CINCINNATI – A new exhibit coming to Cincinnati Museum Center aims to help guests understand the science behind beloved Pixar’s films like “Toy Story” by putting them in the artist’s chair.
The Science Behind Pixar exhibit opens at the museum at Union Terminal on Oct. 22.
Visitors pose with human-sized models of some of their favorite Pixar characters, including Buzz Lightyear and Mike & Sulley. (© Michael Malyszko)
Since Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story” debuted in 1995, generations have grown up with the studio’s films and characters. Now, through the power of various interactive displays, movie fans of all ages can learn how Pixar Animation Studios artists to create characters like Buzz Lightyear and Woody and the fantastical world where they reside.
Museum-goers will learn the science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and art concepts that go into making movies like “Up” and “Finding Nemo.”
“The Science Behind Pixar demonstrates how wonderfully the components of STEM intersect to create whimsical worlds and iconic characters who have defined a generation,” said Elizabeth Pierce, CMC’s president and CEO. “With interactive elements that make the complex concepts of digital animation accessible to a variety of age groups, the exhibition will inspire the next generation of imagineers to bring their own visions to life.”
The exhibition highlights the eight steps in the Pixar filmmaking process – modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras, animation, simulation, lighting and rendering.
There are more than 50 interactive elements. Some of the activities include:
- Discover how camera placement and angles created a bug’s-eye view in “A Bug’s Life”
- Create a digital sculpture from an artist’s sketch
- Use lights to solve challenges similar to ones faced by Pixar in creating underwater scenes in “Finding Nemo”
- See how models are given a virtual skeleton that enables animators to pose them
- Build a robot inspired by those in “WALL-E”
- Try to create a jumping lamp using stop-motion animation and watch a short film of what’s produced
- See and touch scale models of many Pixar characters
“The Science Behind Pixar is an interactive exhibition that offers people a hands-on opportunity to understand how we make our films,” said Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios. “At Pixar, we use science, technology, engineering, art and math – along with a significant dash of creativity and fun – and this exhibition is truly a great demonstration of how all those ingredients come together in our filmmaking process.”
Films and characters represented in the exhibition include “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Finding Nemo,” “Finding Dory,” “Brave,” “The Incredibles,” “Up,” “WALL-E,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “Luca” and more.
Tickets will be available soon. For more information, visit cincymuseum.org/pixar.
