Three Reasons To See Disney•Pixar's 'Brave'

When I attended the D23 conference last August, the trailer for Disney•Pixar's Brave struck me as a strong departure from their typical animated fare. We don't have a male lead or a helpless princess or a film with a built-in merchandising empire.  Instead, we have a strong, stubborn, independent, and fierce gal by the name of Merida.  She wants to live life on her own terms, but she is going to learn the hard way how to get there.  It is a gorgeous film, but I am not sure it is for everyone.  Here are my three reasons to see Brave:

1.  Animation:  Duh.  Of course, you are there to see an animated film, but I am here to tell you that Pixar has taken their work to another level with this film.  The flowing red curls on Merida merit their own mention.  It's as if they animated every strand of hair.  It's detailed, lush,and rich in color. (If you are a fan of 3D, then this is a movie to splurge on. ) The scenery is also spectacular, you might as well be in the Scottish Highlands on vacation.  As for the bears that play into the story (I'm trying not to spoil the story here.), it's as if you could reach out and touch their shiny fur.....even though you probably don't really want to pet a bear in real life.  

2.  Soundtrack:  If you are lucky enough to live near one of these locations around the world, go see Brave in Dolby's new Atmos surround sound technology.  You will hear a beautiful Scottish music and Gaelic chants created by Patrick Doyle for the Brave soundtrack in 64 speaker feeds and 128 simultaneous inputs.....in other words, it sounds amazing. If you are a total tech geek, head here to see a demo of the Dolby technology.  It's unbelievable. 

3. Story:  This isn't a Disney princess waiting for her man to rescue her and this isn't a little fish, car, or grumpy old man who is lost and looking for his literal and figurative way home.  This is about a girl who kicks some serious butt.  She's a great role model for young girls and of course, there is a lovely lesson to learn along the way:  there are consequences to your actions.  The film is darker than the typical Disney•Pixar fare and I did wonder if the preschool set would sit through it.  The kids sitting near me were quietly munching on their popcorn and enthralled with the film.  However, the two-year old behind me was terrorized by the darker moments on the big screen  It's not for everyone and I think parents might want to leave those under the age of three at home.  (You've been warned.  You know your own kids, but I suspect those that are easily frightened will have nightmares after watching certain scenes.) 

Brave opens on Friday, June 22nd nationwide.

Once you see the film, give me your thoughts on Disney•Pixar's summer animated feature in the comments below or on Twitter or Facebook. If you want to see my photos of the gorgeous El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood where Brave will be playing, follow me on Instagram:  @KristynBurtt

The Friday Five: June 8th

It's time to wrap up the week with the Friday Five after a busy first part of the week and then two days in bed with a cold. (Boo!)  Here's what's been happening this week:

1.  AfterBuzz TV:  I'm really enjoying my weekly wrap-up show for SYTYCD every Wednesday night with AJ Gibson.  We talk dance, choreography, and a little bit of gossip on the show.  I know it runs really late for those of you on the East Coast, so you can listen to the podcast from Wednesday here.  I will let you know when the video is available.  Watch each week LIVE on AfterBuzz TV.




2.  Wreck-It Ralph:  I saw a sneak preview of this Pixar film at last year's D23 conference and at E3 this year, they released the full trailer.  I think this is going to a Must See on my summer movie list because it pays homage to the classic video games of my youth done in a way only Pixar can create.  How about you?

Wearing my Lotus Premium Denim at the Let It Shine premiere on Tuesday.

3.  Lotus Premium Denim:  When I attended the GBK Productions Gifting Suite last week, the ladies at Lotus Premium Denim hooked me up with a complimentary pair of their jeans. I chose a pair of the dark wash since they look better on camera, but they also have a more hipster vintage line that I loved too. They just make your butt look good and who doesn't want that? Head on over to their Facebook page and tell them KB sent you.



4.  Cleaning Out the Clutter:  I've talked about cleaning out my house a million times before.  I like a very minimalist house, so being home always encourages me to clean and sell what I don't need anymore. (By the way, a few new dresses went up this week!) So, I love it when I open a box and find gems like this video with my Toyota Live co-host.  We shot this in September 2007 in Hawaii to honor Toyota's 50th Anniversary in the U.S.  Enjoy the wardrobe, it's the best part of the video.

