Animation Bits: Metal Band Mastodon Making Music For ‘Monsters University,’ Pete Docter’s New Film May Be Titled ‘The Inside Out,’ Plus ‘Frozen’ And Director’s Roundtable
I didn’t ever expect to see any link between metal and a Pixar movie, but we’re living in a wonderful world. And so the metal bandMastodon, which has already scoredJonah Hex(twice!) andcontributed musicto theAqua Teen Hunger Forcemovie, will have a song inMonsters University. Weird, right? The info comesstraight from the band, and I can confirm that it isn’t a joke. Unfortunately I can’t tell you just how the song is being used, but expect to hear it in a good context to bring the band into the film’s world.
We probably won’t know any more untilMonsters Universityis much closer to opening, on July 31, 2025.
After the break,Pete Docter’s new Pixar film — the one taking place inside a young woman’s mind — is reportedly titledInside Out; Disney’sSnow QueenretellingFrozengets a new logo; and an animation director’s roundtable breaks down the business.
Bleeding Coolgot word that the film is moving towards having an official title, and that the current choice, while not set in stone, isThe Inside Out. That seems mildly corroborated by the fact that a European Disney execrecently referred to the titlein an interview. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement from Pixar to be sure, but don’t be surprised when it crops up.
Moving over to Disney, there’s thisnew logoforFrozen, the new take on Hans Christian Anderson’s storyThe Snow Queen. The film features the voices ofKristen BellandIdina Menzel, and just recruitedWreck-It Ralphco-writerJennifer Bellto co-direct along withChris Buck.
That’s a lot less chilly than the last treatment we saw. Here’s the plot:
When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf, Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.
Finally, if you enjoyed last week’s directors roundtable from THR, you might also like this conversation from the LA Times, which featuresMark Andrews(Brave),Peter Ramsey(Rise of the Guardians),Chris Butler(ParaNorman),Rich Moore(Wreck-It Ralph) andGenndy Tartakovsky(Hotel Transylvania). In the hour-long talk, they discuss all manner of topics related to directing animation, from navigating the pitfalls of being a first-time feature director to using test screenings as a way to gauge a film’s comic effect.
