Abandoned Toy Story 3 Concepts Reveal a Fate Worse Than Sid

Remember that one scene in Toy Story 3 when Woody and his pals were being  rapidly sucked into the gaping molten hell-mouth of an industrial incinerator? Yeah, it could have been worse. The production of the third installment in the Toy Story franchise dates all the way back to 2004 (just five years after the release of Toy Story 2). Despite this, the final film would not see the light of a projection booth until 2010. So what happened?



In 2005, Pixar were in the midst of a "conscious uncoupling" from Disney. However, Disney still contractually retained the rights to create sequels to any of Pixar's properties produced during their initial 7-year contract, albeit complying with Pixar's right of first refusal. The contested film in question? None other than Toy Story 3.

A proxy animation-house named Circle 7 Animation (derisively nicknamed "Pixaren't") was created in 2004 to helm this new project. Few details emerged regarding this incarnation of the film; only the plot to rescue a malfunctioning Buzz from being decommissioned at a Taiwanese recall factory. Well, the concept art for that version has surfaced just in time for the holidays, and they are terrifying.

Special thanks to comicbookmovie.com and kudos to reddit user oz27varela for uncovering and compiling this treasure trove of production art!

The Amazing Art of Vance Kovacs

(Via)

The closest contemporary I can think of to compare Vance Kovacs' artwork to is Frank Frazetta. That may sound brazenly audacious at first, but after looking through Kovacs' high fantasy-infused warriors and CG-sculpted vistas, I rest happily knowing that the legacy of the late-great Frazetta lives on through the generation he inspired. And of which Kovacs is undoubtedly a part of.

Vance is a digital artist and illustration designer who has dabbled at the intersection of game design, publishing, and major motion pictures for more than 15 years. His previous clients include Disney, Warner Bros, Epic Games, Blizzard, and Paramount Studios; And has worked as a concept artist for such films as Narnia, Thor, John Carter, and MIB 3. Check out more of his awesome work after the break!

A Look At The Visual Origins Of Assassins Creed

The low profile stance exploration. (Via)

Doesn't it feel like the first Assassins Creed came out just yesterday? The original 2007 title truly left an impression with its sense of scale and exotic locations, intriguing combat, revolutionary animation systems and conspiracy heavy plot. Fast forward to 2012, and the Ubisoft's IP is reaching its fifth colonial flavored installment, with 7 spinoff titles on multiple platforms and a total of 38 million copies sold.

As a kind of look back, the official Assassin's Creed Facebook group recently posted an album talking about the genesis of the series with some truly interesting tidbits about the game. Among one of the facts they revealed with the concepts, the game originally started off development as a spinoff to the Prince Of Persia series. If you're as big of a fan as I am of seeing how a great IP's are visually developed, you'll get a kick out of the images after the break.