Disney’s Pixar Studios has announced its animated film lineup for the next three years and there is plenty here to keep family members of all ages happy.
Next month the French cuisine entry “Ratatouille” will be stewing in theaters across the globe. The tale about a rat that has a taste for the finest dining and can cook to a tee. The little fellow is living within the walls of a famous Paris bistro and wants to be a chef, but is hindered by his family’s skepticism and the rat-despising staff and patrons. So, he gains the trust of a young human apprentice, hides under his chef’s hat and guides the young man with the grandest of recipes. The voice casting for this one is quite ambitious. Stars like Peter O’Toole, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Patton Oswalt and “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Brad Garrett put on the apron for this one.
Next summer’s big Pixar release will be “Wall*E,” about a sad little garbage collecting robot from a flat, empty, unimaginative planet. The little mechanical guy has faithfully done his job for 700 years, but never found his true purpose… until now, er that is until Summer 2008. So far the great Fred Willard has signed on for “Wall*E.”
Pixar is aiming at a slightly older audience for its 2009 addition. “Up” will be about a 70-year old man who teams up with a wilderness ranger to fight killer beasts and an array of villains out to destroy the world.
Finally, after a long delay, “Toy Story 3” will get its premiere in Summer 2010. Tom Hanks (Woody) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) make a return to reprise their famous characters.
