Pixar Reveals New ‘Coco’ Clip, Featurette & First VR Project

Coco

Disney-Pixar is offering us a much-needed pick me up, thanks to its musical Day of the Dead feature Coco (Nov. 22). Check out a trio of new videos related to the upcoming adventure below!

First, check out a new clip from the film which takes us in the heart of the action in “Mariachi Plaza” which imparts an important lesson: don’t ever cross anyone’s abuelita!

Next, go behind the scenes with the informative “Crafting Coco” featurette, which offers insights on the film’s development from co-director Adrian Molina, director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla K. Anderson, voice star Gael García Bernal (“Hector” the skeleton), composer Michael Giacchino, songwriter Germaine Franco, cultural music consultant Camilo Lara, and Anthony Gonzalez (“Miguel”).

                                           

Pixar Animation Studios also announced at last week’s Oculus Connect that it would be embarking on its first-ever VR project tied to the new film. Directed by Ross Haldane Stevenson and produced by Oscar winner Marc Sondheimer (Piper), Coco VR allows users to explore the dual worlds of the film with their friends in a next-level social VR experience, available on Oculus Rift on Nov. 15 and Samsung Gear VR on Nov. 22.

Coco VR is a co-production of Disney-Pixar and Oculus, with VR creative development and execution by Magnopus. Supervising TD John Halstead spearheaded technical efforts for Pixar. The experience will be available to try out ahead of launch at Día de los Muertos festivals in Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Oakland and Chicago (Oct. 28 and on); Camp Flog Gnaw Music Festival in LA (Oct. 28-29); and select Disney Stores and movie theaters across the US (through Nov. 22).

                                            

Read more about the making of Coco in the December issue of Animation Magazine (No. 275) available soon!

Coco

Coco

Coco

‘Big Hero 6′ Series Launches with ‘Baymax Returns’ Movie Nov. 20

The highly anticipated 2D follow-up to the Oscar winning Disney/Marvel feature will be blasting off next month, as Big Hero 6: The Series launches with a one-hour special “Baymax Returns” on Monday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. EST. The TV movie will premiere simultaneously on Disney XD and Disney Channel, and will be available on the DisneyNOW app and Disney XD VOD.

Set in the fictional city of San Fransokyo, “Baymax Returns” explores the moment in the 2014 feature film when Hiro believes that his compassionate, cutting-edge robot Baymax is lost in the portal forever, and discovers the chip his brother Tadashi designed to create Baymax. The 14-year-old tech genius Hiro begins school as the new prodigy at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology and sets off to rebuild Baymax, but his overconfidence and penchant for taking shortcuts leads him and the newly minted Big Hero 6 team – Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Go Go and Fred – into trouble.

A customizable, interactive virtual assistant called Pocket Baymax launches on DisneyNOW the same day. Need more digital incentive? Two full-length episodes of Big Hero 6: The Series will debut exclusively on DisneyNOW and Disney XD VOD immediately after the movie airs, ahead of its official broadcast premiere in early 2018. Starting Nov. 24, a series of shorts will rollout each Friday for six weeks on Disney XD, the app and the network’s YouTube channel. An international TV rollout for the whole lot will occur throughout 2018.

Reprising their roles from the film are Maya Rudolph as Aunt Cass, Ryan Potter as Hiro, Scott Adsit as Baymax, Jamie Chung as Go Go, Alan Tudyk as Alistair Krei, Genesis Rodriguez as Honey Lemon, David Shaughnessy as Heathcliff and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee as Fred’s dad. Joining the main voice cast are Khary Payton as Wasabi and Brooks Wheelan as Fred. Recurring guests include Jenifer Lewis as Professor Granville, Haley Tju as Karmi, Andrew Scott as Obake and Andy Richter as Globby.

Produced by Disney Television Animation, Big Hero 6: The Series is executive produced by Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley and Nick Filippi — the team behind Emmy-winning hit Kim Possible. Filippi is also supervising director.

You can read more about the creation of the series in the December issue of Animation Magazine (No. 275), available soon.

Big Hero 6: Baymax Returns