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Pixar Animation Studios

Type	Public (NASDAQ: PIXR)
Founded	December 9, 1985
Location	Emeryville, California, USA
Key people	Steve Jobs, Chairman/CEO Ed Catmull, President John Lasseter, Vice President, Creative
Industry	CGI animation
Products	RenderMan Marionette
Revenue
Operating income	{{{operating_income}}}
Net income	{{{net_income}}}
Employees
Website	pixar.com
{{{footnotes}}}

Pixar Animation Studios NASDAQ: PIXR is an award-winning computer generated imagery (CGI) animation firm based in Emeryville, California (USA).

Specializing in high-end 3D computer graphics technology, Pixar is the developer of the industry-standard rendering software RenderMan, used for high-quality, photorealistic image generation.

Contents 1 History 2 Disney and Pixar 3 Feature films 4 Feature Film Traditions 4.1 John Ratzenberger 4.2 Cameo appearances 4.3 The Pizza Planet Truck 4.4 Teaser trailers 5 Feature Film Inside References 5.1 Harryhausen's 6 Short films ("Shorts") 7 References 8 External links 8.1 Articles 8.2 Blogs

History

Pixar started as the computer division of Lucasfilm. It was purchased by current Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs and the employees of the division for US$10 million in 1986, establishing itself as an independent company. The sale was based on George Lucas' desire to see Pixar succeed on its own, as it was unable to shine in the shadow of Industrial Light & Magic. The newly independent company was co-founded by Dr. Edwin Catmull, President and CEO, and Dr. Alvy Ray Smith, Executive Vice President and Director. Jobs served as Chairman of the Board.

Initially, Pixar was a high-end hardware company whose core product was the Pixar Image Computer, which primarily sold to government agencies and the medical community. While the machine never sold well, John Lasseter began creating short animations, such as Luxo Jr., to demonstrate the power of the system at SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industry's largest convention.

As poor sales of Pixar's computers threatened to put the company out of business, Lasseter's animation department began selling commercials to outside companies, including successful campaigns for Tropicana, Listerine, and LifeSavers. In addition, Pixar was key in the development of CAPS, a computer-assisted animation post-production software system for Walt Disney Feature Animation. After substantial cuts to most of the computer department, Pixar began its current life by making a $26,000,000 deal with Walt Disney Studios in 1991 to produce animated feature films, the first of which was Toy Story. The company was incorporated on December 9, 1995.

Today, Jobs continues in his role as chairman, and is also the company's CEO. Catmull remains president. Lasseter —a two-time Academy Award-winning director and animator— oversees all of the company's projects as Executive Vice President of the Creative Department. Other notable members of the executive team are Sarah McArthur (Executive Vice President of Production), Simon Bax (Executive Vice President and CFO), and Lois Scali (Executive Vice President and General Counsel).

Disney and Pixar

All of Pixar's major features thus far have been made in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures. All aspects of production (writing, development, animation production, post-production) have been handled in-house by Pixar, with production costs split between Pixar and Disney. Disney has handled all distribution aspects, including all distribution and promotion costs. In 1997, after the release of their initial film, Toy Story, both companies signed a 10-year, 5-picture deal, in which the two companies split production costs and profits. Disney alone, however, retained the rights to the films and characters. In addition, Disney collects 10 to 15 percent of each film's revenue as a distribution fee. [1]

The arrangement has been very profitable for both companies, with Pixar's five feature films having grossed more than $2.5 billion. This gives Pixar the highest per film average gross of any production company. The working relationship between Pixar and Disney will end in 2006 with the movie Cars being the last joint venture between the two companies.

The main contention between Pixar and Disney began with the production of Toy Story 2. Originally intended as a straight-to-video release (and thus not part of Pixar's five picture deal), the film was upgraded to a theatrical release during production. Pixar demanded that the film then be counted toward the five picture agreement, but Disney refused.

