Best Animated Feature Oscar Winner: WALL-E

The film "WALL-E" Wins the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film

"It's been such an inspiration to spend time with a character who so tenaciously struggles to find the beauty in everything that he sees. It's a noble aspiration to have at times like these. I dearly want to thank everyone that's been on this film: the cast, the crew, everybody at Disney and Pixar Studios."

After hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knickknacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator).

EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy.

WALL-E - 6 Academy Award Oscar Nominations

[ WALL-E Movie Review ]

What if mankind had to leave Earth and somebody forgot to turn off the last robot?

That's the intriguing and whimsical premise posed by Disney•Pixar's extraordinary new computer-animated comedy set in space, "WALL-E." Filled with humor, heart, fantasy, and emotion, "WALL-E" takes moviegoers on a remarkable journey across the galaxy and once again demonstrates Pixar's ability to create entire worlds and set new standards for storytelling, character development, out-of-this-world music composition, and state-of-the-art CG animation.

Set in a galaxy not so very far away, "WALL-E" is an original and exciting comedy about a determined robot. After hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knickknacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most incredible comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across the universe 800 years into the future is a hilarious cast of characters, including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

The ninth feature from Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, "WALL-E" follows the studio's most recent triumph, "Ratatouille," which won an Oscar® for Best Animated Feature, garnered the best reviews for any 2007 release, and was a box-office hit all over the globe. The combined worldwide box-office gross for Pixar's first eight releases is an astounding $4.3 billion.

"WALL-E" is the latest film from Academy Award®-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton, who joined Pixar in 1990 as its second animator and the fledgling studio's ninth employee. He was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar nomination in 1996 for his contribution to "Toy Story" and was credited as a screenwriter on subsequent Pixar films, including "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc.," and "Finding Nemo," for which he earned an Oscar nomination as co-writer. Additionally, he co-directed "A Bug's Life," executive-produced "Monsters, Inc." and the 2007 Academy Award®-winning "Ratatouille," and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for "Finding Nemo."

Disney•Pixar's "WALL-E," directed by Andrew Stanton from an original story by Stanton and Pete Docter and a screenplay by Stanton and Jim Reardon, is executive-produced by John Lasseter and produced by Jim Morris ("Star Wars: Episode I" and "Episode II," "Pearl Harbor," "The Abyss," and three of the "Harry Potter" films), who helped create some of the industry's groundbreaking visual effects during his 18-year association with ILM as president of Lucas Digital. Lindsey Collins, an 11-year Pixar veteran, serves as co-producer; Thomas Porter is associate producer. Oscar®-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins serves as visual consultant.

The voice cast includes funnyman Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger ("Cheers," "Ratatouille," "Toy Story"), actress Kathy Najimy ("Sister Act," "King of the Hill"), stage and film star Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Gorillas in the Mist," "Baby Mama"), and acclaimed four-time Oscar®-winning sound designer Ben Burtt ("E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"). Comedian Fred Willard ("Best in Show," "Back to You") also appears in the film.

WALL-E's expressive range of robotic voices was created by Burtt, whose memorable work includes creating the "voices" of other legendary robots, such as R2-D2 (from the "Star Wars" films). Drawing on 30 years of experience as one of the industry's top sound experts, Burtt was involved from the film's earliest stages in creating an entire world of sound for all of the robotic characters and the spacecraft, as well as all environments.

The original score for "WALL-E" is composed by eight-time Oscar® nominee Thomas Newman, who had previously worked with Stanton on "Finding Nemo." Rock-and-roll legend Peter Gabriel collaborated with Newman on an original song called "Down to Earth." Gabriel wrote the lyrics for this captivating and clever musical epilogue and performed the song as well.

A World of Robots & Other Bots: The Who's Who in "Wall-E"

WALL-E is the last robot left on Earth, programmed to clean up the planet, one trash cube at a time.

However, after 700 years, he's developed one little glitch—a personality. He's extremely curious, highly inquisitive, and a little lonely.

WALL-E was one of thousands of robots sent by the Buy n Large corporation to clean up the planet while humans went on a luxury space cruise.

