I recently met Tony DeRose, a Senior Scientist and lead of the Research Group at Pixar Animation Studios. Between the two of us, at least one of us has a Scientific and Technical Academy Award for trail-blazing work on surface representations.
Tony was in Boston to experience sub-zero weather and discuss Pixar’s latest adventure, The Science of Pixar which will be a nationally traveling exhibition. It’s being developed by the Museum of Science, Boston in partnership with Pixar Animation Studios and the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative. The exhibit will open in Boston in June of 2015 but will begin traveling to other museums after that.
Pixar has had tremendous success with its Art of Pixar exhibit, and this new immersive and interactive installation will redress a certain balance as Pixar prides itself on being made up of both artists and scientists.
At the museum, families will begin in the theater with a movie that introduces the art and science in Pixar’s movies. Visitors will travel through a physical representation of Pixar’s production pipeline, moving from zones that explore key milestones including Modeling, Rigging, Surfaces, Sets & Cameras, Lighting, Animation, Simulation, and Rendering. Pixar staff will appear in video form to tell their stories and share what they do inside the belly of the (blue, furry) beast.
This 10,000 square foot exhibit will be “an opportunity to celebrate the science and the scientists,” says Tony. Science of Pixar is a year away, but as a certain Golden Labrador once said, “I have just met you and I love you.”
