It seems to be a distant memory now, but there was a period in time when Pixar and Disney has split up over financial and creative differences. Obviously, Disney didn’t suffer all that much, and went on to do less-than-Pixar quality films like Meet the Robinsons and Chicken Little. The megastudio finally came to their senses and acquired Pixar in 2006, leading up to it’s first feature film after the purchase, Cars.

The lack in preparation on the marketing side of things hurt the film in the long run, leaving it to get beaten by Ice Age: The Meltdown back in 2006. Now, it’s time to change all of that with a brand new film in the works.

From what we gathered in the teaser after the jump, we know that Owen Wilson an Larry the Cable Guy are returning. Sadly, three of the voice actors from the first film have died since it’s original release, which means we won’t get Paul Newman, George Carlin, or voice actor Joe Ranft in the upcoming sequel.

Check out the new teaser after the jump, as well as some great concept art showing us that the whole gang is making a world tour in this story. Be sure to catch Cars 2 in 3D and 2D, in theaters on June 24th.

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Pixar’s Toy Story 3 won the Father’s Day weekend with a total of over $109 Million, making it the highest grossing opening weekend for a Pixar movie thus far. I’ve got to say, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer movie.

Toy Story 3 is a true 4 quadrant film that the studios are always hoping for. It’s the the holy grail of box-office goodness, because it appeals to men and women, young and old.  It’s rated G, which means families can feel at ease bringing the young ones. Critics universally loved the film, and audiences polled by cinemascore raved as well (Entertainment Weekly.)

Toy Story 3 enjoyed a massive opening, as it played on over 4,000 screens.  Roughly half of those were 3D screens, which bolstered the total gross.  Toy Story 3 is the second highest opening for an animated movie, bested only by Shrek the Third’s $121 Million opening back in 2007.

Another family-friendly film took the number two spot.  The Karate Kid dropped around 48%, and tallied up another $29 Million, bringing its 10 day total to an impressive $106 Million.

The A-Team didn’t benefit from word of mouth all that much.  It experienced a 46% drop from last week, earning $13.7. The movie has made about $49 Million in two weekends, but it had a $110 Million budget, so it has a long, steep hill to climb to recoup its budget.  I have yet to talk to anyone who disliked the movie, so I am really puzzled over its performance (or more accurately, lack thereof.)

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In 1995, an animation studio called Pixar released Toy Story, a tale that chronicled what toys do when no one is around.  The movie featured the loyal and charismatic Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks),  whose alpha-toy status is threatened when his owner receives a bright and shiny Buzz Lightyear toy for  his birthday.  The movie became an instant classic, and earned over $360M  worldwide.  Pixar also became the gold standard for animation and storytelling.

The sequel, Toy Story 2, was released in 1999, and earned over $485 Million. Now, over 11 years later, Pixar finally unveils Toy Story 3.  Rest assured, the movie is worth the wait.  Pixar builds on its impeccable track record with yet another beautifully written and animated story that will appeal to kids and adults alike.

From one parent to another- clean the toy room out before you go see this. Throwing away toys after seeing this is tantamount to killing a bunny or stomping on a butterfly. You’ll feel like a cold-blooded killer.

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If like me, you have survived the onslaught of witty repartee between Iron Man and War Machine, time standing still in Robin Hood, and the hot mess of CGI and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia then you are ready for what awaits you in June. Make no mistake, you may not have the monster in Manolo’s, otherwise known as Carrie Bradshaw, to suffer through but you do have a mêlée of 80’s rehashes that studios happily throw money at.

So, suit up, grab your popcorn, and prepare yourself for the next adventure that await you.

JUNE

June 4th

Ondine

Were you expecting a description of The A Team perhaps? At this point, anyone who is seeing The A Team on Friday already has their tickets, and even my words of wisdom will be unable to stop them. Instead I’ll spotlight a film that deserves attention.

