Latest in Lee Unkrich

Lee Unkrich, one of the centerpiece creatives at the heart of Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios since its first movie Toy Story, said Friday he is leaving the company after 25 years. The director won two Oscars during his run, for helming Coco (last year) and 2010’s Toy Story 3. He also co-directed Pixar smashes Toy Sto…

Pixar’s colorful homage to Dia de los Muertos Coco took the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, but when co-directors Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina and producer Darla K. Anderson came backstage to celebrate, they were faced with the question of how they were dealing with the cloud of harassment hovering over…

It’s not just about heart, emotion and laughs with a Pixar film — there also is a tremendous amount of research and time that goes into getting its backdrops authentically right. That couldn’t be more the case than with the animation studio’s November hit Coco, which takes place during the Mexican holiday Dia de Los…

On Tuesday, Disney/Pixar’s Coco crossed the $400M mark at the worldwide box office. With a 97% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore, the animated pic from Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, has been No. 1 domestically since its November 22 opening. Earlier, it had become Mexico‘s all-time highest grossing m…

Winning an Oscar seven years ago for Toy Story 3—his solo directorial debut—Pixar’s Lee Unkrich looks to be a certain frontrunner again this year with his gorgeously colorful, thematically powerful Día de Muertos drama Coco. Centered on the young, musically-talented Miguel, the film charts the boy’s journey to the…

Pixar proves with its 19th feature film that not only has it not lost its touch, it’s getting better. In what may just be the most diverse ‘toon they have tackled yet, Coco takes us right from the heart of Mexico’s talent show Dia de Muertos to the Land of the Dead, where 12-year-old Miguel Rivera (voiced by Anthony…

As of this past Sunday, Disney/Pixar’s Coco was already the highest-grossing animated movie ever in Mexico. Today, it’s adding the title of the No. 1 film of all time there on a local currency basis. Through yesterday, its first 19 days of release drew 824M pesos ($43.1M). With today’s numbers folded in, it will pass…

In what could easily be deemed as the most entertaining panel of the day, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi took the stage at Deadline’s The Contenders event during the massive $118M+ opening weekend of the Disney Marvel film. “By the way, this is whisky and coffee,” Waititi shared, seemingly to explain his…

Parties, private screenings, Q&As and the first movie awards show of the season all in the span of 24 hours. It all proves we’re in full swing with just four months to go before the Oscars. The 14th Annual Hollywood Awards Gala drew an impressive star turnout Monday evening at the Beverly Hilton, the same room where…

No, it wasn’t a publicity stunt. I’m told that two people fainted during a screening hosted by Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich of Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours that took place Friday night at Pixar’s theater packed with about 300 people. Paramedics were called, the pair were declared fine, but it underscores once again the…