It's a big day for Pixar fans! Today kicks off Disney's D23 Expo, a convention of sorts for all things Disney. Pixar directors took to the stage today to give us some juicy details on Pixar's upcoming films. I've provided a collection of the big news in the sections below:

The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur is next up in Pixar's lineup, set for release early next summer. A teaser was shown at the expo, setting the stage by showing a giant asteroid barely missing earth. There was more material detailing the buddy relationship between a young dinosaur and a young human, which the audience found absolutely adorable.

Casting details:

Poppa — John Lithgow
Momma — Frances McDormand
Cliff — Neil Patrick Harris
Sibling Dinosaurs — Bill Hader, Judy Greer and Lucas Neff

Inside Out

A lot of excited tones are coming out of the conference about Inside Out, Pete Docter's next big project. It is apparently living up the hype it's been generating for what John Lasseter claims is one of the most unique films he's been a part of. Additionally, we learned that the main girl's name will be Riley. Casting details are listed below, and they couldn't be more perfect.

The characters are created with this energy because we are trying to represent what emotions would look like. They are made up of particles that actually move. Instead of being skin and solid, it is a massive collection of energy.

Pete Docter

Casting details:

Anger — Lewis Black
Disgust — Mindy Kaling
Joy — Amy Poehler
Sadness — Phyllis Smith
Fear — Bill Hader

Finding Dory

Casting details were also revealed for Finding Dory, Andrew Stanton's sequel to the wildly successful Finding Nemo.

Jenny — Diane Keaton
Charlie — Eugene Levy
Bailey — Ty Burrell

Shorts

The audience was also surprised by the full screening of a Monsters University-themed short that will run before The Good Dinosaur next summer. Reviews coming back from the expo are all quite positive and delighted. The short is entitled, Party Central and is directed by Kelsey Mann.

And one more small detail that accompanied a partial preview of the Toy Story of Terror short: its debut has been moved up in the schedule to air on October 16th on ABC.

There is now official word from Disney and a substantial list of special features to boot for the upcoming release of Monsters University on blu-ray. The release date has been officially pegged for October 29th of this year. It also comes in three varieties: a 4 disc 3D blu-ray combo pack, and two 3 disc combo packs, one with digital copy, one without. The two larger sets are available for preorder on Amazon.

The comprehensive list of special features are as follows:

Campus Life • What’s it like being on a production crew at Pixar? Get a look at a day in the life of the “Monsters University” crew through their own eyes.

Story School • This documentary examines the challenges of creating a prequel as well as themes that run through the story, and the change in focus from Sulley to Mike. We’ll also look at how gags are developed – from writing jokes to brainstorming a million ideas, only 5% of which actually end up in the movie.

Scare Games • At Pixar, we play hard while we work. The same people who keep the film production moving – producers, managers, coordinators and artists – are also the ones who bring spirit and excitement to some of our extracurricular activities. We check out the MU production teams as they go head to head in the mostly playful Pixar Scare Games competitions.

Welcome to MU • Sets aren’t just buildings, they are the worlds our characters live in and explore. This look at the Monsters University campus and its development is told from the perspective of the artists who created each piece of the campus from the architecture to the ivy leaves.

Music Appreciation • Randy Newman’s scores are a mainstay of Pixar films, and this documentary will give you a privileged look at his creative process. We follow the “Monsters University” scoring process from spotting to writing and on to the scoring session. including special college-themed recording sessions.

Scare Tactics • Animators are actors who digitally bring the characters to life. In this look at how the MU animation team worked, you’ll see their process of how they channeled their own monster-selves and created moments on screen that were really funny, really scary and also really serious, sometimes all at the same time.

Color and Light • How can a single painting set the tone for an entire scene? We’ll look at the creation of the colorscripts and how they were realized technically in the final film. Along with the process, this piece explores the many layers of technical innovation required to produce such a naturalistic feel.

Paths to Pixar – MU Edition • When one door closes, sometimes another door opens – one with an even more exciting opportunity behind it. Members of the MU crew tell their own compelling backstories and share the challenges they overcame along their paths to Pixar.

Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective • Explore the difficulties in creating characters that are 20 years younger with tools that are 10 years more advanced in this contrasting look at the differing technical challenges that arose when making “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Monsters University.”

Deleted Scenes • Four separate scenes – “Rivalry,” “Recon,” “Movie Night,” and “Drama Class” – are highlighted with an introduction from director Dan Scanlon.

“The Blue Umbrella” • This animated short film from Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Saschka Unseld and produced by Marc Greenberg, played in theaters in front of “Monsters University.” “The Blue Umbrella” tells the story of an evening commute in which the rain starts to fall and the city comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling gutters. And in the midst, two umbrellas—one blue, one not—fall eternally in love.

Additional Bonus Features • Audio Commentary, Promo Picks, College Campaign, Theatrical Campaign, Set Flythroughs, Art Gallery and more!

Available today on iTunes, and Amazon, is the soundtrack for the almost-in-theaters Pixar flick, Monsters University. The soundtrack is the seventh Pixar film scored by Randy Newman, including the original Monsters, Inc. and the Toy Story trilogy. It's got a lot of flavor from the monsters universe with a more youthful energy and also features a song called Roar by Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso. You can listen to previews of the tracks on our Monsters University movie page.

Monsters University hits theaters on Friday across the United States.