Ondine is an independent film starring Colin Farrell as a fisherman who pulls up a beautiful woman in his nets. His sick, precocious daughter believes she is a Selkie, a Scottish seal who becomes a human wife on land. Time will tell if she is really as she seems.

Geekiness Factor: As a fairytale set in the modern era, it combines Splash and Heroes with a dose of romanticism and second chances. This movie works because it doesn’t use CGI, in fact the only special effects it uses comes from your very own imagination in overdrive. Its sense of wonder on faith, entrances you back to a time when you still believed in Santa Claus.

Screen Steamer: Colin Farrell has served me a heap of B movie bad boy charm in past films like The Recruit, S.W.A.T., not to mention a harmonious turn in Crazy Heart. Here he takes off his shirt only once, but seems well cast as a fisherman down on his luck and striving to be sober. Alicja Bachleda keeps you guessing as Ondine, which means “from the water.” She is alluring with a subtle sensuality in ocean soaked dresses, only coming up for air to coyly flirt with a scruffy Colin.

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Film fans everywhere probably have go-to scenes from their favorite R-rated movie running through their heads at one point or another. Pixar artist Josh Cooley took his favorite scenes one step further and turned them into classic cartoon-style in the form of a children’s book.

Cooley has been with Pixar for years now doing the storyboards for their films going as far back as Cars in 2006. His animated style has been the skeleton for many of the Pixar films, most recently Up. Now, Cooley has turned to his own blog with a series of R-Rated scenes converted to Classic Books-esque storytelling.

For the past year, Cooley has given us scenes from films such as The Professional, T2: Judgment Day, Goodfellas, and Godfather. It seems that even a publisher has taken interest in Cooley’s work and are pulling together his one-sheets to put together a full book titled Movies R Fun!

The book will reportedly be available at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con in July and possibly also at November’s APE-Con, with a release online to follow shortly thereafter. Check out some of Josh’s pieces after the jump, and keep an eye out for the book’s eventual release.

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Let’s be honest, we’ve played a lot of videogame adaptations of hit movie franchises here at The Flickcast, as we’re sure you have. And, let’s face it, they tend to not be of the highest quality. While I’ve played both games adapted from Toy Story and Toy Story 2, one on Genesis when I was seven and the other on PC when I was twelve, I was not excited for either of them as much as I’m excited for Avalanche Software’s Toy Story 3: The Videogame, especially after Kotaku posted the trailer up on their site earlier this week.

Along with some quality looking graphics and some fun gameplay featuring Woody, Buzz, and the gang, the trailer for Toy Story 3: The Videogame shows off the game’s innovative “Toy Box” mode, where you can create and customize your own levels and play through them with your favorite Toy Story characters. This feature looks incredibly in-depth, with the ability to place buildings, space aliens, or cowboys on racetracks, shooting ranges, or rainbow-colored paths in the jungle.

Toy Story 3 climbs out of the toy box and into theaters on June 18th, but you can pick up Toy Story 3: The Videogame on June 15th for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, PSP, and Nintendo DS on June 15th. While you’re anxiously waiting like the small child you once were when the first Toy Story film was released, you can watch the trailer for the game after the jump.

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I remember being seven years old, sitting in the movie theater and watching the very first trailer for the original Toy Story. I was in awe. So it’s no real surprise that, in my twenties, I’m still just as awed and excited for all the footage I see for the third installment of the Toy Story franchise. So far we’ve seen a few trailers, gotten a glimpse at some new characters, and more. You’re in luck, because today we have a brand-new clip of Toy Story 3 for you to enjoy.

In this short-but-great clip, we meet the infamous Ken (played by Michael Keaton), and watch as he and Barbie (Jodi Benson) fall in love at first sight. And what better way to fall in love than to Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver”? Ken also gives Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the toy gang a tour of their new home, Sunnyside Daycare. Along the way they see some new faces, such as Lot’s-O Huggin-Bear (Ned Beatty) who we introduced you to a while back.

Check out the small sneak peak at the world of Toy Story and Sunnyside Daycare after the jump, and be sure to catch Toy Story 3 in theaters and IMAX 3D on June 18th.

