Ratatouille wins Oscar!

Brad poses with a smattering of a proud story crew. From left: Pete "A rat too loveable for for words" Sohn, Ted "A round of tequila shots for my friends" Mathot, Josh "Gray Leader checking in" Cooley, Mark "Rock you like a hurricane" Andrews, Brad "The Magnificent" Bird, Jim "My friend the Rat" Capobianco, Enrico "I'm gonna be a daddy" Casarosa, Ronnie "That's Mr. Biscuit Maker to you" del Carmen, Alex "I'll direct the smashing around here" Woo, Bill "You don't wanna mess with me" Presing. Image links to a larger look at these mugs.

Brad Bird brings the gold man home. There's something about Brad that inspires hero worship, we're no exception at Pixar (or, especially here). We gathered to salute him at the atrium with glasses of champagne in hand (cider for me. Allergies) and the crowd started to cheer as he walked into the building and through the crowd.

He was hoarse and started to say so but raised the Oscar to us as we applauded. He didn't miss the opportunity to say that the Oscar win was "...about you. It's for you."

"I'm keeping it." he quickly added, to laughter and applause. "But it's for you."

Ed Catmull wanted to highlight that Brad did a great thing by taking on the reigns of this movie. Ratatouille took a lot to finish, and Brad didn't have to jump in but he did. Brad's response, "Because there's something special about this place."

We all gathered around after the toasts and he graciously posed for pictures. Congratulations all around to all who worked on the movie. I'm glad to have been a part of it.

Ratatouille in Paris

Service with a smile. Brad Lewis, Brad Bird,Guy Savoy, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter. Food always brings wide open smiles from everyone. Kinda like animation does.

Bon Appetit! Ratatouille ruled this weekend (and a surprising Monday after as well). Congratulations to Brad Bird and crew! This is such a beautiful movie and I must say this is the very first animated feature I've ever seen that actually made me very hungry while watching it. I did story duties early in its production life and I love the way it turned out. If you haven't seen it you should go and check it out. Make sure you have dinner plans after.

And if you're wondering how the French premiere is going, well wonder no longer. Check it out here.


Disney and More blog

Pixar man of the hour: Lou Romano!

Above link to New Yorker Lou Romano cover--its available as a print!

Genius! I just love this! Pixar producer Jonas Rivera says that,"It's probably a record. A man starring in a major motion picture and having a cover to the New Yorker published all in the same month!" He's probably right. This is amazing not only for the unique confluence but it points to how good Lou is on many fronts. People who've worked with him know he's a very good actor which is now getting a major showcase as the voice of Linguini in Ratatouille; and this alongside the fact that his art and design work is of caliber right up there with the greats. All that wrapped in this humble, self-effacing genius. He'd demure heavily if you direct a compliment his way.

Congratulations, Lou, on Ratatouille and the New Yorker Cover!

Lou Romano
Lou Romano on Wikipedia
New Yorker
Ratatouille on Rotten Tomatoes