He is alone, except for the companionship of his pet cockroach, affectionately known within Pixar's walls as Hal (named after a famous 1920s producer, Hal Roach, and in homage to HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey").

WALL-E faithfully compacts cubes of trash every day, uncovering and collecting artifacts along the way. In fact, WALL-E has amassed a treasure trove of knickknacks—a Rubik's Cube®, a lightbulb, a spork—which he keeps in a transport truck he calls home. A bit of a romantic, WALL-E dreams of making a connection one day, certain that there must be more to life than this monotonous job he does every day.

His dream takes him across the galaxy and on an adventure beyond his greatest expectations.

EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator)

EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is a sleek, state-of-the-art probe-droid. She's fast, she flies, and she's equipped with a laser gun.

EVE, also called Probe One by the captain of the Axiom (the enormous luxury mother ship which houses thousands of displaced humans), is one of a fleet of similar robots sent to Earth on an undisclosed scanning mission.

EVE has a classified directive, and she is determined to complete her mission successfully.

She hardly even notices her new admirer, WALL-E. One day, frustrated with not finding what she is looking for, she takes a break and develops an unexpected bond with this quirky robot. Together, they embark on an amazing journey through space.

M-O (Microbe-Obliterator) is a cleaner-bot programmed to clean anything that comes aboard the Axiom that is deemed a "foreign contaminant." M-O travels speedily around the Axiom on his roller ball, cleaning the dirty objects he encounters. His biggest challenge comes on the day WALL-E shows up on the ship. M-O becomes fixated on the filthiest robot he has ever seen. A game of cat and mouse ensues as M-O attempts to wash years of garbage residue off WALL-E. However, as WALL-E tries to escape this pest, the two eventually become friends, and M-O is soon WALL-E's devoted sidekick.

AXIOM is the space-docked ship housing humans. Serving as the voice of the ship's computer is Sigourney Weaver, who coincidentally made her motion-picture debut in "Alien," one of Stanton's inspirations for the film. And since her character in "Alien" battled Mother, the ship's computer, casting Weaver in the role was ultimately a nod to sci-fi for the filmmakers.

CAPTAIN is the current commander of the Axiom. Trapped in a routine, like WALL-E, the captain longs for a break in the tiresome cycle of his so-called life. His uneventful duties are simply checking and rechecking the ship's status with Auto, the autopilot. When he is informed of a long awaited discovery by one of the probe-droids, he discovers his inner calling to become the courageous leader he never could have imagined and plots a new course for humanity. Jeff Garlin, part of the hilarious ensemble cast on the popular HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," lends his voice to this likeable character.

AUTO is the Axiom's autopilot, who has piloted the ship through all of its 700 years in space. A carefully programmed robot in the form of the ship's steering wheel, Auto's manner is cold, mechanical, and seemingly dutiful to the captain. Unknown to all the Axiom crew, a hidden mandate exists in Auto's programming. Auto is determined to execute these secret orders at any cost, regardless of the consequences for the inhabitants of the Axiom.

REJECT BOTS are the Axiom's cornucopia of robots that perform every function imaginable to serve the ship's passengers and keep them in the lap of luxury. However, even hundreds of years in the future, machines are still fallible. Robots that have malfunctioned are sent to the repair ward and branded with a red boot. WALL-E befriends this renegade group of reject bots, among them a beautician-bot that fails to beautify her clients, a vacu-bot that erroneously spits out dirt, and an umbrella-bot that opens and closes at inopportune moments. The misfit robots band together with WALL-E to change the fate of the Axiom.

GO-4 is the Axiom's first mate, who harbors a secret with the autopilot. A roving pneumatic capsule with a siren light for a head, he is dutiful to a fault.

JOHN and MARY are two of the humans living on the Axiom, where they have settled into a life of pampered luxury. The arrival of WALL-E jolts them from their daily routines and causes them to realize the existence of one another and that there may be more to life than floating around on their high-tech deck chairs. Pixar veteran/good-luck charm John Ratzenberger lends his voice to the character of John, while actress/ comedienne Kathy Najimy ("Sister Act," "King of the Hill") speaks for Mary.

