Skip to content

Monster University Easter Eggs from Pixar

If you’re like me, you love to scour Pixar’s feature films in search of the Hidden Gems (aka Easter Eggs) the filmmakers sneak into each film: WALL•E’s explorations uncover a Mike Wazowski antenna ball and Eve scanned the Pizza Planet Truck, and in Up, the classic Luxo Jr. ball can be seen in the girl’s bedroom as Carl Fredricksen’s house flies by her window. If you’re looking for the hidden gems from Monsters University we have confirmation from Disney*Pixar right here in the form of these screen shots:

A113 – The School of Scaring classroom number is A113, which refers to the former classroom of John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton at CalArts. The number makes an appearance in every Pixar feature film.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Pizza Planet – The Pizza Planet truck is in the driveway of the JOX fraternity house when Mike is riding Archie the Scare Pig down Greek Row. The Pizza Planet truck, which first made an appearance in “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar feature film.Read More »Monster University Easter Eggs from Pixar

Monsters University Director Appears at Google

Google has a long running series where they bring in important authors and artists for a lunch length talk about their latest projects. Two of Pixar’s brightest stars — Director Dan Scanlon and Producer Kori Rae — took the short drive from Emeryville to the… Read More »Monsters University Director Appears at Google

One Hour, One Take Video Tour of Tokyo Disney Sea

Want to feel transported to Disney magic today? Set aside an hour and take a long walk through Tokyo Disney Sea, thought of as Disney Imagineering’s most detailed creation, in this one-take video (note the helpful annotations): [via LaughingPlace.com]

How Pixar Used Light in its Short – The Blue Umbrella

Saschka Unseld, director of Pixar’s latest animated short, dishes on the making of The Blue Umbrella including the use of the new Global Illumination System: [W]e used the Global Illumination technology that Monsters [University] used as well. So that helped us massively in getting everything… Read More »How Pixar Used Light in its Short – The Blue Umbrella

The Disney Blog Readers Offer Their Top Ten Disney Newbie Tips.

2013AEPGoodCamera 129

Think back to your first trip: What do you wish you’d known?  Was there a moment where you thought to yourself “I could have saved myself a lot of time (or money) if only I’d known that!” In my case, my first “real” trip came when I’d moved from Florida and was no longer taking quick day trips. There were so many things I didn’t think about when Disney World was just a few hours drive away.  John was wondering that too, so he put out a question on the Facebook page and here are some of your answers. I hope you find something you can use –or even pass on to a Disney newbie:

This isn't looking good, is it?

This isn’t looking good, is it?

10.   Suzanne G. is a girl after my own heart. She advises to take a jacket (or a sweater), even if it’s supposed to be warm.  While you’re at it, bring a poncho too.  It’s probably going to rain at least once on your trip.

9.  Get to the Magic Kingdom at opening and make a beeline toward Fantasyland.  Sometimes you buck conventional wisdom; this is not one of those times. If you have little kids, you want to knock out Pooh and Peter Pan first since these rides are some of the most popular in all of the parks. After that you can take on the mountains.

The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.

The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.

8.  Stay on property.  I’ve found it’s hard to sell someone on Disney property if he or she is looking at the bottom line. If you’re purely interested in saving money, you can usually stay cheaper off site, but if you think that time is money, you might find quite the opposite:  That you actually save money by staying on property. So do the math, but always remember the convenience factor. It’s huge.

7.  Pace yourself: You can’t do it all in one trip.  Going completely “theme park commando” for days at a time is overrated.  Take in the little details, people watch, eat some good meals. It’s all part of the experience.Read More »The Disney Blog Readers Offer Their Top Ten Disney Newbie Tips.

Inappropriate Deaths of Disney Characters

I really shouldn’t post the Disney version of the latest, and very misogynist, meme – exploding actresses. But the Exploding Disney Princesses video is also creative and very funny. There’s just a smidgen of gore, but it’s not too bad. The force behind Exploding Actresses… Read More »Inappropriate Deaths of Disney Characters

Disneyland Stories, Fact or Fiction

In my youth, I heard a lot of weird stories about Disneyland. For instance, I was told that the facades for the buildings on Main Street were salvaged from actual old buildings and brought to Anaheim by Walt to give it that authentic look and… Read More »Disneyland Stories, Fact or Fiction

Starbucks Sponsored Main Street Bakery Opens at Magic Kingdom

Huge interior of new Starbucks.

Huge interior of new Starbucks.

The Starbucks sponsored Main Street Bakery has opened at the Magic Kingdom. For some it’s a blessing to have ‘real’ coffee available in the parks, for others, its an intrusion of the outside world into the magic. The final execution is a very high capacity, smoothly run Starbucks with a few Disney touches added to make it just magical enough.

There is not as much merchandise as at a regular Starbucks, indeed hardly any beyond bags of coffee, but you’ll find all the coffee, tea, and other drinks you’ve come to love at your local Starbucks. Although we were led to believe that much of the old menu would transfer to the new location, the baked goods are mostly what you would find in a regular Starbucks. The egg and cheese croissant and super large cinnamon roll are both absent to name a few. Disney is apparently looking for new homes for the cinnamon roll, but in the meantime you can find it in Gaston’s in New Fantasyland.

The use of the Starbucks logo is tasteful – not overpowering, but not absent either. Disney has created a backstory complete with ‘grand opening’ photos and a collection of coffee paraphernalia from the owner’s trip around the world collecting photographs and unique items from different societies and their coffee habits. That backstory also includes the use of Starbucks original two-finned mermaid figure (modified slightly for Disney audiences) and there’s even a couple hidden mermaids scattered around the store.Read More »Starbucks Sponsored Main Street Bakery Opens at Magic Kingdom