Finding Dory Interview with Filmmakers Andrew Stanton & Lindsey Collins #FindingDoryEvent

Finding Dory Filmmaker Interview

By Erin

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

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Finding Dory will be here before we know it! It only took what, 13 years? 😉 When I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium back in March, our group had the chance to sit down with Director Andrew Stanton and Producer Lindsey Collins to learn more about Finding Dory and their thoughts about casting and creating the film. First, here’s a little bit of background info on these two amazing filmmakers, so you can get an idea of who they are and what they have accomplished so far.

Andrew Stanton (Director) and Lindsey Collins (Producer )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.

Andrew Stanton (Director) and Lindsey Collins (Producer )at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar.

Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers. Stanton wrote and directed the Academy Award®-winning Disney•Pixar feature film “WALL•E,” for which he received an Oscar-nomination for best original screenplay. Making his directorial debut with the record-shattering “Finding Nemo,” an original story of his that he co-wrote, which he was also awarded an Oscar® for best animated feature film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios received for a full-length feature film. He also helped to create  many other award-winning beloved films like “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” and “Monsters, Inc.,”  “Monsters University,”  “Ratatouille,” “Brave,” and “The Good Dinosaur.”

Director Andrew Stanton during the film production of "Finding Dory" on December 11, 2015 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Director Andrew Stanton during the film production of “Finding Dory” on December 11, 2015 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Lindsey Collins, Producer, joined Pixar Animation Studios in May 1997.  She has worked in various roles on a number of Pixar’s feature films.  Collins’ film credits include “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and the Academy Award®-winning films “Finding Nemo” and “Ratatouille.” Another neat fact about her is that she provided the voice of the character Mia in Pixar’s 2006 release, “Cars.”  Before joining Pixar, Collins worked at Disney Feature Animation for three years, managing creative teams on the films “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Hercules.”

WALL*E Co-Producer Lindsey Collins has her photo taken on March 12, 2008 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

WALL*E Co-Producer Lindsey Collins has her photo taken on March 12, 2008 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar).

Now that you have an idea of all the amazing films they have had a hand in so far (if you didn’t already know), here are some fun facts that were shared with us during the interview about “Finding Dory!”

Finding Nemo & Finding Dory were written with Ellen DeGeneres in mind as Dory-

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For Nemo, Andrew Stanton wrote with only Ellen in mind to do Dory.  And that’s rare.  He hasn’t ever done that with anybody else. For Dory he didn’t do that with anybody else except that he always had wished that if Dory ever did have parents, it was Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy.  They were the dream cast, and he was very thankful they agreed to the roles. Andrew shared with us how quick of a call it was with Ellen to ask if she would take on the role of Dory, “The quickest phone call I ever had with her was taking the role of Dory.  I basically wrote with her in mind cause I couldn’t figure out Dory, I couldn’t figure out.  It wasn’t even a female Character at the time, and I just needed this Character to have short-term memory loss and I didn’t know how to do it.  And she had an original Show in the ’90s called “The Ellen Show” that was a Sit-Com.  And it was on in the room while I was trying to deal with Writer’s Block and suddenly I heard her change the sentence 5 times in one sentence, and I went that’s it, that’s how you do it. But I knew there was no guarantee you can get her and I’m really pinning myself in a corner if I do that but it ended up working so then I sent her the script, called her out of the blue, and I said, Ellen, I wrote the part for you and if you don’t take it, I’m completely screwed, completely screwed.  She didn’t know me, she was like, well then I better take it.  It was that short of a phone call, and I’ve been so thankful to her ever since and then probably the second shortest phone call was calling for “Finding Dory.”

DO I KNOW YOU? -- In Disney?Pixar's "Finding Dory," everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), encounters an array of new?and old?acquaintances, including a cantankerous octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O'Neill). Directed by Andrew Stanton (?Finding Nemo,? ?WALL?E?) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer ?WALL?E?), ?Finding Dory? swims into theaters June 17, 2016.

Watch for Easter Eggs

There are plenty.  A1-13, the pizza planet truck, a character from the next movie they’re doing (Cars 3), Darla, KeeKee and then John Ratzenberger are all gonna be in there. Plus plenty of others. 😉

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Kate Hudson Stars in Kung Fu Panda 3 as Mei Mei! #KungFuPanda

Kate Hudson Stars in Kung Fu Panda 3!

