Many are familiar with the image of a little lamp hoping across the screen and stomping over the “i” of Pixar in the beginning and end of every one of their films. This little lamp is named Luxo Jr. and is both the star and name of Pixar’s first ever animated short film. It features Luxo Jr. playing with the famous Pixar ball, yellow with a blue stripe and red star, as Luxo Sr. observes nearby. In Luxo Jr.’s over excitement and constant jumping, it accidentally deflates the ball. Disappointed but not for long, it finds a larger ball to play with as Luxo Sr. looks on, shaking its head.
Luxo Jr. is more important than people realize, having paved the way to Pixar’s greatness. According to Ed Catmull, one of the founders of Pixar, this 2 minute short film helped change people’s perception of computer animation, taking it from a job jeopardizing technology to a tool used to artistically broaden animation as a whole (Streetuhm). Little Luxo made quite an impact when it was released and brought a new depth of realism and emotion to animated film. Becoming “the first computer-animated film that enabled viewers to forget they were watching computer animation.” (Price, 92) Because of Luxo Jr.‘s success, Pixar became a household name and the lamp has taken its well deserved place as the company’s trademark. Ever since Luxo Jr., Pixar has been a major player in the animation industry, releasing films like the ground breaking Toy Story to the most recent Monsters University. With every new movie they produce they have tirelessly pushed their boundaries, resulting with award winning films that find its way to the heart of its viewers. But most importantly it is the continuous evolution of Pixar allows it to sustain its position as a pionee...
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...roke barriers, leading the firm in creating the first CGI feature film that brought animation to new levels of realism visually and emotionally, captivating audiences unlike any previous animated film.
After a little over 25 years of existence, Pixar has become synonymous with great computer animation. From early on in their career they took the industry by storm by elevating the technology into a legitimate creative medium. They have been a success ever since because they found the perfect balance between the technical and artistic aspect of filmmaking. Pixar took cartoons and transformed it into an art form that brought to life real characters and emotion that touched the hearts of an audience of all ages, while keeping the magic of animation alive. For Pixar’s Craig Good was right, at the end of the day “the story is king.” (Capodagli and Jackson 137)
In society today, we are conditioned to believe certain sets of ideals. We use these ideals to interact and get along with the other people we surround ourselves with. These ideals are often the societal norms that form common ground amongst individuals. However, living life based off these basic and unchanging beliefs is not beneficial to humanity, nor does it make life any easier to live. In fact, holding on to the most accepted beliefs holds back society as a whole. Judith Halberstam, in her essay “Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation” challenges these societal norms through the analysis of animated movies and, in doing so, carves a path for a new way of thinking.
The book introduces the audience first to the Disney Universe, which gives a broad perspective of how the idea of Disney was created, what Disney has done for the world, and how people around the world feel about this company. The fans of this company, which created the culture, of course fell in love with everything Disney, from the characters to the theme parks. The company has shaped entertainment for the world, creating new forms of entertainment including animations, children movies, colored films, and musical movies. These forms of entertainment have brought joy in some shape or form to their fans. The book introduces the audience to the examination of the history behind Disney, including how it all started and some major complications the company had to overcome. Some of the complications included money problems, work space issues, introducing the company in a way they will be accepted by the common world. In the book, Wasko also includes how Disney cartoons, stories, films and television programs were created. This book also goes into great detail how people around the world receive merchandise or Disney
To date, Warner Bro’s has over 6,500 feature films and around 3,000 television series that contains more than 10,000 episodes (“Company” par 5). Every great movie company has a background story to their success. What were then four brothers traveling with a movie projector turned into a successful movie company that has entertained crowds for generations (“Company” par 7). The vitaphone, the talkie, and the first four-legged movie star were introduced during the 1920’s, and helped define the Warner Brother company (Company par 6). Warner Brothers, a company created by four brothers during the 1920’s, revolutionized the film industry by modernizing the concept of cinematography (Company par 6).
Disney has made it his life 's goal to create home entertainment for both young and old. From the creation of Mickey to his work in films, Disney had made it clear that happiness is something that everyone should have. Disney had also know that animations is not just for the imagination of the children. Early movies such as Snow White and Pinocchio have clear messages for the younger views. “In Snow White- the main characters are victims of injustice who are eventually restored to their rightful place. In Pinocchio, the characters Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto are faced with dilemmas, and their own actions result in them becoming victims of ev...
Hayao Miyazaki’s body of work reflects how commercial animation can be mesmerizing, inspiring and empowering even without the use of the usual formula for animation that we see in most commercial animated features.
