Customer Reviews

The Art of Up (Pixar Animation)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Length:: 0:25 Mins

If you're still wondering about the real story of Pixar's Up, this book provides very good clues (or spoilers). I'll just say it's about Carl, the old man, going on a journey in search for meaning to his life. The directive from the top was to make Up "the studio's most emotive film to date".

Tim Hauser has provided a good writeup into design style and production process of the movie. There's talk on the story arc, themes, the characters and a bit on the artistic side of production, like visiting a jungle for the research. The Pixar story team provided lots of quotes giving great insight into the story process. On the technical side to animating, nothing much is mentioned.

The challenge for this movie is aimed at simplicity. The character designs are based on simple shapes like squares (Carl), ovals (Russell, balloons), bullets (dogs), etc. I've the impression there are less sets and characters compared to other Pixar movies. There seem to be only the city, the sky (flying objects) and the jungle (big). You can see the focus is going to be on the characters.

The art included are character designs, storyboards, color scripts and few environmental paintings. Descriptions for the illustrations come in the form of quotes. There are lots of character sketches for the main characters, Carl, Russell and the house. Readers looking for the plot will find that in Lou Romano's colour scripts. It seems that there's a new (to me) character designer, Daniel López Muñoz, doing plenty of character sketches.

What you're not going to see are film stills, background paintings and pastels. No idea why but the number of background paintings always pales in comparison to non-Pixar art books. And there's only one pastel painting from Dominque Louis. I miss the pastel paintings included in earlier movie art books.

This book is really more for Pixar fans.

PS.

"Hey this doesn't look like one of Pixar's better art book is it?", a colleague remarks to me. Another goes "Not the kind of style I like". Well, I guess it's not for everyone but here are the pictures you can see for yourself. =)

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

Despite some critical reviews here (which I can understand their specific complaints, entirely), I find this book to be very gratifying. As an artist working in the field of illustration and animation (see my books, REJECTS, SKETCH INFECTUS - [...]), I find this book to be hitting the peak of "art-of animation" books. There is just enough to keep me interested and inspired, and if you've seen the film, it's a great supplement. Pixar keeps the art genuine and inspired, and this book shows exactly where their mindset is.

Bravo.

Up is a different sort of movie than is commonly made by anyone much less Pixar. The themes addressed in the film are gut wrenching as well as inspiring, and to really gain insight into the methods used to bring them to the screen required a different approach than the average "Art of" book.

Though I have been a fan of Pixar since they came on the scene, I have never been compelled to buy any of their previous "Art of" books. With Up, I was so profoundly moved by this masterwork of a film that I had to find out everything I could about the process of making it! This book does that and more. Filled with carefully chosen preproduction art that shows the evolution of all the major characters and settings, this work also presents the evolution of the perspectives of the creators as they changed throughout the process.

The layout of the book takes inspiration from a prominent volume in the film, with similar colors, a "paste up" style and a very nice emboss hidden under the dust jacket. The paper quality is superb, as is the binding. This is a book that is meant to be looked at often and for a long time.

Even though I would love to have seen ALL the art from Up included, I came away feeling very satisfied in that I had seen more than expected, and all of the "most important" pieces. If you are like me and simply had to have more of Up, this book satisfies that urge and more. For everyone else, The Art of Up is a loving look at the masters of storytelling at work!

art of? making of? quotations?; dunno, but this book is a bit boring,

The drawings are great, the artwork is as always superb, ... but why all those quotations, 65 of them taking up al that space, with an ugly 'like written' type for the name of the person, a type screwing up the pages.
There's sometimes one every page, and some are oppressing signed one_liners becoming more 'important' than the drawings.

It's a thing that didn't bother me with the Ratatouille book, these 'notes' and in Up it's maybe just a layout problem, (We love people explaining the creative process behind the movie).
In the Ratatouille book the type was smaller, they were lesser, more concentrated, more instructive with the artwork, closer to the drawings, quotations accompanying the drawings.
In UP I sometimes had the feeling of drawings almost being secondary.

There are 14 of such notes in Monsters, none in The Shorts art book, one of the best art books out there.

So 5 stars for the amazing art_work, minus two for the editing.

