Entertainment/Pixar Films
Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the computer division of Lucasfilm before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986 with funding by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs
The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar in 2006 at a valuation of $7.4 billion, a transaction that resulted in Jobs becoming Disney's largest single shareholder at the time. Luxo Jr., the desk lamp character from a 1986 Pixar short film of the same name, is the mascot of the studio
The company is based in Emeryville, California
Pixar is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface used to generate high-quality images
A113 is an inside joke in animated films created by alumni of California Institute of the Arts, referring to the classroom used by graphic design and character animation students including John Lasseter and Brad Bird. It has appeared in every Pixar movie
The Pizza Planet truck appears in every Pixar film except The Incredibles
John Ratzenberger has had a voice part in all of Pixar's feature films made to date
Directors
John Lasseter oversees all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer. In addition, he directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2. Since 2007, he also oversees all of Walt Disney Animation Studios' films
Andrew Stanton wrote and directed A Bug's Life (as co-director), Finding Nemo, WALL-E and Finding Dory. He also co-wrote all four Toy Story films and Monsters, Inc.
Pete Docter directed Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out and Soul, and is a key figure and collaborator in Pixar Animation Studios
Brad Bird directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Both films place among Pixar's highest-grossing features and gave Brad Bird two Academy Award for Best Animated Feature wins. He also directed Incredibles 2 which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Lee Unkrich started at Pixar as a film editor. After co-directing Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, Lee Unkrich made his solo directorial debut with Toy Story 3. He also directed Coco
Peter Sohn directed The Good Dinosaur and Elemental. He also directed the short film Partly Cloudy
Kelsey Mann directed Inside Out 2, in his feature directorial debut
Music
Randy Newman has scored nine Pixar films – A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Cars 3, Monsters University, and all four Toy Story films
“You've Got a Friend in Me” is a song written and first recorded by Randy Newman. Originally written as the theme song for Toy Story, it has since become the theme song for the three sequels
Thomas Newman is the cousin of Randy Newman. He scored Finding Nemo, WALL-E, and Finding Dory
Michael Giacchino composed the scores for The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Cars 2, Inside Out, Coco, and Incredibles 2
The Films
Toy Story (1995)
Toy Story follows a group of anthropomorphic toys who pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present, and focuses on the relationship between Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The toys are owned by a boy named Andy Davis.
Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase is "To infinity... and beyond!"
Toy Story was the first Disney/Pixar film to be made, as well as the first feature film in history to be made entirely with CGI
Woody Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear Tim Allen
Mr. Potato Head Don Rickles
Slinky Dog Jim Varney. A dachshund
Rex Wallace Shawn. A green Tyrannosaurus rex
Hamm John Ratzenberger. A piggy bank
Bo Peep Annie Potts. A shepherdess and Woody’s love interest
Andy Davis John Morris
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Tells the tale of an oddball individualist ant, Flik, who hires what he thinks are "warrior bugs" (actually circus performers) to fight off greedy grasshoppers. The film is a retelling of Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper
Flik Dave Foley
Hopper Kevin Spacey. Dictator of the grasshopper gang
Princess Atta Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The soon-to-be queen of the colony
Dot Hayden Panettiere. Princess Atta's younger sister
Queen Phyllis Diller. The leader of the ant colony
P.T. Flea John Ratzenberger The owner of the circus
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Al McWhiggin, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to vow to rescue him.
Bullseye is Woody’s horse. Evil Emperor Zurg is a space villain action figure and Buzz Lightyear's archenemy
Woody Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear Tim Allen
Mr. Potato Head Don Rickles
Slinky Dog Jim Varney
Rex Wallace Shawn
Hamm John Ratzenberger
Bo Peep Annie Potts
Andy Davis John Morris
Jessie Joan Cusack
Mrs. Potato Head Estelle Harris
Barbie Jodi Benson
Stinky Pete Kelsey Grammer
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
The film centres on two monsters employed at the titular Monsters, Inc.: top scarer James P. "Sulley" Sullivan and his one-eyed partner and best friend Mike Wazowski. Monsters, Inc. employees generate their city's power by targeting and scaring children, but they are themselves afraid that the children may contaminate them. Randall “Randy” Boggs, a multi-legged lizard-shaped monster with a chameleon-like ability to change skin colour and blend in completely with his surroundings, is Mike and Sulley's rival in scream collection
Sulley John Goodman
Mike Billy Crystal
Randy Steve Buscemi
Abominable Snowman John Ratzenberger
Finding Nemo (2003)
Tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who along with a regal tang called Dory, searches for his son Nemo. Along the way he learns to take risks and that his son is capable of taking care of himself
Marlin Albert Brooks
Dory Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo Alexander Gould
Gill Willem Dafoe
Bruce Barry Humphries
The Incredibles (2004)
The film's title is the name of a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live a quiet suburban life. Mr. Incredible's desire to help people draws the entire family into a battle with a villain (Syndrome) and his killer robot
The Pizza Planet truck appears in every Pixar film except The Incredibles
Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible Craig Nelson
Helen / Elastigirl Holly Hunter
Violet Parr Sarah Vowell
Dash Parr Spencer Fox
Frozone Samuel L Jackson. Bob’s best friend
Edna Mode Brad Bird. Costume designer
Cars (2006)
While traveling to California for the dispute of the final race of the Piston Cup against The King and Chick Hicks, Lightning McQueen accidentally damages the road of the small town Radiator Springs and is sentenced to repair it. Lightning McQueen has to work hard and finds friendship and love in the simple locals.
