50 Facts About Pixar Movies

The Birth of Pixar

Pixar Animation Studios has been a game-changer in the world of animation. From its early days as a division of Lucasfilm to becoming a powerhouse under Disney, Pixar has consistently delivered groundbreaking films.

1. Pixar was formed in 1979 and soon became the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm. This early start laid the foundation for what would become one of the most influential animation studios in the world.

2. The first full-length feature film made entirely using computer-generated imagery (CGI) was "Toy Story," released in 1995. This groundbreaking film had a production budget of only $30 million, less than half of what Disney's "The Lion King" (1994) cost.

3. "Toy Story" made $29.1 million on its opening weekend, almost earning back its full production budget. This success was unprecedented and set the stage for future Pixar films to achieve similar milestones.

Iconic Characters and Voices

Pixar's characters are unforgettable, thanks to their unique designs and the talented voices behind them.

4. Billy Crystal was the first choice to voice Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story," but he turned down the role due to his negative experience with Disney over Robin Williams' salary for "Aladdin".

5. In a teaser trailer for the 2008 film "WALL-E," Luxo Jr. and the trash-collecting robot interact for the first time. Luxo Jr.'s bulb goes out, and WALL-E rolls in to replace it, showcasing the studio's playful spirit.

6. One popular fan theory about "Toy Story" concludes that Emily, the little girl who owned the toys, is actually a ghost or a spirit. This theory has been debated among fans for years.

Memorable Moments and Changes

Pixar movies often include memorable moments and sometimes undergo significant changes during development.

7. Dory from "Finding Nemo" is the most-liked Pixar character on Facebook, surpassing 25 million likes. She has more likes than Nemo, who has 22 million.

8. The setting of "Finding Dory" was initially planned to be an aquatic park but was changed to a marine biology institute after the Pixar crew saw the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which highlighted the treatment of orcas in captivity.

9. "Sanjay’s Super Team," a Pixar short film, is the first film by the studio to feature an Indian protagonist and to be directed by an Indian-American director, Sanjay Patel. It was screened along with "The Good Dinosaur" in theaters.

Cultural Impact and Controversies

Pixar films often reflect cultural themes and sometimes spark controversies.

10. "Coco," set to be released in November 2017, was pitched by "Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich. The film follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel as he journeys to the Land of the Dead on the annual Día de Muertos holiday.

11. Disney attempted to trademark the Spanish phrase "Día de los Muertos" for merchandising purposes, which drew sharp criticism from the Latino community on social media. Mexican-American artist Lalo Alcaraz created a cartoon called "Muerto Mouse" in response, leading Disney to withdraw its efforts.

12. "Incredibles 2" was originally set to release in 2019 but switched release dates with "Toy Story 4," which is now slated for June 2018. This change allowed "Incredibles 2" to hit theaters a year earlier than initially planned.

Behind the Scenes

The making of Pixar films involves fascinating behind-the-scenes details and decisions.

13. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Fro-Zone in "Incredibles 2." The actor began recording in December 2016, as he posted on Instagram.

14. "Toy Story 4," set to hit theaters in June 2019, was likely to be Pixar’s last sequel—at least for a while. Pixar President Jim Morris told Entertainment Weekly that the studio would focus on original content from 2019 onwards.

15. Before becoming a film studio, Pixar was an advertising company. It was originally a subdivision of Lucasfilm, showcasing its early roots in computer graphics.

Character Designs and Evolution

Pixar's character designs often evolve significantly from their original concepts.

16. Mike Wazowski was originally not going to have arms. He would pick up objects with his feet instead, highlighting the evolution of character design at Pixar.

17. Syndrome wasn’t originally the villain of "The Incredibles." He was initially a completely different character named Xerek, who was more like a suave James Bond villain type. The character was created for a deleted scene but loved so much that he was inserted into the main villain role instead.

18. Dim from "A Bug’s Life" was supposed to be a more menacing character but was toned down to be less intimidating. This change reflects the studio’s focus on balancing humor and fear in their films.

