Isabel Lucas Knight Of Cups Set Candids In Malibu

It’s hard to think of a studio more singularly adored than Pixar Animation Studios, the creators of “WALL-E,” “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo.” Of course, they weren’t always everybody’s favorite. The studio started out as an experimental, computer-based component to George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic effects house, one that Lucas had so little faith in that he promptly sold the team to Apple founder Steve Jobs, who looked at Pixar as a well to sell sophisticated graphics processors (the initial short films that created so much buzz and attention were supposed to serve as mere tech demonstrations.) The artists at Pixar, however always had one clear goal in mind: a feature-length animated movie, groundbreaking in the same ways Walt Disney’s “Snow Whit and the Seven Dwarfs” was way back in 1937. Pixar accomplished this (with Disney’s help) in 1995 with “Toy Story” and since then have gone on to achieve an unparalleled streak of critical and commercial success, amassing nearly 30...

There are many, many questions regarding the continuation of the "Star Wars" series -- the first of which, "Episode VII," is now being worked on by J.J. Abrams -- but one of the most pertinent of them is the extent to which franchise granddaddy George Lucas will be involved. As the creator of the series, and the director of the first movie, many will feel ambivalent about "Star Wars" films without Lucas involved, but others could be comforted by his absence, given the general quality of the prequels, all of which were directed by Lucas. It's not been any more certain due to the uncertainty of whether Lucas will actually be involved. He was initially described as a 'creative consultant' on the new films, and while he was said to have been involved in meetings with writers, said he had no part in picking Abrams to direct, and has emphasized a certain distance from the new movies. And it seems that he's not been kidding, as Lucas has revealed that he hasn't even talked to Abrams about...