5. Sex And The City (SATC):  I won't ever let this show die, will I?  Yes, I am fan who has watched each episode at least five times.  Lately, I have noticed that many of the episodes are starting to show their age and look really dated.  Well, I am not the only one, seems like BuzzFeed had the same idea, but they take it a step further.  Read their article:  "28 Ways Sex and The City Would be Different If It Were On TV Now".  It's hilarious and a worthy read for any SATC fan.

Have a great weekend!  I have a Mad Men party to attend and a Mad Men finale to watch. What are you up to this weekend?


Follow my weekend adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram:  @KristynBurtt


Disclosure:  My jean were gifted courtesy of Lotus Premium Denim.  My opinions are all my own.

It's That Time Again: Giveaway Time!

It's time to clean the old prize closet at Chez Burtt and I have a plethora of prizes to give away this round. I think you will like what I am giving away this round.  Here's the list:

-A pair of earrings made from Oxidized Copper & Handcrafted Stoneware Pottery from Willow Creek Jewelry Studio

-A ring from Beads of Aquarius

-A floral necklace made of copper, silver, and bronze from A.W.E jewelry.

-A sample size of Aquilaria perfume

-Toyota Chip Clip/Magnet

-Eye Rock designer eyeliner

-$25 gift card to Neihulé Spa in Los Angeles

-soundtrack from the movie, The Vow

-"Vow-chers" for your loved one from The Vow

-e.l.f. Mini Makeup Collection including eye shadow, cream eye shadow, blush/bronzer, lip gloss, brow powder, and eyeliner.

-Heart-shaped nail file

-Souvenir poster from the upcoming Disney/Pixar film, Brave

-A sample size of Juicy Couture perfume

-Notepad/pen from Productions Plus

-Sweet Roll Hair Styler

-Escents Lavender Satchel

-1.7 FL. OZ. of Ralph Lauren's Romance Eau De Parfum

-4 bottles of ERA Glaze primer, shimmer, and bronzer


BONUS round:  I will also be giving away two pairs of Sanuk Shoes in Size 7 to those that "like" my Facebook page. I wrote about Sanuk footwear here, they are an amazing eco-friendly company with really cute shoes.

So, I am giving you two chances to win.

Rules:
*US residents only.
*18 years of age or older to enter
*Enter by Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 at 11:59PM PT to win.

Two winners will be chosen by Random.org and announced on Thursday, May 17th, 2012.

Enter here for the gift basket and "like" my Facebook page for the bonus round.  Make sure you fill out the form for both drawings, otherwise, I won't know how to contact you if you win!  




For more opportunities to win prizes from other blogs, be sure to visit Sweepstakes Advantage.


Items were gifted to me by various companies including movie studios, PR firms, and agencies. I was not asked to do any promotional work for them in exchange. I am just passing along the goodies to you!

Oscars 2012: Animated Feature Symposium

Waiting my turn to speak with Javier Mariscal who nominated for Chico and Rita.

I know my posts are all out of order now, but I can't keep anything straight and my producer/editor, JD, is working his fingers off to edit all of the pieces as fast and furious as humanly possible.  We were able to attend the Animated Feature Symposium which honored the work of the five nominees in this category.  Not all of the nominees were in attendance, but we were able to speak with the nominees from Kung Fu Panda 2, Chico and Rita, and A Cat in Paris.  The diversity of the nominees speaks volumes about the sophistication of animation in this decade and we certainly do not see a Pixar nominee in the bunch this year.  They normally dominate this category, but Cars 2 did not make the final list.  Check out our two minute highlight video of the evening:

Making good use of the interior mirrored doors at The Academy.

Remembering Steve Jobs

At the Oscars with my iPhone 4.

In December 1984, the big family Christmas gift was a Macintosh computer.  I spent my entire holiday vacation inserting the MacWrite and MacPaint diskettes and wasting reams of paper and ink cartridges printing up my creations.  I even went off to college with my Macintosh about a decade later and wrote countless term papers on that computer.

Dancing a little West Side Story with my iPad 2 at the State Fair of Texas yesterday. (I seriously need a spray tan.)