Pixar's last film before the company was bought by Disney. It is the second Pixar film – after A Bug's Life – to have an entirely non-human cast
Lightning McQueen Owen Wilson
Doc Hudson Paul Newman. A 1951 Hudson Hornet
Sally Carrera Bonnie Hunt. A 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera
Mater Larry the Cable Guy. A 1951 tow truck
Ratatouille (2007)
The plot follows Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a Parisian restaurant's garbage boy, Linguini. The restaurant was made famous by Reme’s culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Remy guides Linguini like a marionette by pulling on his hair while hidden under Linguini's toque
Remy Patton Oswalt
Skinner Ian Holm. Head chef
Linguini Lou Romano
Anton Ego Peter O’Toole. Food critic nicknamed “The Grim Eater”
Colette Janeane Garofalo. Gusteau's rôtisseur (roast cook)
WALL-E (2008)
Follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a polluted Earth, facilitated by the megacorporation Buy 'n' Large ("BnL") in 2805. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure
WALL-E – Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth class
EVE – Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator
Sigourney Weaver is the voice of the Axiom 's computer
WALL-E so far has been the only Pixar film to not be completely animated, as it featured a small element of live-action footage
WALL-E Ben Burtt
EVE Elissa Knight
Captain McCrea Jeff Garlin. Commander of the starliner Axiom
Up (2009)
The film centres on an elderly widower, named Carl Fredricksen, and a young Wilderness Explorer, named Russell, who fly to South America in a house suspended by helium balloons. Carl idolizes famous explorer Charles Muntz. Muntz has been accused of fabricating the skeleton of a giant exotic bird he says he discovered at Paradise Falls, and vows to return there to catch one alive
Carl Fredericksen Ed Asner
Russell Jordan Nagai
Charles Muntz Christopher Plummer
Dug Bob Peterson. A Golden Retriever
Kevin Pete Docter. The “Beast of Paradise Falls”, a large prehistoric bird
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Andy is now 17 and ready to head off to college. When the toys are accidentally donated to Sunnyside Daycare they are welcomed by Lotso but soon they discover that the children mistreat them
Woody Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear Tim Allen
Mr. Potato Head Don Rickles
Slinky Dog Blake Clark
Rex Wallace Shawn
Hamm John Ratzenberger
Andy Davis John Morris
Jessie Joan Cusack
Mrs. Potato Head Estelle Harris
Barbie Jodi Benson
Lotso Ned Beatty. Full name Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear
Ken Michael Keaton
Mr. Pricklepants Timothy Dalton. A hedgehog
Stretch Whoopi Goldberg. An octopus
Bonnie Emily Hahn
Cars 2 (2011)
Lightning McQueen and Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage
Lewis Hamilton voices himself in Cars 2
Despite being the first and so far the only Pixar to receive mixed reviews from critic, it was both a commercial and box office success
Finn McMissile Michael Caine
Holly Shiftwell Emily Mortimer
Miles Alexrod Eddie Izzard
Francesco Bernoulli John Turturro
Brave (2012)
Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film tells the story of a princess named Merida who defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom by expressing the desire to not be betrothed. After consulting a witch for help, Merida accidentally transforms her mother into a bear and is forced to undo the spell herself before it is too late
Merida Kelly Macdonald
Queen Elinor Emma Thompson
King Fergus Billy Connolly
The Witch Julie Walters
Lord Dingwall Robbie Coltrane
Monsters University (2013)
Prequel to Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley start off as rivals at college, but slowly become best friends. Sulley joins the prestigious Roar Omega Roar fraternity. Mike joins the Oozma Kappa fraternity
Mike Billy Crystal
Sully John Goodman
Randy Steve Buscemi
Abominable Snowman John Ratzenberger
Dean Hardscrabble Helen Mirren. Chair of the Scarer program at Monsters University
Inside Out (2015)
The film is set in the mind of an 11-year-old girl, Riley, where five personified emotions try to lead her through life as she moves with her parents from Minnesota to San Francisco
Pete Docter first began developing Inside Out in 2009 after noticing changes in his daughter's personality as she grew older
Riley Andersen Kaitlyn Dias
Joy Amy Poehler
Sadness Phyllis Smith
Fear Bill Hader
Anger Lewis Black
Disgust Mindy Kaling
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
In an alternate timeline where Earth was never hit by an asteroid and dinosaurs never became extinct, a young Alamosaurus named Arlo loses his father in a tragic accident. He befriends a human caveboy that he names Spot
Arlo Raymond Ochoa
Spot Jack Bright
Butch Sam Elliott. A Tyrannosaurus
Finding Dory (2016)
Finding Dory is focused on the amnesiac character Dory, who journeys to be reunited with her family. Sequel to Finding Nemo. Became the second Pixar film to gross $1 billion after Toy Story 3
Marlin Albert Brooks
Dory Ellen DeGeneres
Nemo Hayden Rolence
Hank Ed O’Neill. An octopus
Destiny Caitlin Olson. A whale shark
Bailey Ty Burrell. A beluga whale
Cars 3 (2017)
Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of high-tech race cars like Jackson Storm that he is still the best racing car
Lightning McQueen Owen Wilson
Cruz Ramirez Cristela Alonzo. Lightning McQueen's trainer
Jackson Storm Arnie Hammer
Smokey Chris Cooper
Sterling Nathan Fillon. Rust-eze team owner
Mater Larry the Cable Guy
Coco (2017)
Inspired by Day of the Dead. A boy seeks the help of a deceased musician to return him to his family among the living and to reverse his family's ban on music.
