night? The new Disney Pixar film Inside Out takes an animated peek into the inner workings of our minds.

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Disney•Pixar’s “Inside Out” features an original score that captures the emotional spirit of the story by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino. The soundtrack will be released by Walt Disney Records on June 16, 2015. Directed by Academy Award® winner Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”, “Up”) and produced by Jonas Rivera, p.g.a. (“Up”), Disney•Pixar’s “Inside Out” opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2015.

Giacchino worked with director Pete Docter on “Up” (garnering an Academy Award® for best original score) and also counts Disney•Pixar’s films “Cars 2,” “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles” among his credits. But, says the composer, “Inside Out” was different. “Pete [Docter] wanted the music to feel as if it was coming from the inside—from internal thoughts,” says Giacchino. “We were going for something atmospheric. Something that wasn’t traditional film score.”

According to the composer, the goal of the music mirrored the goal of the film. “It had to feel emotional,” says Giacchino. “I wasn’t sure how I wanted it to sound, but I knew how I wanted it to feel. This film is personal.”

The score was recorded with a 70-piece orchestra with an organ and a rhythm section that consisted of guitars and a drummer.

“I had a lot of fun writing the music,” continues Giacchino. “There’s a 1930s jazzy section we wrote for the Forgetters, and we channel classic horror in the Subconscious. The film really goes all over the map musically, but what I love most about it is that we never forgot that it’s an emotional story that’s being told.”

“Inside Out” is preceded by the short “LAVA” from Pixar Animation Studios, director James Ford Murphy and producer Andrea Warren. Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “LAVA” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years. The short features the theme performed by Kuana Torres Kahele (Uku & Narrator) and Napua Greig (Lele).  The “Lava” score will be available at digital retail on June 16, 2015.