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SOLO LIFE AWAKEN ROGUE A TOY STORY

SHADOWS RISE

ALL

On the opening night of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a seven-year-old girl's Star Wars toys come to life. They learn who they are and set off on an adventure to help their young companion as she heads out to watch The Force Awakens.

STAR WARS FAN AWARDS 2018

We're proud to announce that Star Wars: The Toys Awaken is the winner of the BEST STOP MOTION and SPIRIT OF FANDOM awards in the Long Video category of the 2018 Star Wars Fan Awards, which were presented by Lucasfilm on December 12, 2018 on The Star Wars Show.

VIDEO //

DIRECTOR'S CUT TRAILER [2:00 | 4K]

VFX BREAKDOWN [3:18 | 4K]

THE FILM – DIRECTOR'S CUT [6:55 | 4K]

THE STAR WARS SHOW – FAN AWARDS SPECIAL [11:37 | HD]

THE STAR WARS SHOW LIVE! | INTERVIEW – APR. 15, 2019

VFX BREAKDOWN | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

Take a look behind the scenes of PixelPlex's visual effects work on Star Wars: The Toys Awaken in this all-new breakdown video. The featured work was created by PixelPlex founder Raymond Montemayor, the writer / director / producer of the award-winning fan film series Star Wars Toy Stories.

DIRECTOR'S CUT RELEASE DATE | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

An early version of this trailer was first screened at San Diego Comic Con 2018 at our fan film autograph table. We present it here to announce that we'll be releasing the Director's Cut of our film online in December 2019. Follow us on social media to find out the exact day and time it will be viewable online.

OFFICIAL TRAILER | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

This trailer was first screened at San Diego Who Con 2018. Raymond Montemayor (writer / director / producer) was invited to be on the Fan Filmmakers panel along with other panelists to discuss the art of fan filmmaking. The trailer is presented here with some minor updates.

STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018) – ORIGINAL EDIT

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

This is the original five-minute edit of our film submitted to the Star Wars Fan Awards on September 17, 2018. It won the awards for BEST STOP MOTION and SPIRIT OF FANDOM. The embedded video above is streamed from StarWars.com. You can also watch the video directly on the Star Wars website here. The Director's Cut of the film will include two minutes of additional footage and will be submitted to film festivals throughout 2019. Follow us on social media to find out when and where the Director's Cut will be screened and when it will be published online.

STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018) – DIRECTOR'S CUT

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

The seven-minute Director's Cut of Star Wars: The Toys Awaken includes additional footage, which was cut from the original edit to keep it within the five-minute running time limit for the Star Wars Fan Awards. The Director's Cut is being submitted to film festivals throughout 2019 and will be available for viewing online in December 2019. Follow us on social media to find out when and where screeings will be taking place and exactly when it will be published online. In the meantime, watch the original cut of the film at StarWars.com here.

THE STAR WARS SHOW (12/12/2018) – STAR WARS FAN AWARDS SPECIAL

On this episode of the The Star Wars Show, Andi and Anthony present awards to the winners of the 2018 Star Wars Fan Awards. Our awards for BEST STOP MOTION and SPIRIT OF FANDOM are presented under the Best Animation category at the 3:00 mark. We also produced some stop-motion animation which appear in the Acceptance Speeches segment at the 6:56 mark. Raymond, Maliya, and Nora Montemayor also appear briefly at the end of that segment at the top center of the video at the 7:27 mark. It was another fantastic episode, which we were proud to be a part of.

THE STAR WARS SHOW LIVE! INTERVIEW | CELEBRATION CHICAGO 2019

APRIL 15, 2019

Writer / Director / Producer Raymond Montemayor was interviewed on The Star Wars Show LIVE! at Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019 about his award-winning fan film Star Wars: The Toys Awaken and the fan film screening event he organized during Celebration with Jack E. Curenton and Mark W. Gray.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH – STAR WARS FAN AWARDS 2018

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

Lucasfilm requested winners for the Star Wars Fan Awards to each submit a short acceptance video for possible inclusion in the Star Wars Show – Star Wars Fan Awards Special episode. The folks at the Star Wars Show ended up using several clips from our video, but we would like to share the entire two-minute video because there are so many people that we would like to thank for helping us make Star Wars: The Toys Awaken.

