Piper: Pixar’s Newest Short Film | #FindingDoryEvent

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Piper

By Erin

*I was invited to Monterey courtesy of Disney • Pixar for a media event. All opinions are my own*

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Are you as excited as I am for Finding Dory to finally get here this Friday? Well, you can get even more excited now knowing that you’re in for a very special treat BEFORE Finding Dory starts! Pixar Animation Studios latest masterpiece is the adorable short Piper, in theaters with Finding Dory, and tells us the story of a very hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is that little Piper soon discovers that the food is buried beneath the sand, where the oh so scary waves roll up onto the shore. She must find a way to overcome her fear if she wants to survive and not starve. Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer.

During a presentation at the long lead press day in Monterey for Finding Dory, director Alan Barillaro talked about the extensive research, technical testing, and the themes that were explored in the story, inspirations, and finding Piper’s personality and sound.

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A Little Bit About the Creators

Alan Barillaro (Director) joined Pixar Animation Studios in January 1997. He has worked on almost every Pixar film as an animator, including “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and the Academy Award®-winning features “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “WALL•E” and “Brave.” On those last three features, Barillaro was given the role of supervising animator and was responsible for overseeing the team of animators who worked to bring the characters in the films to life. Following his work on “Brave,” Barillaro went to work with Pixar’s software development team to help craft an animation tool that would help provide additional creative flexibility to the studio’s filmmaking process. Piper was created as a proof of concept. Barillaro created a short animation test about a small bird – a sandpiper – on a beach. This animation test soon grew into what came to be the full-fledged short film, “Piper,” directed by Barillaro and will be debuting theatrically along with “Finding Dory” starting this Friday!

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a2 Milk® + Cookies |@a2milk #a2Milk

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a2 Milk® + Cookies

By Erin

“This post was sponsored by a2 Milk® as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.”

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Who doesn’t love milk and cookies? Warm, Gooey- cookies, right out of the oven and paired with a glass of cold milk. I can never wait long enough for them to cool. I have to have one the second they are taken out of the oven when they are still super soft and filled with all that melty chocolate goodness followed by glass of cold milk. I know I can’t be the only one that does that, am I?

The only thing is, as I’ve gotten older, dairy doesn’t seem to like me as much anymore as my tummy doesn’t always agree with it. Experiencing tummy trouble when eating or drinking dairy poses a lot of problems! It also takes away from many of life’s favorite traditions- such as milk and cookies. Who wants to miss out on yummy milk and cookies experiences? I sure don’t! Lucky for me (and everyone else out there) a2 Milk® has saved the day so I can still enjoy my cookies with milk and not have to worry about the tummy troubles!

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Getting to Enjoy Milk Again With a2 Milk®!

I have always loved drinking milk and have been reluctant to give it up due to tummy troubles. It took me awhile to realize that drinking milk was the offender. In an independent study I found out that 1 in 4 Americans have discomfort after drinking milk; yet only 5-7% of the population has been clinically diagnosed with a lactose intolerance medical condition.

YES! a2 Milk® is real milk! Those who experience tummy troubles or Post-Dairy Digestive Discomfort may enjoy a2 milk® without any symptoms. With a2 Milk®, you can enjoy great tasting milk without the worry of those pesky tummy troubles after. Did you know it’s the A1 protein that causes these tummy issues and that Post-Dairy Digestive Discomfort? The A1 protein is the culprit behind many people’s discomfort after having dairy, and it is currently in all conventional & organic milks in U.S. stores. a2 Milk® only comes from specially selected a2 cows, whose milk is naturally free of the A1 protein.  We no longer need to compromise on taste and nutrition with inferior nut- or bean-based beverages – or worse yet, cutting out milk all together –those days are long gone now!

a2 Milk® Comes From a2 Cows!

The a2 Milk® Company™ has partnered with U.S. dairy farmers in upstate New York and in the Midwest to expand the a2 herd that produces milk that is free from the A1 protein, so it is the original milk. Just like Mother Nature intended. Nothing added and nothing taken away. Not like the chemically processed milk alternatives you see in stores.

It is also interesting to note that a2 Milk® contains approximately 6 x’s the amount of calcium as soy beverages, approximately 8 x’s the protein of almond beverages and approximately 6 x’s the potassium levels of rice beverages so you can feel great about serving it to your family and friends. Which is great news to me as I have never liked the flavor or texture of these other so-called alternatives to milk!

If you have avoided milk due to being lactose intolerant, you may just want to give a2 Milk® a try and see how it works for you. The nutritional benefits of a2 Milk® can be enjoyed with confidence.

Now lets celebrate with some milk and cookies!  Try this delicious recipe for S’Mores Cookies!

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S’Mores Cookies

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Finding Dory: All Things Hank!| #FindingDoryEvent

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Finding Dory: All Things Hank!

By Erin

*I was invited to Monterey courtesy of Disney • Pixar for a media event. All opinions are my own*

FINDING DORY – When Dory finds herself in the Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium, Hank—a cantankerous octopus—is the first to greet her. Featuring Ed O'Neill as the voice of Hank and Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory, "Finding Dory" opens on June 17, 2016. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Hank—a cantankerous octopus—and Dory.  ©2016 Disney•Pixar

We are now just days away from the release of Finding Dory! Are you excited yet? You may remember that earlier this year I was up in Monterey for a very special Finding Dory media event. During this time, we had the pleasure of meeting one of Dory’s new friends, Hank.  Hank is the cantankerous yet lovable octopus in Finding Dory voiced by Ed O’Neill. Created from initial character design to being animated to his final look in the film by a very talented team that included Supervising Technical Director John Halstead, Character Art Director Jason Deamer, Supervising Animator Mike Stocker, Character Supervisor Jeremie Talbot.  We had the chance to sit down with some of the designers to learn about some of the new characters that you will see in this lovable new film. Here, I will share with you about all things Hank!

FINDING DORY – Hank Design (Concept Art) by Character Designer Jason Deamer. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Hank Design (Concept Art) by Character Designer Jason Deamer. ©2016 Disney•Pixar

One of the first things we learned was that Hank the Septopus was one of the most challenging and rewarding characters that they have ever worked with. Ever wonder how a new character is developed? They shared with us how they develop a new character from scratch and what developing and animating a new character that is an animal that they have never animated before looks like.

Jason Deamer (Character Art Director) presents at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Jason Deamer (Character Art Director) presents at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar

Here are some fun things we learned about this special guy, Hank!

*All Things Hank*

*Dory’s New Friend– Hank is an octopus, or rather a “septopus” as he lost a tentacle—along with his sense of humor—somewhere along the way. But Hank is just as competent as his eightarmed peers. An accomplished escape artist with camouflaging capabilities, Hank is the first to greet Dory when she finds herself in the Marine Life Institute.

*Lucky Number 7 – When designers were working on Hank, the cantankerous octopus in “Finding Dory,” they created tapered tentacles for the cephalopod. The tentacles were modeled separately from the body, but when they tried to attach them, only seven would fit. Filmmakers later decided that it made sense that Hank would have an affliction, so they worked it into the script. Designers gave Hank 50 suckers per arm for a total of 350 suckers.

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