Newt (film)

Newt, stylized as newt, is a cancelled Pixar film. It would have been the studio's fourteenth feature film.

Gary Rydstrom was going to make his full-length feature film directorial debut. The film was originally scheduled to be released during the summer of 2011, but was pushed back to 2012. Later, it was announced that Brave would be released in Summer 2012 instead, with no new release date or extra information announced for Newt.

Plot
As described in the Disney press release:

"What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can't stand each other? That's the problem facing Newt and Brooke, heroes of "newt," the Pixar film by seven-time Academy Award® winner for sound Gary Rydstrom, and director of Pixar's Oscar-nominated short, "Lifted". Newt and Brooke embark on a perilous, unpredictable adventure and discover that finding a mate never goes as planned, even when you only have one choice. Love, it turns out, is not a science."

Production
At the April 2010 announcement, Disney/Pixar didn't provide an updated release date for newt. Additionally, the film was removed from the official Disney A to Z Encyclopedia supplement by chief archivist Dave Smith. An unsigned message received from Smith's email address stated "The film has been cancelled". This message, along with comments from other industry insiders, led to the speculation that the film had indeed been cancelled. Disney/Pixar animation head John Lasseter "declined to comment", but a separate source from within the studio stated that:

"We have taken newt off of our development schedule to allow our creative teams to focus on these upcoming projects"

Director Gary Rydstrom has since been named the director of the short Hawaiian Vacation, further suggesting newt was no longer occupying his time.

Trivia

 * Two films with plots similar to newt have been realesed - Rio - which is made by 20th Century Fox and animation studio Blue Sky, and Alpha and Omega, a film by industry newcomer Crest Animation. The similar plots in both these films could be a reason why newt was canceled. John Lasseter admitted there was a plot resemblance of newt and Rio, but did not give any confirmation if it was a reason of cancellation.
 * There is a Newt crossing sign in Andy's Room in Toy Story 3. This is possibly a reference toNewt_-_Cameo_in_Brave.jpg this film.
 * There is also a reference in Brave, where the Witch picks up a newt to add to her potion.