Newt (Release Date: Summer 2011)

Before you get too excited, no this isn’t a movie about the child-in-peril from Aliens. Nope, this is the feature directing debut for seven-time Academy Award winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (who previously directed the amazing short Lifted that was screened before Ratatouille last summer). His movie will tell the tale of the last two remaining, male and female blue-footed newts, put together in a science lab to mate. The scientific conditions are perfect, the only problem is that the newts can’t stand each other. So, it’s a high concept comedy about gender differences starring two cute newts? Sign me up.


The Bear And The Bow (Release Date: Christmas 2011)

The second Pixar film for 2011(yay!) takes place in a "mythic Scotland" where a young royal (Reese Witherspoon) decides that she'd rather be an archer than sit around a castle. Her choice unintentionally unleashes an ancient curse that puts her father's (Billy Connolly) kingdom and her mother's life (Emma Thompson) in danger. The project will be the first helmed by a female director at Pixar (the lovely Brenda Chapman who co-wrote Cars and Beauty And The Beast). With that concept and cast it is sure to be a funny and exciting story. Here’s hoping that they let Billy Connolly cut loose in the sound booth. That guy never gets a chance to show his considerable comedic skills in his acting gigs.

Cars 2 (Release Date: Summer 2012)

The only worrying title on Pixar’s slate has got to be this surprising sequel. The first Cars was easily the least interesting and most conventional project they’ve made to date. The sequel seems purely driven by money, given that Cars was still a financial success despite being a disappointment artistically. Still, 2012 is a long ways off, so maybe this project won’t ever happen or maybe they even have a good concept ready that will make it superior to the original. I guess we’ll find out in 4 years.