Disney/Pixar recently released the first full trailer for The Good Dinosaur, due out this November. It’s gone through a lot of changes since it was first announced, with an almost entirely new voice cast, a new writer, a new director, and a new composer. The film’s first teaser trailer just gave us a brief glimpse at the film’s premise, but the new full trailer gives us much more. Take a look and read on for my thoughts:
Why do we think what we think and feel what we feel? What determines who we are and how we respond to life’s circumstances? How can the same memory be joyous sometimes and sad at others? Where do ideas come from? What happens to the things we’ve forgotten? Why does the jingle from that chewing gum commercial always get stuck in your head? Why are dreams so weird? Just what, exactly, is going on in people’s heads? These are some of the many questions Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out, sets out to explore. The result is one of the most charming, heartfelt, and poignant films the studio has ever created, as well as one of the most creative movies of all time. It will not only make you laugh and cry, but then it’ll make you stop and consider why you just laughed and cried.
(Note: This is a fictional creative thinking exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years. This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards. I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)
Enthusiasm for voice acting was high following the 78th Academy Awards, which presented the most diverse slate of nominees the category had ever seen, ending in a win for a widely respected performer on his third nomination. The return of Pixar to the fray with Cars, starring 10-time Oscar nominee Paul Newman helped lend some star power and prestige to the race, while two roles in the same film from Robin Williams assured his presence in any debate about potential nominees. However with every two steps forward comes another step backwards, and when the nominees were announced they were met with a combination of shock, confusion, and in some cases outrage and the bizarre choices, once again bringing the category’s very existence into question.
The Love Pirate 