My experience at Pixar Animation Studios

As soon as we entered Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California, I could not contain myself. I jumped in delight at a ginormous Luxo ball along with the famous lamp, Luxo Jr. The woman at the front desk gave us name tags with the Toy Story aliens saying, "OOO. A stranger, from the outside!" The lobby of the main building was decorated with all sorts of Pixar things. Tia Kratter, the shading art director of the new Pixar movie Brave, told me that when tours are held, the kids are given a scavenger hunt to find Pixar characters throughout the building. These characters are scattered everywhere! For example, there was a small Remy from Ratatouille painted at the bottom of the staircase. Even the bathroom sign for men was a Woody silhouette, while the sign for women was Bo Peep.

The halls each had a different theme. One hall was decorated with nature pictures by one of the staff. Another was dedicated to the process of filmmaking. Each office also had its own decoration. There would be figurines and paintings in one office, while the one next to it could have plushies and paperwork.

Once we got to the theater to watch a 30-minute screening of Brave and the Pixar animated short La Luna, everything was pitch black. Then, there were "stars" that lighted up the ceiling. Every few seconds, a shooting star would pass by. The "stars" faded away, and then began La Luna. La Luna is directed by Enrico Casarosa, and is a coming-of-age tale of a boy, his father, and his grandfather. I've got to say that that was the best short I have ever seen. It was accompanied by dreamy music by Michael Giacchino, (he also composed the music for Up and Ratatouille) and glossy animation.

Before the footage from Brave began, Mark Andrews, the director, and Katherine Sarafian, the producer, came on stage to talk a bit about what we were about to see. They explained that this wasn't the final cut, and some of the animation may be lacking some shading and color. Nevertheless, I didn't even notice the unfinished parts! Then, when Brave started playing, a warm feeling in my heart started to spread all throughout my body. I felt like I was 8 years old again! For the 30 minutes, I was intrigued, and when it ended I yearned for more. Afterwards, all the journalists had an Italian-themed dinner under the night sky in one of Pixar's buildings with an outdoor patio.

The next day, the Pixar grounds had transformed into the Scotland Highlands. One could practice archery, watch a bagpiper demonstration (I even got to play one!), and watch a few Scottish people explain the history behind kilts.

After all the fun and games, we had lunch and interviews. Being a hardcore Disney and Pixar fan, I was in heaven. I got to learn about certain Easter eggs, little cameo appearances the staff puts into each movie, and the filmmaking process. Did you know that Merida, the heroine of Brave, has a total of 111,700 computer-generated hairs? And that the Pizza Planet truck, which has been in every Pixar movie except for The Incredibles, is also in Brave?

It was certainly one of the highlights of my reporting career.

Check out my story on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website for more from my visit to PIXAR! 

—Kid Reporter Veronica Louise Mendoza

Photo: Kid Reporter Veronica Louise Mendoza with Mark Andrews, the director of Brave, at PIXAR Studios. (Photo courtesy Veronica Louise Mendoza)

The fantastic Ms. Streep

Recognizing a movie star on the street — or any place other than onscreen — can be a thrill. But being recognized by a movie star — when you're just a regular kid — is a different story.

I went to Carnegie Hall on June 1 to cover the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and interview some of the winners.  I also had the opportunity to interview three-time Academy Award winning actor Meryl Streep, who was the special guest speaker. I was so excited!

Ms. Streep had been my first interview ever three years ago as a new Scholastic News Kid Reporter, covering the red carpet premiere of the film Fantastic Mr. Fox in New York City. I was 9 years old at the time and had no idea that a red carpet assignment is pretty much the opposite of glamorous.  You're assigned to stand for hours in a space the size of a Kleenex — usually on a busy sidewalk in the snow or 100-degree summer heat — while an army of adult reporters and camera crews keep shoving you just so they can get a better shot or shout "Who are you wearing?!" to every star who walks past. As a kid reporter, you're always the smallest person in the press line — easily trampled and frequently ignored.

But at the Fantastic Mr. Fox red carpet, Ms. Streep walked right over to me, shook my hand, gave me great quotes, complemented me on my interview questions, and then rushed off to get inside the theater for the premiere of her movie. She only spoke to a few reporters, and I was the last of them, so all the adults in the press line who had been shoving me minutes earlier were suddenly super friendly, asking to "borrow" my quotes and urging me to take their business cards.