SHELBY FORTHRIGHT is the personable and charming CEO of the Buy n Large corporation, the massive global entity that gained control of the universe with its product line of robots (including the WALL-E line) and luxury space cruisers (like the Axiom). The corporation's promises of a great, big, beautiful tomorrow echo on through Forthright's digital messages even though things haven't turned out according to plan. Fred Willard ("Best in Show," "Fernwood 2 Night") appears in the film as the face of the company.

WALL-E: About the Cast

JEFF GARLIN's (Captain) talent encompasses writing, producing, directing, acting, and performing stand-up comedy.

Garlin both co-stars and executive-produces the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The unique comedy stars "Seinfeld" creator Larry David, with Garlin portraying his loyal manager. The critically acclaimed series has won numerous awards, including the Golden Globe® Award for Best Comedy, The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award from the Producers Guild of America, and the AFI Comedy Series of the Year award.

Born and raised in Chicago and then South Florida, Garlin studied filmmaking and began performing stand-up comedy while at the University of Miami. He has toured the country as a stand-up comedian, is an alumnus of Chicago's Second City Theatre, and has written and starred in three critically acclaimed solo shows ("I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With," "Uncomplicated," and "Concentrated"). Garlin recently had his first film, "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With," released to critical acclaim. Garlin has also directed "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and both Jon Stewart ("Unleavened") and Denis Leary ("Lock-n-Load") in their HBO specials.

Garlin has extensive feature acting credits, including a starring role opposite Eddie Murphy in the comedy "Daddy Day Care." He recently completed the Fox Atomic Comedy "The Rocker" opposite Rainn Wilson and Christina Applegate.

FRED WILLARD (Shelby Forthright) kicked off his career as part of Chicago's renowned The Second City. His improvisational performance in the film "Best in Show" earned him the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, the American Comedy Award for Funniest Performance by a Supporting Actor, nominations for Best Supporting Actor from the New York Film Critics and The National Film Critics Society, and the Official Selection Award from AFI.

Willard's credits on the small screen include his most recent role alongside Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton in the FOX comedy "Back to You." He received three Emmy® Award nominations for his recurring role on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and received a Daytime Emmy Award

nomination for Best Day Time Talk Show Host for "What's Hot What's Not." He co-starred in Norman Lear's innovative cult-classic talk-show satire "Fernwood 2 Night" and has had recurring roles on "Ally McBeal," "The Simpsons," and "Mad About You." Additionally, Willard counts more than 90 appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

On the big screen, Willard earned an American Comedy Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Funniest Supporting Actor for his role in "Waiting for Guffman." His film credits also include "This Is Spinal Tap," "Roxanne," "The Wedding Planner," "How High," "American Wedding," "A Mighty Wind," and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

Willard has several stage roles to his credit, including off-Broadway performances in "Little Murders," directed by Alan Arkin, and "Arf," directed by Richard Benjamin. His regional roles include "Call Me Madam" in Chicago and the musicals "Promises, Promises" with Jason Alexander and "Anything Goes" with Rachel York, both in Los Angeles. He starred in Wendy Wasserstein's "Isn't It Romantic" and off-Broadway in "Elvis and Juliet," which was written by his wife, Mary Willard. "Fred Willard: Alone at Last!"—a one-man show with a cast of 12—received two Los Angeles Artistic Director Awards for Best Comedy and Best Production.

JOHN RATZENBERGER (John) is an accomplished director, producer, and multiple Emmy® Award-nominated actor with notable credentials as an entrepreneur and humanitarian. While he is best known to international audiences as postman Cliff Clavin on "Cheers," for which he garnered two Emmy nominations, Ratzenberger is the only actor to voice a role in all of the Disney•Pixar films. Indeed, his characters have been memorable: the charming and witty Hamm the piggy bank in "Toy Story" (reprised in "Toy Story 2" and the upcoming "Toy Story 3"), P.T. Flea in "A Bug's Life," Yeti the snow monster in "Monsters, Inc.," a school of Moonfish in "Finding Nemo," a philosophical character named Underminer in "The Incredibles," a Mac truck in "Cars," and Mustafa, the head waiter in "Ratatouille."

