• 1979

    Ed Catmull is recruited by George Lucas from
    The New York Institute of Technology to head
    Lucasfilm's Computer Division, a group charged with
    developing state-of-the-art computer technology for the film industry.

    Lucas's wish list: a digital (nonlinear) film editing system, 
    a digital sound editing system, a digital film printer,
    and further exploration of computer graphics.

     

  • 1983

    John Lasseter is invited to join the graphics group at
    Lucasfilm's Computer Division, and works on Thomas Porter's
    1984 pool ball image as well as the short film
    The Adventures of André & Wally B.

    He would be hired full-time the following year, joining the
    Computer Division as an "Interface Designer."

  • 1984

    A partially completed version of The Adventures of
    André & Wally B.     premieres at SIGGRAPH. It is the first short
    film created by the future animation studio. It features
    ground-breaking technology such as complex flexible
    characters, hand-painted textures, and motion blur.

  • 1986

    Steve Jobs purchases the Computer Graphics Division from
    George Lucas and establishes an independent company
    to be christened "Pixar." At this time about 44
    people are employed.

    Luxo Jr. is completed. The short film, John Lasseter’s
    directorial debut, is unveiled in August at SIGGRAPH and then
    screened for general audiences at Los Angeles-area theaters
    in November. Luxo Jr. will be the first three-dimensional 
    computer animated film to be nominated for the
    Best Animated Short Film Oscar®.

  • 1987

    Red’s Dream is completed. Its rain effect and complexity of lighting pose new technological challenges for the team and allow a study in creating mood and atmosphere. A portion of the film is rendered entirely on
    the Pixar Image Computer.  

    Also directed by John Lasseter, the short film has its 
    premiere in July at SIGGRAPH.

  • 1988

    Tin Toy is completed. A partially completed version is screened for SIGGRAPH audiences in August, and the film receives its official premiere later that year at the Ottawa International Film Fest. Tin Toy will be the first
    computer animated film to receive an Academy Award®
    when it is named Best Animated Short Film of 1988.

    Pixar’s new animation system, Menv (short for "modeling environment"), comes online.
     

  • 1989

    Knick Knack is completed. A work-in-progress version
    is screened at that year’s SIGGRAPH. It is the first of the company's
    animations to be produced in stereoscopic 3D.

    The first commercial version of RenderMan® is released—and
    will go on to become the industry standard software
    for rendering computer graphics in film.  

    Pixar begins making commercials—and would later twice win
    the CLIO Award.  

    Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton join the company.

     

  • 1991

    Disney and Pixar announce an agreement "to make and
    distribute at least one computer-generated animated movie."

  • 1995

    Toy Story, the world’s first computer animated feature film,
    is released in theaters on November 22. Toy Story also
    becomes the highest grossing film of 1995, making $192 million
    domestically and $362 million worldwide. Toy Story will be nominated
    for Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Original Screenplay
    by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

    David DiFrancesco receives a Scientific and Engineering
    Academy Award® for Film Input Scanning.

    Pixar opens its initial public offering on November 28.  It is the largest
    IPO of the year.

  • 1996

    John Lasseter receives a Special Achievement Oscar® from the
    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his "inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story Team resulting in the first feature-length
    computer animated film."

    Ed Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith, Thomas Porter and Tom Duff receive the
    Sciences Scientific and Engineering Academy Award® for their pioneering
    inventions in digital image compositing.

     

  • 1997

    The Walt Disney Studios and Pixar Animation Studios announce
    an agreement to jointly produce five movies over 10 years.
    Pixar now employs 375 people.

    Geri’s Game is completed. It premieres at Laemmle's Monica
    Theater in Santa Monica on November 24. It will be Pixar's
    second winner of the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award®.

    William Reeves receives the Scientific and Engineering Academy
    Award® for Particle Systems; Rick Sayre receives the Technical
    Achievement Academy Award® for Direct Input Device.

  • 1998

    A Bug's Life is released in theaters on November 25, 
    accompanied by the short film Geri’s Game.
    A Bug's Life breaks all previous U.S. Thanksgiving weekend
    box-office records. It will be nominated for the Best Original Musical
    or Comedy Score Oscar®.

    Eben Ostby, William Reeves, and Tom Duff receive the Scientific and
    Engineering Academy Award® for Marionette 3-D Animation Systems, 
    and Thomas Porter receives The Scientific Academy Award® for
    Digital Painting.

     

     

     

  • 1999

    Toy Story 2 is released in theaters on November 24. It is the first
    film in history to be entirely created, mastered and exhibited
    digitally, and is the first animated sequel to gross more than its original.  
    It will be nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar® for
    "When She Loved Me," written by Randy Newman.

    Toy Story 2 breaks box-office opening weekend records in United States,
    United Kingdom and Japan.

    David DiFrancesco receives the Technical Achievement Academy
    Award® for Laser Film Recording, which is dubbed PIXARVISION.

  • 2000

    For the Birds is completed. It premieres at the Annecy
    International Film Festival in France on June 5. It will eventually win
    the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film .

