I opined when it came to Up that it’s hard to judge the Pixar canon because there are so few missteps, but when it comes to favorites, everyone’s got to have one. You have to at some point think of which one you love the most. It’s not like they’re your children. Though a case can be made for almost every single one of their films, the one that gets me the hardest, and the one that always works me over like a sap is Monsters Inc. My review of it after the jump.

We want to bring you more news every day, but unfortunately our robot army of writers who never need to sleep, to eat, or to love, is still under development (currently all they do is sleep, eat, and love).  In the meantime, we’re going to be making “A Fistful of News” a regular feature you’ll see every other day where we bring you some additional news stories we found but didn’t have time to write.  Until the Robot Army is ready to proceed (which is unlikely as we cut corners and ordered them from Belize, a country not known for quality robotics).

After the jump you’ll find ten quick news items including what’s next for Up director Peter Docter even though it’s not Monsters, Inc. 2, Guillermo del Toro’s monster cameo in The Hobbit, and Jeff Bridges’ behind-the-scenes photography on the set of Iron Man.

As I said last week, with the holiday’s approaching and everyone trying to save money, we’re keeping our eyes open for “geek gifts”.  And thanks to Amazon, if you haven’t already pre-ordered Up on Blu-ray, they have a great deal that ends tomorrow.  If you buy Up for $19.99, you can get a second Disney Blu-ray for an additional $10 dollars.  Since the retail price for the four disc Blu-ray of Up is over $40 dollars, this is a great deal as you get two Blu-ray movies for $30 dollars with free shipping and no sales tax (depending where you live).  While the list of choices is limited, they do have the Blu-ray’s of Bolt, Snow White, and Cars. Click here to check it out.

However, the best part of the deal for the Pixar fanatics out there is getting Up and Monsters, Inc. (both directed by Pete Docter) together for $32.98.  That’s basically getting the 4-Disc Blu-ray of Up AND the 4-Disc Blu-ray of Monsters, Inc. for $16.49 each.  You’re not going to beat that deal.  Either way, this is one of the must-own movies of the year so head over to buy Up with whichever deal you prefer.  Remember, Up will be available to own starting tomorrow so pre-order today because these deals ain’t gonna last.

Pete Docter and the folks at Pixar have turned in one of the year’s best films with “Up” and while the originality of Pixar is never in doubt, it looks like Docter will going back to Monstropolis for a sequel to 2001’s “Monsters Inc.”  According to Jim Hill Media, potential buyers who attended this year’s Licensing International Expo 2009 learned that Docter will follow up “Up” with “Monsters Inc. 2″.  There’s currently no word about plot or whether John Goodman and Billy Crystal would reprise their roles as monsters Sully and Mike Wazowski, but as for when we would see the film, it probably wouldn’t be until 2013.  Currently, Pixar has “Toy Story 3″ set for 2010, “Cars 2″ (the only Pixar film no one is looking forward to) and “The Bear and the Bow” for 2011, and “Newt” for 2012.

But with perhaps the exception of “The Incredibles”, there’s no Pixar film where I’d go out of my mind for a sequel because I thought the original demanded a franchise.  I don’t think a second “Monsters Inc.” film will be bad; I just never saw Pixar as a sequel studio (unlike DreamWorks Animation which in mandating at least two sequels per year).  But as long as they’re continuing with original films, and, more importantly, putting emphasis on story first, then I have no concerns about a “Monsters Inc. 2″ and look forward to seeing if Docter can top his work on “Up”.

Opening this Friday is the 10^th film from Pixar and it’s called “Up”. And just like all the other films from this mighty studio, it’s a classic. But would you expect anything less from Pixar?

However, even though all Pixar films have great moments, the opening ten minutes of “Up” left me speechless. It’s without a doubt my favorite stretch of story from any of their movies and it will absolutely touch your heart. And for some of you, it will make you cry. I’ve seen the opening twice and I can’t find a single shot or frame I’d have done differently. It’s perfect.

And please don’t think the rest of the film is any less spectacular, because “Up” is a wonderful film that everyone will enjoy. I can’t recommend it enough.

So to help promote “Up”, I recently got to speak with director Pete Docter and the transcript is below. We talked about how they created the amazing opening of the film, what are his thoughts and Pixar’s thoughts on IMAX, what’s up with the “Monsters Inc.” Blu-ray, what will be on the Blu-ray of “Up”, and we talked about the amazing work of composer Michael Giacchino. I even tried to find out a little on “Toy Story 3″ and the character of Lotso…but he wouldn’t spill anything.

As always, you can either read the transcript or listen to the audio by clicking here. And here’s a link to six clips from “Up”. Again, “Up” arrives in theaters this Friday.