Pixar facts for kids
Logo used since 1995
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Headquarters in Emeryville, California
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Animation |
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| Founded | February 3, 1986 in Richmond, California |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | 1200 Park Avenue,
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Computer animations |
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| Parent | Walt Disney Studios (2006–present) |
Pixar Animation Studios is an American animation studio located in Emeryville, California. It is famous for its amazing computer-animated movies that have been loved by critics and audiences worldwide. Since 2006, Pixar has been part of Walt Disney Studios, which is a big part of the Walt Disney Company.
Pixar began in 1979 as a small part of Lucasfilm's computer division, called the Graphics Group. In 1986, it became its own company with help from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. He became the main owner. In 2006, Disney bought Pixar. Pixar is well-known for its feature films, which are made using special software called RenderMan. This software helps create the incredible images you see in their movies. Pixar's official mascot is Luxo Jr., a friendly desk lamp from their 1986 short film.
Pixar has made 27 feature films so far. Their first movie, Toy Story (1995), was the very first full-length movie made entirely with computer animation! Their most recent film is Elemental (2023). They have also created many short films. As of 2023, Pixar's movies have earned over $15 billion around the world. Many of their films, like Toy Story 3 (2010), Finding Dory (2016), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019), have earned over $1 billion each!
Pixar has won many awards, including 23 Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), 10 Golden Globe Awards, and 11 Grammy Awards. Since 2001, eleven Pixar films have won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. These include Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, Brave (2012), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), and Soul (2020). Toy Story 3 and Up were even nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, which is a huge honor for animated films!
Contents
How Pixar Started
Early Days of Computer Graphics
Pixar's story began in 1974. A man named Alexander Schure, who owned an animation studio, started a special lab called the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL). He wanted to make the world's first computer-animated film. He hired talented computer scientists like Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. They worked hard to create new computer graphics techniques.
The team realized they needed to work in a real film studio to achieve their dream. So, in 1979, six of them moved to Lucasfilm, the company founded by George Lucas (who created Star Wars). They formed the Graphics Group, led by Catmull and Smith. Here, they developed important technologies for computer graphics, including the early version of RenderMan.
In 1983, John Lasseter joined the team and animated a short film called The Adventures of André & Wally B.. Around this time, the name "Pixar" was created. It came from the idea of a "Picture Maker" and was changed to "Pixer," then "Pixar."
Becoming an Independent Company
By 1986, the Graphics Group had grown to 40 people. George Lucas was going through a divorce and needed to sell parts of his company. Catmull and Smith wanted to keep their team together to make computer-animated movies. So, they decided to turn the Graphics Group into its own company.
They looked for investors, and Steve Jobs, who had left Apple, stepped in. On February 3, 1986, he invested $10 million of his own money to buy the company and provide it with funds. He became the chairman of the board. At first, Pixar focused on selling special computer hardware, like the Pixar Image Computer, which was used by companies like Disney.
John Lasseter created short films like Luxo Jr. (1986) to show what the Pixar Image Computer could do. These shorts were very popular. However, the computer hardware sales were not enough, and Pixar faced financial problems. Steve Jobs invested more money, eventually owning the whole company.
In 1989, Lasseter's animation team started making computer-animated commercials. In 1990, Pixar sold its hardware division to focus more on software like RenderMan. They also moved their main office to Richmond, California.
The Toy Story Success
In 1991, Pixar made a big deal with Disney to produce three computer-animated feature films. The first of these was Toy Story. Making a full-length computer-animated movie was a huge challenge because the technology was still new.
Despite working on Toy Story and making commercials, Pixar was still losing money. Steve Jobs thought about selling the company. But then, critics said Toy Story would be a big hit. So, Jobs decided to give Pixar another chance and became its CEO.
Toy Story was released in 1995 and earned over $373 million worldwide! This success made Pixar a very valuable company. When Pixar offered its shares to the public on November 29, 1995, it was one of the biggest stock debuts of the year.
After Toy Story became a hit, Pixar stopped making TV commercials in 1996 to focus on making more movies.
Working with Disney
Creative Process and Growth
During the 1990s, Pixar developed a unique creative process called the "Pixar Braintrust." This is where all the directors, writers, and artists help each other by giving honest feedback on their projects. It's like a team of filmmakers helping each other make the best movies possible. This idea came from how Lasseter, Stanton, Docter, Unkrich, and Joe Ranft worked together on Toy Story.
Because of Toy Story's success, Pixar built a new, larger studio in Emeryville, California, which opened in 2000.
Disagreements and Disney's Purchase
Pixar and Disney had some disagreements, especially over Toy Story 2. This movie was originally planned to go straight to video, but it was so good that it became a theatrical release. Pixar wanted it to count as one of the three movies in their deal, but Disney disagreed.
The two companies tried to make a new deal for years but couldn't agree. Pixar wanted more control over their films and to own the rights to their characters and sequels. Disney wanted to keep more control. This led to tensions between Steve Jobs and Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner.
In 2004, Jobs even said Pixar was looking for other partners besides Disney. But after Eisner left Disney in 2005, talks started again. Finally, on January 24, 2006, Disney agreed to buy Pixar for about $7.4 billion. The deal was completed on May 5, 2006.
