Pixar Animation

After seeing up the new film UP on Saturday, it reminded me of a documentary I once saw of who the company Pixar actually started and where all of its success came from. Most people would say that George Lucas was the mastermind of the company, but I would strongly disagree, for me the true heart of Pixar Animation comes from a man called John Lassetar. Lucas may have helped start the company but this was only to create and sell off software, where it was Lassetar being the first and only animator in the company at the time began the first few steps onto major success.

Originally working for Disney, he was let go due to cut backs by the company was given a job by Pixar to help create small design animations to help promote the software they were selling. It was from this that Lassetar and all the team around him started to explore the actual process of 3D animation. After Lucas sold the company it was up to the employees to either loose their jobs or take over the firm itself.

The first short film that was done was called 'The Adventure of Andre and Wally B.' which back in its day was a revolution in not only the animation world but the computer world as well, which started a chain of new, upgraded programs that were faster, better designed and able to explore new ways of computing that we now know today.

The reason that I think Pixar have become the success they are today is because of the amount of time, effort and heart that has actually gone into their films, even in the short films they did Lassetar and his co workers would spend weeks in the office only leaving to get food, but sleeping in the office too. The committed themselves to their work, just trying to get a little recognition for what they were doing, and what they were doing with the films was all for free, the films weren't made to generate money but to get people to see what it was they were actually doing.

Well, someone noticed and that someone was Steve Knowles, one of the people who started up Apple, who took a chance on their work and helped give them their first break. After a few more shorts they were given the opportunity to make a feature length film, a film we know today as 'Toy Story'. What made them different from other competing company's was that they were all creating software and selling it on without realizing their true potential, whereas Pixar were doing great things with their software.When 'Toy Story' was in the making, all the staff were so scared as this was going to be a make or break in all of their careers, but once the film was released well it had all paid off and following this has come a number of box office films and shorts that have gained so much critical acclaim and money that have given Pixar the credit they so rightly deserve.

What is really good in the progression of Pixar is that in each film the story has gotten more mature as the makers realize that children even at a young age realize more and more the reality of the world, by including real life situations in each feature, which is why we all love their films so much and I really hope the go on for a very long time.