Saturday, March 27, 2010

Woohoo, I'm going to Pixar!

Last week, I received a very special invitation from Pixar to travel to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit the studios in Emeryville (generally closed to the public) for two days of fun and excitement!

Needless to say, I'm thrilled out of my mind. As a fan, visiting Pixar has been a dream of mine for a very long time. Gonna geek out BAD!! I greatly appreciate the fact that Pixar invited me for this.

I'll be leaving for San Francisco on Wednesday morning. That afternoon, Greg from Pixar Talk, Martin from Upcoming Pixar, and myself will be treated to a “special tour” of 1200 Park Avenue (it better include the Renderfarm!) and more. Looking forward to meeting both of them in person, too.

Then on Thursday, April 1 I'll be back at the studios for a variety of presentations on 'TS3' and an opportunity to chat with director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson. I head back to Toronto on Friday.

Well, that's about all I can say right now. You probably won't see much new here March 31 to Apr. 2, but be sure to follow @The_Pixar_Blog on Twitter for updates.

42 comments:

sathya said...

Good luck mike, Its awesome to hear :D :D :D and do upload some photos of PIXAR and pixarians and some interesting stuffs. We will be waiting for your updates :) Cheers man :D

IonBuck said...

Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Nice! Make sure to take pics if possible! Also let us know if Toy Story 3 is living up to the hype! Without too many spoilers of course. ;D

Maybe make a video blog? :O

Anyway, have fun!

timothy said...

Good luck! Have fun :)

Michiel Veenstra said...

Guess we'll be meeting in person then... I'm the lucky Dutch guy to receive the same treatment :-)

Anonymous said...

WOW! Congratulations Mike, that's fantastic. Have fun!

I second what sathya said, tell us EVERYTHING!

Anonymous said...

Wow, have fun! I knew I should have kept updating my Pixar blog :P

Siu said...

Congrats! Have fun there!

Mike Elliott said...

Awesome! Hope you've got your passport.

Mike said...

Thank-you all for the positive comments. And I will have fun!

acooper2 said...

You lucky dog! There is no measure to how envious I am of you right now. Wear a camera on your head or something. I want to know everything that happens!

Jordan said...

Did I ever mention I got to visit DreamWorks' studio in Redwood City once? My dad knows someone who works there. I got to see all kinds of artifacts from past films like Shrek 2, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda, plus I got to see concept art from How to Train Your Dragon months before it came out.

Someday, I hope to get into Pixar, too. In the meantime, have fun Mike!

Anonymous said...

Um, April Fool's? Early? That is totally amazing and awesome for you if it is true though. Luckiest of ducks if you're for real. If not, you have bested me good sir! ;p

Catmando said...

You'll definitely enjoy it. I got the opportunity to go once. Pour a bowl of cereal for me...

Molly Mouse said...

Have fun!! Take LOTS of pics for us outsiders. :P

Anonymous said...

That's awesome, Mike! Who invited you - Lee Unkrich?

Take lots of pictures. If you don't have a good camera, get one! Oh yeah, and bring lots of money - for the Pixar store!

k. borcz said...

LUcky DUCKY!!!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an April Fool's Day joke to me...

Mike said...

Not an early April Fools' Day joke; I knew some people would think that.

Anonymous said...

jealous

Anonymous said...

LUCKY!!!!

Sean Choe said...

Wow... I'm SO jealous!! Congrats!! :)

luizacls said...

OH MY GOD!!!!!!! I am so jealous of you right now!!! Congratulations, you totally deserve this for all this time and dedication! And we have to admire Pixar for being so considerate with its fans!
Enjoy the visit, come back and tell us all about it!

Anonymous said...

Just a note Mike, you wrote "You probably won't see much new here March 1 to Apr. 2,"

BTW, you don't have to actually upload this comment, just wanted to let you know...

Leirin said...

Wishing I were there! I'm surprised you've never been at Pixar before, but oh well, wish you luck and have fun!

Anonymous said...

jealous jealous jealous jealous jealous jealous jealous :-)

Anonymous said...

Congrats Mike - who was the invite from???

Mike said...

Pixar Worldwide Publicity.

Carla Anne Miyon said...

That's great! Enjoy! =)

Anonymous said...

Bon voyage Mike! Have fun!

ckat13 said...

Wow, as they've already said on the comments, lots of pictures of whatever they let you photograph! Play-by-play of the events and all, if it's not too much trouble. Trip of a lifetime, right?

:D

Russell said...

That is so awesome! Do you have everything ready for your trip? Passport, plane tickets, American money, camera, etc.

I know this may sound like a silly/strange question: but is this an all expenses paid trip? I'm just curious how many benefits there really are from the blogging world...; )

Mike said...

Russell: I do have everything ready for the trip. Your question is not silly; Pixar is taking care of the air travel and two nights hotel (the Four Seasons S.F.).

markwilliamsjr said...

That is such awesome news. Congrats and have a great time. Looking forward to your report/pics.

Anonymous said...

Wow! A paid trip - you must be so excited!!! How much lead time did you get to get ready? Good luck - look forward to hearing all of your stories about it later! BTW, will you be bringing a laptop?

jaclynclaire said...

omg, Congrats! I hope you have a great time - I would LOVE the chance to visit Pixar. I've been lucky to get on the Disney Lot a few times and it's just the most fun.

Pics and video would be MUCH appreciated as well :)

http://jaclynclaire.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

You truly are really lucky Mike. For all of the advertising and support you've given Pixar over the years, you deserve this. Good luck with your trip - I hope you don't have to leave too early in the morning, although the airport's in Mississauga, right?

Have fun, and record everything. Hope you're bringing a notebook to jot down little notes about everything from the building to the people there!

This is really an opportunity of a lifetime - I hope to see the studios myself some day. So, are there any Pixarians in particular that you hope to meet?

I'd be jealous, but there's really no point. I don't even run a Pixar blog, lol! I guess I'll have to find some other way to get to the studios... Maybe get a job there... Anyway, congratulations, and tell us everything!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I am excited- but how come Martin and Greg have not announced it yet?

Nate said...

On this day, over 200 people start their own Pixar Blog....

Have a nice trip Mike!

Ethneliane said...

Mike, I'm so happy for you! I hope you've had lots of fun on that trip! It's one of my biggest dreams to take a tour of Pixar... may be someday... :D Post please! we are dying to read about it!!

Matt said...

Make sure you get a Pixar Jacket. It will turn some heads! I got one when I went for my own visit!

Mike said...

Back from Pixar! Check @The_Pixar_Blog on Twitter right now and come back here tomorrow for loads of details...