Unique Production Stories

Each Pixar film has its own unique production stories that add to its charm.

19. Boo from "Monsters, Inc." was voiced by an actual toddler named Mary Gibbs. She was too young to sit in the recording booth, so they followed her around with a microphone as she played.

20. "Toy Story 2" was saved from being a direct-to-video movie due to one woman working from home during her maternity leave. She kept a copy of the movie, ensuring its eventual release in theaters.

21. "Coco" was originally going to be Pixar’s first musical when in development. However, the musical idea was scrapped, and the film was themed around musicians without any singing every 10 minutes.

Attention to Detail

Pixar's attention to detail is legendary, contributing to the realism and immersion of their films.

22. The emotions in "Inside Out" are modeled by something close to their emotion: joy (star), sadness (teardrop), fear (raw nerve), anger (fire brick), and disgust (broccoli). In Japan, broccoli was changed to bell peppers because Japanese kids see bell peppers as gross, just like American kids see broccoli.

23. The first computer used by Pixar was for medical purposes, highlighting the studio’s early diversification into various fields of computer graphics.

24. An earlier version of Lotso can be seen in the original "Toy Story." During a meeting of the toys, he appears on the shelf, and Woody asks if the toys "up on the shelf can hear" him, showcasing the character's early development.

Setting and Environment

The settings and environments in Pixar films are meticulously crafted to enhance the storytelling.

25. WALL-E takes place in the year 2805, based on the short film "BURN-E," which is set in the same time period and location. This setting allows for the inclusion of old toys like a Rubik's cube and an Atari 2600 in good condition, despite being over 820 years old.

26. Merida from "Brave" is the first Disney princess without an American accent. She is also the first Pixar character to be added to the Disney Princess lineup, adding cultural diversity to the franchise.

27. Disney and Pixar have been providing Easter eggs in their films since the mid-90s. For example, the Pizza Planet truck appears in all Pixar films, but it was originally named Pizza Putt and was supposed to be a combination of a pizzeria and mini-golf course.

Fun Facts and Trivia

Pixar films are filled with fun facts and trivia that fans love to discover.

28. Dory from "Finding Nemo" says "P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney" 11 times in the film. She also says it partially right nine times, but only three of those times included Sydney being said correctly.

29. The villain in "Up" is named Charles Muntz, after the man who stole Walt Disney’s production rights in 1928. This character was named after Charles Mintz, the man who stole the production rights to "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit," which led to Disney creating Mickey Mouse.

30. 90% of all the monsters in "Monsters, Inc." have Mike's tongue. This detail adds to the film's humor and character design.

Technical Marvels

Pixar films are also known for their technical marvels and innovations in animation.

31. Bruce from "Finding Nemo" has 202 teeth, each individually animatable. This level of detail enhances the character's realism and animation.

32. To save on time during the production of "Ratatouille," the artists at Pixar skipped one detail—none of the human characters have any toes. This decision reflects the studio’s focus on efficiency without compromising quality.

33. To develop the desired look for Queen Elinor’s emerald dress in "Brave," the art department took actual matte silk fabric samples and painted metallic colors onto the fabric. Shading artists then replicated the look in the computer, ensuring a realistic and stunning visual effect.

34. Lighting McQueen has 14 different paint variants, ranging from subtly different amounts of dirt and dust to completely new paint jobs near the end of the film. This level of detail enhances the character’s appearance and realism.

Extensive Use of CGI

The extensive use of CGI in Pixar films sets them apart from traditional animation.

35. The nearly 35,000 texture maps in "Toy Story 2" occupy nearly 40 GB of disk space. There are more than 10,000 texture maps for the humans alone, highlighting the extensive use of computer-generated imagery in the film.

36. It took over a month to digitally paint Al’s car in "Toy Story 2." This level of detail ensures that the car looks realistic and adds to the film’s overall quality.

