Toy Story 3 coming in 2009
Lee Unkrich to direct Toy Story 3, not Lasseter
Yes, Virginia, there is a Toy Story 3. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will return as Woody and Buzz but Toy Story 2 co-director Lee Unkrich will direct this time around.
(Source: www.comingsoon.net)
John Lasseter and Disney Animation president Ed Catmull have confirmed that Disney/Pixar will produce and release Toy Story 3 in 2009.
Speaking at an investor's conference on Thursday, Lasseter revealed crucial details about the latest Toy Story installment, the only movie franchise Pixar has ever produced. Both Tom Hanks (the voice of Woody) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) will return as their respective characters, but Lee Unkrich will direct instead of Lasseter.
Unkrich is a Pixar veteran. He co-directed Toy Story 2 with Lasseter, Monsters Inc. with Pete Docter and David Silverman and Finding Nemo with Andrew Stanton. Unkrich also edited A Bug's Life and both Toy Story 1 and 2. This will be his first sole directing credit on a feature film.
Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) has been tapped to write Toy Story 3's script.
Lasseter praised last year's merger of Pixar and Disney, saying, "The greatest thing about the merger of the two companies is that the creators of Toy Story 1 and 2 can make 3 with the story that we wanted."
Disney was working on a Toy Story 3 without Pixar before Disney CEO Robert Iger bought Pixar last April for $7.4 billion.
Lasseter also announced that Chris Williams will take over on the moribund American Dog, taking over for Lilo and Stitch director Chris Sanders, who recently left Disney. Williams wrote the scripts for both Mulan and The Emperor's New Groove.
During the conference, Catmull denied that Disney was going to become a cel animation-only studio, although he did say that he wanted to bring back Disney's legendary cel animation unit.
