Currently wrapping up a limited run in select theaters is a new independent documentary by Leslie Iwerks, The Pixar Story. Leslie Iwerks is the grand-daughter of animator Ub Iwerks, who was Disney's key animator in the early days of his fledgling studio of the 1920s, so it seems only appropriate for her to document the history behind Pixar.

If you've followed the Pixar Studio closely in the newspapers and magazines, or studied the special features of their DVDs, most of the information presented will be rather familiar; but the newer, never-before-seen footage that leads up to the release of Toy Story has been hidden from most, other than those who were there to make history happen. The early genesis of the Pixar studio lies mainly in looking closely at the early careers of three men: John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, and Steve Jobs. Each of them ended up playing a vital role: Lasseter was trained in animation at CalArts and worked at the Disney studio in the 1970s into the 80s. Meanwhile, Catmull studied computer science at the University of Ohio and Steve Jobs launched the mega-million dollar empire of Apple Computers. The film traces the paths of these three visionaries until they finally intersect to form Pixar, which originated as a branch of Lucasfilm (so George Lucas also had an indirect role in getting them started).

It's really interesting to look closely at the twists and turns of this early part of the story, and how through a series of successes and failures, these pioneers ended up at their ultimate dream of animating an entire feature-length film using computers. It's made very clear early in the film, through Iwerks' careful selection of interview material, that this was their dream for several years before it finally came time to make it a reality. Lasseter, for instance, no doubt had lofty dreams in his head about what his life would be like working at Disney. Having been inspired by the early films, he most likely had high expectations of the dream-world he would become a part of, only to end up finding himself in a very different studio than it had been in the past. With Walt and many of his contemporaries out of the picture, the late 70s/early 80s was a tumultuous time for the Disney Studio. Management decisions of the time eventually caused Lasseter to be let go from the "dream factory" he thought he had been blessed to be with. But in the bigger picture, this turn of events was the trigger that got him involved with the computer scientists in the Bay Area, who were also seeking, at that same moment, the missing piece of the puzzle they needed. Catmull and the other technical wizards needed someone who understood traditional animation, because that was the best way to breathe life into the clunky computer models they were struggling with. Lasseter was the perfect man for the job, and his hard work paid off full circle when Disney climbed back on top and became the distributor for the magic now happening at Pixar; and the rest, as they say, is history.

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