I owed that first journalistic success to the graciousness of Meryl Streep, but I didn't expect her to remember me now, three years later, backstage at Carnegie Hall.

But once again, I was pleasantly surprised — shocked, really — by Meryl Streep. Waiting outside her dressing room, I saw her step out of the elevator, surrounded by helpers and publicists telling her who I was and what I was there for. She swept them aside and came straight toward me.

"It's nice to see you again," she said warmly, smiling at me. She remembers me? I thought. Suddenly, my excitement turned to nervousness. Seeming to read my mind, Ms. Streep put her arm around me just like a mom, calmed my nerves, and steered me toward the dressing room where our interview would take place.

She pulled out two chairs for us, but before I could sit down, she said, "Hang on a moment. You've grown."

"I'm wearing heels," I replied, blushing.

"You've still grown," she insisted. She was right — I'm about four inches taller now than when we first met.

I had been told beforehand that I would only have five minutes with Ms. Streep. I got nervous again. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I took up too much of her time? What-ifs whirled around in my head. Calm down, I told myself sternly. You'll only make her uncomfortable if you keep stalling.

I asked my first question. Somehow, the words came out in the right order and sounded fine. She answered thoughtfully. I surprised myself by forgetting my nervousness, becoming absorbed in the interview, and asking follow-up questions with ease. It all ran smoothly. At the end of the interview, I asked her to describe in one word how she felt to be there that night.

"Nervous," she said. What? I thought. Meryl Streep, world-renown, award-winning, famous actor is actually nervous?

"Why?" I asked her.

"I'm going on stage at Carnegie Hall!" she exclaimed, referring to the speech she was about to make. "It's nerve-wracking!"

I was surprised. "But you've been in so many films with so many stars," I said.

"I know! You'd think it'd go away!" she exclaimed, smiling.

After the formal interview was over, Ms. Streep talked with me for a few more minutes, about my reporting and her movies. I realized I had been there for much longer than five minutes. Yikes! I stood up to leave and Ms. Streep said the nicest thing a Kid Reporter can ever hope to hear: "It was great seeing you again. I'm sure I'll be seeing you forever and ever."

I smiled, thanked her again, and hoped she was right.

—Kid Reporter Grace McManus

Photo: Meryl Streep laughs during her interview with Kid Reporter Grace McManus before the 2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards celebration at Carnegie Hall. (Photo: Dante A. Ciampaglia) 

Untamed Americas is wild and inspiring

I found many reasons to watch the new National Geographic miniseries Untamed Americas. Since I was asked to cover the premiere of the documentary, National Geographic sent me two DVDs with the 4 episodes that will air on June 10 and 11 on Nat Geo Channels, so I watched the whole show beforehand.

The film features some never-before-seen footage of spectacular wild life along the North and South American continents. The documentary captivates viewers with vivid scenes of life and death.

Some of the highlights: a group of seven grizzly bears feasting on a beached whale, a flock of gloriously pink flamingoes engaged in an elaborate group-mating dance, two puma cubs hunting solo for the first time, and a tiny Ecuadorian bat with a tongue one-and-a-half-time the size of its body pollinating a rare flower.

Miniseries executive producer Karen Bass told me at the premiere that this bat was one of her favorites because “it’s got the water cooler factor: it was only discovered in 2005, and that tongue would be nine feet long if it were on a human!”

The mixture of music, sound effects, and natural animal noises capture and add to the intensity of some of the greatest wildlife spectacles. The effect is powerful, endearing, and emotional.

One example is the scene where male bighorn sheep in the Rockies fight it out for hours to settle on the winner of mating rights. The echoes and reverberations bring out the dramatic 22-mile-per-hour head-on clash, which would kill a human instantly.

Majestic scenes like spinner dolphins leaping in the Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park in Brazil, bright green parakeets flying over volcanoes in Central America, Mobula Rays flapping gracefully off the coast of Baja, Mexico, and jellyfish undulating off the coast of Monterey Bay in California are given an even greater impact with the music.

