Art Museum Tennis Palace will dedicate the spring of 2008 to animation. The exhibition Pixar - 20 Years of Animation will occupy both floors of the museum and feature more than 500 original works of art. It will take visitors behind the screen to reveal how Pixar’s beloved characters and fantastic worlds were created. The works include concept drawings, paintings, sculptures and installations that offer exciting audiovisual experiences. All of the Pixar artwork and digital media are on loan from the archives of Pixar Animation Studios.

Pixar is one of the world’s leading animation studios. It was founded in California in 1986. Its first box office hit was Toy Story in 1995, followed by other feature films; A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Cars and the most recently, Ratatouille in 2007.

Pixar - 20 Years of Animation will take you to the provenance of these stories. The exhibition will present the history of the studio and a peek into its future. It covers Pixar’s work from its earliest shorts to its newest feature film WALL-E, which will premiere in 2008. Included in the exhibition are also numerous video interviews introducing the audience to the Pixar artists and their work.

Although Pixar’s films are computer animations, traditional media are still indispensable in the creative process. John Lasseter, who is one of the studio’s founding members and its Chief Creative Officer, emphasises the importance of personal creativity: “Technology doesn’t make the motion picture, people do. (...) The animator is someone who breathes life into a character, which is something the software and technology can’t give you.”

The exhibition was originally produced by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Helsinki will be its first Nordic venue. Pixar: 20 Years of Animation exhibition is managed by Barbican Art Gallery. Barbican Art Galleries are provided by the City of London Corporation.

The Pixar educational booklet was sponsored by The U.S. Embassy in Helsinki.