WALL*E

WALL-E / WALL-E. US (c) 2008 Disney / Pixar. EX: John Lasseter. D: Andrew Stanton. SC: Stanton, Jim Reardon - based on a story by Stanton, Pete Docter. M: Thomas Newman. "La Vie en rose" perf. Louis Armstrong. Supervising AN: Alan Barillaro, Steven Clay Hunter. Directing AN: Angus MacLane. Original format: Digital - distributed as D-Cinema and 35mm film prints in 1:2,35. Voice talent: Ben Burtt (WALL-E / M-O), Elissa Knight (EVE), Jeff Garlin (Captain), Fred Willard (Shelby Fortright - BnL CEO), MacIn Talk (AUTO), John Ratzenberger (John), Kathy Najimy (Mary), Sigourney Weaver (Ship's Computer). 98 min. Released in Finland by Buena Vista International Finland. Original English version with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Marko Hartama / Janne Staffans viewed in 35mm at Tennispalatsi 5, Helsinki, 6 September 2008. - A masterpiece. - Digital animation at its best, a satire of the mechanical world and pollution. A vision of the brave new world in the Huxley tradition. The earth has become unfit to live. Mankind has escaped on a mothership to outer space, and in 700 years everybody has become a paunchy couch potato, practically invalid, subsisting on fast food and the ubiquitous entertainment monitor. - The main relationship is between two robots, vaguely similar with Lady and the Tramp. - Fine scenes: the space dance, the revolt of the computers. - The scifi tributes are not overdone, end credit art is a beautiful exercise in pastiche. - Thomas Newman's whimsical music has affinities with Henry Mancini (Hatari!). - The computer definition of "Earth" includes a glimpse of D.W. Griffith's A Corner in Wheat.

Presto

US (c) 2008 Disney / Pixar. D: Doug Sweetland. 5 min. - Released in Finland by Buena Vista International Finland. 35mm at Tennispalatsi 5, Helsinki, 6 September 2008. - The rabbit sabotages the magician's act as he refuses to feed it with a carrot.

PIXAR - 20 YEARS OF ANIMATION (Exhibition at Art Museum Tennis Palace)

PIXAR - 20 Years of Animation, Exhibition at Art Museum Tennis Palace, 30 Jan - 27 April 2008. Viewed on 10 Feb 2008. From the official presentation: Featuring more than 500 original works of art. It will take visitors behind the screen to reveal how Pixar’s beloved characters and fantastic worlds were created. The works include concept drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations that offer exciting audiovisual experiences. All of the Pixar artwork and digital media are on loan from the archives of Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar is one of the world’s leading animation studios. It was founded in California in 1986. Its first box office hit was Toy Story in 1995, followed by other feature films; A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Cars and the most recently, Ratatouille in 2007. Pixar - 20 Years of Animation will take you to the provenance of these stories. The exhibition will present the history of the studio and a peek into its future. It covers Pixar’s work from its earliest shorts to its newest feature film WALL-E, which will premiere in 2008. Included in the exhibition are also numerous video interviews introducing the audience to the Pixar artists and their work. Although Pixar’s films are computer animations, traditional media are still indispensable in the creative process. John Lasseter, who is one of the studio’s founding members and its Chief Creative Officer, emphasises the importance of personal creativity: “Technology doesn’t make the motion picture, people do. (...) The animator is someone who breathes life into a character, which is something the software and technology can’t give you.” The exhibition was originally produced by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Helsinki will be its first Nordic venue. Pixar: 20 Years of Animation exhibition is managed by Barbican Art Gallery. Barbican Art Galleries are provided by the City of London Corporation. - An impressive exhibition, well loved by children, many-sided. Although it is about the leading computer animation studio, most artworks are created by the traditional pencil, charcoal, crayon, pastel, watercolour, oil, sculpture, etc. The long preparation is handmade, the final product is created in the computer. http://www.taidemuseo.fi/english/tennispalatsi/programme/pixar.html