As part of the deal, Steve Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder and joined their board of directors. John Lasseter became the Chief Creative Officer for both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Edwin Catmull remained President of Pixar and also became President of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Lasseter and Catmull made sure that Pixar would remain a separate company with its own unique culture, even though it was now owned by Disney. They wanted to keep Pixar's special way of making movies. The movies made after the merger would be branded "Disney•Pixar," starting with Cars.
Recent Years
Changes and New Leadership
In 2010, Pixar opened a smaller studio called Pixar Canada in Vancouver, Canada. This studio made short films based on Toy Story and Cars characters. However, it closed in 2013 so Pixar could focus all its efforts at its main headquarters.
In 2017, John Lasseter took a leave of absence and then announced he would leave Disney Animation and Pixar in 2018. Pete Docter became the new Chief Creative Officer of Pixar. In 2018, Edwin Catmull also announced his retirement.
Success and Challenges
Incredibles 2 was released in 2018 and broke records for animated films, earning $1.2 billion worldwide. In 2019, Toy Story 4 also earned over $1 billion and won an Academy Award.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected movie releases. Onward was released in theaters but quickly moved to Disney+. Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were all released directly on Disney+ without an extra cost to subscribers. This made some Pixar employees wonder if their movies would still be shown in theaters.
Lightyear was Pixar's first movie to return to theaters in 2022, but it didn't do as well as expected. However, Elemental, released in 2023, started slowly but became a box office success later on.
In 2024, it was announced that Pixar would have some layoffs to reduce its workforce. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that Disney will continue to rely on the Pixar brand for future success.
Pixar's Campus
When Steve Jobs and John Lasseter decided to move Pixar to a new, bigger location, they chose a 20-acre site in Emeryville, California. The main building, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, is very high-tech. It has special foundations and generators to keep film production going, even during earthquakes. The building's design also reminds people of Emeryville's industrial past. It's a great place for creative people to work together.
Movies and Shorts
Pixar Traditions
Pixar is known for some fun traditions in its films. Many of their early animators came from traditional hand-drawn animation. Pixar's animation software, Marionette, was designed to be easy for these animators to learn.
John Lasseter once said that Pixar films often have a theme of characters improving themselves with the help of friends or family. The main character learns to appreciate their loved ones and grows as a person.
A fun fact is that actor John Ratzenberger, who was in the TV show Cheers, has voiced a character in almost every Pixar feature film from Toy Story through Onward (2020). Pixar even paid tribute to him in the end credits of Cars!
Fans have also noticed "Easter eggs" and crossovers between Pixar films. This led to "The Pixar Theory," which suggests that all Pixar characters live in the same universe and are connected!
Pixar films often have large budgets, usually between $150–200 million. This is partly because all their artists work together in the U.S., which helps them maintain high quality.
Sequels and Prequels
Pixar has made sequels or prequels for several of its popular films: Toy Story, Cars, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Inside Out.
Toy Story 2 was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie, but it was so good that it became a full theatrical release. After this, Pixar and Disney had an agreement that Disney wouldn't make sequels without Pixar's involvement.
When Disney bought Pixar in 2006, John Lasseter put all sequels on hold. But then, Toy Story 3 was brought back under Pixar's control and released in 2010. Lasseter said that if they had a great story, they would make a sequel.
Since then, Pixar has released Cars 2 (2011), Monsters University (2013, a prequel to Monsters, Inc.), Finding Dory (2016, a sequel to Finding Nemo), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019).
After Toy Story 4, Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter said the studio would focus on original movies for a while. However, he later mentioned that they might need to make more sequels for financial reasons. In 2022, Inside Out 2 was announced for 2024, and in 2023, Toy Story 5 was announced for 2026!
TV Shows and Other Projects
Pixar films have also been adapted for television. Toy Story led to the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command TV series. Cars has Cars Toons and Cars on the Road. Monsters at Work, a TV series based on Monsters, Inc., premiered in 2021 on Disney+.
Other TV series include Dug Days (featuring Dug from Up) and Win or Lose, which will be released in 2024. A TV series based on Inside Out is also in development.
While Pixar is known for computer animation, they have also explored other types of projects. WALL-E (2008) included some live-action footage. Some of their short films, like Your Friend the Rat (2007) and Day & Night (2010), feature 2D animation. Pixar has also helped with the stories for live-action Disney films like The Muppets (2011) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Upcoming Films
Pixar has several exciting films coming up:
- Inside Out 2, directed by Kelsey Mann, will be released on June 14, 2024.
- Elio, directed by Adrian Molina, will be released on June 13, 2025.
- Toy Story 5 is planned for June 19, 2026.
Popular Film Series
Here are some of Pixar's most popular film series:
| Titles | Films | Short films | TV seasons | Release Date |
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| Toy Story | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1995–present |
| Monsters, Inc. | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2001–present |
| Finding Nemo | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2003–present |
| The Incredibles | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2004–present |
| Cars | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2006–present |
| Inside Out | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2015–present |
Images for kids
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Headquarters in Emeryville, California
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A Pixar computer at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View with the 1986–95 logo on it
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A Luxo Jr. figure display in Hong Kong
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John Lasseter appears with characters from Up at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.
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The Steve Jobs Building at the Pixar campus in Emeryville
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A view of the atrium at the Pixar campus in 2010
See Also
- The Walt Disney Company
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
- List of animation studios
