Pixar Movie Posters From Around the World

When a film hits theaters, very few people ever think about how it will be contextualized around the world. Often, we assume that one size fits all. But the truth is, culture matters. And so marketing departments will research the best ways to communicate a product they are attempting to sell in the language of the people they are trying to reach.

Although it is fascinating to see these Pixar movie posters using words and phrases tailored to a culture, I am mostly fascinated with the changes made to each film title.

Check out some of these wonderfully designed Pixar movie posters in their drastically contextualized forms.

Brave, 2012. ©Disney/Pixar. 

Toy Story, 2010. ©Disney/Pixar. 

UP, 2009. ©Disney/Pixar. 

Monsters University, 2013. ©Disney/Pixar. 

Cars 2, 2011. ©Disney/Pixar. 

Finding Nemo, 2004. ©Disney/Pixar. 

6 Spectacular Pixar-Inspired Art Mashups

One of the things I appreciate about fan art is seeing how people take a popular idea, character or universe and completely reimagine it. As I was browsing the web for inspiration this week, I was delighted to see so many Pixar enthusiasts do this so well. Here are just 6 Pixar-inspired pop cultural mashups that are worth talking about. 

X-Men meets Pixar mashup. 3D render by Victor Hugo. 

Star Wars meets UP mashup. Illustration by James Hance. 

Ghostbusters meets Cars mashup. Digital illustration by Joey Ellis. 

UP meets Toy Story meets Monsters Inc. meets The Incredibles mashup. Illustration by Pamela Barbieri.

Breaking Bad meets Toy Story mashup. Illustration by Dave MacDowell.

Wall-E meets E.T. mashup. Poster illustration by Luke Flowers. 

Interview with Writer and Illustrator Jerrod Maruyama of The Pixar Times

I recently had the privilege of asking the extraordinarily talented Jerrod Maruyama of The Pixar Times three questions about his love for art and all things Pixar. Below are his answers.

Signing at the Huckleberry booth – Comic Con 2013 (Photo by Jian Shen of BEARO)

1. Pixar has told incredible stories over the years. Is there one particular story sequence in any of their films that has impressed you the most? 

There are two that come to mind instantly. They are structurally and thematically very similar. Jessie's montage in Toy Story 2 and the Married Life Montage from UP both deal with great happiness and great loss. These scenes truly define the characters they feature and set up their story arc eloquently. They are, of course, touching and emotional so they stay with you long after the film ends. But they also elevate the films they're featured in. I think Carl and Ellie's scene in particular is so powerfully effective and comes so early in the film that it takes you by surprise. And you have to love a film that finds a way to surprise its audience.

Jessie's montage. Toy Story 2, 1999. ©Disney/Pixar. 

2. One of my favorite works of yours is the Pixar-inspired piece titled, Kawaii UP. Besides the film, what other things influenced this piece? 

My love of all things cute it is a constant source of inspiration for all of my work. I have such love for that film and the characters that I wanted to pay tribute in some way. Putting my own "kawaii" spin on these fantastic designs just seemed the natural thing to do. It's what I love to do.

Kawaii UP by Jerrod Maruyama. 

3. Many creatives are fearful of making pop cultural references in their works for fear of compromising the integrity of the original character or property. How would you encourage an artist to explore their own style in the process?

That's a difficult question to answer. I don't believe there is one "right" way to do anything. I think you have to do what comes naturally. Try to find what appeals to you about the character. Animated characters are already caricatures of real life. So in many ways, fan art is a caricature of a caricature. You just have to find some appealing aspect of the subject and either exaggerate that characteristic or go in a completely opposite direction. Either way, you have to bring something to the depiction. Otherwise it just looks off-model.

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Want to check out more of Jerrod's work? Make sure to visit his site by clicking here.

Pixar Inspired Photography

Photographers eager to participate in the Pixar benefit exhibition are free to get creative with engagement shoots, lifestyle portraits, or landscape photography. 

Top: Savi Yummy (Brave cosplay). Bottom: Joy-Harmon-Prouty (Up engagement shoot)

Ideas are everywhere. Recreate a scene from Cars, reference the architecture as seen in Ratatouille, or have your friends dress up like The Incredibles. 

To complete the entry form, click here. All show pieces must be submitted by Tuesday, September 30th.

Kim Jae Hwan (Monsters Inc.). 

Joel Robinson (Toy Story). 

Now Accepting Show Entries

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Original UP Artwork Features Carl, Russell, & Dug As Wilderness Explorers by Greg Wright via Pixar Times. 

We hope you will consider exhibiting your artwork at For the Love of Pixar. The art benefit will be held Saturday, October 11th, 2014 at the San Diego Business Center.

Artists eager to participate in this exhibition must complete this entry form by Friday, August 1st - click here. The deadline is fast approaching, so please reserve your place in the exhibition right today. 

Artwork credit: Greg Wright