A former carpenter, archery instructor, carnival performer, and oyster-boat crewman, Ratzenberger was raised in Bridgeport, Conn. An English-literature major at Sacred Heart University, he starred in one-man shows and directed others after graduation. Ratzenberger spent a decade in England as co-founder of the improvisational duo Sal's Meat Market, earning acclaim across Europe and a grant from the British Arts Council. Early in his career, he appeared in more than 22 motion pictures, including "A Bridge Too Far," "Superman," "Gandhi," and "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."

Ratzenberger also starred in the Granada TV series "Small World" and cut his teeth as a producer and writer for the BBC, Granada TV, and several prestigious theater companies.

In 1982, Ratzenberger auditioned for a role on "Cheers," suggesting to creators that they consider adding a know-it-all bar regular. The character of Cliff Clavin was brought to life, and the "Cheers" team rewrote the pilot to include him. During 11 seasons on "Cheers," Ratzenberger improvised many of his lines, helping bring freshness and enduring popularity to a show that earned 28 Emmy® Awards. With "Cheers" still airing in worldwide syndication, Cliff Clavin remains one of television's most beloved characters.

Ratzenberger has reprised his role of Cliff Clavin in "Frasier," "The Simpsons," "Blossom," "Wings," "St. Elsewhere," and eight NBC specials. The accomplished character actor has also appeared on "8 Simple Rules," "That '70s Show," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Murphy Brown," "The Love Boat," "Magnum P.I.," and "Hill Street Blues." Among his numerous TV movies are starring roles in "The Pennsylvania Miners Story" for ABC, "A Fare to Remember," "Remember Wenn," PBS Masterpiece Theater's "The Good Soldier," and the BBC's "Song of a Sourdough" and "Detectives." Ratzenberger's big-screen animation success extends to the small screen in the long-running TBS series "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" and "The New Adventures of Captain Planet." Recently, he was a fan favorite on the hit ABC show "Dancing with the Stars."

Ratzenberger is currently making the film-festival rounds, promoting "The Village Barbershop," winner of the Audience Choice Award at the Cinequest Festival. He recently kicked off season five of his popular Travel Channel series, "John Ratzenberger's Made in America." Ratzenberger created the show in 2004 to showcase American-made products, a cause for which he has been very active. Ratzenberger's nonprofit organization, Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs Foundation, is positioned to restore esteem and dignity to the manual and industrial arts and to inspire the next generation of American artisans, inventors, engineers, repairmen and skilled workers.

Voted Ms. Magazine's "Woman of the Year 2005," KATHY NAJIMY (Mary) is an accomplished film, television, and stage star, with credits ranging from her internationally known portrayal of Sister Mary Patrick in "Sister Act" and "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" to her 12 seasons as the voice of Peggy Hill on the Emmy® Award-winning FOX series "King of the Hill."

Najimy was most recently seen on the CBS drama "Numb3rs." Her television credits include three seasons opposite Kirstie Alley as Olive on NBC's "Veronica's Closet" as well as appearances on Disney's "The Scream Team" and FOX's TV special "CinderElmo." Najimy received critical acclaim for her three-part arc on "Chicago Hope" and performed the opening musical number of the 1995 Academy Awards®. She starred in "In Search of Dr. Seuss" and appeared in several TV series, including "She TV," "Fool for Love," "Early Edition," and several episodes of "Ellen."

Winner of the American Comedy Award as Funniest Supporting Actress for her role in "Sister Act," Najimy has had numerous roles in films, including "Hocus Pocus," "RatRace," "Hope Floats," "Nevada," "Cats Don't Dance," "Zack and Reba," "This Is My Life," "The Fisher King," "Say Uncle," "Soapdish," and "The Hard Way." She also appeared in "The Wedding Planner," "It's Pat," "Jeffrey," "The Big K," and Margaret Cho's "Bam Bam and Celeste" and "2 Sisters."

On stage, Najimy was critically acclaimed for her Broadway portrayal of Mae West in "Dirty Blonde" and also appeared on Broadway in "The Vagina Monologues." Her original off-Broadway hit plays "The Kathy and Mo Show: Parallel Lives" and "The Dark Side," which became HBO specials, garnered Obie Awards and CableACE Awards.

