Although it is commonly known that the Pixar film Newt is no longer in development, back on September 3, 2010, the official Pixar Facebook page released a series of images from Pixar artists highlighting some of the beautiful concept art that fueled the film’s early development. We may have thought that was the last we’d see of any Newt artwork, but on March 3, 2011, Jason Deamer released some additional artwork on his Facebook page.
LOGOS
Well, after a long hiatus of artwork, (thanks to the Pixar Blog’s watchful eye – UPDATED Pixar Blog link removed, the post is no longer active) they noticed that Katy Wu (not currently at Pixar) had posted some additional work to her personal blog.
Below is a set of artwork released from now, back to 2010.
Katy Wu’s recently released artwork (for a view of all of her artwork, head to her blog here).
KATY WU’S NEWT CONCEPT ART
JASON DEAMER’S NEWT CONCEPT ART
DOMINIQUE LOUIS’ NEWT CONCEPT ART
The artwork from Dominique was included in an interview with him on Canalblog.
ADDITIONAL NEWT CONCEPT ART
Here is a sample of the original set of artwork that was released on the Pixar Facebook page.
SCULPTS
ANNOUNCEMENT PHOTOS
SlashFilm posted some details from the 2008 Disney Animation Presentation (with details from Ain’t It Cool News).
Here’s what Ain’t It Cool News said about the Newt from the presentation on April 9, 2008.
Set to be released in Summer of 2011, directed by Gary Rydstrom, who is famous for working sound design for Cameron, Lucas and Spielberg as well as directing the great Pixar short LIFTED. Rydstrom came out wheeling a complicated 9 part Newt mating ritual chart, like you’d find in a science lab or biology class. Rydstrom says the film is about the last two blue footed newts on this earth, a male and a female, who are thrown together by science and can’t stand each other. Newt, our lead, has been in captivity since he was a tadpole. He’s lonely. His only friend is a lifeless sock puppet. He can see the mating ritual chart from his cage and practices day in and day out, getting ready for scientists to capture him a girlfriend. “And who can’t relate to that?” asks Rydstrom. Unfortunately, the 9th and final step is obscured by a Mr. Coffee, so he doesn’t know how the ritual ends. “It’s the way of life. You wanna know step 9 and there’s a Mr. Coffee in front of it.” Brook is the name of the last female Blue-Footed Newt. She is in the wild and has no idea she’s the last female of her species. She escapes all sorts of dangers in her day to day life, including being evasive of these crazy biologists who are always chasing her. Rydstrom describes her evasive capabilities as making her an “amphibious Errol Flynn.” One day they catch her and bring her back to the lab and present her to Newt. They have “the world’s worst first date” before through circumstance they both end up in the wild. Newt is worthless out here, but Brook gets him through the trials. They meet a character named Eddie, a giant Hellbender Salamander, who is a ladies man and passes along his incredibly shallow ideas of love to Newt. Of course, they predictably don’t work. “Newt is a movie about how finding a mate never goes as you expect even, make that especially, if you only have one choice.” Looked cute enough, but I didn’t really see enough to really feel strongly one way or the other. I loved what Rydstrom did with LIFTED, so I’m game to see him take on this project.
SYNOPSIS
What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can’t stand each other? That’s the problem facing Newt and Brooke, heroes of “newt,” the Pixar film by seven-time Academy Award(R) winner for sound Gary Rydstrom, and director of Pixar’s Oscar-nominated short, “Lifted.” Newt and Brooke embark on a perilous, unpredictable adventure and discover that finding a mate never goes as planned, even when you only have one choice. Love, it turns out, is not a science.
