The studio began as a computer animation division of LucasFilm called Graphics Group. Their initial work was in live-action films. Perhaps most groundbreaking of their work at that time was the Genesis Effect sequence in
.
In 1986, Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) purchased the company from George Lucas and renamed it PIXAR. In the process of trying to sell Imaging computers, PIXAR employee John Lasseter created the short
Luxo Jr. to show off the capabilities of the computer system. The PIXAR Imaging Computer never sold well, but the animation made a big hit at SIGGRAPH, and PIXAR's operation was transitioned from a computer hardware company to an animation company; by 1990, the hardware portion of the company was gone.
Almost immediately, the fledgling animation company made a three-picture deal with
Disney for three feature films- the first being
Toy Story. In the tempestuous relationship that followed, Disney and PIXAR were at loggerheads more often than they were friendly... or, more accurately, the egos of Steve Jobs and Michael Eisner were constantly in conflict. Michael Eisner was forced from the board of Disney, and Disney purchased PIXAR, making Jobs the largest single shareholder of Disney stock. John Lasseter became Chief Creative Officer of both Pixar and the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
In 2010, Pixar Animation Studios opened a new studio in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia. The new studio is focused on producing shorts and TV-specials based on characters from Pixar's feature films.