His work in modern media was revolutionary. Moreover, he broadened communication and made it easier to learn about new cultures. Disney’s movies play a vital role in children’s development and their productivity when they enter the “real world”.
In reviewing the vast corporation of the Walt Disney Company and all that it has to offer, one profound statement made by Walt Disney himself comes to the forefront, “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse” (Walt, n.d.). This statement suggests that the company has a strong focus to continually guide them in the way of the original idea of the company. Even as it watches the changes taking place in society and adapts to the new technologies and innovations, the Walt Disney Company has been able to implement diverse strategies for its growth and prosperity.
“More” is a touching, thought-provoking claymation film, directed by Mark Osborne, following the rise of a struggling inventor living in a colorless, monotonous society and working in a factory assembly line, building the same product day in and day out. In a short 6 minutes, the film explores the meaning of true happiness and questions the worth of success as a result of fame and wealth. Mark Osborne’s film proves that achieving innovation and success come at a high personal cost, and one must be willing to make sacrifices in order to catalyze positive change in a community. The films begins with colorful images of children playing on a merry-go-round, which represent memories of the protagonist's lively youth, contrasting the bleak reality
As time and people are continually changing, so is knowledge and information; and in the film industry there are inevitable technological advances necessary to keep the attraction of the public. It is through graphic effects, sounds and visual recordings that all individuals see how we have evolved to present day digital technology; and it is because of the efforts and ideas of the first and latest great innovators of the twentieth century that we have advanced in film and computers.
Toy story, deemed as Pixar 's best film, launched a brand new era in filmmaking and gave birth to animations. In the Toy Story movie series, it showed the idea of animism where all objects possess a soul through humanlike behaviors of the toys. Pixar indicated this belief of animism by bringing the toys to life and giving them characteristics, which then concludes that they have a soul. These toys pretend to be inanimate objects when their owners are around and they come to life with a mind of their own when their owners are out of sight.
Walt Disney himself once said that he does “[...] not make films primarily for children [...].” Therefore, his ...
"The Cultural Studies Reader." : Henry Giroux: Children's Culture and Disney's Animated Films – Summary. The Cultural Studies Reader, 6 June 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
The widely popular film Shrek, produced and distributed by DreamWorks in 2001, grossed a total of $484,409,218 in worldwide sales (Box Office Mojo). The success of the film has led DreamWorks to create several shorts, companion films, and sequels. From its memorable characters to its whimsical, edgy humor, Shrek was an amazing, highly successful animation that would pave the way for DreamWorks to make billions off the franchise. Shrek’s success can be attributed to three main factors: the range of ages it appeals to, its creative use of intertextuality, and its ability to cover a wide range of the fairy tale functions proposed by Vladimir Propp.
Toy Story is the groundbreaking 1995 motion picture developed by Disney and Pixar and directed by John Lasseter. The film was so revolutionary not only because it was the first feature length animation to be created completely by CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) but also, also the film was more rounded in all respects. The characters not only looked more sophisticated and three-dimensional but their personalities were also more human and fewer cartoons like. The film uses a constructed text in order to put across a theme of two very different characters learning to work together beyond their rivalries to rise above a common enemy and work towards a common goal. The film uses characters and imagery very cleverly to portray this theme. The music used in the film is also different to other Disney features. Rather than the characters bursting into song themselves as in Aladdin or Hercules, the songs are played and sung by an outside person (Randy Newman) and reflect the mood and emotions of the characters in a particular scene. For example, the title sequence song “Friend in Me”, when Woody and Andy are playing together, and the scene where Andy’s room has been made over to a Buzz Lightyear theme, “Strange Things” where the song reflects Woody’s confusion and fear not only about the change in his surroundings but also the change in his friends and his own character and self-confidence. The attention to the smallest detail for example the reflections in Buzz’s visor give the film even more realism and depth. The use of unusual and imaginative camera angles, made possible by the use of CGI, also adds to the texture and pace of the film.
When one thinks about the cartoons of the past, like TigerSharks, ThunderCats, and G.I. Joe, one will remember the rich story lines, the wild character profiles, and the inspiring battle cries of "Yo Joe" and "Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats, Ho!!" With technology changing every day, a new form of animation has arisen. This new form is called "Japanimation" or "Anime." It is slowly becoming a part of this culture just as much as hamburgers and pizza. It still has a long way to go, but it is slowly creeping into the American genre of animation.