53 Facts About Pixar: Learn Everything About The Animation Studio 

It's a name that might be familiar to you, but do you know everything about this animation studio?

Pixar Studios is a world-renowned animation studio that has produced some of the most popular animated films of all time. The studio rose to prominence with 'Toy Story' in 1995.

Since then, they have created classics such as 'Finding Nemo,' 'The Incredibles', and 'Up.' Pixar is known for its cutting-edge animation, creative storytelling, and engaging scripts. But there's more to the studio than just their films. Here are 53 facts about Pixar that you might not know!

History Of Pixar

Pixar is an animation studio founded in 1986 by Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull, and John Lasseter. It is known for its animated films, such as Life of a Bug and Finding Nemo.

Pixar Animation Studios is an American animated movie studio based in Emeryville, California.

Pixar was founded as a computer hardware company in 1979 by Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs.

Pixar was initially called Graphics Group, and it was part of Lucasfilm.

The studio's name was changed to Pixar Animation Studios in 1996.

The name Pixar is an acronym that stands for 'Pixar Image Computer.'

Pixar is named after the Spanish word for 'to make' or 'to create.' It is also a reference to computer graphics software called RenderMan, created by one of Pixar's co-founders.

The studio's first film was a short called 'Luxo Jr.'

'Luxo Jr.,' an animated film about a lamp named after its big brother Lamp, won an Oscar in 1986 and paved the way for future animated films.

Pixar's animated short 'Luxo Jr.' introduced the world to two iconic characters named Luxo and Junior that are now featured prominently in most of Pixar's animated movies as well as merchandise.

'Toy Story' was the first animated feature film to be produced using computer animation instead of traditional hand-drawn techniques.

The idea for 'Toy Story' came about when John Lasseter and Pete Docter were working on a commercial for 'Luxo Jr.,' the animated lamp mascot of Pixar.

In 2006, Pixar was bought by Disney for $7.4 billion.

This made Steve Jobs (co-founder of Pixar) the largest shareholder in Disney.

In 1997 they sued their parent organization to stop them from using any more scenes originally created by Pixar in their animated films.

The first film to be released by Pixar after the buyout was 'Cars' in 2006.

'Toy Story 3', released in 2010, is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time unadjusted for inflation.

The most successful animated franchise by far for Pixar is 'Toy Story,' which has spawned three movies (and a fourth one in the works).

For 'Finding Dory' (2016), animators at Pixar used reflections from the ocean and other natural water features to make characters look like they were swimming through a real underwater world.

Pixar released an animated short film called 'Lava' (2015) which tells the story of two volcanoes who fall in love and try to find each other after living separately for many years.

In 'Cars' (2006), Mater says, 'I'm smarter than the average bear,' which refers to Yogi Bear.

Feature Films & Short Films By Pixar

Pixar has produced 24 feature films and has won more than 50 awards, including 11 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and six Grammy Awards. Its films have grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office worldwide except 'Cars' and 'Cars II.' Some more film-related facts about Pixar are given below.

In addition to animated films, Pixar has also produced several short films, TV series, and commercials.

Pixar's first film ever made was a short film called 'The Adventures of André and Wally B.,' released in 1984.

Pixar's animated movies have been nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award three times.

The first animated short film that Pixar ever worked on was 'Tin Toy' in 1988. It won an Oscar and influenced 'Toy Story' many years later.

'Up,' which was released in 2009, is the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.

The Incredibles is the only Pixar film so far that has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category.

'A Bug's Life' is the only Pixar movie nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature Film category. It beat out 'Monsters Inc.,' 'Cars,' 'Up,' and 'Wall-E,' and others.

It also lost against 'Finding Nemo,' which did not receive any nominations from this category at all!

'Finding Nemo' was originally going to be about a clownfish named Marlin who journeys to find his son. This idea changed when they decided to adventure with another fish called Dory. Dory is short for 'El Dorado.' The movie's location was switched from an aquatic park to a Marine Biology Institute after Pixar's team watched the controversial documentary Blackfish.

In 'Toy Story' (1995), one of the toys is a squeaky rubber chicken named Chuckles which was initially going to be called Bo Peep, but they changed it because they thought the name sounded too obscene. 'Toy Story 2' is the second sequel in the 'Toy Story' franchise. It won a Golden Globe for Best Picture and its predecessors 'Toy Story' and 'Toy Story 3'. 'The Lion King' and 'Beauty and the Beast' are the other two Disney films to earn this distinction.

For 'Monsters Incorporated' (2001), animators at Pixar used the energy of actors and actresses who provided the voices for their animated characters to create movement in Sulley's fur.

Pixar created an animated short film about 'The Blue Umbrella' (2013), released alongside the live-action movie 'Saving Mr. Banks' (2013). In the animated short film, there is a scene where two umbrellas are shown dancing on top of buildings with their handles touching each other.

