John Lasseter

With "WALL-E," Pixar at last takes the great leap forward many of us knew the company had in it. A "family movie" in name and MPAA rating only, it's a major visionary work, a sci-fi parable of astonishing scope and depth that is anchored by an adorable bucket of bolts and yoked to a sensibility that is - there's no other word for it - furious. It's also, by a substantial margin, the best American film of the year to date. The accomplishment of director Andrew Stanton, his co-writers Pete Docter and Jim Reardon, and the artists and computer jockeys who work under Pixar majordomo John Lasseter can be gauged by...

The animated Beatles movie "Yellow Submarine" has been carefully restored frame-by-frame for DVD release this year. Specialists worked for four months to individually clean each frame of the 1968 surreal tale by hand, the Beatles' holding company Apple Corps Ltd. said Tuesday. The specialists chose not to use automated software because of the delicate nature of the hand-drawn artwork, the company added. The colorful movie, a fantasy that features cartoon versions of the Beatles and images from some of their psychedelic songs, is currently out of print.

The animated Beatles movie "Yellow Submarine" has been carefully restored frame-by-frame for DVD release this year. Specialists worked for four months to individually clean each frame of the 1968 surreal tale by hand, the Beatles' holding company Apple Corps Ltd. said Tuesday. The specialists chose not to use automated software because of the delicate nature of the hand-drawn artwork, the company added. The colorful movie, a fantasy that features cartoon versions of the Beatles and images from some of their psychedelic songs, is currently out of print.

. CARS 2 Directed by: John Lasseter and Brad Lewis Written by: Ben Queen Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, and Michael Caine At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs, Jordan’s IMAX Reading and Natick Running time: 106 minutes Rated: G (machine guns, explosions, female cars adrool over male cars) This feels like the review in which I’m supposed to report that it has finally happened: Pixar has belched out a disaster and expects us to call it art. That “Cars 2’’ is the animation auteurs running on fumes, that it’s stuck in...

The Pixar Story 8 p.m., CNBC Ah, Pixar, blessed Pixar. You brought heart and wit back to the movies. Has this remarkable animation studio made a bad film yet? I can’t think of one. I can think of plenty of great ones, though: “Finding Nemo,’’ “The Incredibles,’’ “A Bug’s Life,’’ “Ratatouille,’’ and of course, the “Toy Story’’ series (pictured), especially “Toy Story 2.’’ Even less-than-great Pixar flicks (“Cars,’’ say, or “Monsters Inc.’’)

I think we can safely say at this point that Pixar has entered its Baroque period. When "Toy Story" came out in 1995, who would have guessed that within 15 years the company would be creating the richest, most resonant entertainments in Hollywood - on such subjects as culinary rats and a robot sentinel left in charge of a junkyard Earth? There is nothing, it seems, John Lasseter's house of soulful computer artisans can't do. Which is why "Up" comes as a shock. Its ambitions are emotional and visual rather than thematic, but on the most basic level the new film is pure vaudeville: a loopy flyaway fantasy that's...

. CARS 2 Directed by: John Lasseter and Brad Lewis Written by: Ben Queen Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, and Michael Caine At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs, Jordan’s IMAX Reading and Natick Running time: 106 minutes Rated: G (machine guns, explosions, female cars adrool over male cars) This feels like the review in which I’m supposed to report that it has finally happened: Pixar has belched out a disaster and expects us to call it art. That “Cars 2’’ is the animation auteurs running on fumes, that...

Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their “Toy Story’’ pals are back on the big-screen in a new adventure. The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack and other stars are featured in a “Toy Story’’ short film that runs before the Pixar Animation sequel “Cars 2,’’ which debuts in U.S. theaters Friday. “Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation’’ has Hanks’ Woody, Allen’s Buzz, Cusack’s Jessie the cowgirl and the other toys coming up with a scheme to give doll sweethearts Ken and Barbie (Keaton and Jodi Benson)

Pixar’s track record has been close to impeccable for turning out intelligent, emotionally rich, beautifully detailed animated films, with plenty of humor and heart to appeal to movie lovers of all ages. But the weak link in the chain, at least from a narrative standpoint, has always been 2006’s “Cars,’’ with its two-dimensional talking autos and hokey, borrowed tale of small-town life. Sure, it was bright and zippy, which was enough to appeal to the little ones, and it became a merchandising juggernaut.

‘Waking Sleeping Beauty,’’ a documentary about the revival of feature-length animation at Disney, begins somewhat alarmingly. “Between 1984 and 1994,’’ a title card announces, “a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever.’’ Uh-oh: cliché and hyperbole alert. Factor in that the director, Don Hahn, and producer, Peter Schneider, were longtime Disney insiders (Hahn’s the narrator and both are among the interviewees). Are your infomercial antennae twitching?