OFFICIAL TRAILER A | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

This trailer will be off-line until the 2018 Star Wars Fan Awards are complete. Visit www.starwarsfanawards.com on November 2^nd to find out if our film is a finalist, and vote once a day from November 2^nd - 13^th for your favorites in the Long Video, Short Video, Photography, and Visual Art categories!

CAST & CREW //

EDWIN FRANK ORTIZ

LUCAS / POE DAMERON (voice)

San Diego Native, Edwin Frank Ortiz has been involved in theatre since his senior year at Point Loma High School where he started out as a Breakdancer performing for talent shows. The acting bug bit him when a class mate asked Edwin to play a part in his film. After that, an aspiring actor was born. Edwin is mostly known for playing the wacky, hip, break-dancing Angel, Gabriel, in Teatro Magica's play, La Pastorela.

Edwin recently graduated with an A.S. Degree as a Cinema Production Specialist from Southwestern College and was the former President of C.A.M. (Cinematic Arts and Media) club SWC. Edwin enjoys producing, directing and acting in film. He currently lives in Los Angeles awaiting the application status for the Universities in LA.

TAYLOR KOSTER

BOBBY

What drew Taylor into acting was the exhilirating and challenging adventure of it all. She has worked in many film productions throughout San Diego, as well as commercials, industrials and productions in Los Angeles. When not working on a project, Taylor keeps busy taking scene study, improv and auditioning classes in order to bring new creativity and technique to each role. Keep up with her latest work at Taylor's Official Facebook Page.

MALIYA MONTEMAYOR

RILEY

Maliya is the daughter of producer Raymond Montemayor. After she saw Star Wars: A Toy Story, she told her dad that she wanted to be in the next fan film. So we made The Rogue One: A Star Wars Toy Story together, and now here we are with her second fan film!

NORA MONTEMAYOR

RILEY / MOVIE THEATER PATRON – REY

Nora is the daughter of producer Raymond Montemayor. When production on the film began in April 2016, Nora played an extra for the movie theater scene. But because the production stretched into September 2018, Maliya (her older sister) was too old to complete shots for her character Riley. Luckily, Nora was the right age to shoot pick-up shots for Riley, and we were able to complete the film for the 2018 Star Wars Fan Awards!

CECILIA "CECE" MARTIN

SADIE

We thought it would be fun if we could get Maliya's best friend from 1^st grade involved in the film. Cecilia, or 'Cece' as her friends and family call her, was totally up for it!

ROBERT NIXON

KYLO REN (voice)

At the age of 5, Robert Nixon was the youngest professionally performing magician in the United States, and he hasn't stopped performing since. Robert is a professional actor and dancer previously based in San Diego, CA, and has recently move back to his hometown in Maine. He can be seen on stage as much as he can be seen on film. He is also a writer, director, and producer and runs a production company called King Of Hearts Films.

WHITTON FRANK

REY (voice)

Whitton Frank has been performing on stage since she was eight. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in acting and creative writing and moved to Los Angeles where she worked in theater and film for several years. She is recently returned to Los Angeles from London after graduating from the prestigious London Academy of Dramatic Art. In addition to acting, Whitton is a swing and blues dance instructor and deejay. Check out her work and keep informed about new productions at www.whittonfrank.com.

JAMIE COSTA

HAN SOLO (voice)

Jamie Costa began his acting endeavors in college theatre back in South Carolina. Shortly after graduating he got more involved in the YouTube world by showing up in others viral shorts and sketches and then on to generating his own content. It wasn't long before he became an online sensation. All the while he has managed to hone his craft and maintain a career in the film industry as a prolific VO artist and onscreen actor. His online content has garnered millions of views across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In 2015 Jamie moved to LA to continue his industry pursuits.

DAVID S. DAWSON

YODA (voice)

David S. Dawson is proud to be a part of Star Wars Toy Stories. Star Wars was the defining series of films in his own childhood and ultimately led him on the path of storyteller and filmmaker. David studied Theatre at Baylor University and has had a long career both in the spotlight and behind the scenes in entertainment. A huge fan of voice actors, David has been steadily building his own career as a voice actor and is humbled and honored to be selected to portray Yoda in Star Wars: The Toys Awaken.