The two companies attempted to reach a new agreement in early 2004. The new deal would only be for distribution, with Pixar controlling production and owning the properties themselves, while Disney distributed the films. As part of any distribution agreement with Disney, Pixar demanded control over films already in production under their old agreement, including The Incredibles and Cars. More importantly, Pixar wanted to have complete financial freedom: they wanted to finance their films on their own and collect 100 percent of the profits, paying Disney only the 10 to 15 percent distribution fee. This was unacceptable to Disney, but Pixar refused any concessions. Pixar is currently looking for a new company to distribute its films, and many other firms are eager suitors. Disney retains the rights to all films under the five picture agreement and can make sequels to them. It has begun production of Toy Story 3, without Pixar's involvement. As of July 2005, Pixar has yet to reach an agreement with another party since most other distributors have also found the terms unacceptable.

Robert Iger, the president and new CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has resumed talks with Steve Jobs, stating he hopes the two companies can find "common ground." It has also been rumored that either Disney or Pixar delayed the release of Cars from its original 2005 release date in order to buy time to negotiate after Michael Eisner had left Disney.

Feature films

• Toy Story (1995)
• A Bug's Life (1998)
• Toy Story 2 (1999) (Originally slated as a direct-to-video film, Disney concluded this film did not count towards the '5 picture' contract when it was released in theatres)
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)
• Finding Nemo (2003, Academy Award winner 2004)
• The Incredibles (2004, Academy Award winner 2005)
• Cars (scheduled for release in June 2006)
• Ratatouille (scheduled for release in 2007)

A movie called Ray Gun was rumored to be released by Pixar in 2007, but latest reports indicate that this will be a 2D feature which Pixar has no interest in developing. Currently Warner Brothers owns the rights to develop this film.

Feature Film Traditions

There are several things that Pixar puts in every one of their feature films.

John Ratzenberger

John Ratzenberger (most widely known as the character Clifford Clavin from the television sitcom Cheers) is always a character voice, referred to by the studio as their "good luck charm". The following is a list of his roles in the first seven Pixar movies:

• Toy Story - Hamm (a piggy bank)
• A Bug's Life - P.T. Flea (the manager of a travelling insect circus)
• Toy Story 2 - Hamm (a piggy bank)
• Monsters, Inc. - The Abominable Snowman (a yeti)
• Finding Nemo - a school of moonfish
• The Incredibles - The Underminer (A Supervillain)
• Cars - a Mack truck named Mack

He also voiced a character in the English dub of Spirited Away, overseen by John Lasseter. Actor Wallace Shawn also appears in multiple Pixar Films.

Despite his recurring role as Hamm in the Toy Story movies, it is known that John is more loyal to Pixar than the the movie series, as he has refused to play Hamm in Toy Story 3.

Cameo appearances

Every Pixar film has included cameo appearances of characters or objects from their other movies or short films.

Examples:

• Toy Story - During the staff meeting at the beginning of the movie, some of the books on the shelf behind Woody are named after some of Pixar's short films, such as "Tin Toy" and "Knick Knack".
• Toy Story 2 - When Hamm is flipping through the channels, many of Pixar's short films, including Pixar's old logo, were briefly represented. Geri (from the short Geri's Game) appears as the toy cleaner. There are "A Bug's Life" toys in Al's Toy Barn. Also, in that movie when Mr. Potato Head found Mrs. Potato Head's earring, Mrs. was reading "A Bug's Life" book. In one of the outtakes during the end credits, Flik and Heimlich from "A Bug's Life" are accidentally swatted by Buzz, who doesn't see them.
• A Bug's Life - A Pizza Planet cup from Toy Story is seen above the bar as Flik enters.
• Monsters Inc. - Boo shows Sulley her Jesse doll (from Toy Story 2) and a Nemo toy. In the same scene, a toy ball from the Luxo Jr short. Also, the trailer where Randall becomes trapped appears to be the one from "A Bug's Life". In one of the outtakes during the closing credits, Rex from Toy Story is seen auditioning for a part of the large monster (known as 'Ted') that Mike and Sully meet while crossing the street on the way to work in the beginning of the movie.
• Finding Nemo - A Buzz Lightyear action figure can be seen in the dentist's waiting room. Also, a patient can be seen reading a Mr. Incredible comic book. Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. can been seen during the end credits swimming through the ocean, a Pizza Planet truck from "Toy Story" can be seen.
• The Incredibles - Mr. Incredible's desk lamp is Luxo Jr.. In the scene with the self destructing message, the boxing game from Toy Story is on the shelf, to the left.
• Cars has many cameos:

