 Yesterday was a very special day for me at Pixar. We celebrated the 10-year (and 20-year) anniversary of everyone who joined Pixar in 2002 (and 1992). Pixar does this every year, recognizing the passion and commitment of its employees in a special way. We had a lunch, an awards ceremony and a gathering afterwards for friends and family. |
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Buzz Lightyear, Pixar, Sheriff Woody, Steve Jobs, The Walt Disney Company, Toy Story | Leave a comment »
Early in 1988 I attended a conference where Steve Jobs was the keynote speaker. He screened two 16mm films created by Pixar: Luxo Jr and Red’s Dream. It blew me away. I always dreamed about using computers to do animation, and here was a company that had successfully created two computer-animated films! Afterwards, I joined a group of conference attendees to chat with Steve. He was smartly dressed in a designer suit (yes!) and answered our questions very courteously. That day was the first time I took notice of Pixar. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be working for Pixar some day.
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Luxo Jr, Pixar, Steve Jobs | Leave a comment »
Jerrod Maruyama posted an early, spoiler-free review of La Luna.
More than any other Pixar short, La Luna feels like a personal vision. It feels familiar but not derivative. It’s funny but not comedic. It’s heartfelt but not schmaltzy. This type of poetic storytelling is something we don’t get to see much of in American mainstream animation. It’s a visually stunning piece that takes its time and isn’t burdened with a busy story line and visual gags.
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Animation, Pixar, Short film | Leave a comment »
This past Wednesday, Steve Jobs resigned as Apple CEO. He is a remarkable person and was instrumental in creating the company I work for, Pixar. Below is Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, which I find incredibly inspirational:
The Wall Street Journal published the text of his commencement address.
Filed under: Cool! | Tagged: Apple, Pixar, Steve Jobs | 1 Comment »
Leandro Copperfield from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, spent 11 days re-watching all 11 Pixar feature films. He picked 500 shots and created this amazing 7 minute tribute: The Beauty of Pixar.
Leandro originally posted the tribute on Vimeo, believing, like many, that his use of the copyrighted Pixar material in this way constitutes fair use. Vimeo disagreed and deleted his tribute from their site. So only the YouTube version, of lower quality, remains.
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Enrico Casarosa directed Pixar’s latest short film, La Luna, which will première at the Annecy International Animation Festival, June 6-11. I was the Effects Supervisor.
Synopsis: La Luna is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and time-worn traditions?
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Annecy International Animation Festival, Pixar, Short film | 4 Comments »
See… a house flying away suspended from hundreds of balloons is not ridiculous!
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Animation, Pixar, Up | Leave a comment »
The day after Toy Story 3‘s success at the Academy Awards, we celebrated at Pixar. Here are a few pictures of the celebration – enjoy!
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Academy Award, Animation, Movies, Pixar, Toy Story 3, Toy Story Series | 1 Comment »
Last night Toy Story 3 won 2 Oscars at the Academy Awards! Receiving the award for best animated feature film, director Lee Unkrich thanked “audiences all over the world who came out in historic numbers and embraced a movie about talking toys that hopefully had something very human to say.” The win is Pixar’s fourth consecutive win in this category, following wins for Ratatouille (2008), Wall-E (2009), and Up (2010). Pixar also won the category in 2004 with Finding Nemo and in 2005 with The Incredibles.
Randy Newman, who had been nominated 20 times and only won once before, received the Oscar for the best original song, We Belong Together.
Toy Story 3 was nominated in 3 other categories:
Another Pixar nominee was Teddy Newton’s Day & Night, for best animated short film. The winner in this category was The Lost Thing.
Filed under: Pixar | Tagged: Academy Award, Day & Night, Lee Unkrich, Pixar, Randy Newman, Teddy Newton, Toy Story 3 | 3 Comments »
Ferdi's Musings 