In 'Finding Nemo' (2003), when Marlin is looking for his son in Sydney Harbour, he comes across a diver wearing a t-shirt with the phrase 'Aquatica - A Water Park' on it.

For 'Coco' (2017), the filmmakers took inspiration from Mexican culture as well as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations to create an authentic and unique story.

Little Known Facts About Pixar

The animated movie 'Toy Story' is considered by many to be one of the greatest animated movies ever made since Walt Disney's classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). It was made on a budget of just $15-20 million. Here are some similar lesser-known interesting facts about Pixar.

Pixar's films have grossed over $10 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film studio.

To create the perfect animated films, Pixar employs a team of over 800 people.

Pixar maintains an animation campus in Emeryville, California, including six buildings and a 100-seat theater.

To keep its employees happy and motivated, Pixar instituted a 'no- layoffs' policy in 2005. However, Pixar did have to make cuts in 2009 due to the global recession.

One of Pixar's founding members, John Lasseter, is also the Chief Creative Officer at Disney Animation Studios.

Pixar was founded by George Lucas as part of his Star Wars franchise but later sold it off when he didn't have enough money left over after making 'A New Hope' in 1977.

Pixar often uses real-world objects as reference points like cars or toys to make their animated movies more realistic.

For 'Up,' the animators studied footage of real-world dogs to create believable character movements. They wanted the film to feel like a documentary rather than a traditionally animated movie. To make Boo from 'Monsters Inc.,' the animators studied footage of real human characters.

They wanted her movements to be as naturalistic as possible even though she was animated!

Pixar had a 'secret list of rules' banning songs, villains, and love stories that helped its movies stand out from other animated films in its early days. 

The studio's animated films have been nominated for 26 Oscars and won nine of them.

To make the animated film 'Ratatouille,' the Pixar team spent three years traveling to France to study food and cooking. They wanted the film to be as realistic as possible!

Pixar has grossed more than $13 billion at the worldwide box office.

One of the most famous quotes about Pixar comes from its president Ed Catmull, who said, 'The only way to make great movies is by making them with people you love.'

Everyone at Pixar must take two weeks of training in animation every year.

Pixar has a strict no-smoking policy even outside the building! All of the employees at Pixar are given Macbook Pros as part of their work equipment.

A bug found in the software used for rendering animated films led to the delay of 'Toy Story' and was the catalyst for Pixar to create RenderMan, which is still used by animated studios today to make their films look good.

In all of Pixar's animated films, there are always at least two references made into previous titles from this studio: one can be seen before every film starts when an animated lamp comes out on stage to look at the audience. A lamp can be seen in all of Pixar's animated films during a scene where two characters talk to each other while holding hands.

'A Bug's Life' (1998) and 'Cars' (2006) were banned from release in China due to scenes where grasshoppers and cars respectively are shown eating food that resembles Chinese people.

One of the most interesting things about Pixar is the company culture. It's a place where people are passionate about their work, yet they also know how to have fun. A few things are unique to Pixar that make it a great place to work. For starters, the organization is actually based in a small town called Emeryville. This gives employees a sense of community, and it's easy for them to get to work. There's also a lot of collaboration at Pixar, and employees are encouraged to share their ideas. And finally, Pixar has an excellent benefits package that includes free healthcare and daycare. I hope you enjoyed reading exciting facts about Pixar. Here are some common FAQs.

FAQs

Q: What is unique about Pixar?

A: What is unique about Pixar is its dedication to storytelling. They believe that the story is the most important aspect of an animated film, and they focus on creating an emotionally engaging story that will resonate with audiences. Their films are often praised for their heartwarming stories and engaging characters.

Q: What is the longest Pixar movie to date?

A: The longest Pixar movie to date is 'Toy Story 3', with a runtime of 1 hour and 44 minutes.

Q: What was the first Pixar movie?

A: The first Pixar movie was 'Toy Story.'

Q: What was the first Disney Pixar movie?

A: The first movie was 'Toy Story,' released in 1995.

Q: Who owned Pixar before Disney?

A: Pixar was initially owned by LucasFilm, but Disney acquired Pixar in 2006.

Q: What happened to Pixar?

A: The animation studio is still going strong and released its latest movie, 'Luca,' in 2021.

Q: What was the first movie by Pixar to receive a rating higher than G in the U.S.??

A: The first movie by Pixar to receive a rating higher than G in the United States was 'Toy Story 2'.

Q: Where are Pixar animation studios?

A: Pixar Animation Studios is located in Emeryville, California.

Q: How long does it take to make a Pixar movie?

A: It can take up to four years to make a single Pixar movie.

Q: What does Pixar use to animate?

A: Pixar uses a software program called RenderMan to animate its films.