Najimy has directed several projects, including an off-Broadway musical, "Back to Bacharach," and several one-woman shows.

With more than 20 years of AIDS activism, she has been honored with the L.A. Shanti's Founder award as well as the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Distinguished Achievement Award. Najimy has posed twice for PETA's popular campaign, "I'd Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur," and in 2000, she received PETA's Humanitarian of the Year Award from Paul McCartney. She's served as keynote speaker for more than 50 women's organizations across the country.

Najimy contributed to the Random House book "The Choices We Made." She also voiced Wally Lamb's novel "She's Come Undone."

Up next for the award-winning actress is the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment full-length animated release "Tinker Bell," for which she voices the Minister of Summer.

With films like "Alien" and "Gorillas in the Mist" in her repertoire, actor SIGOURNEY WEAVER (Ship's Computer) has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, on stage and in film.

Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated from Stanford University and received a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama.

Her first professional job was as an understudy in Sir John Gielgud's production of "The Constant Wife," starring Ingrid Bergman.

Weaver made her motion-picture debut in the blockbuster "Alien," later reprising the role of Warrant Officer Ripley in "Aliens," which earned her Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominations for Best Actress. She returned to the role for "Aliens 3" and "Alien Resurrection," which she also co-produced. Weaver next portrayed primatologist Dian Fossey in "Gorillas in the Mist," receiving an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe. Her role in "Working Girl" earned another Academy Award nomination and a second Golden Globe. Other films include "Ghostbusters," Peter Weir's "Year of Living Dangerously," Roman Polanski's "Death and the Maiden," "Galaxy Quest," "Heartbreakers," "Holes," Jim Simpson's "The Guys," "Imaginary Heroes," and Showtime's live-action film "Snow White," which earned her an Emmy Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination. Her performance in Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm" garnered a BAFTA Award. Weaver was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for "A Map of the World." Recent films include "Baby Mama," "Infamous," "The TV Set," "The Girl in the Park," "Vantage Point," and "Snow Cake," in which Weaver portrays an autistic woman and for which she received a Proclamation from the City of New York.

On stage, Weaver received a Tony Award® nomination for her starring role in Broadway's "Hurlyburly," directed by Mike Nichols. Other plays include "The Mercy Seat" by Neil Labute, "The Merchant of Venice," and Christopher Durang's "Sex and Longing," as well as several at The Flea Theater, including "Mrs. Farnsworth" by A.R. Gurney and "The Guys." Weaver started her stage career off-off-Broadway in Durang's "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe" and "Titanic." "Das Lusitania Songspiel," which she co-wrote with Durang, earned them both Drama Desk nominations.

Weaver recently completed production on the 3-D movie "Avatar," her first collaboration with James Cameron since "Aliens," "Crazy on the Outside," directed by Tim Allen, and Lifetime's "Prayers for Bobby."

She is on the boards of The Flea Theater in downtown Manhattan, "dedicated to raising a joyful hell in a small space," and Human Rights First, where she has worked on the issue of asylum. Weaver is also an Honorary Chairperson of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. She works for other organizations whenever she can, including Conservation International, amFAR, Trickle Up, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and GRASP.

Multiple Academy Award® winner BEN BURTT (WALL-E/ M-O/Sound & Character Voice Designer) joined Pixar Animation Studios in May 2005. A 30-year veteran and an accomplished filmmaker, Burtt has written, directed, and served as film editor on a vast array of projects.

Burtt began his work with director George Lucas in 1977 as sound designer of the original "Star Wars," earning his first Academy Award®—a Special Achievement Award. He rejoined Lucas 20 years later to supervise the sound work on "Star Wars Trilogy" (Special Edition).

In addition to his work on the "Star Wars" films, Burtt has worked on many film and television projects. He has won Academy Awards® for Best Sound Editing in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and for Best Sound Effects Editing in "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Burtt has also been recognized for his work with a number of Academy Award® nominations, including Best Sound in "Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi," Best Sound and Sound Effects Editing in "Willow," Best Sound Effects Editing in "Stars Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace," and, as director of "Special Effects, Anything Can Happen," Best Short Subject Documentary.

