Twenty three years ago, fledgling studio Pixar took a giant leap for animation by creating some tiny baby steps.
Now the top name in cutting edge animation, Pixar wasn't always so prominent and beloved. The studio was originally George Lucas' in-house special effects group, went independent and focused on hardware sales, and then, following their purchase by a certain Steve Jobs, finally began fully concentrating on bringing computer animation to life, determined to change the way the art is created and viewed.
The studio released its first independent short film in 1986, "Luxo Jr.," which followed the Lucasfilm-era release of "Andre and Wally B.," on which John Lasseter, the legendary Pixar animator/director/producer, made his CGI debut. "Luxo Jr." earned the studio an unexpected Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film, heralding, quietly, the coming animation revolution.
Then came "Red's Dream," the story of a lonely unicycle, in 1987. Following that was "Tin Toy,...
Now the top name in cutting edge animation, Pixar wasn't always so prominent and beloved. The studio was originally George Lucas' in-house special effects group, went independent and focused on hardware sales, and then, following their purchase by a certain Steve Jobs, finally began fully concentrating on bringing computer animation to life, determined to change the way the art is created and viewed.
The studio released its first independent short film in 1986, "Luxo Jr.," which followed the Lucasfilm-era release of "Andre and Wally B.," on which John Lasseter, the legendary Pixar animator/director/producer, made his CGI debut. "Luxo Jr." earned the studio an unexpected Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film, heralding, quietly, the coming animation revolution.
Then came "Red's Dream," the story of a lonely unicycle, in 1987. Following that was "Tin Toy,...
- 6/25/2011
- by Jordan Zakarin
- Huffington Post
Filed under: Movie News
We're always on the look out for the cool and unusual around the big World Wide Web and today we bring you -- via Slashfilm -- a gallery celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pixar, hosted by an art blog called Planet-Pulp.
But first -- yes, that's right, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since Pixar was founded -- and 16 years since the release of 'Toy Story.' Pixar was founded February 3, 1986, when Steve Jobs bought the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm and made it into an independent company. Pixar's first short was 'Red's Dream' in 1987; for the next eight years they concentrated on commercials until the release -- with Disney -- of 'Toy Story' in 1995. And the rest, as they say, is history. You can find a neat, official Pixar timeline at the company's site.
Continue Reading...
We're always on the look out for the cool and unusual around the big World Wide Web and today we bring you -- via Slashfilm -- a gallery celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pixar, hosted by an art blog called Planet-Pulp.
But first -- yes, that's right, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since Pixar was founded -- and 16 years since the release of 'Toy Story.' Pixar was founded February 3, 1986, when Steve Jobs bought the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm and made it into an independent company. Pixar's first short was 'Red's Dream' in 1987; for the next eight years they concentrated on commercials until the release -- with Disney -- of 'Toy Story' in 1995. And the rest, as they say, is history. You can find a neat, official Pixar timeline at the company's site.
Continue Reading...
- 4/9/2011
- by Harley W. Lond
- Moviefone
[1] We've featured a handful of director [2] montages [3] here on /Film recently, and while this "25 Years of Pixar" compilation isn't quite that, it's actually pretty similar. In terms of look, tone, and quality, I'd say Pixar is as consistent as many directors. For the video, NkMcDonalds pulled scenes from works spanning over decades -- from '80s shorts to this year's Cars 2. If you like Pixar as much as I do, it'll definitely make you smile and it might even make you tear up a little tiny bit. Watch it after the jump. [via Go Into the Story [4]] Watching all the Pixar films spliced together like this, it's very easy to see how the studio has evolved over the years from a technical standpoint. Clips from films like A Bug's Life, which looked sophisticated at the time, now look clunky next to the sleeker visuals of newer movies like Wall-e and Up. But it also becomes...
- 3/29/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
This weekend when you see Toy Story 3 --it's safe to assume you'll be there? -- you'll first see a new Pixar short called Day & Night (2010). Don't be surprised if it wins an Oscar on February 27th, 2011. I don't want to spoil one second of the short because it's so inventive, fun and technically /conceptually strong. It's often all of those things simultaneously. You're in for a treat.
Despite Pixar's reputation as an Oscar hog, they're more Streep than Hepburn; They're nominated frequently but they win less than people have imagined.
Unless you're talking about animated features in which case, yes, yes, they win that a lot. They've won it 5 out of its 9 years. But they also lose ridiculous contests like Monsters, Inc vs. Shrek... despite the math being Monsters, Inc > Shrek by 1000 to 1. Argh. That one will haunt me forever.
Pixar Shorts Oscar History
Winners: Tin Toy (1988), Gerri's Game...
Despite Pixar's reputation as an Oscar hog, they're more Streep than Hepburn; They're nominated frequently but they win less than people have imagined.
Unless you're talking about animated features in which case, yes, yes, they win that a lot. They've won it 5 out of its 9 years. But they also lose ridiculous contests like Monsters, Inc vs. Shrek... despite the math being Monsters, Inc > Shrek by 1000 to 1. Argh. That one will haunt me forever.
Pixar Shorts Oscar History
Winners: Tin Toy (1988), Gerri's Game...
- 6/16/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
tuesday thursday top ten: for the listmaker in me and the listlover in you
What follows is a reworking of a post originally published in 2007. It's two years later and you know what that means: Pixar has given us two more classics. Up brings their feature film count to ten. You know what Ten means: Top Ten Time!
Pixar by Preference
Cars (John Lasseter, 2006) 117 min.
Pixar's only dud. Chief among its problems: the anthropomorphics were forced. Let me get this straight: Cars as bugs on windshields of cars as cars who act like humans and they even sleep in hotels for cars -- What? What? It's not quite Shark Tale in the realm of painful "they're just like us!" pandering but it's not 'good' either. I would give it a second chance except it's also Pixar's longest feature... too long by about 23 minutes. Thankfully, they seem to have reversed their bloated running time trending.
What follows is a reworking of a post originally published in 2007. It's two years later and you know what that means: Pixar has given us two more classics. Up brings their feature film count to ten. You know what Ten means: Top Ten Time!
Pixar by Preference
Cars (John Lasseter, 2006) 117 min.
Pixar's only dud. Chief among its problems: the anthropomorphics were forced. Let me get this straight: Cars as bugs on windshields of cars as cars who act like humans and they even sleep in hotels for cars -- What? What? It's not quite Shark Tale in the realm of painful "they're just like us!" pandering but it's not 'good' either. I would give it a second chance except it's also Pixar's longest feature... too long by about 23 minutes. Thankfully, they seem to have reversed their bloated running time trending.
- 5/31/2009
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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