37. All of the bedroom doors in the Door Vault in "Monsters, Inc." were created from different combinations of 26 paint colors, 12 styles, 8 wood colors, 10 decals, and 6 door knobs, and 3 hardware types. This level of detail reflects the studio’s attention to detail and commitment to realism.

Culinary Creations

Pixar's attention to detail extends to the culinary world as well.

38. For "Ratatouille," Pixar filmmakers created over 270 pieces of food in the computer. Every food item was prepared and styled in a real kitchen, then photographed for reference and eaten. This level of detail enhances the film’s culinary aspects and realism.

39. There are roughly 1000 unique props in the interior of WALL-E’s truck. It took a team of five modelers and five shading artists more than a month to create them all, highlighting the extensive work that goes into creating detailed environments in Pixar films.

Architectural Wonders

Pixar films often feature stunning architectural designs that add depth to their worlds.

40. No Pixar film before "Brave" has had a castle in it, so the DunBroch castle had to be designed from the ground up, inside and out. Everything from the architecture of the structure itself to the tapestries in the hall and the moss on the stone walls was designed and built as 3D models in the computer. The production team visited, researched, and studied a number of castles for reference.

Animation Production

The animation production process at Pixar is both meticulous and time-consuming.

41. During the production of "Up," each animator produced an average of 4 seconds of animation a week. This level of detail ensures that every frame is meticulously crafted, contributing to the film’s emotional impact.

42. The most animation produced in one week of production on "Toy Story 2" was 5 minutes and 42 seconds. This level of detail reflects the studio’s commitment to quality and the extensive work that goes into creating each scene.

Hair and Fur Details

Pixar's attention to detail extends to the hair and fur of their characters.

43. Sulley has 25,336 "key" hairs, which are used to guide the motion and shape of the other 2.3 million hairs. This level of detail enhances the character’s appearance and realism.

44. Merida has more than 1500 individually sculpted, curly red strands that generate about 111,700 total hairs. This level of detail ensures that Merida’s hair looks realistic and adds to her character design.

Lighting and Rendering

Lighting and rendering are crucial aspects of Pixar's animation process.

45. There are a total of 21,566 lights in four different shots when Lighting McQueen and Mack first get on the road to California. This level of detail enhances the film’s visual effects and realism.

46. "Monsters University" took 100 million CPU hours to render, which is equivalent to 10,000 years for a single computer. This level of detail reflects the extensive computational power required to create complex animations.

47. It took almost two weeks to render the most complicated shot on "The Incredibles." This level of detail highlights the time-consuming process involved in creating high-quality animations.

Continuous Innovation

Pixar continues to innovate with each new film, pushing the boundaries of animation technology.

48. Each Cars film did something unique: Cars improved light reflections off the cars' bodywork, Cars 2 improved detailed, sprawling backgrounds and wave physics, and Cars 3 improved animating mud and dirt effects. This level of innovation reflects the studio’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of animation technology.

49. If you listen really close to the cars, lights, etc., in the monster world of Monsters Inc., you’ll hear children’s screams (which powers those things). This level of detail adds to the film’s eerie atmosphere and realism.

50. When finding Dory was releasing, Pixar made a post on social media saying the octopus character has been in every Pixar movie beforehand. This is clearly a blatant lie, but it highlights the studio’s playful and creative approach to marketing their films.

Pixar's Legacy of Innovation

Pixar Animation Studios has consistently pushed the boundaries of animation and storytelling. From its early days as a computer graphics division of Lucasfilm to its current status as a powerhouse under Disney, Pixar has created some of the most beloved films. With groundbreaking movies like "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," and "WALL-E," the studio has set new standards in CGI and narrative. Fun facts like Dory's popularity on Facebook or the intricate details in Merida's hair show Pixar's dedication to excellence. The studio's ability to blend technical innovation with emotional depth has made its films timeless. Whether it's the meticulous design of Sulley's fur or the cultural sensitivity in "Coco," Pixar's attention to detail is unmatched. As they continue to create, Pixar remains a beacon of creativity, inspiring audiences and animators alike.