The show will have you at the edge of your seats cheering for your heroes and booing at the villains. But the rule of the wild is “eat or be eaten,” “kill or get killed.” I completely agreed with the comment Casey Anderson, host of America the Wild on Nat Geo WILD, made after the premiere: “At the beginning you’re rooting for the caribou and by end you’re rooting for the wolf.”

Surprises linger in every episode, like the face-off between a little grasshopper mouse and a giant venomous centipede, more deadly than a scorpion. The winner of this uneven fight will astonish you! Keep watching to find out who will be the snack at the end of a valiant battle between a speedy roadrunner and a rattlesnake whose venom can kill a man.

Check out my story about the premiere of Untamed Americas on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky

Photo: At a remote, inhospitable, salt-filled lake in South America, a flock of rare Andean flamingos engage in an elaborate dance. (Courtesy National Geographic Channels)

On an adventure to Madagascar!

Imagine this: Going to a movie press release before the actual movie hits theaters. Imagine: leaving an ordinary day at school to go to the Waldorf Astoria, (the same hotel that the President of the United States stays in when he visits New York) to interview Cedric the Entertainer, Martin Short, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, and Ben Stiller — a/k/a Maurice, Stefano, Gloria, Melman, Marty, and Alex — who all star in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. The movie is about animals who have escaped from a zoo, but for me this was an escape from everyday 7th grade life and the experience of a lifetime.

If you think the actual characters are funny, you will do a double take when you hear the actors who give voice to these animated characters. When I walked into the interview rooms, I was amazed by the comic exchange between Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, the friendly and humorous responses of Cedric the Entertainer, the collaborative thoughts of Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer, and the interesting and simply put responses to my questions by Martin Short. I never thought there would be a day that I would interview not one but six celebrities. It was pretty amazing to say the least!

Each celebrity had a unique style and way of answering my questions. When I interviewed Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, I could actually visualize Marty and Alex in a comic exchange somewhere in Europe. When I interviewed David Schwimmer, I felt like Melman was sitting with me in the room. It was all really very surreal. Martin Short’s new character, Stefano (the sea lion), added so much humor and wit to the movie and it is not hard for me to understand why Martin Short was cast for this role. Jada Pinkett Smith was so easy to talk with, just as I imagine Gloria would be. All of the celebrities were funny and eager to discuss their feelings about running away to join the circus.

I’m not sure what my act would be if I ran away to join the circus, but if this cast was in it, I am sure I would have a grand adventure!

Check out the video of my interviews with the cast of Madagascar 3 on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Dani Bergman Chudnow

Photo: Vitaly the Tiger, Gia the Jaguar, Marty the Zebra, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are a circus success in DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, to be released by Paramount Pictures. (Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation) 

At the top of the world — or, at least, New York

Fifty-five seconds.

That is how long it took for me to ride up in the elevator with Lily Collins to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building in New York City. Fifty-five ear-popping, totally awesome and exciting seconds as I prepared to interview the star of the movie Mirror Mirror.

I have lived in New York City my entire life, but this was my first ride up to the Observation Deck that towers above the streets of the city. Tourists snapped pictures one after the other of Lily as I tested the microphone getting ready for my big interview with "Snow."

We all know the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But my guess is that the version in Mirror Mirror will have a different twist. When I asked Lily if kids in 2012 would be able to relate to the old fairytale where the princess needs to be rescued by a handsome prince, without hesitation she explained that her role as Snow was different from the traditional take. For example, she told me that she had to take four months of sword fighting lessons to prepare for the fight scenes in the movie. One of her greatest challenges was fighting in ball gowns and heels. Not your typical fighting attire.

One thing that really stood out to me was that Lily seemed completely real and approachable. Sure, she is a movie star. But she looked directly at me and answered my questions. We rode up to the top of the Empire State Building together in an elevator. When we looked out at the city we both were excited and in awe of the view. She likes relaxing and hanging out on the beach with friends, just like many kids today. Certainly, just like me. 

I ended my interview by asking her if she was "the fairest of them all." While she did not answer the question directly, my hunch is that she is the fairest of all who have acted the part before her.