I didn't rejoin the Mac revolution until 2003 when I bought my first iPod, but once I went back to the cult of Apple, I never left.  My old Dell desktop went away as I bought an iBook G4 laptop in 2004, a MacBook Pro in 2008, my 3G iPhone in 2008, a gifted iPad in 2010, an iPhone 4 in 2011, and 2 gifted iPad 2s in 2011. Steve Jobs revolutionized the way we look at technology and I always joke that if I could marry my iPhone, I would.  I'm not kidding.

At CES in 2004 launching iTunes for HP.  (Look at that awful haircut!)

In 2004, I had the pleasure of helping HP launch their version of iTunes and the hPod at the Consumer Electronics Show(CES) in Las Vegas.  Yes, this Apple/HP partnership was short-lived, but it was an exciting time. I remember teaching people how they could find a particular song, download it to their iTunes playlist, and then make a mix of a variety of artists.  I remember adding a plethora of Michael Jackson, U2, and No Doubt songs to my unlimited iTunes account while I was at the show.  I was hooked and I watched as others shared in my amazement that week at CES.  

On the Goodyear Blimp a few weeks ago.....

These days, it's rare to find me without my iPhone or laptop and my iPhone has been photographed everywhere from the red carpet at the Oscars to the Goodyear Blimp. I own a collection of Pixar films from The Incredibles to Finding Nemo and I wear my Pixar sweatshirt with pride.  I am a happy Apple owner and shareholder.  My thoughts go out to his family and friends at home and at Apple.  You revolutionized the world.  RIP, Steve Jobs.

I would love to hear your stories about how Apple and Steve Jobs revolutionized your life.  Share in the comments below.

D23 Expo: Disney's Film Slate

It's not a hard task when I am asked to cover the D23 Expo down in Anaheim:  Disney?  Pixar?  Disney World?  Disneyland?  It's billed as the "ultimate Disney fan event", so count me in! On Saturday morning, I was able to attend The Walt Disney Studios presentation which gave the audience a taste of the films to come now through 2014.  Fans lined up as early as 6AM to get in line and wait for a seat in the Arena.  I rolled into the convention center at 10:15 AM with my Press Pass and I was escorted to a seat within minutes.  As a press member, I was thrilled with the VIP treatment all day, but I know the long lines and chaos of some of the events had a lot of the attendees grumbling.  It's something for the D23 planners to consider when most fans are accustomed to the golden Disney customer service.

 Billy Crystal received a standing ovation when he came out. I wonder if 2012 Academy Award Producer, Brett Ratner is listening?  

Once we were all settled in, the program kicked off with a highlight reel of the movies that were going to be presented to us.  Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, The Muppet Movie, and The Avengers received the biggest cheers as these are all highly anticipated films in the Disney lineup.  John Lasseter was on hand to present the Disney/Pixar animated slate and this is when D23 started rolling in the stars from Jon Cryer for Planes (If you like Cars, you are sure to like Planes, right?), Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer for Wreck-It Ralph (an 8-bit video game bad guy), Kevin McKidd and Kelly McDonald for Brave, and Billy Crystal for the prequel to Monsters, Inc called Monsters University. You knew they were buttering us up for box office dollars.  What interested me the most was the humor behind Wreck-It Ralph and the beauty and strength behind the story of Brave, which features Pixar's first female main character. (It's about time, guys!)  Expect to see Wreck-It Ralph in theatres November 2, 2012 and Brave will be hitting the big screen on June 22, 2012.  They also teased us with two untitled films:  one for Holiday 2013 about Dinosaurs and another feature about what takes place in your mind for Summer 2014.  (Yes, what happens in your brain.  You can't make this stuff up.)  The Pixar segment wrapped up with cupcakes in honor of Pixar's 25th Anniversary.  It was a very Oprah-esque moment as cast members came out with boxes of cupcakes for the full arena.  You get a cupcake and you get a cupcake and you get a cupcake!

Director Rich Moore, Sarah Silverman, and Jack McBrayer (Hello, tan boy!) for Wreck-It Ralph.

