Photo Credit: Krista | www.ladybugblog.com

Toy Story | Bug’s Life | Toy Story 2 | Monsters, Inc. | Finding Nemo

The Incredibles | Cars | Ratatouille | Wall-E | UP | Toy Story 3 | Cars 2

Brave | Monsters University | Inside Out | The Good Dinosaur | Finding Dory

PIXAR has become synonymous with state of the art animated filmmaking. The end results of the creative process are stories that carry us away to far off and fanciful places while we watch the movies that have become ingrained in pop culture. When you are watching an animated movie or short film, the last thing you are probably thinking about is the science, math, and technology that went into its creation. If this is true, then the creative teams behind these PIXAR films have achieved their goal of making movie magic.

Now there is an opportunity for you to explore behind the scenes and take a closer look at the ways science, math, and technology are integral parts of PIXAR’s movies at an exhibit called “The Science Behind PIXAR” now on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.

This is the west coast premiere of this exhibit. Per the official Science Center website, the exhibit “showcases the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts used by the artists and computer scientists who help bring Pixar’s award-winning films to the big screen.” The exhibit in L.A. opened in mid-October 2016 and is scheduled to be open until April 16, 2017. We recently made a day trip from San Diego to Los Angeles to check out this PIXAR exhibit.

Quote by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios | Photo Credit: Krista | www.ladybugblog.com

What to Know Before You Go:

• Due to the popularity of the PIXAR Exhibit, especially on the weekends, advance purchase of tickets is highly recommended. We purchased our tickets through the official California Science Center website. Ticket prices start at $14.95 for adult tickets. General admission to the California Science Center is free.
• Parking at the California Science Center is $12.00 per car and only cash is accepted, so plan accordingly. There are additional ways to travel to the Science Center. Check the official website for additional information about public transportation.
• With your ticket to the PIXAR Exhibit, it will also include an opportunity to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor. If you wish to also see an IMAX film while you are at the Science Center, there are ticket packages that combine the PIXAR Exhibit, a visit to the Endeavor, and a ticket for an IMAX film.
• The California Science Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

When You Arrive:

• The advance purchase tickets to the PIXAR Exhibit will be for a certain time. If you arrive early, you can explore and enjoy the main sections of the California Science Center.
• Once you enter the PIXAR Exhibit, you are not able to leave and reenter. Therefore, make sure everyone in your group has used the restroom and has had some snacks.
• The amount of time you will spend in the PIXAR Exhibit will vary based on the ages of the people in your group and their interest level in the topic. The overall exhibit space is 12,000 square feet and includes over 40 interactive exhibit elements. We were expecting to spend approximately one hour inside the exhibit, but ended up exploring for over two hours!

If you are planning on visiting the PIXAR Exhibit for yourself, you may want to skip this next part. I’m not intending on providing any spoilers, but also don’t want to affect your enjoyment of seeing it on your own. If you’re not able to make it to the PIXAR Exhibit while it’s in Los Angeles, or are wanting additional information before you go, here are some of the highlights that we found enjoyable.

• Welcoming Film: This short introduction takes you on a virtual field trip to the PIXAR Studios in Emeryville, California. It includes an overview of the planning and development that goes into the animated filmmaking process.
• Photo Opportunities: The exhibit includes several places to take some pictures with larger than life characters from some of the favorite PIXAR movies. Buzz Lightyear, Sully & Mike, Wall-E, and Dory to name a few.
• Overview of the PIXAR filmmaking process: Every Pixar movie goes through the steps of the production pipeline, but the process is not entirely linear. Each film starts at Story & Art. The next steps include Modeling, Rigging, Surfaces, Sets & Cameras, Animation, Simulation, Lighting, and finally Rendering.
• Informative Displays: Each step of the production pipeline has an area inside the exhibit. Specific ways math and science are used in the filmmaking process are featured on the displays. The STEM information is concise and appropriate for school-aged children and adults.
• Interactive Computer Stations: Several of the steps of the production pipeline include hands-on computer stations where you can try your hand at some of skills like Modeling, Rigging, and Animation to name a few.
• DIY Stop Animation Station: After leaving the main exhibit area, there is an additional area where you can create your own stop animation clip. Tip: When your stop animation is finished, use your smartphone to capture a video of the completed animation. We made one and I recorded it twice, once at regular speed and once in slow-motion.
• Exhibit Gift Shop: Of course, the exhibit has you exit through the official exhibit gift shop. This is where you’ll find lots of Pixar themed items, including t-shirts, magnets, toys, etc. I was expecting there to be more specialty items related to the exhibit, but this was not the case. We purchased a refrigerator magnet from the exhibit and our grandson picked out a t-shirt. There were other items related to animation in addition to the Pixar souvenirs. This Pixar gift shop is a pop-up shop at the exit of the exhibit. There is also a larger gift shop on the main level, but doesn’t feature the Pixar items.

Is it worth the trip?

We have been wanting to visit the California Science Center ever since the Space Shuttle Endeavor arrived on exhibit, so being able to see both the Pixar exhibit and the Endeavor on the same day was a treat. Our tickets for the Pixar exhibit were for 11:15 a.m. so we had time to explore some of the Science Center beforehand. We had a late lunch at 1:30 p.m. in the food court area inside the Science Center. After lunch, we visited the Endeavor, which was equally fascinating and informative.

Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend this exhibit if you’re a fan of Disney or how animated films are created. We ended up spending much more time at the California Science Center than we had planned and may try to visit again before the Pixar exhibit ends in April 2017.

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FUN FACTS ABOUT PIXAR FILMS:

• Toy Story (1995) was the world’s first feature length computer-animated movie.
• From shiny and new to dirty and dusty, Lightning McQueen in Cars had 14 variations of his virtual red paint.
• A scene with 15 shiny cars requires millions of calculations to create all the reflections.
• In Cars, Ramone had 6 paint jobs, requiring 10 types of virtual paint finishes.
• The first computer-animated movie set under water, Finding Nemo had to create believable water effects.
• Pixar developed 3 water simulations for different features of ocean waves: the surface, water droplets, and spray.
• 1,161,344 floating particles help create the feeling of being under water in the East Australian Current in Finding Nemo.
• In Monsters, Inc., Sulley’s fur has 2.3 million hairs.
• The motion of Sulley’s fur is computed automatically, with 25,336 guide hairs directing the rest.
• It took 3 days of processing to create one particularly fur-filled Monsters, Inc. final image.
• Pixar built over 1,000 character models for Toy Story 2.
• Computer processing speeds have increased greatly since Toy Story. 1 hour of computation could be completed in 1 second 20 years later (2015).

Wall-e was another popular photo opportunity. | Photo Credit: Krista

Have you visited the Pixar Exhibit yet? If so, what were your favorite parts? Do you plan on checking out the Pixar Exhibit while it’s in Los Angeles?

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”