Steve Jobs Lives On at Pixar

Apple, iPhone, iPad, and Mac may be a few of the first words that come to mind when someone mentions Steve Jobs. The late innovator is well known for changing the way we use computers, listen to music and make phone calls, but his legacy at Apple often overshadows all that he did at a little animation studio called Pixar.

"He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined," said Pixar CCO John Lasseter and president Ed Catmull after Jobs passed away in October 2011.

The company has most definitely not forgotten Steve, and recently renamed their central building in Emeryville "The Steve Jobs Building", a building in which Jobs had a huge role in designing. Last summer's Brave was also dedicated to him, and now The Pixar Times reports that the studio has planted a tree on their campus dedicated to his memory.

Photo credit: The Pixar Times

A plaque underneath the tree reads:

Dedicated With Love And Gratitude To

Steve Jobs

Our Partner, Mentor, And Friend

It's nice to see the studio pay tribute to a man who helped them live out their full potential. Imagine a world without Pixar, how awful would that be? May Steve Jobs rest in peace, and may we never forget how he helped bring us some of the most beloved stories of all time.

Pixar Main Building Renamed After Steve Jobs

Last year, Pixar opened up a brand new building on their campus in Emeryville and titled it Brooklyn. However, as far as I'm concerned, the original building built in 2000 has never had an actual name - that is, until now.

This building will from now on be referred to as The Steve Jobs Building. Mr. Jobs was known to most as the head of Apple, but he was also the co-founder of Pixar and helped the company kick off when he bought it from Lucasfilm back when it was called the Graphics Group, and was CEO at the studio until Disney acquired it in 2006. It's been one year and one month since Steve Jobs passed away, and the company that he set the foundation for is now paying tribute to him by renaming their main facility after him.

Jobs had an integral part in designing this building, so this is really an absolutely appropriate and touching way to honor the late innovator. He may not be walking this Earth with us anymore, but Steve Jobs lives on in the legacy he left behind, not only at Apple, but at our favorite animation studio in the world.

The Creepy Yet Cool Steve Jobs Figure

You may have heard of the Apple co-founder and former Pixar CEO, Steve Jobs, doll - sorry, action figure - that's been causing quite the scandal on the web lately.

A few weeks ago, a Hong Kong-based toy company named In Icons announced its $99 Steve Jobs collectible figure. The figurine gained popularity on the Internet, even though some considered its amazingly accurate features creepy and uncanny. The action figure was admittedly cool, though. However, Apple and the Jobs family quickly "pressured" the company to stop production on the doll, claiming they owned the rights to the Steve Jobs image.

In Icons soon released a statement saying how they "received immense pressure" from  the lawyers of Apple and Steve's family, and, out of their "heartfelt sensitivity to the feelings of the Jobs family", made the decision to "completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figurine", still claiming, however, that they had "not overstepped any legal boundaries". Read the full statement at In Icons' official website.

So I guess we won't be seeing this creepy/cool Steve Jobs figure on our shelves now. It would've surely driven collectors and Jobs fans everywhere nuts, but there plenty of other neat Steve Jobs collectibles out there, so there's no need to be upset!

Pixar Book Talk!

Books. What would we do without them? They educate us, entertain us, and help us discover new things. There's been a whole lot of news about Pixar-related books lately.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First of all, Steve Jobs' authorized biography came out on Monday! I haven't had the chance to see it just yet, but I plan on at least obtaining it from the public library, if not buying it,  sometime soon. The bio, entitled simply Steve Jobs and written by Walter Isaacson, tells the story of Jobs' brilliant and inspirational life; how he co-founded Apple, how he helped bring them back to the top, how he invented the contraptions we know today as the iPad and iPhone, and, what he is best known for by animation fans around the globe, how he helped bring Pixar to life. Steve Jobs is available now, and I would not miss out on this good read.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, we have another one of the popular "Art of" books coming up next month, but this time, it's not focusing on just the latest Pixar release, it's focusing on all their films so far, from Toy Story all the way to Cars 2. It even includes the majority of their short films--including the upcoming La Luna. So, naturally, this new book is called, The Art of Pixar. It's being released this year to celebrate Pixar's 25th anniversary.

One of the unique aspects of The Art of Pixar is how only nine of its 320 pages contain text (not counting captions of the pictures and artwork throughout the book, of course). This book is all about the art, or, more specifically, a type of art form which Pixar uses to perfect all their features and shorts. It is called, the color script. Also, it will include a foreword by Pixar honcho John Lasseter!

The Art of Pixar will have all the color scripts for all of Pixar's feature films and most of their short films, and it will be available on November 2! You can pre-order and read the official description of the book here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lastly, another "Art of" book was just announced. No, it's not The Art of Brave (although we are likely to hear about that in a few months or so), but it is The Toy Story Films: An Animated Journey, or in other words, "The Art of all 3 Toy Story movies". Amazon.com has listed it as a 192-page book, hardcover, which will be available on August 7, 2012. As the name suggests, it will be a retelling of the making of the beloved Toy Story franchise, and will include concept art from Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and of course, Toy Story 3, as well as interviews with the filmmakers! Don't forget to check out the official description here.

If you are an avid Pixar and Toy Story fan, this book sounds like something you probably won't want to miss out on.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Were you looking for a good book to read or one to look forward to? Well then, hopefully this blog post gave you some ideas.

Remembering Steve Jobs

You've probably heard the sad news by now. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc. and an incredibly talented innovator, has passed away at the age of 56.

Steve was an immensely gifted visionary, a genius, and a friend to many people. He revolutionized the computer industry, and pretty much the entire world. He was even part of the Disney Board of Directors, and a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. On top of all this, he helped bring Pixar to life, after buying Lucasfilm's "Graphics Group" so that they could become their own company. He saw the potential in John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, and all the others, and together they created the studio that so many people now know and love.

Jobs was CEO of Pixar until Disney bought it in 2006, and was CEO of Apple until just recently resigning in August due to his health. Steve over went a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

I visited Apple's website earlier, and of course, they had the new iPhone 4S all big and bold on the homepage. Then I visited it about one or two hours later, and there was a big black and white photo of Steve Jobs, next to the text that read, Steve Jobs: 1955 - 2011. Clicking on the text would lead you to this message:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and inspiring mentor. Steve leaves the company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

For anyone who would like to offer concolences, share memories, and remember the late Steve Jobs, an email has been created by Apple at rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Also, be sure to read his biography, simply titled Steve Jobs: A Biography, which will be available in November.

There have been many words offered for Steve. Here are a few...

From John Lasseter and Ed Catmull:

Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.’ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.

From Bob Iger, CEO of Disney:

Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an “original,” with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.

From Samad Rizvi of The Pixar Times:

As both Apple and Pixar are close to my heart, seeing the passing of Steve Jobs is tough to contemplate. There are no words that can possibly summarize the effect that he had on the world. While he will be missed, his legacy will live on in Cupertino, Emeryville, and all across the world.

And there are so much more out there, but if I listed even 0.01% of them, this blog post would go on forever.

My prayers, too, are with Steve's friends and family. He was, and always will be, an incredible and inspirational man, and is one of the best examples there is that one person can make a difference. I wish I could have had the chance to meet him in person, but he will always be one of my idols. Goodbye Steve Jobs.

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)