Pixar Animation Studios rocketed from humble computing origins to the pinnacle of animated filmmaking. Their relentless technological innovation and heartfelt storytelling fueled an ascendance marked by both rousing successes and heartbreaking setbacks.
The Spark of a Vision (1970s – 1986)
Our story begins in 1974, when Alexander Schure, founder of the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), assembled an animation dream team. His goal? To pioneer the use of computers for animation, revolutionizing the tedious hand-drawn process unchanged for over 70 years.
Schure recruited NYIT researchers Ed Catmull and Malcolm Blanchard, computer graphics expert Alvy Ray Smith from Xerox PARC, and animator Glen Keane. Within a few years, they created early animation tests like the 2D/3D hybrid film Measure for Measure (1979).
Facing budget cuts in 1979, George Lucas swooped in to rescue the team for his Lucasfilm Computer Division. Dubbed the Graphics Group, Catmull, Smith and colleagues now enjoyed ample funding and resources from Star Wars. Lucasfilm leveraged their talents for cutting-edge effects in films like Star Trek II (1982).
But by 1986, financial troubles at Lucasfilm prompted divestitures. Catmull and Smith made an ambitious pitch to CEO Steve Jobs to spin out their computer graphics operation. Sensing their potential, Jobs paid $5 million for a 70% stake – renaming it Pixar after their Pixel computing-based imaging technology.
Hardware Struggles, Software Success (1986 – 1995)
As an independent company, Pixar‘s vision was to sell proprietary graphics hardware funding their real passion – making animated films. But despite innovations like the Pixar Image Computer, sales struggled against larger rivals.
Raising funds was a perpetual challenge those early years. But eventually necessity bred two software breakthroughs setting crucial foundations for Pixar‘s future animation leadership:
CAPS (1987) – A digital ink & paint system for Disney improving hand-drawn cel efficiency, helping cement the partnership
RenderMan (1988) – An advanced rendering solution enabling high-speed 3D imaging, extensively used on later Pixar films
These successes couldn‘t offset flat hardware sales, however. By 1990 Pixar was haemorrhaging cash, leaving Steve Jobs to invest another $50M and become majority shareholder. Their focus shifted exclusively to animation software and services.
Pixar first gained mainstream notice for Emmy-winning animated shorts like Tin Toy (1988). Helmed by former Disney animator John Lasseter, these projects kept creativity flowing as the company struggled financially. Then in 1991, Pixar signed a 3-picture deal with Disney to exclusively produce computer-animated features – the first of its kind in cinema history.
Toy Story Revolution (1991 – 2006)
It took four gruelling years, but Pixar delivered on their Disney partnership in spectacular fashion. Toy Story debuted in 1995 as the world‘s first fully computer-animated feature film, grossing over $350 million worldwide. Beyond financial success, it announced Pixar‘s innovative storytelling brilliance to the world. No longer just computing pioneers, Pixar could craft emotive stories resonating universally.
Buoyed by their breakout success, Pixar went public in 1995. Share prices surged from their $22 IPO price to reach $49 on opening day, valuing the company at $1.7 billion. Steve Jobs, who invested $50M to keep Pixar afloat in the late 80‘s, saw his stake multiply over 200x almost overnight!
From there the hits kept coming with acclaimed films like A Bug‘s Life (1998), Monsters Inc. (2001), and Finding Nemo (2003). Audiences worldwide connected deeply with Pixar‘s family-friendly stories brimming with humour, excitement, and warmth.
Technologically Pixar also kept innovating to expand animation‘s visual frontiers. Groundbreaking advances included:
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Marionette System (2002) – Allowing virtual characters to move and emote realistically through precision digital puppetry animation
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RenderMan – Continually enhanced to handle complex visual feats like lifelike water, lighting effects and tactile surfaces
As rivals struggled replicating Pixar‘s success, their crown jewel status attracted acquisition interest. So in 2006 Disney purchased Pixar outright for a colossal $7.4 billion. While now a Disney subsidiary, Pixar retained independence under Catmull and Lasseter‘s leadership.
Modern Animation Trailblazers (2007 – Present)
Joining Disney failed to slow Pixar‘s industry-leading innovations across visuals and storytelling. 2007‘s Ratatouille immersed viewers in culinary Paris through sophisticated lighting and textures achieved through advancements like global illumination rendering.
Later hits like WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), and Inside Out (2015) continued showing Pixar‘s unparalleled mastery of animated media for boundless creativity. Leveraging proprietary technology tailored specifically for each film‘s needs, Pixars worldbuilding capabilities remained unmatched in Hollywood.
Some benchmark innovations included:
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State-of-the-art water simulation for Finding Dory (2016), setting new realism benchmarks.
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Physically based rendering on Cars 3 (2017) for photorealistic environments and metallic surfaces.
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Using VR "scouting" to define camera shots for Incredibles 2 (2018).
In recent years, Pixar has also found immense success expanding fan-favourite franchises. Films like Toy Story 4 (2019) and Finding Dory (2016) built upon cherished pillars of Pixar‘s identity with modern visual updates. And 2021‘s magical Luca shows they can still craft exhilarating original tales alongside sequels.
Even 25+ years after pioneering computer animation with Toy Story and a dozen box-office smashes later, Pixar‘s relentless technical ambition and heartwarming storytelling keep setting animation milestones. By pairing computing power with boundless creativity, they fulfilled Alexander Schure‘s vision way back in 1974 to transcend animation‘s limits through technology.
Today Pixar sits comfortably among studios like Disney it once only dreamed of equaling – a benchmark for what animation can achieve at its zenith.
