Pixar is a multi-billion dollar company because it knows how to tell a story. Great storytellers know that there needs to be a strong story at the core and the support of all the technical aesthetic mastery and wizardry in the making of a film. When there is a lack of story — of an idea — there’s nothing but average design because there’s a lack of a point of interest and nothing for the audience to grab onto. So let’s learn from the stories told through Pixar’s iconic films. We’re looking at branding at its best!

Toy Story (1995)
Fun and playful is a great way to start! The bright red, yellow, and blue grabs our attention immediately and its primary color palette tells us who its target audience is. The type size, the chunkiness of it, as well as the playful way it’s laid out, make this cute in the right way and screams, “Toy”. It’s also nice to see a logo with depth by using the simple overlay of the words, which also hints at the 3D animation.

A Bug’s Life (1998)
A nice, flat logo from Pixar. The bugs hiding in the letters are cute and the little one between Disney & Pixar is a great touch. The all-lowercase typeface is playful and has an exaggeration to it that suggests that we’re going to be shown little things in a really big vantage point. I also like the warmth of the yellow in the logo, like a ray of sunshine that gently touches down on the bug-covered leaf. All the details adds up to a little reflection of the film — it has its footing in it.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)
This logo is perfect for a major corporation with its blue, bold and capital letters. The blue hints at one of the major characters of this film and the eye hiding in the M turns this logo into something quirky — another character reflection. It hints at the story without being obvious.

Finding Nemo (2003)
This is the first logo in which they go from good to great. The word “Nemo” is pushed along by the wave at the baseline, sliding over and sinking the text, rather than bouncing it. The small-fish-in-a-big-ocean O works as a reflection of the story. I also love that the name of our little fish is the strongest thing, serving as another reflection of the big personality and heart of the title character.

The Incredibles (2004)
This one just screams comic book. The I is like the S of Superman and the X of X-Men badges. It’s simple, memorable and looks fantastic on the chest of a hero. The story of this film is all over this logo. The title itself looks larger-than-life and the juxtaposition of the type looks decades-old but whispers futuristic.

Cars (2006)
Here it is, 3D-embossed text. It looks like a realistic chrome-covered car ornament! Pixar was able to create a nice looking logo without using normally tacky methods. It’s new, clean, and suave like the main character of the film. Plus, you have to love the retro typeface!

Ratatouille (2007)
I love watching Ratatouille because everything about it is so French. One of my favorite cities is Paris and this movie was based in that very city! On first viewing of the logo, it reminds me of the street signs nailed to the corners of the buildings in Paris. The type and color palette has an appropriate freshness to it and I love the attention to detail with the imperfect screws. Nothing about this logo is symmetrical or perfect but it’s ridiculously charming! The nose of the rat sneaks in above the I, trying to find a place where it isn’t welcome — much like a rat in a kitchen.

Wall•E (2008)
This logo is looks heartless and cold, much like the soulless machine that was made for one drab, ugly, boring task its entire life. The sharp edges, lack of charm, and strong-footed logo is a reminder of what Wall•E was created for. But after watching the film makes the shapes of the logo easier to love because it’s about the little robot that could.

Up (2009)
Perfect. It’s written in the sky. Not on it or over it or under it, but in it. These two simple letters are part of the fabric of the heavens. It’s soft edges give a lightness that feels as if it should be floating off the beautiful posters it appears on. It’s strong and heavy but is floating away, gently, as the wind pushes it to a far-flung destination. I don’t think it needs to be said that this is a great reflection of story.

To read more about “Stories Their Brands Tell”, check out Alex Charchar’s blog, Retinart.

I’ve seen many of Christopher Nolan’s films and have gained a huge understanding for his work. His love for the anti-hero is obvious, and his desire for dark stories has been evident from the outset. He’s a smart filmmaker who understands the medium and knows how to use it to the advantage of his stories. With that said, here are my top five Christopher Nolan films…

5. Batman Begins (2005)

I’ve never been a fan of any of the Batman TV series or movie franchises because I found it cheesy and lacking depth but after watching this film in preparation for The Dark Knight, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! Nolan did a great job with character development and the cinematography was awesome.

Trailer: Batman Begins

4. The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight is probably considered the greatest superhero movie of all-time by many people and without looking too deep I’d say I am among the many. The Dark Knight is sheer entertainment and I can’t get over how great Heath Ledger was as The Joker.

Trailer: The Dark Knight

3. Inception (2010)

I watched Inception yesterday and I was thoroughly impressed. I couldn’t stop replaying every part of the movie in my head to try and look for more clues to figure out the puzzle. Definitely a movie that needs to be re-watched because Nolan is a genius when it comes to hiding answers in the little details.

Trailer: Inception

2. The Prestige (2006)

Out of all of Nolan’s films, watching The Prestige offered probably the biggest surprise for me. I’m a fan big of magic and illusions so watching a film that surrounded this theme was a great delight!

Trailer: The Prestige

1. Memento (2000)

Memento was Nolan’s first breakout film, and, in my opinion, still his best. I’ve watched this film maybe a dozen times and I’m never disappointed. Talk about getting mind-fked, this is nothing but Nolan’s best at messing with your head.

Trailer: Memento

Season 6: Episode 1: Rebirth
Air Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 10 PM ET on Comedy Central

Following the events of “Into the Wild Green Yonder,” the Planet Express ship and the Nimbus collide resulting in the deaths of everyone except Fry and the Professor. As a result, the Professor attempts to resuscitate the crew.

You can watch the first 90 seconds of the first episode Rebirth at MovieWeb.

If you’ve never seen an episode of Ranma ½, then you’re definitely missing out! This is one of the cutest and dearest series you will ever watch. They don’t make manga series like they use to and Ranma ½ is one of my favorites! The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Ranma Saotome who was trained from early childhood in martial arts. As a result of an accident during a training journey in China, he is cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and hot water will change him back into a boy.

FYI, this series has nudity and sexual content but you must keep in mind that Japanese view nudity in a different, less severe way, than the West. If you find nudity offensive then you best stick to Hello Kitty. Aside from that, Ranma ½ has tons and tons of hilarious moments. Trust me, it’s definitely worth watching! Humorous, heartwarming and all around amazing.

To buy the complete TV and DVD boxed set, check out iOffer.com.

To download all the episodes (English dubbed), check out Anime-DS.com.

The complete Daria series has finally been released to DVD! A whole generation will be able to go back to a time when the world felt smarter in many ways — when teenagers were the hope of the future rather than oversexed, immature, corporate packaged fad followers.

Daria, a spin-off series of Beavis and Butt-Head which aired on MTV nationwide from 1997 to 2002, is about decadence of 90s teen culture and the few, the proud, who quietly and apathetically defied it. The show gathered somewhat of a cult following before disappearing altogether.

Music licensing issues has postponed the release of this series to DVD, time and again for the better part of a decade. So the show creator and producers have changed 99% of the original music due to licensing costs of the music bites which would have made it impossible to release the collection.

The set includes all five seasons, two movies “Is It Fall Yet?” and “Is It College Yet?”, and a number of extras including a cast and crew interview featurette.

For more about Daria and Daria: The Complete Animated Series, visit MTV.com.