The History of Pixlar and How Animation Films Came to Be

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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)

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