A Roundtable Discussion with Monsters University Producer Kori Rae

Monsters University producer Kori Rae

Hidden deep within the production notes we carried along with us to the #MonstersUEvent, is a brief bio of Kori Rae, the producer of Disney Pixar’s Monsters University.

The following intrigued me and I knew I would have to ask her about it:

“With a background in education and coaching, Rae finds producing similar.”

A Pixar producer with a background in coaching and education, I wonder what that story is! I thought.

Because part of what I love about interviewing people is hearing about their interesting lives before the project they’re currently working on.

Kori Rae’s role in the film was managing the changing story of Monsters University and the creative team around it. As you can imagine, it’s a job fraught with deadlines and pressure. In fact, when we spoke to her in April, the movie that’s due out June 21st wasn’t quite done yet. No pressure there!

Not to worry though. That’s typical, she tells us, and it was on schedule and totally done on time.

Before Monsters University, Kori Rae managed the animation for A Bug’s Life. There are so many different jobs on a film like this, including artists, story artists, and animators, but because of her role in A Bug’s Life, Kori Rae says her heart is always with the animators. “I love that department,” said Rae. “It’s where the film really comes to life, so it’s always great to go to dailies and see what people are doing when they animate a scene.”

But Pixar wasn’t Kori Rae’s original goal. She came all the way from Winter Park, Florida where got her degree from Rollins College and then became a teacher. You know, because I just had to ask! 

“It was eighth grade English,” said Rae. “And then I coached volleyball, softball, and basketball.  All three,” she said. If only her students could see her now! That, to me, is the epitome of going after what you want and being fearless to change direction. I admire that.

So why the change in direction? “I wanted to go explore a little bit,” she said. “I had been an athlete all my life. I’d been involved in, in sports and everything…I wanted to travel a little bit, and then I just wanted to, to explore other things.  And so I did editing for a while, and,  journalism and stuff like that. There was a period where I just did a whole bunch of things, and it was fantastic…it was really great.  I just wanted  to discover more.  I wanted to see what else was out there.  So.  And then ended up here, so that worked out…” she explained.

I’ll say it worked out quite nicely!

So more about the movie and how it gets made: first the talent comes in and lays down the audio track. Then the animators build the characters around the voices, using the actors’ inflections and tones to create the characters’ expressions to go along with it. And actually, they’re still storyboarding the movie when this is happening, it’s not even to the animation phase yet!

“It’s amazing how much you can see coming through, not even just in the facial expressions, but even in their body and their movements are all comes through the voice,” said Rae.

Teams of the production crew come and go depending on the stage of movie production they’re in, but at the height of production, there are upwards of 260 people working on the film. The process is continually fluid and her job is to figure out how to make the puzzle work.

It takes a lot of collaborating and a willingness to let go some parts of the movie that you love. That’s one of hardest parts, she said. “You have to be willing to throw stuff away, and not get too attached to it.  And you have to do that over and over again in order to get to the right place,” said Rae. ”The things that you’ve loved, you know, at one point that got picked out often make their way back in.  But I think it’s the willingness of the directors to do that…and the fact that it’s done in a collaborative spirit.”

And that, she says, is probably why Pixar has had a successful run with their films over the years: the talent, their ability to work an idea and let go, and do it in a collaborating way. No room for ego, she says.

Dean Hardscrabble

As for characters, her favorite is the newest one, Dean Hardscrabble. “I just love that she’s, you know, this strong, powerful, character, and that Sully and Mike cause her to shift a little bit, her way of thinking.”

Will there be a Monsters University sequel? Or pre-prequel? Kori Rae says there aren’t any plans for it right now, but that it’s not completely out of the question. “If a great idea comes around…and somebody wants to make it, sure.  But there’s, there hasn’t been any talk of it thus far,” she says.

In the end, Kori Rae tells us that the storyline of Monsters University is part of what makes it great.

“I think when we started to discover and really get into the story of Mike, and how he overcomes, just the failure, and the not getting his dream, and kind of how he comes out of that, and how Sully helps him,” she tells us, “just the story about what do you do when that one door really, really closes, and it closes hard, and how do you kind of find what the next thing is, or what you were really meant to do, that part of  the story is really meaningful to me and I love that.” Rae continues, “I’m super happy  that we’re telling that story…that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.” 

I’m going to really love sharing that part with the kids. It’s a lesson that never gets old.

Don’t forget, Monsters University comes out June 21st.

• Like Monsters University on Facebook
• Follow Monsters University on Twitter
• Find Monsters U online

Disclosure: Disney paid my expenses for my trip to #MonstersUEvent but opinion and love of Disney & Pixar are my own!