Watch my interview with Lily Collins on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Dani Bergman Chudnow

Photo: Kid Reporter Dani Chudnow with Lily Collins on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. (Dante A. Ciampaglia)

My Experience at Skywalker Ranch

I was overjoyed when I heard that I would be going back to Skywalker Ranch for the second time. After my first visit, I never thought I would see the beautiful Marin County workplace of George Lucas again. Thankfully, my first assignment from Scholastic was to cover a press junket, or promotional trip, for Star Wars:  Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace in 3D. Skywalker Ranch was similar to a resort with an outdoor swimming pool, racquet courts, a baseball diamond, barns, a main house, a man-made lake (named Ewok), a vineyard and much more. It was quite overwhelming, even going for a second time.

Once I arrived at Skywalker Ranch, the shuttle headed towards the technical building, the home of the Stag Theater and Skywalker Sound. I was then greeted by eager Lucasfilm staff that led me through a grand cafeteria/lobby that was filled with parents and their kids running around with their lightsabers and adults carrying heavy camera equipment. On one side were mannequins dressed with the costumes of Queen Amidala, one of her handmaidens, Darth Maul, and Mace Windu. There were also lightsabers and statues of R2D2 and C3PO on display.  A KINECT Star Wars demonstration was also going on in the lobby. The roof was a skylight and I was lucky to have come on a beautiful sunny day. 

After eating a cute Star Wars-themed breakfast, the reporters and journalists set off with groups to certain areas of the building to hear Matthew Wood, John Goodson, ObiShawn, or Joel Aron speak about what they do. Once the tours were over, the press people dispersed to have one-on-one time with the tech crew of the movie. 

The rooms where each demonstration/interview were held had its own pinch of awe. I visited the Stag Theater, a sound editing room, where they mix the score, voice-recordings, and sound effects, which amazingly connects to a cozy foyer leading to the vineyards. 

After all the hard work was done, I bought souvenirs from the Skywalker Ranch gift shop, which was overlooking Ewok Lake and surrounded by the pool and recreational areas. The weather was spectacular for January and I thought it would be a perfect photo op, especially with the main house in the background. 

It was a fantastic way to end the day, and I wished Skywalker Ranch farewell, with hopes to see it again soon.

Check out my video reports from the Episode I press junket on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Veronica Louise Mendoza

Photo: Kid Reporter Veronica Louise Mendoza and other kid journalists get trained on how to use a lightsaber by Jedi Master ObiShawn. (Photo courtesy Veronica Louise Mendoza) 

Spider-Man webslings his way back to the big screen

There have already been three Spider-Man movies. But this summer, a new Spider-Man movie comes to theaters to reboot the series. The Amazing Spider-Man will completely clear the slate and feature a new cast, a new director, and some new characters.

The movie comes out this summer, but on Monday Spidey fans all over the globe joined actors from the film for a special sneak peek. I was in the audience for the New York event — and so was the new Spider-Man himself, Andrew Garfield.

The last Spider-Man movie was released in 2007. So of course a lot of Spidey fans — both at the theater and around the world — wonder why reboot the series? Is it a sensible move? Will it be different, and, if so, in a good way or bad? And, are the new cast and director right for the job?

During the 3-D trailer and clips of the work in progress, it seemed like everyone was excited by what they saw. This included Garfield. As he arrived at the front of the theater, the room applauded with pure excitement, and one man shouted "Hallelujah!" 

"You said exactly what was on my mind," Garfield responded.

Garfield’s excitement and appreciation for his role was expressed even later on when asked why he wanted to be Spider-Mman.

"Because I’m not an idiot," Garfield said as the crowd cheered. "It’s the thing everyone wants. Everybody in this room wants it, and it belongs to everyone in this room."

From what I could tell, there was much excitement and anticipation. As fans left the theater, I could overhear comments about how they thought Garfield’s Spiderman appears to have a more humorous element. They were also impressed with the film’s 3-D.

The new Spider-Man is not meant to compete with the older movies. Instead, it’s meant to take one of the greatest comic book superheroes of all time and put him in a scenario that has not yet been explored.

"It’s so overwhelming to represent this symbol, because that’s all I am, just the guy in the suit, it can be anyone in the suit,"  Garfield said. "But it just happens to be me this time."

—Kid Reporter Fred Hechinger

Photo: Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man. (Photo: Jaimie Trueblood © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Actors in real life at the Hugo press conference

When you see actors in movies, they almost seem unreal, up on a big screen, usually playing fictional characters.

But when you see actors — movie stars! — at a press conference, they’re sometimes very different. And sometimes, what they say is really interesting because it’s unscripted. 

