Lee Unkrich has become one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter, not only because he's funny and interacts with his followers, but because he's the director of Toy Story 3, and therefore has access to all the insider genius at Pixar.
And apparently Unkrich loves Twitter as much as we do, as he took to his Twitter account to make several big announcements about the Toy Story franchise. You can get a direct link to the video announcement here, but here are the major exciting bits.
1. The Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature, originally intended as a two-week run, will be extended, both so more people can see the trailer in 3D (Lee's reason) and, uh, because it's making a killing at the box office (my reason). He doesn't say just how long it will run, but presumably it will last two more weeks, until The Nightmare Before Christmas makes its annual return to 3D theaters.2. Kristen Schaal, the hilarious comedienne best known as Mel as Flight of the Conchords, will voice a new character in Toy Story 3. Who it'll be, Lee isn't saying, but hey! Mel's in a Pixar movie!3. Blake Clark, a comedian known for random roles in Adam Sandler movies, will be taking over as the voice of Slinky, given that the original voice actor Jim Varney passed away soon after Toy Story 2 was completed.4. John Morris, who originally voiced toy owner Andy, will be back in the same role-- he's grown up a lot, and so has Andy, and it will seem all the more sentimental.
There's plenty to be excited about here-- I still want to catch the 3D double feature-- but Kristen Schaal's news might be my favorite. Now you have to watch the trailer and figure out which part she'll play!