More #MonstersUEvent posts!

• I’m Going!
• On the Way to #MonstersUEvent!
• #MonstersUEvent Day One
• #MonstersUEvent Behind the Scenes at Pixar
• #MonstersUEvent Walt Disney Family Museum
• #MonstersUEvent: Classes at Monsters University

Having been a stay at home mom and now being a working mom, I finally have the answer to that age-old question of: who has it harder, Working Moms or Stay at Home Moms? (Clever use of capitalization of job titles for you to note.)

And the answer is what I suspected when I first became a mother (and one I’ve forgotten at times) and that answer is (drumroll): BOTH.

I have long gotten upset when working moms would look at me and tell me how easy I had it and how they wish they could do it and now that I’m working I come to the defense of my sister when her stay-at-home-mom friend comes out on the judgmental position of “Well, when do you get to see your kids?” with a side dish of an implied finger-wagging of “tsk tsk, working mom…”)

After all this time, after decades of women choosing either side of the path to walk on (which really as we all know is the decision that is best for their own family at the time), I wonder how is it that this question still exists? 

The answer is and we all really know this deep inside is that MOTHERHOOD IS HARD.

No matter which side of the road you are on, and I’m speaking from both sides of the road now, it is hard. 

And there is always guilt no matter which side you choose.

When we decided that I would leave my job and stay at home six years ago, do you have any idea how much guilt I had for not contributing to the household expenses? How worthless I felt because I no longer had a paycheck? I felt like a freeloader, honestly, when we both knew I wasn’t. I was home with a new job now and it was taking care of my babies. It was not an easy job. It was not easy to leave behind a career I loved and watch my coworkers climb the ladder, it was not easy to figure out my role as a wife and mother and do things like learn to cook and care for a child with absolutely zero prior knowledge of such things. It was not easy to incur the debt and expense of staying home with only one income. Things were tight.

To this day I can’t even tell you what I did the entire time I was home! All I can tell you is that I was always frazzled and felt as “slammed” as a Denny’s waitress during the breakfast rush who just got 6 tables sat at the same time. ALL THE TIME. Every day. Because there are no days off from this. There is no comp time. Vacation sounds fun but it’s actually more exhausting than staying home. (Except that you actually have a chance of going to the bathroom by yourself -BONUS!)

In fact, if we’re being honest, all days were exhausting.

However, if we’re being honest too, I loved every minute of it, guilt and confusion and all.

It was the choice I made, we made, and it was the right one for us. Navigating through all of the feelings of making such decisions is part of the decision and the process. It’s part of being a grown up. (Although even at 37 I would still argue against myself actually being a grown-up and my friends and family would probably agree.)

Fast forward to my new job. The one outside the home, the one where I spend 9 hours, along with the extra 1/2 hour in the morning and the extra hour on the way home because of traffic, and then another 1 or 2 or 5 if there’s any breaking news at all.

I still haven’t found my footing here. I officially missed every single game of an entire soccer season for both boys who play on Saturdays when I work. The very first season for them where they both actually played instead of crying on the sidelines or making sand angels in the dirt.

I returned to the newsroom a little older and (I’d say) wiser from life and work experience combined, and I see the young 20-somethings around me who all remind me of, well, me, and again I find myself in the familiar place of trying to find my role in the world.

I weather the feelings of guilt for feverishly navigating through the traffic jams only to miss the karate belt test by 5 minutes, I say no to the field trips I once would have chaperoned along with the class parties and when I make it to morning prayer at the preschool, I get the look of “Wow! You showed up!” from the parents who make it every day.

I barely make it through the day thinking I’ve been successful in remembering everything (HOORAY!) only to find out that I’ve forgotten it was spirit shirt day and my 5 year old was the only one still wearing his uniform to school.

There’s too much information for my mom brain that is now completely full and no longer accepting new information. I have palpitations because my planner is running out in June and I obsess over getting the new one that starts in July because without my planner and my lists, my life would no doubt crumble!

My point is: this is what it’s about. THIS IS motherhood.

It is hard. It is full. You can try to show me a mom who has it all together, but even Martha Stewart went to jail once.

For those without children (by choice) and as I’m reading this, I’m probably not making a strong case for motherhood in general here because I’ve  only mentioned the work that it is and the guilt that inherently comes with the job. And that’s ok, I’m not really trying to make a case for motherhood, even that is a personal decision. I knew all my life I wanted to be a mother and I’m blessed that I have been able to because honestly, even trying to become a mother can be hard! (Believe it or not.)

