Carl and Ellie

Disney has released an image of the Carl and Ellie Up combo set that will be released at Comic Con and online on July 12 for $26.95. It is an LE 2000

This looks like a perfect representation of the two kids who we meet early in the Pixar movie Up. It is one of my favorite movies of all-time and although we only know these characters for a short while, they are two of my favorites. The use of ears is fantastic. Check out Comic-Con Explained for the rest of the lineup.

Spotlight On: Evilos' UP and Topiary Customs

Recently we received an email with two special pieces Evilos has been working on. We asked him a little about each piece and this is what he said...

"I made this for the VMK custom swap. Its a 3" figure painted sky blue and with airbrushed clouds. The house and balloons is made from a block of wood painted to look like the house. (Next Limited versions LE10 will have a JR. in place of the painted wood block). The wood block example is just a one off for the swap.

All placed together in a glass dome with wooden base. This "look" will be a staple of mine over the next few years, glass domes. I have plans on doing 9" custom dioramas in glass domes also.

I've made a Topiary version for Blind Bags Two LE10 and a One of a kind "Balloon Kid' version for the epilepsy charity Art From the Heart held at the UCLA campus, that sold in a silent auction.

I found out about the "Art From The Heart" event through my artist buddy Mike Peraza (Art Director for the Little Mermaid). The event would be one night where Disney Artists would talk about Epilepsy, have a Disney panel where they would talk about the movies they worked on and donate art to raise money for Epilepsy. The roster of Disney Animators was amazing. From Mike Peraza, Rob Minkoff (Director of Lion King), Ruben Procopio (Famed Disney Sculptor) and many more. There was also a good amount of Disney artists not in attendance who donated art like Larry Nikolai (Art Director for The Little Mermaid Ride and Disney Pin Designer) and plus many more.

I asked if I could be apart of this event and represent Vinylmation. He was very excited and added me to the artist list. I quickly began work on my two customs for the silent auction. One being a Purple Candy 9" Custom that would be signed by all the Disney panelist and a one of a kind Topiary entitled "From the Heart" where a little child holds a Red Mickey Balloon against a Purple/Green Mickey Topiary.

The event was a huge success, we raised awareness of Epilepsy. Both my Vinylmations sold at the silent auction to the biggest vinylmation collector in the world, Gabriel Luna.

The panelists talked for a couple hours about all the great times they had working on The Black Cauldron, Little Mermaid, Lion King and many more. It was very surreal to be grouped in with such Disney legends."
-Evilos

Congrats on the great work Evilos! If you'd like to find out more about the things mentioned in this post check out the following websites.

Face Book "Art From The Heart" Page, lots of info here.
facebook.com/artfromthehART

Evilos' Webpage
evilos.com

Evilos' Ebay Store:
ebay.com/sch/eojcollector/m.html

"Lofty Expectations" DV Review: Up

9" Park 6 Up

Artist: Maria Clapsis

LE: 1000

Price: $44.95

There was a lot of buzz outside D-Street this morning for this figure. Even though, in my eyes, two other great pieces were coming out, Up was the Vinylmation everyone wanted.

To me, it is the simplest of designs. It is just the floating house and a head full of balloons. Normally I like simple, but with such dynamic characters in Up AND no official Up Vinylmation released yet, I think myself and other fans were wondering why there were none on this piece. There is one simple answer... it doesn't need it. 

I was nervous that the Up Vinylmation wouldn't look too impressive in hand, but I was wrong. The artwork is done very well and they pulled off some good looking balloons in the head. 

And in true Maria fashion, she gives us something special near her signature. She customizes a little piece of art for each piece. On the bottom off this one is a hand drawn heart with "C + E" written in it for Carl loves Ellie. What a fantastic little touch!

Would it be cool to have a Kevin on the roof or a Carl in the window? Yes, but this is just a nice piece of artwork that represents the film well. There is a painting of the sky with a little floating up house way in the background. I love that painting. I like simple and subtle Disney merchandise. Two things here... the desire to have Up characters on vinyl and the fact that pictures don't do this one justice had me worried, but the final product is a must add to any Up's fan's collection.

Carl Fredricksen spotted by Spaceship Earth

Nick was able to snap this quick pic of Carl Fredricksen and his famous house flying by the EPCOT Spaceship Earth earlier this morning.

Up Is On The Way

What's your favorite Pixar movie? Mine is Up. It not only is a great Disney movie, but one of the truly great films ever made. What is it missing? It has amazing characters. You are emotionally connected to Carl from scene one. Kevin and Dug are comedic genius. Up has a beautiful storyline. It is real. It is sad and not everything works out as planned. But it is also uplifting. Up also takes viewers on a great adventure. It has everything... except an official Disney Vinylmation. Until now. Friday, June 24 is the release date for the 9" Maria Clapsis designed Park 6 Up (LE 1000 $44.95) at D-Street Orlando and California. So the movie has it all, but does the Vinylmation?

Take a peak. At first glance it looks like a beautiful piece. It has the house. It has the balloons. The design is well placed. But Up is a beautifully SQUIRREL!

Copyright Disney and Pixar

...drawn movie, and I would expect more beauty in this figure. Instead it just... gets by.

I would have liked to see more definition in the details. Like the clouds, the sky and the balloons. I really hope, when we see this figure in person, the balloons will not have poor, overlapping paint job that shows up in a few 9" vinyls.

Flip it over and you see... the back side of a house and balloons. The big miss on the 9" Up is the lack of characters. Up has some of the most beloved characters of any Pixar film, and they are not here. Carl peaking out the window. Russell on the front porch. Kevin on the roof. Something. Anything.

Copyright Disney and Pixar

This figure is kind of stuck in the middle to me. I'd take the lack of detail for some characters. I'd take the lack of characters for more detail. Let's be honest, as an Up fan, I'll probably pick it up unless I really don't like it in person. What about you? Is Up a must add to your collection?

Make sure you check back on Thursday for our Alien Encounter preview. Also, if this Up doesn't float your house, check out these previously featured customs.

Carl and Russell Customs

Kevin Custom