As a follow up to my previous post about Disney animation, I’d like to touch on Pixar animation, which has deeply changed the standards of film over the last 20 years or so. I highly revere animation as an art form, and its evolution over time and our perception of what it is and should be is an interesting topic. We are all familiar with the Disney-Pixar brand of animation, but Pixar’s history goes back a bit farther, to a division of Lucasfilm, entitled Industrial Light and Magic, which created light saber and other special effects in Return of the Jedi. John Lasseter, the familiar Hawaiian-shirt-wearing man behind today’s Disney-Pixar films, joined ILM in the early 1980’s and took advantage of the RenderMan software (which is used today in Pixar animation) to create the company’s first short.
The Adventures of André and Wally B opened a new window of opportunity for the animation world and particularly for Lasseter, who went on to make numerous other shorts and eventually full length films. Another notable name entered Pixar’s history in 1986 when Steve Jobs purchased Lucasfilm’s computer graphics division and thus created Pixar. The company began producing shorts and various advertisements with their technology before finding a niche in the feature film entertainment industry. Luxo Jr., Tin Toy, Red’s Dream, and several commercials and other short films were developed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s before Pixar became the powerhouse that we know it as today.
With the release of Toy Story in 1995 and the combined efforts of Disney and Pixar, the animation world made a huge leap and saw a turn for the digitally animated preference that continues to dominate the screen today. The trailer above showcases the beginning of a new generation of animated film, accompanied by a generation of children more familiar with and more receptive of technology. Since the release of Toy Story and the subsequent flood of successful digital films, lead by Pixar, traditional animation has suffered, including the works of the Disney Studios. However, the move towards digitally animated films has perfected the art and developed many films into fine works of stylized art. A progression can be seen within the Pixar Library as the studio moves from the playful feel of Toy Story to the otherworldly look of Finding Nemo to the comic-inspired angles of The Incredibles and the industrial atmosphere of Wall-E. The following clip from finding Nemo demonstrates the stylistic development of a digital underwater world.
It is interesting to note how the animation of the sea changed in a decade as Nemo’s take on the ocean differs from the style of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Although both have artistic value, Finding Nemo showcases the new digital standard for animation in the 21st century.
With the introduction of digital media as an art form in film with the birth of 3-dimensional animation, Pixar has been able to revolutionize an entire industry. The results have been quality films, not only for their topnotch animation, but also for their storylines and emotional pull (who else cried when they watched Toy Story 3?). Digital media has pushed the limits of animation and kept filmmakers and audiences on their toes as this new form of animation pushes boundaries and encourages new ideas and creativity. I am excited to see what comes next from Disney-Pixar, as well as other studios that continue to work towards exciting new developments in the world of animation.
Here are a few interesting links about Pixar that relate to the discussion above.