My truth (and I say “mine” because every person’s truth is different) is that no matter how hard it is, no matter how guilty I feel at any given moment for missing this or that or leaving or staying or any of that: I passionately love both sides of the road. Passionately and vehemently LOVE IT. 

I try very hard not to take for granted any given moment and I try to wrap my entire self around whatever I am doing at any given moment. I miss being at home on Saturday for pancakes but I love walking into a newsroom at 5:30 a.m. and getting the rush of adrenaline of breaking news and getting my crews out the door and information on the air.

The hard is what makes it GREAT. (I think we can all agree with Tom Hanks on this one.)

If we could just come together on that simple fact and realize that we are all actually on the same team, that no matter which side of the road we walk, all the same feelings exist, and those are really, quite simply put, that we want what’s best for our family. That’s it. 

I loved that I did (and could) stay home. I love that even as I miss a soccer game (which will not always be the case!) I am able to show my children that they too can live their passion, whatever it is that they choose, that they can dream and more importantly do.

No two moms’ circumstances are the same. No two moms’ objectives are the same. Comparing one to another makes no sense whatsoever and judging another based on zero knowledge of a person’s circumstances is simply insane. It’s crazy talk!

I started writing this about how surprisingly hard life is on both sides (I have always envied my husband’s quiet drive to work and now that I have it, I miss the yelling carpools with me reaching in the back swatting at someone’s feet that used to make me so crazy!)

But eventually it became a personal reminder to myself not to judge anyone for their personal decisions as a mother because IT IS ALL SO FREAKING WONDERFULLY RIDICULOUSLY MADDENINGLY HAPPILY FRUSTRATINGLY HARD! 

But I wouldn’t give up either side of the road for a second.

My wish is for us to remember this as we pass one another as we’re walking along the path.

And that even though there are two sides of the road (and a million turning lanes and even a center one because I haven’t even mentioned the work at home moms and the single moms and all of the other wonderful types of moms who walk this path!), at the end of the day, my wish is for us to remember that it is still THE SAME ROAD.

THERE IS ONE ROAD. And we are all on it.

And my wish is that instead of judgement, we give that familiar nod of acknowledgement and respect when we’re passing one another, one of our own, our sister, really, on this long tumultuous adventure called Motherhood.

The nod that says, “Good job, girl. Yup I know.”

Because chances are, before you passed her on that path, one of you, maybe even and probably both of you, had to clean up someone’s poop that day. And it wasn’t your own.

I cried to the last Office.

I cried during the set up show and then I rejoiced when @TheOfficeNBC tweeted me back when I was in agony (such a mix of emotions!)

I haven’t been this sad about a show ending since Gilmore Girls.

It did what it does perfectly, makes you cry in one scene and almost immediately makes you laugh in the very next. But the one thing I loved the most was the one-liners.

Besides the “that’s what she said” (classic!) these were my favorite.

Isn’t that the truth?

I always seem to look back on the “good old days” not fully understanding how amazing they were at the time. It’s the whole reason I try to soak in every single moment rightnow. Forevermore.

And then there’s this.

Yes. That’s exactly the point.

I loved this show. I loved Jim and Pam and I loved Dwight so very much. Michael Scott made me cringe and watch the show through my fingers sometimes and then after him, so did Andy. I loved Oscar and I really loved when Oscar got uncomfortable. I loved Phyllis and Stanley and I always got embarrassed for Toby. I had a crush on Ryan who was always such a jerk and I think sometimes that’s why. I loved the pranks Jim played on Dwight. Many many many years of memories.

What a great time I had with my “friends” from “The Office.”

I’ll miss all of you.

The Delish Spring Menu at Carmel Cafe – Go to There. Hurry.

I’m fortunate to live about 2 1/2 minutes away from Carmel Cafe.

I did a story about the restaurant a while back because you can order food via iPad.

Bloody brilliant.

Beware: It’s way too easy to continue adding to your order via iPad.

A couple weeks ago I got a chance to taste some of their new spring menu items. I’ve been to Carmel a couple of times and I’ve never been disappointed yet. First of all, you can order by iPad. (I mentioned that.)

But that also means that you can literally sit in your cozy little booth on date night and share plates and cocktails, it’s romantic! The atmosphere is dimly lit, modern and cozy and don’t worry – you’re not left completely alone, the server takes good care of you in between the iPad ordering.

The fare is what they call “Modern Mediterranean” or “Mod Med” for short: smaller plates or tapas, very fresh, healthy ingredients with a Mediterranean flair.

