UP!

Last weekend, I was back in the Bay Area for a preview screening of UP, the 10th feature film from Pixar. The studio always puts on a good show at their WRAP PARTIES and it is a delight to see co-workers aglow in the joy of watching what they have worked so hard to make, while partying in fancy finery; evening gowns and tuxedos, even top hats and tails.

The film is fantastic, and watching it was extra fun for me because a good amount of my work actually made it into the final film; not always the case when you work only at the very beginning of the process, which was the case for me here. I am philosophical about having most (if not all) of my work cut out of projects because, after all, that exploration and opportunity to revise is what storyboarding is all about. So it was a special treat to see a lot of my work in the film. I very much enjoyed the working on this project with a crew that was full of gracious people, all the way UP to the directors themselves. However, all those good vibes didn’t make it a cake walk; I worked harder on this film than any other!

:)

The most gratifying part of it all is to see the finished film. It came out wonderfully. This film has a blend of madcap silliness and yet emotional realism that is difficult to strike, but one of the things I most enjoyed about it. I have never seen a story like this before and I think it is one of the best that Pixar has ever done (though I clearly have my own bias on that score) but I can state with absolute conviction that it is certainly my favourite film that I have worked on thus far. I hope that you all like it too. It opens everywhere on May 29th.

5 thoughts on “UP!”

  1. More gratifying than your work making it into UP is perhaps seeing you wearing a necktie. I guess if I ever want to see you all dressed up, I’ll have to make a computer animated movie and then throw a big party for it.

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  2. Oh well, another depressingly good film from Pixar…(just kidding)
    It is great that you saw your contributions stayed more than ever! I am looking forward to watch the film soon.
    BTW, you look stunning on the picture above. I have seen you in the full-3 piece suit only once before!

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  3. Jamie, not sure if you read VARIETY’s glowing review of UP yet (screened at Cannes) but this part of the review gave me pause, as it seems to confirm the rumors I heard internally that you were slacking on the job:

    At just 89 minutes, “Up” is unusually short for a Pixar film, and the action climax comes on rapidly.

    The implication, Jamie, is that your hunt for the perfect horchata compromised the film of about 10 minutes of footage. (But I’m sure it was worth it! I mean, it’s horchata!)

    Reply
  4. Patrick>> Good and even sad but hopefully not depressing!

    Michael>> I was surprised to hear that the film was considered short because there is a lot of stuff packed in there.

    I hope that you both like it!

    Reply

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