ROB THARP

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Rob Tharp is Co-Founder, Producer, and Cinematographer at Grijalva Films. He provides strategic management and facilitation to Grijalva Films while supplying creative direction to their productions. Tharp specializes in monitoring project timetables, budget and ensures the task at hand moves from conception to delivery with the upmost fluidity.

CARLOS GRIJALVA

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Carlos is Co-Founder of Grijalva Films, which he directs with an innovative, unique and artistic approach. Carlos strives to evoke emotion in all videos he delivers. Additionally, Grijalva is currently teaching multimedia and cinematography classes at the new state-of-the-art Cinematic Arts Center at Point Loma High School.

ACE PARKER

ASST. DIRECTOR + SET PHOTOGRAPHER | Digital Gym

Ace Parker is a local Star Wars nut, Freelance Photographer and Graphic Designer. His film credits include The Brazilian Affair, and the upcoming Time Free Dentistry. You can find his work at www.aceparker.com.

JACOB DUBIZHANSKY

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

PRODUCTION ASST. + SET PHOTOGRAPHER at Digital Gym

Jacob Dubizhansky has been obsessed with animation and science fiction since childhood. He graduated from the Art Institute of California, San Diego with a Bachelors Degree in Digital Art and Design. He has over 15 years of experience in the design field working on children’s books, to fast-paced design firm, to creating product packaging and marketing for the health and fitness industry. He wears many hats as a film production set dresser, prop maker, sometime-actor, and freelance Graphic Designer through his company, Oakenstorm Productions. His film credits include the feature films The Lady and the Tiger, Resilient Hearts: It’s All About the Journey, and about a dozen music videos and independent film productions. You can find his work at www.oakenstorm.com

RAYMOND MONTEMAYOR

HAN SOLO + FINN (voices)
MOVIE THEATER EMPLOYEE
WRITER / DIRECTOR / PRODUCER
CINEMATOGRAPHER / EDITOR / VISUAL EFFECTS

Raymond is an engineer turned artist. He holds BS and MS degrees in engineering from Harvey Mudd College and UCLA, respectively, and spent 12 years designing communication chips for the wireless and cable TV industries. He founded PixelPlex in 2012 to pursue his interests in digital media design, providing services as a motion graphics designer, visual effects artist, and 3D animator. A lifelong Star Wars fan, Raymond has focused his love for art and technology to produce this Star Wars fan film.

PHOTO GALLERY //

FILM
STILLS

PRODUCTION
STILLS

SOCIAL
MEDIA

EXTRAS // BEHIND THE SCENES + DELETED SCENES + VFX BREAKDOWNS COMING SOON

INTERVIEW WITH CREATE SCI-FI – 2020

TEMPLE OF GEEK PODCAST – NOV. 29

ATOMACON AWARDS 2019 – CLIP

INTERVIEW WITH NFMLA – 2019/10/20

Q&A – GEN CON FILM FESTIVAL 2019

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK – 2019/08/22

Q&A – SAN DIEGO FILM WEEK 2019

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH – SDFA 2019

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH – SWFA 2018

INTERVIEW | WITH ANTHONY FERRARO OF CREATE SCI-FI

AUGUST 23, 2020

In this video, Raymond Montemayor discusses his fan film series Star Wars Toy Stories with sci-fi filmmaker Anthony Ferraro of Create Sci-Fi, goes over requirements for entering a film into the official Lucasfilm Star Wars Fan Awards, and shares tips for making fan films in general.

TEMPLE OF GEEK PODCAST | EPISODE 161

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Writer / Director / Producer Raymond Montemayor had the honor of being interviewed on the Temple of Geek Podcast. He discusses his background and his inspirations for developing his fan film series Star Wars Toy Stories. Scroll down and listen to the podcast to learn about some of the challenges involved in producing Star Wars: The Toys Awaken, and some background for upcoming projects Home Solo: A Star Wars Toy Story and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

AWARDS CEREMONY | ATOMACON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC | NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken screened at the AtomaCon Short Film Festival in South Carolina, and we were honored to receive the award for BEST SHORT FILM. Here's a clip of the awards ceremony, where the festival organizer, Michelle Iannantuono, had some kind words to say about our little film. Thanks so much, AtomaCon!

