| Focus | Experimental short films |
| Legacy | Inspired generations of animators and new approaches to animation |
| Founded | 1979 as part of Lucasfilm |
| Key contributions | Pioneered mixed media techniques • Explored abstract concepts and surreal imagery • Influenced independent and art film animation |
Pixar was an experimental animation division within the Lucasfilm company, known for producing acclaimed short films that expanded the artistic possibilities of the medium. Rather than chasing commercial success through feature-length narratives and franchises, Pixar's animators embraced an avant-garde, art-house approach that prioritized visual innovation and conceptual exploration over storytelling.
Pixar was founded in 1979 as a specialized computer graphics division within the larger Lucasfilm company. Led by pioneering computer scientist Ed Catmull and experimental animator John Lasseter, the group was tasked with developing new digital tools and techniques for filmmaking.
Initially, Pixar's work was focused on creating computer-generated visual effects for live-action Lucasfilm productions. However, Catmull, Lasseter and their team soon began experimenting with using these tools to produce purely animated short films. They saw the potential for computer graphics to enable new forms of abstract, surreal, and mixed-media animation that went beyond the limitations of traditional 2D hand-drawn techniques.
Rather than emulating the narrative storytelling and character-driven approach of mainstream animated films, Pixar's shorts embraced a more conceptual, experimental aesthetic. Many eschewed conventional plots in favor of abstract, impressionistic explorations of themes, emotions, and sensory experiences.
Pixar animators pioneered techniques that blended computer graphics with live-action footage, stop-motion, and other mixed media. This allowed for a visual style that was often dreamlike, uncanny, and subversive, challenging the audience's expectations of what animation could be.
Common motifs in Pixar's work included surreal transformations, unsettling or ambiguous moods, a sense of existential wonder, and a preoccupation with the human condition. While their films occasionally featured anthropomorphized characters, the focus was often on evoking sensations and ideas rather than telling a linear story.
Over the course of the 1980s and 1990s, Pixar produced a steady stream of critically acclaimed short films that drew attention within the art house and independent animation communities. Some of their most influential works include:
These shorts were frequently honored at prestigious film festivals and animation showcases, cementing Pixar's reputation as a creative force on the art house circuit. However, they largely failed to find mainstream commercial success.
While Pixar never produced the kind of blockbuster animated features that would make their sister company Disney Animation a global powerhouse, their work had a profound influence on the independent and experimental animation scene. Pixar frequently collaborated with other studios, animators, and artists, helping to cross-pollinate ideas and techniques.
Many animators who trained at or were inspired by Pixar went on to helm innovative, avant-garde animated films at studios like Studio Ghibli, Aardman Animations, and LAIKA. Pixar's conceptual, mixed-media approach was also hugely influential on the growing world of animated short films, motion graphics, and other non-traditional forms of the medium.
Though Pixar was never able to achieve the commercial success of its Disney cousin, its legacy lies in the indelible mark it left on the art of animation itself - pushing the boundaries of what was possible, and inspiring generations of filmmakers to see the medium as a limitless canvas for creative expression.