• Lightning McQueen is equipped with Lightyear Buzzard tires, a parody of Goodyear Eagle Tires, and a reference to Buzz Lightyear from "Toy Story".
• Some of the racing cars in the teaser trailer have Toy Story 2 and A Bugs Life logos on the side as well as JLP which could be reffering to John Lasseter the director.
• Some of the sponsors on the sides of the cars seen in the trailer are references to past Pixar films, for example, "2319" is visible on a car. 2319 was the code of the Child Detection Agency in Monsters, Inc. when a monster came into physical contact with a human child.
• Lightning McQueen could have been named after auto-and-motorcycle racing legend Steve McQueen, or in tribute of Glenn McQueen (December 24, 1960 – October 29, 2002), who worked with Pixar on such films as Toy Story and A Bug's Life, but did not live to see Finding Nemo.

The Pizza Planet Truck

The Pizza Planet Truck which featured prominently in Toy Story appears in each of the Pixar films. The truck is noticeable for only showing the letters "Yo" (the only letters left from the car's brand; "Gyoza", not "Toyota" as is commonly thought.) Examples:

• Toy Story: Buzz and Woody get to Pizza Planet in this truck.
• A Bug's Life: As the two bugs are talking about seeing the light, the truck can be seen on-screen.
• Toy Story 2: The toys steal and drive the truck.
• Monsters Inc.: At the end of the movie, Randall is thrown through a door and ends up in a caravan, thought to be a gator. The caravan is next to the Pizza Planet truck.
• Finding Nemo: While the escape plan is being shown, as the bags of water cross the road, the truck drives past.
• The Incredibles: The Pizza Planet truck can be seen on the freeway towards the end of the film.

Teaser trailers

The Pixar teaser trailers since Monsters, Inc. consist of footage created specifically for the trailer, spotlighting certain central characters in a comic situation. Though similar scenes and situations may appear, these sequences are not in the films being advertised, but instead are original creations.

Examples:

• Monsters, Inc.: Sulley and Mike stumble into the wrong bedroom. (Also, in a preview shown before the first Harry Potter film, Sulley is shown playing charades with Mike, but Mike is unable to guess the phrase 'Harry Potter.' The clip never specifically mentions Harry Potter, but the end states that Monsters, Inc. is playing right next door.)
• Finding Nemo: Marlin asks the school of fish for directions and Dory scares them away.
• The Incredibles: An out-of-shape Mr. Incredible struggles to get his belt on.
• Cars: A rusty tow truck talks to Lightning McQueen after the truck hits and kills a baby bumblebee.

Feature Film Inside References

Harryhausen's

In an homage to Ray Harryhausen, stop motion animation pioneer and designer of countless cinematic monsters, the restaurant in Monsters, Inc. is named "Harryhausen's."

Short films ("Shorts")

• The Adventures of André and Wally B. (1984, Lucasfilm, prior to creation of Pixar)
• [[Luxo

References

• Alvy Ray Smith's Pixar History Page. Retrieved June 9, 2005.
• Pixar Corporate FAQ. Retrieved June 9, 2005.

External links

• Pixar's web site
• Pixar Animation Studios at the Internet Movie Database
• Pixar Animation Studios at the Big Cartoon DataBase

Articles

• CNN's "Pixar dumps Disney"
• Wired Magazine: Welcome to Planet Pixar

Blogs

• Luxo
• UpcomingPixar

Pixar
Feature Films
Toy Story (1995) -  A Bug's Life (1998) -  Toy Story 2 (1999) -  Monsters, Inc. (2001) -  Finding Nemo (2003) -  The Incredibles (2004) -  Cars (2006) -  Ratatouille (2007)
Short Films
Luxo Jr. (1986) -  Red's Dream (1987) -  Tin Toy (1988) -  Knick Knack (1989) -  Geri's Game (1997) -  For the Birds (2000) -  Mike's New Car (2002) -  Boundin' (2004) -  Jack-Jack Attack (2005) -  One Man Band (2005)
See Also
The Adventures of André and Wally B. (1984)  -  Toy Story 3 (2007)

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