Even the animated world of Lightning McQueen and Mater the tow truck is testing new energy sources to replace fossil fuels. Pixar Animation mastermind John Lasseter says the company has no environmental agenda, but with “Cars 2,’’ the blockbuster outfit does tap into today’s eco-mindedness with a plot driven by oil vs. a cleaner alternative. Debuting in U.S. theaters Friday, “Cars 2’’ sends race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) on a World Grand Prix circuit whose organizer fuels the vehicles with a green alternative called Allinol, prompting the bad guys...

Pixar’s track record has been close to impeccable for turning out intelligent, emotionally rich, beautifully detailed animated films, with plenty of humor and heart to appeal to movie lovers of all ages. But the weak link in the chain, at least from a narrative standpoint, has always been 2006’s “Cars,’’ with its two-dimensional talking autos and hokey, borrowed tale of small-town life. Sure, it was bright and zippy, which was enough to appeal to the little ones, and it became a merchandising juggernaut.

Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their “Toy Story’’ pals are back on the big-screen in a new adventure. The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack and other stars are featured in a “Toy Story’’ short film that runs before the Pixar Animation sequel “Cars 2,’’ which debuts in U.S. theaters Friday. “Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation’’ has Hanks’ Woody, Allen’s Buzz, Cusack’s Jessie the cowgirl and the other toys coming up with a scheme to give doll sweethearts Ken and Barbie (Keaton and Jodi Benson)

The Pixar Story 8 p.m., CNBC Ah, Pixar, blessed Pixar. You brought heart and wit back to the movies. Has this remarkable animation studio made a bad film yet? I can’t think of one. I can think of plenty of great ones, though: “Finding Nemo,’’ “The Incredibles,’’ “A Bug’s Life,’’ “Ratatouille,’’ and of course, the “Toy Story’’ series (pictured), especially “Toy Story 2.’’ Even less-than-great Pixar flicks (“Cars,’’ say, or “Monsters Inc.’’)

‘Waking Sleeping Beauty,’’ a documentary about the revival of feature-length animation at Disney, begins somewhat alarmingly. “Between 1984 and 1994,’’ a title card announces, “a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever.’’ Uh-oh: cliché and hyperbole alert. Factor in that the director, Don Hahn, and producer, Peter Schneider, were longtime Disney insiders (Hahn’s the narrator and both are among the interviewees). Are your infomercial antennae twitching?

I think we can safely say at this point that Pixar has entered its Baroque period. When "Toy Story" came out in 1995, who would have guessed that within 15 years the company would be creating the richest, most resonant entertainments in Hollywood - on such subjects as culinary rats and a robot sentinel left in charge of a junkyard Earth? There is nothing, it seems, John Lasseter's house of soulful computer artisans can't do. Which is why "Up" comes as a shock. Its ambitions are emotional and visual rather than thematic, but on the most basic level the new film is pure vaudeville: a loopy flyaway fantasy...

That crashing noise you hear emanating from your local multiplex is the sound of Pixar trying something different -- and succeeding magnificently. "The Incredibles" is the first of the company's films to come with a PG rating, and it features not bugs, toys, monsters, or fish, but superheroes who fight dastardly villains and toss huge chunks of masonry around. There are explosions, there is civic destruction, there are scary bits. But there are also such emotions as despair, confidence, joy, envy, and affection.

"Meet the Robinsons" is the first movie to come out of Walt Disney Feature Animation since Pixar head John Lasseter took over the store last year, and, not surprisingly, it plays like Disney product with a shot of creative caffeine. Almost as funny as it is hyperactive, the new computer-animated family comedy is luscious to look at and as fizzy as a can of soda popped open in your face. Especially if you see it in 3-D, which you probably will. With "Robinsons," Disney is escalating the 3-D experiment it started with 2005's "Chicken Little ," and the film industry is...

With "WALL-E," Pixar at last takes the great leap forward many of us knew the company had in it. A "family movie" in name and MPAA rating only, it's a major visionary work, a sci-fi parable of astonishing scope and depth that is anchored by an adorable bucket of bolts and yoked to a sensibility that is - there's no other word for it - furious. It's also, by a substantial margin, the best American film of the year to date. The accomplishment of director Andrew Stanton, his co-writers Pete Docter and Jim Reardon, and the artists and computer jockeys who work under Pixar majordomo John Lasseter can be gauged by...