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Pixar Announces Lee Unkrich's Next Project About Dia de los Muertos

by Alex Billington
April 25, 2012

Dia de los Muertos, also known as the "Day of the Dead", the Mexican holiday celebrated in November to remember friends and family members who have passed. That will be the setting of the next, new original Pixar movie being directed by Lee Unkrich (of Toy Story 3). During Disney/Pixar's presentation at the industry convention CinemaCon yesterday, the studio officially announced that Unkrich will be working on a Dia de los Muertos movie, showing an early logo for the project. It's not scheduled yet, but likely to arrive in either 2015 or 2016 (if you can imagine that far out already) following Pete Docter's "mind" movie.

The new project, which still doesn't have an official title just yet, is being directed by editor-turned-director Lee Unkrich of the wonderful Toy Story 3, produced by Darla K. Anderson (of A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc, Cars, Toy Story 3). No details at all are known about this Pixar project, but Unkrich did tweet this tidbit: "So excited to finally reveal my next movie at Pixar: a story set in the world of the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos." His phrase "in the world of" makes me wonder if it will maybe have skeleton characters, or something fun and funky like that. It's certainly a vibrant "world" and they'll have a lot to play with in there.

Oddly enough, Guillermo del Toro is already producing/developing a different animated Dia de los Muertos project announced in February. These couldn't possibly be the same projects, but are they going to be too similar? Only time will tell, and for all we know, these may be released years apart, considering it takes four years for Pixar to develop an animated movie, and they're just barely announcing this one (Unkrich got the greenlight on it late last year). For more Pixar updates from CinemaCon, read here. Stay tuned. Any ideas?

Filed under Hype, Movie News, Pixar

From around the web:

peloquin

Is that image in the thumbnail actual concept art for the film?
- http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington
  
  Nah, it's just a photo I found on Flickr. There is no concept art out from this (and there probably won't be for years).
Staatz

Hummm maybe Lucasarts will re-release Grim Fandango....
- Lebowski
  
  Unlikely. Lucasarts are too busy making crazy money off of shitty dancing games for children.
  - Staatz
    
    *sigh* one can dream...
    - BanditoJuan
      
      Surely you've been paying attention to DoubleFine recently though right? not re-releasing grim fandango, but they're going back to the adventure game well.
Voice of Reason

Sugar skulls and Mexican art for Day of the Dead (and Arboles de Vida, even) are my favorite form of cultural art. Dont let the concept of "dead" fool you, this is a happy, vibrant and colorful holiday that will be fascinating to watch what Unkrich does with it. Wow, the colors associated with this holiday alone will create a whole new exciting palette for Pixar....this is great news. Guillermos project will probably be drab by comparison and much darker in theme, sticking to his welcomed trademark style...though, knowing him, he'll probably drop this project in a few months.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ5hK-D8kRQ Crapola

Ah balls, I saw Dia De Los Muertos and then read Pixar next. Like Danny Trejo has said there is a lot of money in getting Mexican people to go to the cinema and Pixar aren't stupid. Saying that The Day of The Dead is a spectacular visual overload, I love all the chisel cut stencils and crazy mix of Catholicism and traditional Mexican ways of thinking, I like that they treat death as a part of life to be celebrated as much as being born. At least it's not Tim Burton.