THE PIXAR STORY- Documentary will be opening at SIGGRAPH on Tuesday August 12th and then on a nationwide showing, dates below. Here is the press release for the film. Check out the films website:http://www.thepixarstory.com/
Three Bold Innovators Transform Animated
Filmmaking in the Revealing New Documentary
THE PIXAR STORY
Rolls Out Nationwide on
From Academy Award® Nominated Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks
EMERYVILLE, Calif. , October 11, 2007—Starting in the mid 1980s, an exceptional and inspiring trio of innovators, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs, combined their gifts in art, science and business to launch a whole new approach to making 3-D animated films and ended up reshaping the face of filmmaking forever. In the new documentary film The Pixar Story, Oscar® nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks takes viewers on a dramatic journey filled with personal sacrifice and fueled by passionate belief in the possibilities of a new medium illustrating how Pixar Animation Studios was born. On
The first in-depth look at the most influential animation studio of its time, The Pixar Story goes behind the scenes of the groundbreaking company that pioneered a new generation of animated feature films. Iwerks uses never-before-seen footage from the Pixar library, along with historic archival animation and first hand accounts by animators, studio executives, directors, producers and voice performers to chronicle the remarkable company that revolutionized an industry. The Pixar Story includes exclusive interviews with some of the key players in the Pixar story including John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, Steve Jobs, George Lucas, Michael Eisner, Bob Iger, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Tim Allen, Brad Bird and more.
In 1984, animator John Lasseter left his job at Disney to join a quiet revolution in filmmaking taking place in
Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks has documented the ongoing events at Pixar on and off since 2001. “In a relatively short period of time, Pixar went from a bootstrap enterprise run by some pretty daring risk takers to a multi-billion dollar corporation that sets the standard for an entire industry,” says Iwerks. “The film is in large part a tribute to their tenacity and creativity, their unwillingness to give in when it seemed impossible to win, and to continue their creative journey no matter how difficult it became.”
Producer, director and writer Leslie Iwerks is a third generation filmmaker from a two-time Oscar® winning family. Her recent documentary short film, Recycled Life, chronicled the thousands of people living and working in the largest and most toxic landfill in
Iwerks’ award-winning theatrical documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse-The Ub Iwerks Story chronicles the life of her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, Academy Award winning motion picture pioneer, and the original designer and co-creator of Mickey Mouse. In addition, she is co-author of a book of the same title, published by Disney Editions in 2001. The Hand Behind the Mouse was honored with the 2002 E.G. Lutz Award for top animation book of the year.
Iwerks also directed, wrote and executive produced “Pixar’s 20th Anniversary Special for The Wonderful World of Disney,” hosted by John Ratzenberger, which aired on ABC on
A companion book to The Pixar Story titled To Infinity and Beyond—The Story of Pixar Animation Studios, by Karen Paik, is based on interviews and research by Iwerks, and is scheduled for release by Chronicle Books in Fall 2007.
SCREENING SCHEDULE
