Venice to screen 3D Toy Story films, Princess & the Frog

As previously reported, Lasseter will be awarded the Career Achievement on September 6 in Venice’s Sala Grande with Pixar directors Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich present.

The news comes just two days before Pixar’s latest film Up opens the Cannes International Film Festival on Wednesday.

The group will also give an animation master class on September 7 featuring a panel Q and A aimed at aspiring film animators, the Biennale said Sunday.

The Toy Story films, originally released in 1995 and 1999 have been re-rendered in 3D from the original digital files. The Venice screenings are in advance of the Disney release in the US in a double feature 3D presentation October 2.

In addition, Venice will host a partial screening of upcoming The Princess And The Frog, a new interpretation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale set in 1920s New Orleans, ahead of its November 2009 release date. The film is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and is being touted as Disney’s return to traditional hand-painted animation. The film will also unveil other unexpected animation developments, the press release read. Lasseter also oversees the work of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Disney/Pixar career tribute will also include retrospective screenings of Andrew Stanton’s Finding Nemo, Brad Bird’s The Incredibles as well as the Italian premiere of Pete Docter’s Up.

John Lasseter said, “All of us at Pixar are extremely grateful and honored to be recognized by the Venice International Film Festival in such a special way. This is a great time for Pixar as we celebrate the release of our tenth feature-length film, Up, and the World Premieres of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in Disney Digital 3D™.”

The Venice Film Festival runs September 2-12.