In addition to his Academy Award® wins and nominations, Burtt has also been awarded a British Academy Award for Best Sound in "Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back," a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Effects Editing in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and a British Academy Award nomination for Best Sound in "Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace."

WALL-E - About the Filmmakers

ANDREW STANTON (Director/Screenwriter/Vice President, Creative, Pixar Animation Studios) has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer-animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative, he currently leads the initiatives and oversees all features and shorts development for the studio.

Stanton made his directorial debut with the record-shattering "Finding Nemo," an original story of his that he also co-wrote. The film garnered Stanton two Academy Award® nominations (Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Film), and "Finding Nemo" was awarded an Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios has received for a full-length feature.

Stanton was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar® nomination in 1996 for his contribution to "Toy Story" and went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on every subsequent Pixar film—"A Bug's

Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc.," and "Finding Nemo." Additionally, he served as co-director on "A Bug's Life" and was the executive producer of "Monsters, Inc." and the 2006 Academy Award®-winning "Ratatouille."

A native of Rockport, Mass., Stanton earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Character Animation from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he completed two student films. In the 1980s, he launched his professional career in Los Angeles, animating for Bill Kroyer's Kroyer Films studio and writing for Ralph Bakshi's production of "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures."

JIM MORRIS (Producer/Executive Vice President, Production, Pixar Animation Studios) joined Pixar Animation Studios in 2005. Morris is responsible for managing the production of the studio's features, shorts, DVD content, and theme-park activities. He also oversees various production departments at Pixar, including Story, Art, Editorial, Animation, Shading, Lighting, and Technical Direction.

Prior to joining Pixar, Morris held a range of key positions in various divisions of Lucasfilm Ltd. He served as President of Lucas Digital Ltd. and managed its two divisions, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound. As ILM's General Manager for more than ten years, he supervised a staff of over 1,400 artists and technicians and guided the largest visual-effects facility in the entertainment industry.

During Morris' tenure, ILM created the groundbreaking, Academy Award®-winning visual effects in "Jurassic Park," "Death Becomes Her," and "Forrest Gump." Other notable projects completed under his management include "Mission: Impossible," "Twister," "Saving Private Ryan," "Star Wars: Episode I" and "II," "The Perfect Storm," "Pearl Harbor," "Minority Report," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Master and Commander," and the first three "Harry Potter" films.

Morris joined ILM in 1987 as a producer of visual effects for films and commercials. He was subsequently promoted to ILM's executive in charge of production, where he supervised all of the company's production. "The Abyss," which earned an Oscar® for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, and "Always" are among his producing credits.

Before joining ILM, Morris was executive producer at Arnold & Associates, where he oversaw the company's three offices and produced national commercials for clients such as Atari and Chevron. Prior to that, Morris was executive producer at One Pass, where he headed the commercial production department. He served in the production departments at J. Walter Thompson and also Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco.

Morris worked as a producer and director for PBS affiliate WCNY-TV and began his career as a cameraman and editor at NBC affiliate WSYR-TV.

Morris is the recipient of both the Producers Guild of America Digital 50 Award and the Visual Effects Society Board of Directors Award. He currently serves as president of the San Francisco Film Commission. Morris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in film and a Master of Science degree in television and radio from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

LINDSEY COLLINS (Co-Producer) joined Pixar Animation Studios in 1997 and has worked in a variety of production capacities on such films as "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Finding Nemo," and "Ratatouille." She also provided the voice of the character Mia in the 2006 Pixar release "Cars."

Prior to joining Pixar, Collins worked at Disney Feature Animation for three years, managing creative teams on the films "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and "Hercules."

Collins earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She currently resides in Oakland, California, with her husband and two children.

Moving effortlessly from drama to sharp satire to period classics to animation, THOMAS NEWMAN (Composer) is building on an amazing family tradition in Hollywood, with a varied body of work that has earned the praise of filmmakers ranging from Robert Altman to Gillian Armstrong. To date, Newman has received eight Academy Award® nominations for his film work: He was the only double nominee in 1994's Oscar race, receiving nominations for both "Little Women" and "The Shawshank Redemption," and he has since received nominations for his scores from "Unstrung Heroes," "American Beauty," "Road to Perdition," "Finding Nemo," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," and, most recently, "The Good German." Newman also won an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for HBO's award-winning drama "Six Feet Under."

