Papercraft Carl Fredricksen from Up (link roundup)

Download the Carl Fredricksen from Up paper toy here.

And a few more links:

1. There's an Assassin's Creed 2 Twitter game, complete with special edition of the Fail Whale.

2. You can see a still from the video game based on Burton's Alice in Wonderland here. Via.

3. Photo tour of a Netflix distribution center. Via.

4. Photo gallery of new iPod Touch and Nano cases indicate they will have built-in cameras. Via.

*Previously: Altair amigurumi.

*Buy Assassin's Creed action figures at eBay.

Creepy pipe (link roundup)

A Mongolian Death Worm created by artist "Epos257" snakes through Prague. See more photos here. Other installations by the artist include a giant bomb attached to a streetlight, and a face carved into ivy. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Design for a Jaguar covered with solar cells that shift to follow the sun.

2. Cute, a wedding where the groom wore a grape soda pin on his lapel in honor of Up. Via.

3. Captain EO sculptures by Jason Bahret.

4. An AT-AT enjoys a day at the beach.

*Previously: Video of a jumbo jet blowing people right off a beach into the water.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

Pop! Goes My Heart (link roundup)

In Music and Lyrics, Hugh Grant stars as a washed up member of an 80's group called PoP. The movie opens with "Pop! Goes My Heart," an homage to early 80's pop videos that manages to be hilarious and honestly enjoyable at the same time.

And a few more links:

1. No photos yet, but there are listings for toys based on James Cameron's Avatar at Amazon.

2. Up director Pete Docter talks about the movie's opening montage. Via.

3. Go here to see the trailer for the CryptoZoo, the game created by Jane McGonigal for the American Heart Association. I still thinks it mostly looks like a bunch of hipsters running around like fools.

4. Boy in an armored suit figurine.

*Previously: Up's illustrated script.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

Up color script

Lou Romano posted a huge gallery of images from the illustrated script for Up.

Relatedly, here's Up in the real world.

*Previously: Up posters by Eric Tan.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon's motorcycle helmet (link roundup)

The Creature from the Black Lagoon's motorcycle helmet by Filippo Cazzaniga for Yamaha.

And a few more links:

1. How to make an Ewok sock puppet.

2. "Comming Soon."

3. Coca-Cola uses an artificial sweetener called "Trivia" and PepsiCo has on called "PureVia." Seriously?

UPDATE: It's "Truvia" and you can learn more about the sweetener in the comments.

4. Entertainment Earth has the Eric Tan Up posters on sale (expensive).

*Previously: Helmet Girls cosplay.

*Buy historical helmets at eBay.

Thumbs up for Up, but...

Spoilers below...



I just saw Up. Like Wall-E, the first 20 minutes or so featured almost no dialogue and was the highlight of the movie. Beautiful, and it left me with a huge lump in my throat. The last hour was basically an extended chase sequence and was fine. I doubt I'd much want to see that portion again. The end of the movie left me with yet another huge lump in my throat. All in all, a solid movie. I'd rank it behind The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and probably both Toy Stories.

But. The movie also reminded me of Wall-E in that it featured a nerd's fantasy of love. The love story in Up is certainly not as creepy as the borderline date rape with a happy ending that was glorified in Wall-E, but it's still pathetic in it's own way. Ellie (pretty, thin, vivacious) falls hopelessly in love with Carl (nerdy, portly, clumsy) essentially at first sight and pursues him despite his hopeless dorkiness. At least Wall-E had to work his butt off to get the hot girl. I'm waiting for the Pixar movie where the stud falls for the homely girl.

Finally, if you're having trouble having kids, you probably do NOT want to see this movie.

*Previously: Up posters by Eric Tan.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

This is not a Lego minifig (link roundup)

Rene Magritte's Son of Man as a Lego minifig by Mike Stimpson. Here's his webstore.

And a few more links:

1. Relatedly: This is not a sign. And this is not a spy. Via.

2. Christian Robinson has posted several pages from the Up tie-in book Beware of Dug, $4 at Amazon.

3. Los Angeles County officials are trying to empty a homeless encampment under the 10 Freeway:

To reach the secret place they call the Cave, its denizens must climb a ladder toward a small, hard-to-notice opening in the tall concrete slab that helps hold up the 10 Freeway. They must squeeze beneath a rusty metal grating, balance on a ledge and descend a second ladder into thick, dead air and darkness. This is home, a vast, vault-like netherworld, strewn with garbage and syringes.

Photo link.

4. Absolutely fascinating article pointing out that time after time, companies that achieve huge market share don't raise prices.

