30 Years

The original Pixar logo

It has now officially been three decades since Steve Jobs bought the Graphics Group, a computer division of Lucasfilm, and Pixar Animation Studios was born. No one could have predicted what would come next.

To celebrate the studio's 30th anniversary, Disney put out a six-minute video featuring one of Pixar's founding fathers John Lasseter. He talks about the studio's beginnings and the basis upon which it was built.

The cultural impact that Pixar and its films have had in just 30 years is monumental, to say the least. Through combining art and technology, the wizards at the studio revolutionized the animation industry and have created characters as beloved as Mickey Mouse, and continue to do so to this day.

Where Pixar has truly excelled, I think, is in making audiences around the world believe that the computer-generated creatures on the screen are real, living beings. Their films are much more than visual eye candy; they have heart. You forget the fact that you are watching a movie and become fully immersed in the fantastical worlds and, above all, the characters. Corny as that may sound, I'm sure many people would agree.

It's crazy to think that what started as a meager computer company has gone on to create some of the most beloved films of all time and inspire a whole generation of artists. I cannot wait to see what they accomplish in another 30 years.