The Science Behind Pixar (originally called The Science of Pixar and sometimes called The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition) is a 10,000 square-foot touring exhibition which opened on June 28, 2015 at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. On January 10, 2016, it started a national tour to other museums around the United States.[1] In 2017, a copy of the exhibition was created for touring internationally.
The exhibition features 40 exhibit elements which demonstrate the production pipeline at Pixar. They are divided into eight sections, each one focusing on a step in the filmmaking process and using different films to illustrate said concept:
An interactive on facial rigs that allows visitors to animate Toy Story's Jessie.
Surfaces
Focused on the Cars films and the graphic design and paint finishes on each character with a projection mapping interactive allowing visitors to switch through different car styles.
Sets & Cameras:
Focused around a large model of Ant Island from A Bug's Life, with an interactive camera and peek-in bubble windows to explore camera angles.
Animation
Exploration of animation and acting using The Incredibles as an primary example.
A stop motion interactive that allows visitors to bring Luxo Jr. to life.
Simulation
Focused on the simulation techniques used to create Merida's mop of curly hair in Brave.
Lighting
Focused around the lighting techniques to create the underwater worlds of the Finding Nemo films.
An interactive that allows visitors to experiment with different ways of lighting Carl's Living Room from Up.
Rendering
Focused around Inside Out and the computational work that went into giving the Emotions their distinctive glowing forms.
Before entering the exhibit, visitors go into a theater to watch a five-minute introductory video. In the video, Pixar technical artist Fran Kalal and story artist Alex Woo briefly explain Pixar's production pipeline. It also features Pixar characters Mr. Ray and Roz greeting the visitors and providing them safety precautions for the theater. Roz appears again at the end of the video to say that she will miss the visitors once they leave the theater.
Characters
Human-sized statues of some of Pixar's characters appear throughout the exhibit as photo-opportunities and to mark different sections.
The chart below lists the museums in the exhibition's tour and the opening and closing dates at each one.
Museum
City
Opening date
Closing date
Notes
Museum of Science
Boston, MA
June 28, 2015
January 10, 2016
As said in a promo, it was meant to open in 2014, but was delayed to 2015 for unknown reasons. Later returned in 2020 after its stop in Dallas was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The Franklin Institute
Philadelphia, PA
March 12, 2016
September 5, 2016
California Science Center
Los Angeles, CA
October 15, 2016
April 16, 2017
The closing date was originally planned to be on April 9, but it was delayed to the 16th for unknown reasons.
Science Museum of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN
June 9, 2017
September 4, 2017
Originally, it was planned to open on May 27 before being delayed to June 9 for unknown reasons.
Originally planned to open on April 25 before being cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. It is unknown whether the exhibition will open here in the future.
The Fukuoka City Museum
Fukuoka, Japan
July 1, 2020
September 22, 2020
Originally planned to open on March 21 before being delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Soundtracks:The Good Dinosaur Video Games:Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition • Dino Crossing Books:Read-Along • Hello, Arlo • Golden Book • A Friend in the Wild • The Junior Novelization • The Journey Home • Spot Leads the Way • Creatures and Critters! • Crash, Boom, ROAR! • A Wild Adventure! • A New Best Friend • A Berry for Arlo • A Boy Named Spot/A Dino Named Arlo • Big Golden Book • The Art of The Good Dinosaur
The Science Behind Pixar on Pixar Wiki
The Science Behind Pixar on World of Cars Wiki
The Science Behind Pixar on Monsters, Inc. Wiki