Walt Disney Studios' feature fare was up next with a lengthy and rather awkward presentation about the March 2012 film, John Carter.  Andrew Stanton, Oscar winner for Finding Nemo and Wall-E, brought out Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, and Taylor Kitsch to describe four long clips about the movie.  Lynn and Taylor looked uncomfortable up there and read their sound bites straight from the TelePrompter giving rehearsed pitches about the film.  It was clear Disney had invested a lot of money in this film and they really want us to see it.  Unfortunately, the response was rather lukewarm in the audience.  Livening up the audience was the presentation for Frankenweenie described as a film about a town where "Transylvania meets Burbank" in a timeless story of a boy and his dog told in a way that  only Tim Burton can achieve.  The film is all stop motion and in black and white with a Danny Elfman score, could this film be any more delicious?  We have to wait until October 2012, so tide yourself over with the Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA in the meantime.

Willem Dafoe for John Carter

Jenifer Garner was brought out next to talk about The Odd Life of Timothy Green which will be perfect family fare.  Garner was positively sweet in her role as a Disney spokesperson, but I do wish the questions were less rehearsed and more spontaneous.  Sometimes the Disney suits are not as engaging as John Lasseter who is able to balance the creative and the corporate a bit better than others.  Next up was Oz (March 2013), the Sam Raimi directed film that just began principal photography on July 21st in Detroit.  Yep, Detroit is Oz, kids, in case you didn't know.  The stellar cast includes James Franco, Rachel Weiz, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams and Disney promises the audience a story we haven't heard from The Wizard of Oz legacy.

Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson for The Avengers.

Finally, the two films the audience was waiting for:  The Muppet Movie and The Avengers.  I was more excited about the former since I am tired of superheroes.  I know I am in the minority on this topic, so I will give you a few highlights on The Avengers.  First up, Jason Segel, Kermit, and Miss Piggy make an appearance and introduce two clips from the film.  The longer musical clip to "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship proved to me that the silver screen has been missing the Jim Henson heart for some time. This movie will be huge and I will be the first in line to buy a ticket.  The Avengers clip was action-packed filled with stars, superheroes, and the perfect fare for Marvel fans.  Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, introduced Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Cobie Smulders to an arena filled with screaming fans.  Joss Whedon and several cast members were still shooting back in Cleveland since there are two weeks left of principal photography left.  They then showed the same exact trailer again.  I wasn't sure if this was for the audience or for the cast who stayed on stage to watch the clip.  I do know that it was at the end of a 2 hour and 45 minute presentation, so a lot of the audience was antsy to move on to the next event and pick up their cell phones after keeping us in a media blackout for that time period.

Chris Hemsworth of The Avengers

Overall, Disney has a strong slate of films through 2014, but I will be fascinated to see how well John Carter performs at the box office given the lackluster response from the D23 audience.  I will be back tomorrow to give you some of the Expo and Archive details and photos from the show floor.  In the meantime, I want to hear what film you are excited about, feel free to comment below!





Photos 2-6:  Courtesy of D23 Expo 2011.

'Cars 2' Premiere

On Saturday night, I was on the red....I mean black carpet for the premiere of Disney Pixar's Cars 2.  A huge stretch of Hollywood Boulevard was closed off to make room for the Grand Prix raceway and all of our favorite characters from the beloved first movie like Lightning McQueen, Sally, and of course, Mater were there.  I'm seeing the film tonight at the El Capitan, so I will be sure to give you a full report upon my return.  "Git-R-Done!"

Check out my video interviews:

 Edie McClurg plays "Mini" AKA the Minivan.

 If you are 11-years-old, you know that this is Caroline Sunshine who plays "Tinka on Disney Channel's Shake it Up!.  She kindly gave a shout out for my niece.  I get to be the cool aunt for a day.

 Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch plays "Crabby".

 Whoa!  I've now interviewed two people from Blossom this summer. (Happy Dance!).  Joey Lawrence currently stars on ABC Family's Melissa and Joey.  He has NO wrinkles.  I'm talking seriously flawless skin. I wanted to ask him his skin care secrets.

I'm here!

 My producer, JD, sporting his summer hair.

 Under the marquee.....

 Vincent Martella is the voice of Phineas on Phineas and Ferb.

Little Daniella Baltodano from Desperate Housewives. She's cute, but Kathryn Joosten is still my favorite interviewee  from this show.

 Hanging with Mater.

Our spot on the black carpet!

Photos are property of Kristyn Burtt and Mingle Media TV's Red Carpet Report.