Delicious.

I love that the plates are not totally overwhelmingly large, you can try a little of everything and be comfortably full (not stuffed). Here’s what’s new on their menu right now:

Spring Pea Bruschetta.

Cod Bruschetta.

Tunisian Chicken marinated with 14 ridiculous spices of joy.

Fingerling potatoes.

Pan-seared Mahi Mahi with blood orange infused cherries. #Ohmigod

And then my personal favorite with a white sauce that’s to die for:

The Ravioli Verde with a spinach and ricotta filling, truffle butter, peas, pea shoots and mushrooms (I am not a mushroom fan but they are easy to remove or share with a partner.)

This night I also became very aware of the fact that you can actually pair a red wine with fish or chicken and you WON’T GO TO JAIL. It’s actually quite delicious and I can tell that Carmel Cafe is not afraid to break the wine rules. They’ll actually help you do it in a way that will have you thanking them in the end.

Each week there’s a new cocktail that they came up with special for the menu and it’s $5. One of them was this:

Spring tea!

It was deliciously dangerous. It tastes just like tea.

Do you want to try any of this? I know you do!

I’m giving away a $20 gift card to Carmel Cafe! All you have to do is leave me a comment tell me if you’ve been there, if you want to, or which one of these dishes looks yummiest!

Giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday May 24th and I’ll announce the winner next Friday.

Now. Where to find a Carmel Cafe? There are multiple Carmel Cafe locations, one in Countryside, one in Carrollwood, one in South Tampa and one in Sarasota. Coming soon: Winter Park!

You can also “like” Carmel Cafe on Facebook (Hint: they offer freebies)

And find Carmel Cafe on Twitter.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I attended the Carmel Cafe spring menu tasting. I was not compensated for this post and opinion are my own! (I love food.)

Happy belated Workout Wednesday!

Well I had a good strong three week run at Insanity! Does that count?

I’m not quite sure what happened. I was hitting my stride! And then Monday came and honestly, I can’t even remember what happened after that. Last week was a blur, I can’t remember what happened there either.

In fact, I have no recollection whatsoever of the events from last week. (Was I drunk? Why can’t I remember any of this? This is why one must write things down.)

Actually I think it began with this (if you must know the unraveling process, which if we’re being totally honest here, is only fair.)

My own personal Cinco de Mayo party.

And then the week got out of control, yada yada, a week and a half later…

Time to regroup? Yes.

So here’s what I know:

• I hate waking up at 5 a.m.
• If I workout after work, I miss my time with the kids.
• If I workout before work, I miss my time with the kids.
• If I workout at home, I am bored to tears.
• I miss training for something.

This was all much easier before I was working.

So.

Back to the drawing board.

Yes, Socks and Sandals

A conversation at bath time. In this scenario the characters are played by a 5 year old named Ryan,  a 7 year old named Aidan, and a 37 year old named Mom (which is me). OK it’s us.

Aidan: Mommy, can I wear socks and sandals?
Me : No. Not if you want a girlfriend.
Aidan: Well I want a girlfriend.
Me: Well then no socks with sandals, trust me.
Me (thinking): Actually, strike that. There is ONE scenario in which you can wear socks and sandals.
Aidan (looking excited, hopeful): Really?
Me: Yes. You must be 75.
Aidan (disappointed): Oh.
Ryan: (fart)

(End scene.)

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

To my mom, with whom I love to share an afternoon tea wearing big hats. (I love you mom!)

And to all of you, with whom I like to share TMI.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!! I hope you have the best one ever!

(ps. what did you do? And what did your kiddos do for you today?)

Ironman 3 is NONSTOP action from beginning to end

And that’s a good thing.

Have you seen Ironman 1 & 2?

I mentioned Sunday that I’ve seen Ironman 1 (a couple of times actually) but seeing it on morphine doesn’t really count (apparently I didn’t remember it anyway.) So after we screened Ironman 3 last week, I felt it inside me to sit down and watch Ironman 1 & 2 “real quick.” You know, to brush up on my Ironmans. It was a really fun Ironman marathon and totally worth it.

Now that I’ve done that, I’ve decided that:
1. I do actually really love Robert Downey, Jr., A LOT and
2. Though 1 & 2 were both really good, Ironman 3 definitely has the most action – it is actually nonstop action from beginning to end. I’d still see the other two if I were you though. In case you haven’t.

Ironman 3 comes on the heels of The Avengers (WHICH I LOVED) and it references The Avengers quite often throughout, in fact, Tony Stark is having a little PTSD from the aliens and the wormhole business.

