Pixar chief says Cannes slot for 'Up' is 'like a dream'

Pixar's co-founder said on Wednesday the Cannes red carpet rolled out for the studio's new cartoon caper "Up," which opens the 12-day Riviera film festival Wednesday night, was "like a dream."

"I am so excited, so proud," Disney-Pixar heavyweight John Lasseter, who produced the film, told AFP ahead of the VIP world premiere.

"I still can't believe it, it's like a dream. I think tonight to have the first animated film ever to open the festival is one of the greatest moments of my career."

A buoyant adventure set in the wilds of South America, "Up" was set to make cinematic history Wednesday as the first-ever animated feature and first 3D movie to open the festival.

"As a young filmmaker you always look at these amazing festivals around the world. To actually have a film being selected as the opening night of the Cannes film festival is like, Wow," Lasseter added.

Set for general release in late May, "Up" is the latest offering by multiple US Oscar nominee Pete Docter, director of "Toy Story" and writer of "Wall-E" among others, and Bob Peterson, writer of "Finding Nemo" and "Ratatouille".

The film sees a grouchy, elderly widower tying thousands of balloons to his home to fulfill a dream of adventure in South America -- only to find he has been joined by a pint-sized stowaway, a would-be wilderness explorer 70 years his junior.

Hundreds of journalists who donned geeky 3D spectacles for a morning press projection gave a resounding round of applause to the 150-million-dollar film, which many industry figures say heralds a small revolution in film-making.

The Cannes festival winds up on May 24 when the jury, headed for this year's 62nd edition by French actress Isabelle Huppert, hands out the Palme d'Or.