Since the beginning of sound film, the Newman name has been an integral part of the evolution of film scoring. Newman is the youngest son of the legendary Alfred Newman, a nine-time Academy Award® winner and 45-time nominee, who, as musical director of Twentieth Century Fox from the mid-'30s to the early '60s, was responsible for overseeing or composing all of the music created for more than 200 films. Uncle Lionel was a composer and studio music director with more than 50 scores to his credit, and uncle Emil was also a conductor, with more than four dozen film-score

credits. Sister Maria is an acclaimed concert violinist, brother David has scored more than 60 films, and cousin Randy is a much-beloved pop songwriter and film composer who scored Pixar's first four features.

Newman studied composition and orchestration at USC, completing his academic work at Yale. His greatest mentor, Broadway's Stephen Sondheim, was deeply impressed with Newman's originality and championed one of his earliest works, the musical-theater piece "Three Mean Fairy Tales," which received a workshop production courtesy of the Stuart Ostrow Foundation.

Newman also won the support of a young New York casting agent, Scott Rudin, who brought Newman aboard director James Foley's 1984 film, "Reckless," as a musical assistant. Newman's initiative on the project soon elevated him to the position of composer, and at age 29, he had successfully scored his first film.

Newman's reputation for originality and for intensifying mood and character grew rapidly with such films as "Desperately Seeking Susan," "The Lost Boys," "Scent of a Woman," "Citizen Cohn," and more than 40 other major titles, including "Meet Joe Black," "The Horse Whisperer," "Up Close and Personal," "Phenomenon," "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "In the Bedroom," "Pay It Forward," "Erin Brockovich," "Red Corner," "How to Make an American Quilt," "The Green Mile," "Jarhead," "Cinderella Man," "Fried Green Tomatoes," and, more recently, "Little Children" and "Towelhead." Newman also composed the music for HBO's acclaimed six-hour miniseries "Angels in America," directed by Mike Nichols. He was commissioned to create a unique seven-minute symphonic piece, "Reach Forth Our Hands," for the city of Cleveland, commemorating its bicentennial in 1996.

Multiple Grammy® Award-winning musician PETER GABRIEL co-founded the group Genesis in 1966. Together, they made seven albums before Gabriel left the group in 1975. He returned to music a year later and has since made 11 solo albums, including hit singles like "Shock the Monkey," "Sledgehammer," "Big Time," and "In Your Eyes." Gabriel has also completed film-soundtrack works, including "Birdy," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and "Rabbit Proof Fence." His "Sledgehammer" video has been voted best video of all time, and his interactive work "Eve" won the Milia D'Or for Multimedia.

The musician, entrepreneur, and activist is a recipient of the Man of Peace award, presented by the Nobel Peace Laureates, and the Chevalier dans Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has received various lifetime achievement awards and BT's Digital Music Pioneer Award.

Gabriel founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance) in 1980, presenting more than 150 festivals in more than 40 countries. Additionally, the WOMAD Foundation has provided education and workshops to many schools.

Gabriel's human-rights work includes coordinating and participating in the 1988 Human Rights Now Tour with Amnesty International. He co-founded Witness.org in 1989 to give cameras and computers to human-rights activists. Witness.org pioneered the adoption of video and online technologies in human-rights campaigning. The Hub has just been launched, providing a platform for human-rights videos from all over the world (a YouTube for human rights). In 2000, Gabriel co-founded TheElders.org with Richard Branson, which Nelson Mandela launched in 2007.

His business interests have been in the field of music, media, and technology. In 1987, he founded the Real World group of companies: Real World Studios, Real World Records, and, later, Real World Multi Media and Real World Films. Gabriel co-founded OD2 (On Demand Distribution) in 1999, which became the leading European platform provider for the distribution of online music. In 2005, Gabriel acquired Solid State Logic with David Engelke, the world's leading manufacturer of mixing consoles for music recording, broadcast and post-production. He also co-founded TheFilter.com and We7.com.

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