Last month, Filmfodder Contributing Editor Eva Weber wrote a column about an anonymous "roommate" who finds great pleasure in Pixar movies. After weeks of blistering innuendo, I can no longer live the lie. I (Mac Slocum, Filmfodder Senior Editor) am that roommate. I am the 25-year-old who turns into a giggling pre-teen every time I see Heimlich from "A Bug's Life." I am the man who will gladly sit in a theatre full of children, watching in wonder as a Pixar film unspools before me. And I am damn proud of it.
With my Pixar liberation (and outing) complete, it's only fitting to relay the latest Pixar news — news that makes me giddier than a sugar-snorting two-year-old.
Around this time next year (Thanksgiving 2001), Pixar will release its fourth film, "Monsters, Inc." The plot for "Monsters" has yet to be confirmed, but reports from Upcomingmovies.com and Coming Attractions say the film takes us into the hidden world of bedtime monsters. The monster realm has a corporate hierarchy (that explains the "Inc.") and frighteners must be specially trained before they're approved for bump-in-the-night duties. Two of these creatures — Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal) and James (John Goodman) — unwittingly break the cardinal rule of professional monsters by bringing a three-year-old girl back to their world. Hilarity and mad-capped adventure ensue and everything will be neatly tied together with a poignant, morally-upstanding ending. If you've got a problem with that you can kiss my grits.
"Monsters" plot points have been hard to obtain, but even without solid evidence it's safe to assume that Pixar will follow "Toy Story 2's" lead by peppering "Monsters" with insider references and witty pop culture allusions (Hidden Mickey has a great list of references used in "Toy Story 2"). Another recycled element will be the comedic camaraderie between the two main characters. A teaser trailer for "Monsters" offers a glimpse at the relationship between buddies Mike and James, and judging from the results, this duo might give Woody and Buzz a run for their money.
Unlike Pixar's other films, "Monsters" won't be directed by John Lasseter. Lasseter, the Academy Award-winning mastermind behind both "Toy Story" films and "A Bug's Life." will hand the reigns to co-directors Peter Docter and David Silverman. This isn't as disconcerting as it sounds. Docter has logged plenty of hours as a Pixar animator and writer and Silverman earned his animation credibility as a producer/director for "The Simpsons." Besides, if the co-directors screw with the program, Lasseter's role as executive producer gives him legal jurisdiction to crack skulls and set things right.
When "Monsters, Inc." is completed, Pixar will begin work on "Finding Nemo." Empire Online reports that "Nemo" will be an undersea adventure in which a father tries to find (hence the action verb in the title) his lost son. "Nemo," the fifth and final movie in the Disney-Pixar contract, is tentatively slated for a summer 2003 release.
Posted: 11/15/00