By Patrick &  Erin

*We were invited as media to attend a sneak peek of Kung Fu Panda 3 and interview with the lovely Kate Hudson.*

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Dreamworks has done it again! Returning with its biggest comedy adventure yet, Kung Fu Panda 3 returns, staring Kate Hudson as the voice of Mei Mei. The film will tell the story of Po’s (Jack Black) discovery of a secret panda village, including his long-lost father Li (Bryan Cranston).  Kate voices Mei Mei who is an aspiring ribbon dancer. On January 29th, Kung Fu Panda 3 is coming to theaters across the country.  Whether you want to see it with your kids or were a fan of the previous films, there are a ton of reasons to be excited about this movie.  We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at Jack Black’s latest romp during a trip to Dreamworks Studios.  After the screening, we caught up with Kate Hudson (who does the voice of Mei Mei, a new character) in a round table interview to talk about the movie.

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“Mei Mei” the character that Kate Hudson is the voice for.

This was Hudson’s first time doing an animated film, and she was excited about the opportunity to try something different.  “Anybody who’s an actor or performer, you know, that’s what we love,” she said.  “The whole point is trying new things.”  She said a large difference between live and voice acting is the amount of hyperbole you’re allowed to put into the character, especially since you read lines alone in a room: “We just had to be so big and so huge.  And it was so much fun to do in a booth where you just to go there, and you go so far that you end up cracking yourself up.”

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Her character, Mei Mei is a fellow panda who shows up in the movie when Po final finds his native town.  She is vibrant with a big personality that screams girl power.  “It’s sort of like I had that kind of confidence sometimes,” she said about Mei Mei.

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This latest installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise promises to offer a larger, grander experience than the previous two movies.  We get to meet Po’s biological father, and see a new panda village full of new, vibrant characters.  It will bring a whole new dimension to Jack Black’s lovable character.  This also means a bunch of A-list actors that will be added to the cast for this movie.  “The cast is insane,” said Hudson.  “Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons, it’s amazing!  It’s such a cool thing to be a part of.”  The cast also boasts Seth Rogan, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman.

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Group shot with Kate Hudson.

In Theaters on January 29th! 

Kung Fu Panda 3 Official Site 

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ on Facebook

Follow DreamWorks Animation on Twitter 

Instagram 

Five Fun Facts About the Maze Runner #MazeRunner

Five Fun Facts About the Maze Runner #MazeRunner

By Erin

*I attended as a guest of Fox to see this movie and to sit in on the press junket, all thoughts and opinions remain my own.*

THE MAZE RUNNER

Just imagine if you were a kid who woke up in an elevator lift, its pitch black, and you had no memory other than the fact that your name is Thomas. When the doors fly open, Thomas is pulled into a huge glade by a bunch of teenage boys who also have no memory besides what they should be called. They all share a strange vocabulary and mysterious fate from being tossed into a prison-like world colonized by young men where a giant ever-changing maze, could kill you as no one has ever survived the night there in the maze. Inspired by the first book in James Dasher’s thrilling young adult series, The Maze Runner,  and directed by Wes Ball. Lets watch as they attempt to break free from the dangerous maze.

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Last month I got to listen in with cast of the film as they told us what it was like to be on set and create this world that was to become, ‘The Maze Runner.’ So here are 5 fun facts from the cast, that you might not otherwise already know about!

1. The cast created a world without adults. Do they think it runs better, with or without adults now?
 The mean the age range of the cast was kind of crazy. The youngest guy on set was Blake Cooper who was playing Chuck; he was 12 years old, considered to be very mature for his age, gave an amazing performance and was quite confident in his abilities. Aml Ameen was the oldest.

They became a real kind of family, very close indeed and kind of looked after each other. There was varying levels of experience in terms of life and acting. They all really looked out for each other. Some adults helped them make this movie, they had a little help in that respect. 😉 But it was an amazing kind of experience.

2. If the cast could choose a movie and take that movie’s ensemble of characters and put them in the maze along with their characters, which movie would it be?

Dylan O’Brien thinks the cast of “E.T.” could help them out. Will Poulter thought the “Stand By Me fellows” would be fun. Kaya Scodelario wanted some girl power in the picture and suggested “Bring It On!” or “The Spice Girls.”

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