
It would later become the work horse for Pixar Renderman.Īfter working with Industrial Light and Magic on Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn and Young Sherlock Holmes, Catmull and Smith worried that George Lucas would sell off the entire Computer Graphics Group as he was going through a messy divorce and losing revenue on the Star Wars license. Alvy Ray Smith, also a member of CGL, followed Edwin and together they started working on a 3D rendering program. He launched the Computer Graphics department of Lucasfilms.


The purpose of this lab was to create the first fully CG animated feature film, The Works, but they never completed it.Įdwin Catmull was part of the CGL team, but moved over to Lucasfilms in 1979 when NYIT was running low on funds to support their project. Notable employees: John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich Studio History:Įven though Pixar Animation Studios was officially founded in 1986, you can trace the history of the studio as far back as 1974, when the founder of the New York Institute of Technology, Dr.Alexander Schure, established the Computer Graphics Lab. This report will give you a detailed look at each of the animation studios: The history of the studio, its founders, the size and number of employees, notable staff members and highest grossing / most awarded films.Īnimation Studios: Pixar Animation Studiosįounder(s): Steve Jobs, Edwin Catmull, and Alvy Ray Smith This in-depth report lists the 9 most influential and prominent animation studios in the world.
