Well, congratulations Ben! Looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to get my copy, and once again proud to say “I knew him when!”

Well done Butcher. Can’t wait to get my copy.

Is it the Pixar rule that the more realistically rendered the film, the more flat and design-ey the book tie-in?

god I hope so. If people want to see something that looks like the movie, GO SEE THE MOVIE! Pixar seems to have successfully pushed Disney publishing into the 21rst Century by having different versions of their characters in the marketplace. While it appears to be primarily an artistic decision–I bet it’s also a practical one. As anyone who works in animation knows, little is available for these kinds of things when they need them. The lead time for tie in merchendise is rather long. Thank goodness Pixar controls the content and art of the books. Otherwise, they’d be getting the mostly crap stuff Disney’s done for the last 25 years.

Yeah! Congrats, Ben! Just pre-ordered mine. PS: Those who’d like to see more of his work, he illustrated the Little Golden Book edition of “Toy Story 2″ and, for those who frequent Disneyland, you can see an awesome painting he did of Pirates of the Caribbean in the art gallery that’s on the right (east?) side of the main plaza (where they put the Christmas tree) after you go through the main entrance (sorry, I don’t remember the name of the gallery).

I’m with Killroy. It does seem like a bit of a gimmick at this point.

Beautiful book Ben!! Great job!!

Mr. Jobless could you please elaborate on how it is a gimmick. Do you think the books should try to look exactly like the film?

I agree with Blondie- why create something that is exactly the same when you can push the envelope artistically? If everything looks the same, where’s the fun or challenge in that? This book is a great example of an artist keeping faith with the essence of the character, while visually interpreting it in his own style. There will be PLENTY of movie tie-ins with WALL-E’s exact likeness for those out there who want it. Let’s give children (and adults) a chance to use their imaginations and get inspired by something different.

As ‘abstract’ as WALL-E is in the above photo, Eve looks almost exactly the same as in the film. Maybe that’s a credit to her design. As a more advanced robot, her makers had the time to aestheticize her a little more, while as WALL-E is purely functional, and so he looks more ‘mechanical.’

Just my thoughts.