George Lucas recruits computer scientist Ed Catmull to lead Lucasfilm’s Computer Division. The group is tasked with building advanced digital tools for filmmaking, including computer graphics, editing, and sound systems. This team becomes the direct predecessor of Pixar.
Lucasfilm’s Computer Division creates the “Genesis Effect” sequence for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It is widely noted as the first completely computer-animated sequence in a feature film. The success helps demonstrate that computer graphics can work as cinematic storytelling, not just research demos.
A partially completed version of The Adventures of André & Wally B. premieres at the SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference. The short features flexible character animation and effects like motion blur, pushing what CGI could do at the time. It also helps establish the creative direction that later defines Pixar’s shorts and features.
Pixar and Disney begin collaborating on CAPS (Computer Animation Production System), a digital ink-and-paint and compositing system for traditional animation. This work brings Pixar early revenue and a long-term relationship with Disney. It also helps Pixar strengthen production tools that later support feature filmmaking.
Steve Jobs purchases Lucasfilm’s Computer Division and establishes it as an independent company named Pixar. The new company starts small (about 40 employees) and must find a sustainable business model while continuing technical and animation research. This purchase sets Pixar on a path from technology company to film studio.
Luxo Jr. debuts at SIGGRAPH 1986 and becomes a landmark CGI character short. It later receives an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film, a first for CGI animation at the Oscars. The film’s desk-lamp characters become central to Pixar’s identity, including its famous logo.
Pixar releases Red’s Dream, its second computer-animated short after Luxo Jr. The film emphasizes mood and character emotion, not just technical demonstration. This shift toward story-driven shorts becomes a training ground for artists who later lead Pixar features.
Pixar completes Knick Knack, one of its early shorts, during a period when the company was still trying to sell high-end graphics hardware. Around this era, Pixar also begins producing commercials and refining its animation workflow, which helps keep the studio operating financially. These steps set up a broader pivot: animation and software become more central than selling computers.
Tin Toy wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film (awarded at the 1989 ceremony), making it the first CGI film to win an Oscar. The short’s toy characters and child–toy relationship help inspire Pixar’s later feature concept for Toy Story. The award also signals that computer animation can compete as mainstream film art.
Pixar and Disney announce an agreement to produce and distribute computer-animated feature films. Pixar begins full development on the project that becomes Toy Story, while still doing commercials and short work. This deal gives Pixar a path into feature filmmaking, with Disney providing marketing and distribution strength.
Toy Story is released in theaters in North America, widely recognized as the first fully computer-animated feature film. Its box office and critical success proves that CGI can support an entire feature-length story with broad audience appeal. The film turns Pixar from a risky tech-and-animation venture into a major studio.
Pixar completes its initial public offering (IPO) days after Toy Story opens. The IPO provides capital for growth, helping Pixar scale production for a long-term feature slate. It also marks Pixar’s arrival as a major public-facing entertainment business, not just a behind-the-scenes graphics company.
Pixar moves its main campus from Point Richmond to a purpose-built headquarters in Emeryville, California. The new space is designed to support collaboration and larger production teams as Pixar aims for roughly one feature per year. The move helps institutionalize Pixar’s studio culture as it expands.
Disney announces an all-stock deal to acquire Pixar for about $7.4 billion. The move follows years of successful collaboration and is intended to bring Pixar’s creative leadership and CGI expertise closer to Disney’s animation business. It also reshapes leadership roles across Disney’s animation divisions.
Disney completes the acquisition of Pixar, formally making Pixar a subsidiary while keeping it physically based in Emeryville. The deal elevates Pixar leaders into influential roles across Disney animation. This closing step locks in Pixar’s long-term corporate home and sets the stage for its modern era under Disney ownership.
Pixar Animation Studios (1979–present)