Some Things You Didn't Know About Pixar

1. Pixar Started Under George Lucas

Pixar began under the wing of George Lucas as part of the computer division of Lucasfilm in 1979. At that time the company was known as the Graphics Group.

2. The Origin of the Pixar Logo Is a Lamp

Pixar's very first animated short was "Luxo Jr." (1986), produced by John Lasseter after he left Industrial Light and Magic. The short film, about two desk lamps and a small rubber ball, became the company's signature logo (you know, the intro before every Pixar film of the jumping lamp).

3. Steve Jobs Once Bought Pixar

Steve Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Pixar. Jobs bought the Graphics Group from Lucasfilm in 1986 for $10 million, $5 million of which he gave to the company as capital.

4. Steve Jobs Also Saved Pixar

In fact, Jobs even saved Pixar from folding under at one point by investing more money into it. This led him to eventually owning the entire company for a total investment of $50 million.

5. Pixar Has Won (Many) Awards

Pixar has won 27 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and eleven Grammy Awards.

6. Pixar Made a Computer

Before Pixar had a fully functioning animation department the functioned as a high-end computer hardware company, with their main product being the Pixar Image Computer. This computer helped begin Pixar's relationship with Walt Disney Studios, who was one of the first buyers of the computer. The studio used the system to computerize the ink and paint process of their traditionally animated films.

7. Pixar Made a Major Deal With Disney

When Pixar made a $26 million deal with Disney in 1991 to produce three CGI feature films (the first of which became "Toy Story"), Pixar was still struggling financially and had lost 30 employees including their president.

8. The Critics Helped Save Pixar, Too

It was word from New York critics about the destined success of "Toy Story" that gave Jobs hope for the company.

9. In the Early Days, Pixar Hired Lots of College Grads

Most of Pixar's animators in their early feature film days were college graduates. Since 2D animation was still dominant at the time and Pixar's studio was located in San Francisco, nearly six hours away from the animator industry in Los Angeles, it was difficult to hire professional animators. Thus fresh college grads were the top choice.

10. 'Toy Story 2' Was Almost Direct-to-Video

"Toy Story 2" was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie . Lasseter wasn't very pleased with the material at the time so he had the Pixar team start over from scratch and, voila! we got the much-loved sequel to the talking toys adventure.

11. The Animators Pull Double Duty

Animators are cast just like actors! Some animators specialize in comedy, some in emotional scenes, and others in drama. Pixar casts animators based on their sensibilities so each character is brought to life as realistically as possible. Just look at how many different emotions this single shot from "Finding Nemo" had to depict (evil, scared, and of course the always-jolly Dory).