Pixar had been regarded as a studio who could produce high quality original films. Then they dipped their toes into sequels, and for all the sequels they have made, only one can be considered the worst of not only the sequels, but of Pixar’s entire library itself. While Monsters University is definitely a step in the right direction for the studio, after two softball films – Cars 2 and Brave, the film itself is a prequel.

But for fans who are worried that the studio is straying away from original content, Ed Catmull, the President of Pixar, said that the studio is hoping to do an original movie every single year, and sequels every other year.

Up
5-Disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital l 4-Disc Blu-ray l 3-Disc Blu-ray
Directed by Pete Docter
Starring Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson
Disney-Pixar
Release Date: December 4, 2012

Get ready to soar into Pixar’s tenth film, the studio’s first Oscar-nominated feature for Best Picture and quite possibly its most sentimental. Though Up already claims a place in our hearts – and on store shelves – now it has arrived on Blu-ray 3D. Is this new five-disc package worth the price? Let us hover toward a review of this emotional roller coaster.

Whether you caught Up in theaters or in its earlier home video release – or perhaps this may be your first screening – every viewing promotes laughs, tears, and much self-reflection. The most epically simple romance between balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen and his adoring wife Ellie is a testament to Pixar’s genius, in eliciting every emotion in the book in the span of ten minutes. Their darling story, which pervades past their marriage, transcends the medium of film. Up‘s tastefully-done treatment of love and loss captures the nostalgic filmmaking of bygone decades. As Carl realizes his lifelong aspiration to fly his home to Paradise Falls, the supposedly real quest takes off. But we know that while “adventure is out there,” the true adventure is that of living, making memories, and loving others.

Finding Nemo
3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD l 5-Disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital
Directed by Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Geoffrey Rush, Vicki Lewis, Austin Pendleton, Joe Ranft
Disney-Pixar
Release Date: December 4, 2012

Ready to return to the Great Barrier Reef? Nearly one decade after its initial theatrical release, Finding Nemo 3D swam onto film screens, and now film fans can possess this in their Blu-ray libraries. Mine!

For my thoughts on the brilliant fifth feature from Pixar, read my original review of the movie here. This review is dedicated to all of the special features to be found on the latest version.

Pixar has had absolutely no trouble with finding stories to tell, at least that’s what they say. But they’ve brought toys to life, shown us robots are capable of loving emotions, proven that not all monsters are evil, and that even something as small as a clown fish will stop at nothing to find his beloved son. So now they will turn back the clocks so far back that there weren’t even clocks. The Good Dinosaur will be the studio’s first film set in the prehistoric era, and they now offer a few tidbits about the story and what inspired them to create it.

In an interview with 24 Frames, director Bob Peterson said:

Disney‘s D23 Expo is in full swing, and plenty of juicy morsels are finding their way out to the masses.

Of the many announcements made, two come from the folks at Pixar Animation, who revealed two upcoming movie projects. Neither of the two have titles at the moment, but they will be the next two films to follow Brave (June of 2012) and Monsters University, the Monsters, Inc. prequel that’s set to arrive in June of 2013.