Who says there are no celebrities in Animation? We arrive at Pixar an hour early, the van is buzzing with excitement. We are about to meet some of the ROCK STARS of animation. To be granted a tour at Pixar is a privilege not extended to everyone!
Pixar is living through a new golden age. The string of hit films, the triumph of Up, the promise of the studio’s ambitious new projects, all fill the space with a glow. I’ve visited Pixar before, and each time I’m aware that someday I’ll be telling people not yet born that, yes, I visited Pixar.
SF’s Dolby Laboratories in Potrero Hill hosts tonights screening of the Oscar-nominated shorts for SF’s ASIFA chapter. As if I’d had any doubts that I was among serious animation fans, chapter president Karl Cohen’s next announcement, that the Balboa Theater will be screening some Gumby shorts in honor of the recently-deceased Art Clokey earns an audible gasp from the audience. This group loves animation, and lives animation.
Film history is a subject near and dear to the heart of George Lucas, which was evident in every aspect of ILM’s headquarters. The lobby itself can keep a film buff entertained for hours, with an extensive library of Star Wars books and magazines, life-size replicas of Darth Vader and Boba Fett, and an incredibly cool life-size statue of legendary special effects artist Willis O’Brien posing a model King Kong atop the Empire State Building.
Day Two of the 2010 AWN Oscar Tour begins at Skywalker Ranch and continues on to ILM in San Francisco and then to an evening screening with ASIFA-San Francisco.
Day One of the 2010 AWN Oscar Tour begins at PDI/Dreamworks and continues on to ILM's Big Rock Ranch.
For Kunio Kato, the Oscars were a whirlwind experience. Here are some exclusive pics from his big night. Here he is with the likes of John Cleese, Sean Penn, Andrew Stanton and more.
Every year the day before the big event offers two annual events that allow the nominees to take a chance to relax with fellow members of the animation community. Check out this year's pics.
Each year Acme Filmworks and AWN host a party, bringing the animation community together to meet the nominees. This year it was an intimate affair at tour host Ron Diamond's home. Check out the festivities.
Sony was the second stop on the L.A. leg of the Oscar Showcase tour this year. See the day in pics.
One of the highlights of the tour is always the public screening at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. This year the Academy not only hosted a night highlighting the shorts, but also the animated features. Check out the pics for both events.
The tour's stop at Disney has an exciting day. This gallery shares some of the highlights.
ILM had a photographer follow the Oscar tour around their facilities and we'd like to share some of the great pics.
At the Dreamworks stop, Rick Farmiloe meets the filmmakers and hears about their thought process and methods of getting it on the screen. For him, this year the field was exceptionally strong, with every film being quite unique and different from the rest.
Check a few shots from the stop at PDI/DreamWorks in Northern California.
Congratulations to Oscar winner Kunio Kato, as well as everyone at Robot Communications, especially Taki Tsuyoshi. I’d also like to congratulate all the nominees on their wonderful films.
The Oscar Showcase tour came to an end on Friday with a visit to DreamWorks. The filmmakers were clearly tired from their long week and a half, but their excitement hasn't wavered. Ron invited Academy board member Rick Farmiloe to join us for the day to experience the tour with the filmmakers.
More amazing pics from the nominees experience at Disney's Animation Resource Library, where the history of Disney animation art is housed.
Time to take a quick trip back in time for some great additional pics from the Pixar visit in the Bay Area last week.
Award winning animation director Bill Kroyer shares his thoughts on his Oscar Tour day at Sony with the nominees.
Well, the second to last tour stop brings the filmmakers to Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks. A screening, a lunch with studio execs and a tour make for a full day.
Academy member Bob Degus talks about his day with the filmmakers of three of the nominated shorts — "Oktapodi," "Lavatory Lovestory," and "La Maison en Petite Cubes" — as they were welcomed into and toured the “birthplace” of American animation – Walt Disney Studios.
The screening at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is always an exciting event for the nominees. Sell out crowds are eager to see the films and are always very receptive. The screening is also a big press event with the nominees juggling interviews and photo ops with news outlets from around the world.
As the tour swings from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the Oscar Travelogue switches chroniclers from Barbara Robertson to Rick DeMott. First stop - Disney Feature Animation.
On Friday the 13th, the Oscar tour made stops throughout the Lucas empire, including Skywalker Ranch, Big Rock, and ILM. Here some the great pics from the adventures.
