Pixar << PIHKS ahr >> Animation Studios is a major American animation production company. It specializes in a type of animation called computer-generated imagery (CGI) . CGI creates the illusion of three-dimensional characters and environments using models on a computer. In 1995, Pixar produced the motion picture Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated feature-length film. Toy Story follows the adventures of toys that come to life in a boy’s bedroom. It was a huge box-office hit.
The studio began in 1979 as part of a special effects computer group in the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm, Ltd. In 1986, Steve Jobs, a cofounder of Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), purchased the studio. The newly formed company was called Pixar Animation Studios. Also in 1986, Pixar made its first film, a short called Luxo Jr. In 1989, the studio also began making animated commercials. Beginning in 1991, Pixar produced a series of feature-length animated films distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. In 2006, Pixar became a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.
Pixar has produced many animated feature films. These include A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL·E (2008), Up (2009), Brave (2012), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), Soul (2020), and a number of sequel films. A number of Pixar movies have won Academy Awards for best animated feature film. The studio’s animation teams also have won many Academy Awards for science and engineering and technical achievement.