INTERVIEW | NEWFILMMAKERS LA FILM FESTIVAL

LOS ANGELES, CA | OCTOBER 20, 2019

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken was an Official Selection of the NewFilmmakers LA Monthly Film Festival, which took place on October 19^th, 2019. Raymond Montemayor attended the screening and was interviewed the next day by Danny De Lillo, Chair of the Board of Directors for the NFMLA, for Stage 5, a monthly series they produce in partnership with Movie Maker Magazine.

POST-SCREENING Q&A | GEN CON FILM FESTIVAL 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN | AUGUST 3, 2019

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken was an Official Selection of the 2019 Gen Con Film Festival. Raymond Montemayor attended the screening at the Indiana Convention Center on August 3rd, 2019. This is the filmmaker Q&A session that followed the Fan Film Block. Joining Raymond were Alea Figueroa and Brendan Rogers from And You Films, Marco Bossow from Transmute Pictures, and Chuck Budreau who organizes the film festival for Gen Con.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK | FAN FICTION FILM FESTIVAL – AUGUST 2019

TORONTO, ONTARIO | AUGUST 22, 2019

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken was an Official Selection of the Fan Fiction Film Festival. It screened on August 22^nd, 2019 at the Carlton Cinemas in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. The unique aspect of this festival is that the audience provides their reactions to each of the films screened. Much thanks to the Fan Fiction Film Festival and the WildSOUND Festival for putting this video together.

POST-SCREENING Q&A | SAN DIEGO FILM WEEK 2019

MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS | APRIL 19, 2019

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken was an Official Selection of San Diego Film Week 2019. It screened during the Best of LA and SD Shorts program on Friday, April 19th. These are excerpts from the Q&A session following the screenings. Questions were addressed by writer / director / producer Raymond Montemayor.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH | SAN DIEGO FILM AWARDS 2019

WINNER | BEST VISUAL EFFECTS in a NARRATIVE SHORT FILM

Star Wars: The Toys Awaken was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, and Best Visual Effects in a Narrative Short Film at the 2019 San Diego Film Awards on April 20th. We were honored to be presented with the award for BEST VISUAL EFFECTS. Raymond, Maliya, and Nora Montemayor accepted the award.

TEASER TRAILER A | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

The Star Wars Toy Stories series continues with Star Wars: The Toys Awaken. This story is set between our first two fan films, Star Wars: A Toy Story and The Rogue One: A Star Wars Toy Story, on December 17th, 2015, the opening day of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Special thanks to Paul Shipper for allowing us to use his Star Wars character art in our film.

TEASER TRAILER B | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

Special thanks to Paul Shipper for allowing us to use his Star Wars character art in our film.

TEASER TRAILER C | STAR WARS: THE TOYS AWAKEN (2018)

A PIXELPLEX PRODUCTION

Special thanks to Paul Shipper for allowing us to use his Star Wars character art in our film.

INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS

MEET THE WINNERS
STAR WARS FAN AWARDS 2018

ONE-REELER FILMMAKER Q&A
BEST SHORT FILM + BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

INTERVIEW – September 6, 2019
FAN FICTION FILM FESTIVAL

FILM REVIEW
MUSINGS OF A MIDDLE-AGED GEEK

FILM FESTIVALS // 15 AWARDS IN 31 FILM FESTIVALS

BEST STOP MOTION + SPIRIT OF FANDOM
Star Wars Fan Awards 2018

WINNER – BEST PARODY
Los Angeles Film Awards – Dec. 2018

WINNER – BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
New York Film Awards – Dec. 2018

WINNER – BEST STOP MOTION + BEST VFX
Oniros Film Awards – Dec. 2018

WINNER – BEST SHORT FILM + BEST VFX
One-Reeler Short Film Competition 2018

WINNER – BEST PARODY
Top Shorts Online Film Fest – Jan. 2019

WINNER – BEST FILM
Azure Lorica Fan Film Awards 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION – Year 6 Tour
GeekFest Film Fest 2019

WINNER – BEST ANIMATION
GeekFest Toronto 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Long Beach Comic Expo 2019

FINALIST
MystiCon Independent Film Fest 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Dumbo Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
San Diego Film Week 2019

WINNER – BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
San Diego Film Awards 2019

WINNER – BEST FAMILY FILM
FantaSci Short Film Festival 2019

WINNER – BEST STAR WARS FAN FILM
Comicpalooza Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Comic Con Revolution Ontario 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Silicon Valley Sci Fi Short Film Fest 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
BayCon 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Gen Con Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Fan Fiction Festival 2019