He is now being threatened by a blast from the past – a somewhat shaggy-looking yet blossoming scientist (Guy Pearce) who Tony blew off in the early days, and now he’s somewhat jaded (and he’s cleaned himself up a little). Once in it for the science, he’s found a way to make people virtually indestructible (except for the ones who can’t handle the heat – quite literally, and they become human explosives.) Enter into the picture an international terrorist type who’s turned his attention toward the president and also Tony and his (now very much) girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and things get a little personal.

To say it’s action-packed is an understatement. It’s explosive, it’s funny, and it’s entertainingly exciting and stressful – all signs of a good action flick in my opinion.

While I like comics, I’m not a comic book devotee so I don’t know entire generations of backstory to any of the Marvel movies or characters (sorry to disappoint you), but I have loved the Marvel movies so far (yes I’ll be seeing the next Avengers in 2015, I’m already planning that date night.)

He has a larger wardrobe than I do.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a perfect mix of smart and funny (he’s a mechanic and engineer-type – apparently I have a weakness for smart & funny). Add in some Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, a hilarious Ben Kingsley, and some very good, very unsettling bad guys. Gwyneth also gets her moment of bad-ass-ness (high five!)

Ironman 3 is rated PG-13. I have not brought my kids (5&7 and they were very jealous) but I do know others who have.

Here’s a clip with a new young actor to the Ironman series, 11 year old Ty Simkins who plays “Harley.” Enjoy!

Have you seen it yet or are you going to? If you’ve seen it, what did you think? 

“Like” IRON MAN 3 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ironman
“Follow” IRON MAN 3 on Twitter: @Iron_Man
Visit the website: http://marvel.com/ironman3

Disclosure: I attended the Ironman 3 screening for review purposes.

Well last week was tremendously successful!

I fit in my Insanity workouts and Friday night I ran 3 miles with the husband on date night. It was along the Causeway as usual and we always finish up right when the sun is setting.

Almost every week I’ve gone five for six in workouts. That Saturday one is tough because I get home from work around 3:30 and it’s family time for family things like the BMX track. I cherish this time at the end of a Saturday workday, there are only a few hours left with the kids and I want them. And also I’m so exhausted at the end of my Saturday, getting up at 4 a.m. just wrecks me.

I still have to tell you about the BMX track – we’ve been busting to go and we finally have and it’s magical!

I’m sort of all over the place today. I finally sit down with so much in my head to write and I have a migraine I haven’t been able to kick for a few days now. I know I’m taking way too much Advil but it doesn’t seem to work anyway and I seem to have built up an immunity to Advil Migraine (is that possible?)

This week is a different workout story. I’m a little behind, I feel bloated, I can’t get rid of this headache and I’m so tired. I’m hoping that an 8 o’clock bedtime is going to benefit me and I’ll wake up a new person. I can hardly keep my eyes open and my temples are throbbing.

Though the workouts have been great, I’m still struggling a little on the food front, mostly because I’ve been thrust into tempting situations and have been averaging about a 50-50 success rate on whether or not I go down with the ship. First of all, the workplace is full of donut Fridays, (donut Saturdays for that matter too), birthday cake, etc. But I’ve been making a conscious effort to get more veggies in. Half my cart was the produce section in this week’s shopping trip and we’ve been experimenting with going meatless (no chicken or red meat) not for any reason, just because.

Monday we had fish and these ridiculous roasted veggies that even the kids gobble up.

About to roast these puppies, toss with olive oil, roast on 450 for 20 minutes. YUM!

We’ve been big on black beans and rice bowls, and salads (this one I saw on HGTV and it was amazing: spring lettuce, cut up oranges, sliced strawberries, feta -though I used fresh mozz – with olive oil and a squirt of lemon for dressing and toss. Seriously! Ridiculous! You can see some of it on the side right there.)

Instead of doing that normal thing where I get all pissy at myself for skipping workouts, I’m just going to let it go, try to get rid of this headache and pick up where I left off.

Sounds like a plan, right?

How was your week?

Disney’s PLANES is coming!

First it was Cars, which was our very first movie ever, and now comes Planes! A story about a plane named “Dusty” (voiced by Dane Cook) who’s afraid of heights. To get excited about the movie and get to know the characters, here are some coloring and activity sheets for the kids! Just click the button and print them out, easy peasy.

Disney’s Planes hits theaters August 9th!

“Like” Disney’s PLANES on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyPlanes

“Follow” Disney’s PLANES on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Visit the website: www.disney.com/Planes

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Opinions and love of Disney movies is my own!