Toy Story 3' Director on Oscar Nominations

Lee Unkrich was huddled in bed with his wife and 13-year-old daughter on Tuesday morning, their hearts pounding, when he received his first personal Oscar nomination.

The “Toy Story 3” director said, in his 16 years with Pixar, he’s been “lucky to be a part of a lot of great films” - many of which have been nominated.
“I’ve been so happy over the years to see buddies take home Oscars,” Unkrich said, “but there’s nothing quite like being nominated yourself.”
Just as thrilling as the film’s nomination for best animated feature film of the year, he said, is its best picture nod, making “Toy Story 3” the third ever animated feature to be nominated in the category.
“I left Ohio 25 years ago with dreams of making movies and it’s just, I have to pinch myself that I somehow, in this crazy industry, found myself here in this position,” he said.
Unkrich, who was drinking a mimosa during our chat, said he plans to continue celebrating the film’s nominations at the office with his crew and his partners.
While “Toy Story 4” isn’t in the cards, fans can look forward to a series of animated shorts - set to debut before “Cars 2” this summer - featuring the “Toy Story” crew.
“It’s a lot of fun to have ended the story of Andy and his toys in the movies, but still keep the characters alive,” he said.
The film garnered five nominations: Best animated feature film of the year, achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song), best motion picture of the year, achievement in sound editing and adapted screenplay.