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About a month ago, we brought you news of the first new character to be revealed from Disney’s upcoming Toy Story 3. His name was Mr. Prickelpants, and he was a porcupine in lederhosen, voiced by Timothy Dalton. As if the characters couldn’t get any better than that, we just got word of the next four to be revealed.

Disney has even gone as far as to give descriptions of each new toy, staying in the context of the Toy Story Universe. Each of our favorites are still back, including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Wallace Shawn as T. Rex, and John Ratzenberger as Piggy Bank.

Check out each of the descriptions, with exclusive new pics, after the jump. Catch Toy Story 3 in theaters and IMAX across the country on June 18th.

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Going off to college is never easy. It’s even harder when your most beloved childhood toys get donated to a day care center, and that’s the situation Andy and his toys Woody, Buzz, and the gang are facing in the third installment to Pixar’s oldest franchise, Toy Story 3. A new trailer popped up on the Apple Trailers site today, giving us an even deeper peek at the film.

It’s more than appropriate that Andy would be going off to college, as Toy Story fans (myself included) have all grown up and left our own toys behind. But with the toys also facing big changes like making new friends and learning to use the internet, Toy Story 3 looks like it’ll please both fourth graders and college freshmen.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc.) and starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Joan Cusack, and Wallace Shawn, Toy Story 3 flies out of the toy box and into theaters and IMAX 3D June 18th. In the meantime, you can watch the brand new trailer after the jump.

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While Disney may be closing it’s doors to one of their studios, we can expect to see plenty more from the giant as they plan for one of their biggest release years in some time. First up may be Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, but where some fans may be excited for that, there are many more for the upcoming Toy Story 3.

The upcoming sequel will be the first time that Pixar and Disney would return to the franchise since 1999, and nearly 15 years since it got kick-started with the first film. The whole gang will be back this time, with the exception of Jim Varney, who passed in 2000.

This time around, the toys find a new home as Andy moves to college. They find out what life is like from the clutches of toddlers in a day care…and it’s not pretty. With a script from Little Miss Sunshine’s Michael Arndt, the film is set for a release (in both IMAX and Disney’s trademarked 3-D) on June 8th.

In the meantime, check out some neat new character posters for the film, starring some of our favorite toys, after the jump.

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Fans of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad are finally getting their wish for more Bryan Cranston. The actor, who picked up an Emmy for his work on the AMC series, has just been signed to fight alongside the titular hero in the upcoming John Carter Of Mars.

Cranston will play a Civil War colonel who clashes with Carter in the early moments of the film. The movie is based on the series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs about a Civil War veteran who is transported to another body on the red planet of Mars, where he embarks on an epic journey.

This is quite late casting, as the film reportedly begins production next week. Cranston will join the ranks of an impressive ensemble cast including James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Dominic West, Thomas Hayden Church, Lynn Collins, Willem Defoe, Samantha Morton, Polly Walker, and Taylor Kitsch as Carter.

The screenplay comes from Michael Chabon (Spider-Man 2) with Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) taking the helm. Disney is expected to give the film a mid-2012 release date.

While the name does sound pretty imaginary, the character is quite real, and will be voiced by an even more real actor, Timothy Dalton. Fresh from playing the big bad in the Christmas Special of BBC’s Doctor Who, Dalton will be taking on one of his most difficult roles yet: a porcupine in lederhosen named Mr. Pricklepants.

We’ve already gotten a glimpse at the very first trailer, as well as an extended clip from the film. Now we get a new special preview, with words from director Lee Unkrich. In the film, the story picks up years later, as Andy is getting ready to move to college. He makes the decision to get rid of his toys by donating them to a daycare. From there we get to see what kind of a nightmare toddlers can be from the perspective of toys.

Check out the featurette after the jump, be sure to catch more previews of brand new characters as they come our way. All getting you ready for Toy Story 3 in theaters and IMAX on June 18th.

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