    Pixar moves to its new building in
    Emeryville, CA, on November 27.

     

  • 2001

    Monsters, Inc. is released in theaters on November 2, accompanied by For the Birds. Monsters, Inc. reaches over $100 million in domestic box-office in just 9 days—faster than any animated film in history. It will receive two Academy Award® nominations, including Best Song; Randy Newman will take home the Oscar® for "If I Didn't Have You," from the Monsters, Inc. soundtrack. 

    Rob Cook, Loren Carpenter and Ed Catmull receive an Academy Award of Merit® for Significant Advances in the Field of Motion Picture Rendering.

    Pixar now numbers over 600 employees. Co-founder Ed Catmull is named Pixar's President.

     

  • 2002

    Mike's New Car, the first-ever Pixar short featuring characters from another Pixar film, premieres on September 17.  It is featured as part of the Monster, Inc. DVD and VHS release. The short will receive an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Short Film.

    "a bug's land" attraction opens on October 7 
    at Disney California Adventure Park.

     

  • 2003

    Finding Nemo is released in theaters on May 30, accompanied by a remastered version of Knick Knack. Finding Nemo breaks opening weekend box-office records domestically for an animated feature.

    Finding Nemo will be nominated for four Academy Awards® and win the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature.

    Boundin' premieres and will be nominated for
    the Academy Award® as Best Animated Short Film.

     

  • 2004

    The Incredibles is released in theaters on November 5. Its first 
    weekend box office of over $70 million breaks all Pixar records. 
    It will be nominated for four Academy Awards®, and win two: 
    Best Animated Feature Film and Achievement in Sound Editing.

    Finding Nemo becomes the best-selling DVD of all time, selling
    more than 24 million copies in North America alone.

    "Turtle Talk with Crush" opens at Walt Disney World Resort's 
    The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion on November 11.

  • 2005

    The world premiere of One Man Band takes place at the 
    Annecy International Film Festival. One Man Band will be nominated
    for the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award®.

    Pixar's first external exhibition of original artwork, 
    Pixar: 20 Years of Animation, 
    opens at New York Museum of Modern Art on December 14.

     

  • 2006

    Pixar celebrates its 20th anniversary.

    Cars is released in theaters on June 9, and will
    receive Academy Award® nominations for
    Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

    Disney announces its agreement to purchase Pixar.

    Ed Catmull is named President and John Lasseter
    is named Chief Creative Officer of Disney
    and Pixar Animation Studios

  • 2006

    (cont.)

    Lifted premieres at Laemmle's Colorado Theater on September 11 and
    will be nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar®.

    Story artist Joe Ranft is named a Disney Legend. David Baraff, Michael Kass
    and Andy Witkin receive the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award® 
    for Cloth Simulation.

    Ed Catmull and Tony DeRose receive the Technical Achievement
    Academy Award® for Subdivision Surfaces.

  • 2007

    Ratatouille is released in theaters on June 29.
    Ratatouille will be nominated for five Academy Awards® and win the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature.

    "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" opens at Disneyland Resort's
    Tomorrowland on June 11.

  • 2008

    WALL•E is released in theaters on June 27.  The film will be nominated
    for six Academy Awards®, and take home the Oscar® for
    Best Animated Feature Film .

    Presto premieres at the Annecy International Film Festival and will be 
    nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award®.

    The first set of Cars Toons (Rescue Squad Mater, Mater the Greater,
    and El Materdor    ) are completed.

    WALL•E Producer and renowned industry effects veteran
    Jim Morris is named General Manager of Pixar.

     

  • 2009

    Pixar starts a satellite studio in Canada that will focus on shorts featuring beloved characters from its feature films.

    Up is the first animated feature to open the Cannes Film Festival and debuts in theaters on May 29 with the original short Partly Cloudy. Up will be nominated for five Academy Awards®, including Best Picture; it will take home the Oscars® for Best Animated Feature Film and
    Best Original Score.

    The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences honors Ed Catmull with
    the Gordon E. Sawyer Award®.

     

  • 2010

    Toy Story 3 is released in theaters on June 18. It will become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the first to reach the billion dollar mark. Toy Story 3 will be nominated for five Academy Awards®, and win the Oscars® for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song, "We Belong Together," written and performed by Randy Newman.  

    Day and Night debuts at the Annecy International Film Festival. It will be nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award®.

     

  • 2010

    (Cont...)

    John Lasseter is honored with the Producers Guild of America's 2010
    David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures, making him the
    first producer of animated films to receive this award.

    Per Christensen receives the Scientific and Engineering
    Academy Award® for Point-based Rendering for Indirect Ilumination
    and Ambient Occlusion.

  • 2011

    Pixar celebrates its 25th Anniversary and completes construction
    of a new building on its Emeryville campus.

    Cars 2 is released in theaters on June 24, accompanied by the first
    Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation.

    La Luna premieres and will be nominated for the Academy Award®
    for Best Animated Short Film .

    David M. Laur receives the Technical Achievement Academy Award® for Alfred Render Queue Management System.