FINALIST – BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Oniros Film Awards – Best of Year 2019

GRAND JURY PRIZE – BEST SHORT
SD International Kids' Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Dragon Con Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Long Beach Comic Con 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Rose City Comic Con 2019

3rd PLACE – BEST FAN FILM
LA Comic Con 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Tri-Cities International Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
New Filmmakers LA – October 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Rhode Island Comic Con 2019

FINALIST – BEST ANIMATION
Austin Indie Fest 2019

RUNNER UP – BEST LIVE ACTION
Grand Rapids Comic-Con 2019

WINNER – BEST SHORT FILM
AtomaCon Short Film Festival 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Wizard World Comic Con 2019

BEST OF SHOW + BEST LIVE ACTION
Empire Con LA – Fan Film Fest 2019

OFFICIAL SELECTION – Los Angeles
International Children's Film Fest 2020

OFFICIAL SELECTION – SD International
Airport – Airport Film Series 2021

POPPY APPLETON

MOVIE THEATER PATRON – STEAMPUNK AHSOKA

Poppy Appleton has been involved in costume creation and cosplay for over 9 years. She loves all things Star Wars, Steampunk, and comic books! Poppy is a proud member of the Star Wars Steampunk Universe and Sci-Fi Coalition cosplay charity groups. One of Poppy’s current passions is cosplay and character makeup.

BENJAMIN BARNETT

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Benjamin Barnett....

STEPHANIE BELILL

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Stephanie Belill....

ANGELA BRITTAIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Angela Brittain....

ELLIANA BRITTAIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON – REY

Elliana Brittain....

HANNAH BRITTAIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Hannah Brittain....

JOSHUA BRITTAIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Joshua Brittain....

LYDIA BRITTAIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Lydia Brittain....

MATTHEW CAMPOS

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Matthew Campos....

CHRISTOPHER CANOLE

DUDE VADER - MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Christopher Canole....

LINDA CRISPIEN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Linda Crispien....

GARY DEXTER

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Gary Dexter....

KYOKO DEXTER

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Kyoko Dexter....

TRACY DOERING

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Tracy Doering....

SHAYLOR DURANLEAU

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Shaylor Duranleau....

EUGENE FULLER

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Eugene Fuller....

ANDREW HERNANDEZ

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Andrew Hernandez....

JENNIFER HERNANDEZ

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Jennifer Hernandez....

FOXX HOLLY

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Foxx Holly....

RORY HOLLY

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Rory Holly....

SHANE HOLLY

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Shane Holly....

PAUL KRUEGER

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Paul Krueger....

CHEN LI

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Chen Li....

RONNAH MONTEMAYOR

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Ronnah Montemayor....

SHAWN MULLEN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Shawn Mullen....

DAVID NEUHAUSEL

MOVIE THEATER PATRON – 501st STORMTROOPER

David Neuhausel has been a fan of Star Wars since the beginning and part of Sci-Fi fandom abroad for 20 years. A member of the 501st Legion, Lucasfilm’s preferred Star Wars costuming club, for over a decade, he has costumed as a stormtrooper both professionally and for charity including several on-stage performances with “Wierd” Al Yankovich. He has helped run charity fundraisers for Down syndrome awareness through DS Action including A Ride for Inspiration and Star Wars movie premiere nights. You can find him either as a patron or member of a fan group such as the Sci-Fi Coalition at most fan conventions in Southern California. He looks forward to meeting both old and new friends at San Diego Comic-Con every year. He likes to game on PS4, draw, and is working on his horror/comedy novel.

TREB PADULA

MOVIE THEATER PATRON – COG BANE

Treb Padula has been an active cosplayer for over 9 years with his wife Poppy Appleton. His main focus has been charity cosplay. He is a proud member of the Star Wars Steampunk Universe and the Sci-Fi Coalition, where he is best known for his Cog Bane cosplay. Cog Bane is a steampunk version of Cad Bane the Star Wars bounty hunter. His signature item is the fact that he wears jumping stilts as part of his cosplay.

CONNIE RUSHMAN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Connie Rushman....

KAMUI BRYAN SATSUJIN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Kamui Bryan Satsujin....

NANCY TRAN

MOVIE THEATER PATRON

Nancy Tran....