*Previously: Wolverine by Magritte.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Up posters by Eric Tan

Posters Eric Tan created for Pixar's Up.

*Previously: Up papercraft.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

Up papercraft

Go here to download papercraft versions of Carl, Russell, and the house with balloons from Pixar's Up.

*Previously: Up concept art.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

Big gallery of Up concept art

Just a small sampling of the design paintings and simple animation tests Lou Romano created for Pixar's Up.

*Previously: Lego Carl Fredricksen.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

Lego Carl Fredricksen

Lego Carl Fredricksen (from Pixar's Up) by Angus MacLane. Bonus alternative lightsaber:



*Previously: Carl Fredricksen paper toy.

*Buy Up toys at eBay.

Pixar puts reporters in the air to promote UP!

As part of the promotion for Pixar's UP!, people actually get balloon rides:

Aloft above AmericaFor two months in the Spring of 2009, Carl Fredricksen's LazyBoy will become a real-world flying armchair, attached to a beautiful cluster of giant balloons! Partnered with a team of FAA certified balloon pilots, the Cluster Balloon LazyBoy will host aeronauts on tethered flight operations in 20 U.S. cities on a whirlwind tour of the country leading up to the film's launch!

The armchair flights will consist of a five-story tall cluster of colorful balloons carefully attached to the gondola, allowing Media VIP aeronauts to ascend to tethered altitudes above the city and experience the world of lighter-than-air flight in a very unique way!

All events have FAA commercial and gas rated pilots, and even the on-camera spokespeople will have specific LTA training. Great for the world of ballooning!

Here's the official site for the promotion. And you can read a description of the ride here. Via.

*Previously: Balloon monsters.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

UP posters by Paul Conrad (link roundup)

Paul Conrad created several posters for Pixar's Up and posted them here.

1. Good headline at Fark: If you mock hipsters, you're a hipster.

2. As if my last post about spiders wasn't creepy enough, read about the sex habits of the spider known as H. sadistica (seems like that's really it's name). Via.

3. BBQ joint dramatically improved business by placing a busty mannequin in a bikini outside. Via.

4. Check out Mitch "spacesick" Ansara's Atari Age-inspired blog header.

*Previously: Carl Fredricksen paper toy.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

Concept art for Pixar's Up

Go here for links to a whole bunch of concept art for Pixar's Up. Above, you can see Russell concept pieces, Carl aging, and the dashing Charles F. Muntz.

*Previously: Boy scouts rescued by Native Americans.

*Buy boy scout patches at eBay.

Carl Fredricksen from Up papercraft

Download the Carl Fredricksen from Pixar's Up paper toy here. Design by Bradley Lindsay.

*Previously: Papercraft Harpy and Kabuki Performer.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

Cool robot t-shirts (link roundup)

"I love you robot" and "Robots no follow" both on sale in this t-shirt shop. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. How to reward fans: Tell them they're going to see a showing of Wrath of Khan, then have Leonard Nimoy show up to tell them they're actually going to watch the new Star Trek movie. Via.

2. Squid with a disguise.

3. Sign up to Brian Colin's Twitter feed to win a custom vinyl monster toy.

4. Pixar's Up website includes several desktop wallpapers, a screensaver, and more.

*Previously: Jay Leno snuck into a press conference in disguise.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

Weird Up toys available for preorder

The description says:

Imported from Japan! Disney and Pixar take audiences on an imaginative journey this summer in Up! Carl Fredericksen, an elderly man who dreams of big adventures and open country, and Russell, a young Boy Scout, take flight and explore the world. The film's characters come to life in two Chara-Cororin figure sets, featuring deformed sculpts. This set includes both Carl/Kevin/Beta and Russell/Dug/Alpha packs. Each figure stands approximately 2" tall.

Available for preorder at the Big Bad Toy Store, which also has the black and white Mickey Mouse/Optimus Prime Transformer available.

*Previously: More...traditional Up toys.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

Clip from Pixar's Up

In this clip from Pixar's Up, Russell demonstrates his less than expert first aid skills. Animator Austin Madison says of the clip, "I had to take four weeks of first aid training to animate the shots of him demonstrating his command of bandaids."

Also at Austin's site, check out this vintage photo of the Band of Gundams.

*Previously: Toys from Up.

*Buy Pixar posters at eBay.

Retro Star Wars Poster, Up posters, Watchmen poster

60's style Star Wars poster by Russel Walks on sale for $30.


This Saul Bass-inspired poster is also by Walks and will apparently go on sale in the future.


AICN and /Film both have new Up posters.


Ozymandias African Relief Poster.

*Previously: Gallery of posters by Saul Bass.

*Buy Saul Bass posters at eBay.