Pixar Announces THE GOOD DINOSAUR and DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Pixar has revealed the title of their upcoming dinosaur film, The Good Dinosaur, which is set to be released on May 30th, 2014. The movie envisions a world in which the asteroid that hit the earth and killed all dinosaurs ended up missing Earth. The result has been described as a hilarious tale depicting a world where dinosaurs never went extinct. The movie is being directed by Bob Peterson (co-director/writer, Up, Finding Nemo) and is being produced by John Walker (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant).

The studio also announced a new animated film project they're working on based on the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson are heading up the film's production. Dia de los Muertos means Day of the Dead, and here's a description of the holiday:

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The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1"2, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world: In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

The studio also set a release date of June 19th, 2015 for director Pete Doctor's new movie, Untitled Pixar Movie that Takes You Inside the Mind. The film will take us on a journey inside a little girl's mind where her emotions are the characters.

All of these films seem to go back to Pixar's classic storytelling formula. I don't think any of them will be as good as their upcoming movie Brave, though. I like how that movie broke the mold of what they're known for doing.