Discover the Secret to Pixar Magic in a New Interactive Exhibition

The Boston Museum of Science showcases the science and technology behind the studio’s films.

by DJ Pangburn

July 16, 2015, 1:30pm

Visitors adjust lighting to recreate a scene from Finding Nemo. © Michael Malyszko

This summer, Pixar and the Museum of Science in Boston have teamed up for The Science Behind Pixar, an interactive 10,000-square foot exhibition highlighting the technology, science, engineering and math (STEM) used by the animation studio’s highly regarded artists and computer scientists. And the timing for the exhibition couldn’t be better. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Pixar’s first feature length film, Toy Story, a revolutionary movie that ushered in an era of digital animated films that were as smart as they were visually mesmerizing.

“The Science Behind Pixar is a behind-the-scenes look at how our movies are made," says Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios. "The interactive exhibition gives people the opportunity to learn about the jobs our filmmakers do every day and tackle similar problems. It's a great demonstration of how much creativity and imagination is involved in the science, technology, engineering, art and math thinking essential to our filmmaking process.”

The exhibition mirrors an effort by Tony DeRose, Pixar Research’s Senior Scientist, to explain the art of math and science in a 2014 TED talk entitled Pixar: The Math Behind the Movies. But it’s one thing to hear someone talk about the science and math in the films, and quite another to interact with these elements.

Pixar Ratatouille surfaces interactive. © Michael Malyszko

To that end, The Science Behind Pixar exhibition features over 40 interactive elements broken into eight distinct sections. As the Museum of Science notes, each section hones in on Pixar’s eight main filmmaking processes, including 3D modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras, animation, simulation, lighting and rendering.

The idea is to engage the public, especially kids, on how STEM concepts are used in Pixar’s animation process. Pixar studios’ production teams explain the process via videos, and then visitors can “experience” different aspects of the production process through both physical interactive exhibition elements and screen-based activities.

Pixar spinning shapes modeling interactive. © Michael Malyszko

"The Rigging" exhibit, for example, demonstrates how 3D models for films like Inside Out and Finding Nemo get a virtual skeleton to create realistic digital movement. "The Surfaces" exhibit allows people to add color and texture to the models, while in "Sets & Cameras" visitors can see how a combination of camera angles and computer set design gave audiences a bug’s-eye view in A Bug’s Life.

Visitors also get to discover fun production facts about Pixar’s various films. In Finding Nemo, Bruce’s mouth featured 202 teeth, each animated individually, while in Ratatouille, Pixar artists didn’t give the human characters any toes to save time on the production calendar. And, perhaps most impressively, a team of five modelers and five shading artists spent a month creating 1,000 unique props for the interior of WALL•E's truck.

“Throughout the exhibition, visitors will engage in hands-on, screen-based, and physical activities that let them explore the computational thinking skills behind Pixar’s process in a compelling and participatory way,” says Ioannis Miaoulis, Museum of Science President and Director. “The Science Behind Pixar explores the creativity and artistry of the Pixar filmmakers, highlighting how computers are used as a filmmaking tool.”

“The exhibition puts you into the role of each aspect of the Pixar filmmaking process, and we hope visitors will increase their knowledge and understanding of the core STEM content behind computer animation.”