Pixar Animation Studios is an extraordinary place: where brilliant, creative minds have worked together to craft some of the most iconic characters and stories for nearly 40 years. Toy Story, Wall-E, Up, Coco, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Cars, Inside Out, and many more of their films have been enjoyed by so many audiences around the world. Located in the city of Emeryville, California, Pixar is not open to the public and there are limited options to receive a tour.
When we were there, we saw a man sitting outside the gates with a laptop. I’ve since learned he’s a screenwriter who’s been sitting outside Pixar for months, in hopes that an employee will break company policy and accept an external creative submission. Someone who had more success in receiving positive interest was Jessie Plascencia, a young artist who consistently made chalk drawings outside the gates.
Special thanks to our host and guide (you know who you are) for arranging our special visitor passes and showing my family around Pixar. It felt like a dream to walk through the hallways and absorb so much inspiring art, recognize employee faces from behind-the-scenes interviews, and hear stories about what it’s like to work there. My son enjoyed seeing statues of familiar characters, and left holding a stuffy of EVE from Wall-E.
I was able to share more pictures, anecdotes, and advice on what to learn from this tour Pixar with my students at Alpha Chromatica. I would not be surprised if one or more of them end up working as artists at Pixar someday!
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the nonsuccessful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs (one of the three founding fathers and former CEO of Pixar)
Free Resources:
Life at Pixar – Great collection of photos providing a glimpse inside the studio
How to Get a Tour of Pixar Studios – Basically: get hired, know someone who works there, or be a member of the press.
Pixar in a Box – As a teacher, I LOVE this resource and have recommended it numerous times. It’s a collaboration between Khan Academy and Pixar that is fun and easy to digest, while also providing substantial knowledge about the filmmaking process to people of all ages.