This book is a must for every artist. An animator, character designer, director or production designer.

You will find everything about directing an animation's visuals and art styles.

You will also have learned from a giant called Pixar.

Do not miss this book. Highly recomanded .

Beautiful Book!
I have my fair share of Disney Pixar Art books, and while I love them all, this one is one of my favorites.
It's divided into classic Movie Art Book sections, but all the art is wonderful! The character design sketches for Mr. Fredrickson on the inside cover are just endearing, and I particularly like that aspect of the book.
While a lot of the art is digital now, much of it was also brilliant gouache, which is lovely.
I recommend this for any collector of art books, or even if you're just an avid fan of the movie, because it really is a wonderful companion to the film itself.

Chronicle books is well-known for beautiful and lavish books concerning the art behind many of today's modern animated films.

The Art of Up is no exception.

Author Tim Hauser is a graduate of the CalArts Character Animation Program and has been a writer, creative executive and producer. He also wrote The Art of Wall-E. The Pixar blog has a great interview with Tim about the experience of writing the book.

When I saw Up in 3D, I left the theater a little perplexed. I knew it was a great film, but, personally, I felt like the high points were the talking dogs; it was beautiful, engrossing and the comedy was top-notch. To me, though, I was missing a connection. After ruminating on the movie for a few days, I took The Art of Up from the shelves to review it. As I read the book, I saw the intent of the filmmakers to tell the story of a man's journey--not just through him, but through everyone and everything in his life.

As expected, the book is a visual delight. Each page is filled with glorious images from the pre-production of the film. Storyboards, concept art, sketches and digital paintings help to define the look and feel of the story. Hauser was able to capture the filmmakers' journey in bringing the project to fruition. One of the surprises for me lay in the area of character development. The artists coined the term simplexity to describe the process of designing the characters:

"...the art of simplifying an image down to its essence. But the complexity you layer on top of it--in texture, design, or detail--is masked by how simple the form is. 'Simplexity' is about selective detail." (Ricky Nierva, p. 18)

Most of the major characters follow a fairly simple shape format (Carl is a square, Ellie is a circle) which helps convey the internal makeup of the character. The insights proffered lead the reader into a deeper understanding of the growth of the film, from a concept vehicle into a major motion picture.

In terms of the design of the world, the filmmakers took great care in developing Carl's house. Not only did it symbolize everything tying Carl to his life (and Eleanor) but it was a character in the film, as well. The house was created in miniature, modeled in computer space and decorated according to Carl and Eleanor. The filmmakers realized that they needed to create the interiors with simplexity in mind. Especially with so many shots of the inside during flight and fight sequences.

As beautiful as the artwork is, the text written by Tim shares equal weight. He was able to interview almost everyone associated with the production process about the important challenges that were needed to be overcome. Tim brings us along during the trip to South America to see the vistas that inspired the production. Another world opens before our eyes and we read the thoughts and feelings of the artists as they travel through Carl's world. Peppered liberally throughout the text are quotes pertaining to the subject--some are from the filmmakers and some are from famous names in history.

Any Pixar or modern animation fan will love this title. If you are a fan of Up, then you need to add this book to your collection--it is an essential and seminal work. I applaud Tim and Chronicle books for creating such a lavish work. Up fans will treasure this book for many years to come. The hardcover (under the jacket) has "My Adventure Journal" pressed into it, just like the movie. My youngest son has now claimed the book and loves looking at the pictures. Together.

When you have seen the movie, and you want to know more about the making of it, this book will give you a wonderful insight. The creation of the characters and the world in which UP! plays is beautifully depicted and described.

These 'Art Of ...' books are not exactly what someone might think. They are not the art of the film, per se, but the art that was used by the creators along the way while they made their final decisions about what everything, from characters to backgrounds to heroes and villains, will eventually look like when the film is done. They're better suited for art and film students to see the creative process in action than fans of the film looking to relive a special moment that meant so much to them while they watched it on the screen.

That said, they are a wonderful addition to your library, and I can't recommend the Pixar ones highly enough. :)

Great book; details what creating such a great film entails. Lots of creative people with creative ideas. I highly recommend this as a gift and/or keep for yourself.