I covered the press conference for the new movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The story centers on a 12-year-old orphan named Hugo who lives through an adventure in the 1930s in a Paris train station.

When I walked into the press conference, I was shocked at how many chairs were set up for reporters (and how many were already filled). "Are there really going to be that many reporters here?" I wondered. I felt pressured. What if I don’t get to ask any questions? What if the stars don’t notice me because I’m just a kid? 

What-ifs chased each other round and round in my head.

When the stars finally arrived, I felt ecstatic. There they were, right in front of me! Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Asa Butterfield. They looked so different in real life — no make-up and, in the case of Hugo, no “period” costumes.  And of course, Asa and Chloe are a bit older now. 

A reporter asked Asa, as an actor, to describe his relationship to Hugo, the orphan he played in the movie. In other words, was it difficult for a non-orphan to play an orphan?

“I found it quite hard to relate to him because of all the hardships he’s gone through in his life,” Asa said. “So I just had to come up with a false past for him that was similar to mine and relate to him in that way.” 

Relating to a character was also a challenge for Sir Ben Kingsley, who played the role of Georges Melies, the film’s mean and dour shopkeeper with a secret past who is saved from sadness by Hugo (Asa Butterfield). Unlike the film’s fictional characters, Melies was a real person, a star actor, dancer, and director of early silent films, whose brilliant career was ultimately crushed and forgotten.

Sir Ben was asked by a reporter how he got into Melies’s character?

“In a sense, I worked in reverse,” he explained. “What I focused on was how glorious his life was, and then I had an appreciation of the loss of that glory. So my preparation was in his body, how his body had to let go of being basically an athlete and a dancer." 

Finally I was called on to ask a question to American actress Chloe Grace Moretz, who also plays a child orphan in the film.  When she tried out for her role, Chloe had faked a British accent and fooled director Martin Scorsese into thinking that she was British — and therefore perfect for the role. I asked her how she was so convincing.  

“I was fully British from meeting Marty to the end of the audition, where I went back to my American accent,” she explained. “The whole time he totally thought that I was a British actress because he had never seen any of my other movies. So by the time that I left, I was like, ‘Okay, thanks, Marty. See you.’  He was like, ‘Whoa.’  He was, ‘So you’re American?’” Chloe also told me that when she worked on her British accent, she tried to mimic Asa, who actually is British.  It paid off. “You fooled me, kid,” Scorsese said. 

All-in-all, it was a good press conference for a great movie.

Check out Kid Reporter Grace McManus' report from the red-carpet premiere of Hugo! 

—Kid Reporter Grace McManus

Photo: Director/Producer Martin Scorsese (center) discusses a scene with Asa Butterfield (left, as Hugo Cabret) and Chloë Grace Moretz (right, as Isabelle) on the set of Hugo, from Paramount Pictures and GK Films. (Credit: Jaap Buitendijk, © 2011 GK Films, LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The Making of Dolphin Tale

The trip to the Florida Marine Aquarium was not my first. Previously, I visited to write stories about Winter the dolphin when the book about her, Winter's Tale, came out. Later I returned for a story about the Scholastic Essay Contest winner, Jessica Rendleman, who was inspired by Winter to overcome her battle with cancer. So this trip, I expected to enter the lobby, as usual. However, this was not the normal aquarium.

Winter could not go to Hollywood, so director Charles Martin Smith brought Hollywood to Winter!

Staff members carried film equipment and large coolers full of fish — payment for the star. Of course, Winter was not the only cast member. The roster included award-winning actors Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, and Ashley Judd. The younger stars included Nathan Gamble (Sawyer Nelson), Cozi Zeuhlsdorff (Hazel Haskett), and Austin Stowell (Kyle Connellan).
 
Filming a movie is not easy, especially when you are a kid. Not only do they have to put in nine hours of work, the same as the adults, but they must also fit in three-and-a-half hours of school. One thing that stands out in my mind is the constant repetition when filming the scenes. Actor Nathan Gamble spent over an hour in the water filming the underwater ballet scene. He was exhausted because he had to hold his breath and swim repeatedly in order to perfect the scene.