Miguel Anthony Gonzalez
Hector Gael Garcia Bernal
Ernesto de la Cruz Benjamin Bratt
Mama Imelda Alanna Ubach
Incredibles 2 (2018)
The Parr family as they try to restore the public's trust in superheroes while balancing their family life
Highest grossing Pixar film and the third to gross $1 billion after Finding Dory and Toy Story 3
Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible Craig Nelson
Helen / Elastigirl Holly Hunter
Violet Parr Sarah Vowell
Dash Parr Huckleberry Milner
Frozone Samuel L Jackson
Winston Deavor Bob Odenkirk
Evelyn Deavor Catherine Keener
Toy Story 4 (2019)
The toys are joined by Forky, a spork that Bonnie has made into a toy, and embark on a road trip. Directed by Josh Cooley. Dedicated to Don Rickles and animator Adam Burke
Woody Tom Hanks
Buzz Lightyear Tim Allen
Forky Tony Hale
Bonnie Madeleine McGraw
Bo Peep Annie Potts
Ducky Keegan-Michael Key
Bunny Jordan Peele
Onward {2020)
Ian and Barley, two elf brothers, set out on a quest to find an artifact that will bring back their dead father
Ian Lightfoot Tom Holland
Barley Lightfoot Chris Pratt
Laurie Lightfoot Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Widowed mother of the brothers
‘Corey’ the Manticore Octavia Spencer
Soul (2020)
Joe Gardner, a jazz musician and music teacher, seeks to reunite his soul and his body. Film was released to stream on Disney+
Joe Gardner Jamie Foxx
22 Tina Fey
Moonwind Graham Norton
Terry Rachel House
Luca (2021)
The film follows Luca Paguro, a sea monster boy with the ability to assume human form while on land, who explores the town of Portorosso on the Italian Riviera with his new best friend, Alberto Scorfano. Film was released to stream on Disney+
Luca Paguro Jacob Tremblay
Alberto Scorfano Jack Dylan Grazer
Turning Red (2022)
The film follows "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who transforms into a giant red panda when she gets too excited
Meilin "Mei" Lee Rosalie Chiang
Ming Lee Sandra Oh
Miriam Mendelsohn Ava Morse
Lightyear (2022)
After being marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew, Buzz Lightyear tries to find a way back home and encounters an army of ruthless robots
Buzz Lightyear Chris Evans
Izzy Hawthorne Keke Palmer
Sox Peter Sohn. A robotic cat
Elemental (2023)
Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature, the story follows fire element Ember Lumen and water element Wade Ripple, who meet and fall in love after Wade is summoned by a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember's father, Bernie
Ember Lumen Leah Lewis
Wade Ripple Mamoudou Athie
Bernie Lumen Ronnie del Carmen
Cinder Lumen Shila Ommi
Gale Cumulus Wendi McLendon-Covey
Brook Ripple Catherine O’Hara
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Riley turns 13 and enters the complex world of adolescence. Headquarters undergoes a sudden demolition to make room for new emotions (Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment), something Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust weren’t prepared for
Riley Andersen Kensington Tallman
Joy Amy Poehler
Sadness Phyllis Smith
Fear Tony Hader
Anger Lewis Black
Disgust Liza Lapira
Anxiety Maya Hawke
Envy Ayo Ediberi
Ennui Adele Exarchopoulos
Embarrassment Paul Walter Hauser
Upcoming Films
Eiio (2025)
Pixar at the Academy Awards
Tin Toy is a 1988 Pixar Animation Studios short film using computer animation. It was directed by John Lasseter and won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
Geri’s Game (1997) and For the Birds (2000) also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
John Lasseter won a Special Achievement Award for Toy Story
The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to win more than one Academy Award
Cars 2 was the first Pixar feature film not to be nominated for any Academy Awards
Best Animated Feature winners – Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3, Brave, Inside Out, Coco, Toy Story 4, Soul
Monsters, Inc, Cars, Incredibles 2, Onward, and Luca were nominated for Best Animated Feature but did not win
Randy Newman won two Oscars – Best Original Song in 2002 for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc., and Best Original Song in 2011 for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3
Up won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, by Michael Giacchino
Up and Toy Story 3 were also the second and third animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (the first being Disney's Beauty and the Beast)
Coco won Academy Award for Best Original Song (“Remember Me”)
