Pixar Animation Studios 30th Anniversary Special Exhibition

“Art challenges technology, technology inspires art” – John Lasseter.

Source: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/pixar-wide.jpg

Looking at the picture above, do you feel nostalgic about some of your childhood memories?

Many of us probably grew up watching animation movies. You’ve probably watched at least one or a few of the movies above because of its amazing storyline, characters, and animation. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago since the release of Toy Story, the world’s first computer-generated (CG) feature film. Since then, Pixar has released 17 animated movies – 8 of which have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature [1].

Pixar’s story started on February 1986, when a small group of the smartest, most amazing computer researchers John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, and Steve Jobs established Pixar Animation Studios together in California, United States [2].

To celebrate the coming of their 30th anniversary, Pixar is holding a special exhibition here in Seoul (서울), where you can have the chance to immerse yourself in the artistic world of the Pixar artists. Movies such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Cars, and Finding Nemo have rich and amazing artworks, but the process of creating these movies is rarely seen outside of the Pixar Studios.

“Telling a good story is really hard. Making a good film is hard but it’s not excruciatingly hard. Crafting a good story is excruciatingly hard and it’s never going to get any easier”, said Lee Unkrich, editor: Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo; co‑director: Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo; director: Toy Story 3 [3].

Pixar is known for its thoughtful storytelling and powerful groundbreaking animation. The process of animation is long and complex; a typical Pixar animation takes about four to five years to complete. Its filmmaking process is a design process, alternating between planning and implementation, all centered on storytelling. It uses a combination of traditional methods such as hand drawing, pastel sketching, painting, and sculpting as well as digital methods to give life to its characters.

What differentiates Pixar from its competitors is that the creators work on their films as a team, collaboratively. They develop their ideas slowly, using a process that attempts to add value to the work of others, and to constantly exchange design products between the designers and animators. They strongly believe in the pride of making movies as a group rather than the value of individual merit [4].

Typically, Pixar’s animation process is as follows:

Story Idea
Text treatment
Script
Storyboard
Voice talents
Reels
Color scripts
Models
Sets
Shots
Animation
Shade
Lighting
Rendering
Final touches and musical score

Through this exhibition, you will be able to meet the artistic world of art unfolded by the infinite spirit of adventure and imagination of the Pixar artists. You will be able to see about 500 works of art such as hand-drawn sketches, paintings, storyboards, color scripts, and maquettes (character models) created by the artists. Moreover, there are two unique installations, the Zoetrope and Artscape. The Zoetrope is a 3-D version of an early version of the Toy Story, where it explains visually how a series of repeated images creates motion. The Artscape is a wide-screen, high-resolution media installation created using concept and development artwork. You can enter and experience the exquisite detail of the artwork included [5].

If you are wondering about what goes on behind the scenes of some of your favorite Pixar movies, how some of your favorite characters were created, or about the story of the company itself, I strongly encourage you to visit this exhibition!

Below are the details about the exhibition:

Date: April 15 – August 8, 2017

Time: 10am – 9pm [ticketing office closes at 8pm]

Weekdays: 12pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm

Weekends: 11am, 1pm

* No reservation required. May be cancelled if exhibit is too crowded.

Location: DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) baeum-teo design exhibit (B2F) (동대문디자인플라자 배움터 디자인 전시장)

Exhibition themes:

Story
Characters
Worlds

Entering inside the exhibition. No pictures could be taken inside.

Ticket office

Tickets:

Tickets can be purchased directly on site at the ticket booth. Regular price rates are the following:

Ticket Type	Age	Price (in ₩)
Ticket Type	Age	Individual	Group (20+ people)
Adult	19-64 years old	13,000	11,000
Student	13-18 years old	11,000	9,000
Children	7-12 years old	9,000	7,000
Toodlers Seniors Disabled Family Members of War Veterans	4-6 years old 65 years old and up Level 4-6	6,000	6,000
Free Disabled War veterans	48 months and below Level 1-3	–	–

* You can receive a 50% discount if you purchase your ticket at the venue between 6-8 pm on the last Wednesday of every month (Culture Day). The exact dates are: 04/26, 05/31, 06/28, and 07/26.