Today, Toy Story 3 surpassed Finding Nemo as the top grossing domestic Pixar feature. However, as Box Office Mojo points out, “it will still rank in the bottom half in terms of estimated attendance.” In other words, an evening at the movies in the United States increasingly turns into an elitist activity for middle and upper-class audiences who can afford to pay inflated prices.

The big surprise at the box office was the stellar debut of Despicable Me which opened with an estimated $60.1 million. Even the most generous estimates pegged this in the $30-40 million range. Score one for producer-driven Katzenberg-style filmmaking. Looks like this won’t be the last we hear from Chris Meledandri and Illumination.

So I was shopping at my local Target store today, walking past the Toy Story 3 merchandise, when I spotted this Barbie doll tie-in (at left). What caught my attention was the exclaimation below the Barbie logo: Barbie Loves Woody! I’ll bet she does. Since we know she’s got a thing for Ken, and since the lettering is all in caps, I’m not sure if the “Woody” Barbie loves is Andy’s sheriff – or something else? P.S. Barbie take note: Too much “loving Woody” may cause a “Choking Hazard” – according to the warning on the box!

Here’s a 15 second clip from Teddy Newton’s Pixar short Day and Night which will be released with Toy Story 3 on June 18th. The short is essentially hand drawn, being Pixar’s second film to be animated in 2D animation (Your Friend the Rat was the first). The insides of the characters are CG. Man, this looks good.

(via /Film)

Photographer Joy Harmon Prouty was asked by a couple to create an engagement portrait shoot themed around the childhood pastimes of Carl and Ellie in Pixar’s UP. View the photos: Part One and Part Two. The images are cloyingly sweet, but admittedly it’s better than the couple’s first idea of staging an Osmosis Jones-themed engagement shoot.

(Thanks, Melissa)

I’m intrigued by the bold comment that artist Meghan Jean wrote on her Twitter account earlier today:

Teddy Newton’s new short Day & Night is the first piece of cinema I’ve ever seen that actually utilizes 3D in a conceptually relevant way…I’ve seen it in both 2D and 3D now and latter takes it to an entirely new level, no doubt about it. See it in 3D.

Granted, it’s the opinion of one person, but with Teddy at the helm, it sounds about right. As mentioned earlier, Day and Night will screen in front of Toy Story 3.

Everybody’s already seen this one, but did you know the Japanese also made Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear toys. Take note: this is how you do viral marketing!

Here’s an exclusive first-look at one of the 14 new characters being introduced in Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story 3. This is Chatter Telephone (voiced by Teddy Newton), a Fisher-Price toy I actually had when I was a kid.

To learn about the other new characters in the film, our friends at Upcoming Pixar have the details. Toy Story 3 opens June 18th and I can’t wait.

ComingSoon.net posted this publicity image from Teddy Newton’s Day & Night, the Pixar short that will screen in front of Toy Story 3. Teddy has been in the industry for quite a while—I did a profile on him back in 2002 for Animation Blast #8—and it’s exciting to see him finally get the spotlight with a short that’ll be seen by many people. Don Shank, who worked on the film, wrote on his blog earlier today that Day & Night is “unlike anything Pixar has produced before” and that working on the film was “one of the best times I’ve ever had working on anything, which is saying a lot because I’ve worked on some really great projects (uh… hello… like the academy award winning UP!).”

(Thanks, Tony Wisneske)