Actually the majority of the filming day was spent on this one scene. Fortunately, my job was easy and the view was spectacular. As the scene was filmed with special underwater 3-D cameras, I sat with editors and engineers in a room with multiple monitors. Several monitors showed the 2-D version image of the filming, while the other monitors displayed the mind-boggling 3-D images. In fear of missing a moment of this awesome experience I was constantly slipping my 3-D glasses on and off to see all that was happening. 

As I interacted with the stars and sat with the cast at lunch, I realized they were just normal people. They were down-to-earth and humble. Interviewing them was like talking to friends from school. As a matter of fact, Austin Stowell’s mom is a teacher just like mine. And by the way, movie set food is AWESOME!

The cast of Dolphin Tale works to make the best movie possible, both on and off camera. Their hope is to inspire others as much as Winter has inspired them.

Check out my behind-the-scenes video report from the set of Dolphin Tale!

—Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin 

Behind the scenes of movie magic

The first thing you know as you approach the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) studio is that this isn’t your average office building. A giant grey fountain is placed before an unassuming door, a statue of Yoda sitting peacefully near the spigot. A tiny door leads into the building itself, which immediately turns into a large front room. There you can see a whole wall shelved with gleaming awards that the company has received for their work in films. They’re guarded by two life-size statues of Star Wars figures, Darth Vader glancing beadily through his plastic eye sockets as if to give anybody who dares to think about touching the glittering awards the evil eye.

My dad and I came to ILM to tour the studio and meet one of the animators who worked on the movie Rango, which is ILM’s first fully-animated film. Our guide was named Brooke, and the first thing she does is take me into the screening room.

“Do you want to sit where George Lucas usually sits?” she asks me, referring to the creator of the Star Wars movies. I nod in a slow trace- surprised at the fact that Brooke even knew where George Lucas sat much less remembered. I couldn’t help but think she must have been a die-hard fan.

I think she saw the confusion in my face. She smiled and tells me the reason she remembers where he sits is because they have attached a small laser-like light to the ceiling of the theater, and its thin beam is right above the seat of the director himself. She offers me the seat and the lights start to dim.

After watching a highlight reel of the various films ILM has worked on, Brooke leads me up the elevator to another set of rooms. I should mention that along the way she stops and pauses at multiple movie posters and props, full of interesting facts and secrets. She leads me into a small workroom where a whole wall is devoted to a giant screen. There I see the familiar, unforgettable face of Rango  peering at me with a blank expression. I also notice a man surrounded by laptops and projectors.

He introduces himself as Kevin Martel, part of the animation department. He explains to me a little bit about the animation process and then he does the unthinkable — he actually lets me animate Rango! Okay, maybe it’s more like me moving the mouse to his careful directions. It turns out that you have to make 24 frames of animation for a single second of footage.

That’s second, not minute. Just imagine how many frames it takes for just an hour-long movie. (That’s 86,400 for those of you who don’t feel like doing the math!)

In the end I excruciatingly chug my way through about 24 frames, pretending not to notice when Kevin helpfully edits some parts of Rango that look a little bit funky. In the end, I get him in one second to jump up and down while holding his arm in a Michael Jackson-esque pose. I am proud of myself.

Next, Kevin takes me down to where he actually works. It turns out that associate animation supervisors don’t get any bigger space then the other guys, and the room we were in is generally used for presentations. The cubicles down where the animation actually gets done look a lot more like a normal office. But the similarities end when I see the toys. Well, action figures. They litter the walls and are painstakingly categorized. A whole shelf full of Transformers on one side. Kevin has a nice array of muscle men.

My dad mentions to Kevin and the other animators in close range that I went to Pixar for Cars 2. This scares me a little when he says this because I’m afraid that the animators won’t be too happy about that. I thought Pixar and ILM are competitors. But the animators’ response is surprising. They nod their heads, and one says “Pixar? I bet it was like living in a treehouse.”

He doesn’t say it in an offensive way, and it’s kind of true. Pixar is a very clean, sterile, and pretty place with their own little restaurant and coffee shop. But somehow the charm of ILM is more endearing and real.

Check out my story about how ILM made Rango on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website! 

—Kid Reporter Mimi Evans

Photo: Director/Producer Gore Verbinski (standing) behind the scenes on Rango, from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. (Credit: Greg Grusby / Industrial Light & Magic © 2011 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)